A Flashcards
Above the Earth
When a planet is located above the horizon, namely anywhere between the ascendant and descendant via the mid-heaven. If a planet is found in the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th houses, it is above the earth.
Abscission of Light
Prevention of the culmination of an aspect by the intervention of another, thus “cutting off” the light. Used in Horary Astrology. See Frustration.
Abscissor
Killing planet; cutter-off of light.
Absides (Absis)
The points where the major axis of an elliptical orbit meets the orbital path. See Apsides.
Accidental Dignity
Planet dignified by favourable position, motion or aspect, but not in Essential Dignity. See Dignities, Accidental and Essential.
Acronichal (Acronycal; Acronychal; Acronical)
- Acronichal – the point opposite the Sun
2, Acronichal Rising – a star or planet rising at sunset
3, Acronichal Setting – a star or planet setting at sunrise
The opposite of Cosmical, this is one of the three Greek ideas of the rising and setting of stars: Acronichal, Cosmical and , by which they measured the length of the year.Heliacal
Adherence
Hellenistic astrological term for conjunction of planets.
Adverse aspect
Unfortunate aspect between planets, or other chart factors. See Malefic Aspects.
Aether (Ether, Æther)
- Alchemical quintessence: the fifth and highest element after Air, Earth, Fire and Water; once believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies. See Akasha, also Quintessence.
- A medium that was once supposed (originally by Leibniz) to fill all space and to support the propagation of electromagnetic waves. See Dark Energy.
- In theosophical terms, it is a subtle energetic field, or level of consciousness immediately surrounding and interpenetrating the physical level of our five senses. See Etheric Body.
Affinity
When planets or other factors are similar, in harmony, or have a mutual compatibility.
Affliction
An adverse aspect, or position, creating problems in the expression of the relevant energies. Aspects from malefics are almost always adverse, so the aspected planet is said to suffer affliction, or be afflicted, but benefics can also afflict if poorly placed in the chart. A planet can also be said to be afflicted if it is debilitated by chart position (for example if in fall or detriment, or by rulership of the unfortunate houses: 4th, 6th, 8th and 12th.).
Age, astrological
The location of the vernal point in the sidereal zodiac defines the current Astrological Age. An Astrological Age has a duration of some 2,160 years, as the vernal point (0° Aries in the Tropical Zodiac) precesses through the sidereal zodiac at a rate of something over one degree every 72 years. The two zodiacs coincided in approximately 200 AD (depending on your ayanamsa) marking the end of the Age of Aries and the beginning of the Age of Pisces. It has now precessed to around 5° Pisces, so we are gradually approaching the end of the Age of Pisces and have entered the transitional phase towards actualisation of the Age of Aquarius.
Where did I get these terms?
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Age of Aquarius
The Astrological Age that begins when the vernal point precesses beyond the first degree of sidereal Pisces and into the last degree of sidereal Aquarius. The exact year of this cosmic event is in dispute, but is most likely to be sometime around the mid 2300’s AD. One argument in favour of the Age of Aquarius having already begun is the cusp argument promoted by Ptolemy and others that the actual cusp of a house is effective up to five degrees before the actual cuspal degree, but this is shaky insofar as it applies to houses rather than to signs. However, it is supported by the experience of the deaths of millions in the twentieth century under, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, the World Wars etc (marking the ending of the Age of Pisces) and the emergence of the individualistic, technological culture that arrived during the 1960’s. This issue was of intense interest to early “New Age” astrologers in the twentieth century (and indeed still is), as it was supposed to introduce a new age of brotherhood and harmony and the coming “sixth race” of advanced humans. You can draw your own conclusions on that.
Age-harmonics
Technique for drawing up a harmonic chart for the age of a person, or other astrological subject. This little-known but powerful technique, especially useful for birth-time rectification, and for synastry analysis, was discovered by Australian astrologer Ross Harvey in 1983.
Air element
One of the four astrological elements. A masculine element, it stands for intellect, media, matters to do with communications and so on. The other elements are, Fire, Water and Earth.
Air signs
Libra (cardinal), Aquarius (fixed) and Gemini (mutable).
Airy triplicity
The Air Signs: Libra; Aquarius; Gemini. These signs are hot and moist by nature and sanguine by temperament.
Akasha (Akasa)
The mystical fifth element, or quintessence. The cosmic spiritual essence that pervades and underpins the material elements, Fire, Air, Earth and Water. A sanscrit word meaning “shining”, it is also known as the Astral Light, or collective unconscious.
Akashic records
The “Book of Life”; interactive cosmic storehouse of karmic impressions made by every thought, word and deed in the Akasha, or cosmic mind, the collective unconscious.
Albedo
- Alchemy: second stage of the Great Work; whitening and purification; the Moon; female
- Astronomy: fraction of sunlight reflected by a planet or satellite (no astrological connotations).
Alcocoden (Alchochoden, Alcoccoden)
Alchochoden, “the giver of the years”, meaning the planet which, in the natal chart, reveals the number of years that the person is going to live. It is determined by finding the planet that has most essential dignity, whilst being in good aspect to the hyleg.
Aldebaran
A malefic Fixed Star in the 10th degree of Gemini, known traditionally as the archangel Michael, the Watcher of the East. A behenian star, it is one of the four Royal Stars.
Alfonsine Tables
Ephemerides tabulating Sun, Moon and planets under the patronage of King Alfonso X of Léon and Castile. His team of some 50 astronomers at Toledo revised and improved Ptolemy’s geocentric tables in the Almagest, freshly translating from Arabic editions into Castilian (completed c.1252). Once translated into Latin in 1320, they remained the standard in Europe until superseded by Johannes Kepler’s superior Rudolphine Tables, published in 1627. See Rudolphine Tables.
Alfridaria
Derived from the mixed Arabic and Persian “al firdar”, the alfridaria, or alfridaries, are a system of planetary periods of Persian origin first described as far as we know by Abu Mashar. Originally intended for the long term forecasting of historical events, they can also be used in predicting for individual charts. More about Alfridaria.
Algol
Caput Algol, a malefic fixed star currently located in the 27th degree of Taurus. More on Fixed Stars.
Alien Signs
Signs in Aversion. See also Disjunct.
Almuten
A planet which, because of its placing, dignities, fortitudes and aspects, comes to have more importance than the ruler, be it of the whole chart or of any particular House of the chart.
Alpheta
Giver of Life. The alphetical places correspond with the places of Hyleg, for which this is an alternative name.
Amavasya
Jyotish term for New Moon
Ammonius Saccas
Second Century Alexandrian mystic and philosopher, teacher of Origin, Clement, and Plotinus. The founder of what eventually became Neoplatonism, he sought to resolve religious and philosophical conflicts by reviving the ancient Wisdom Religion and developing a universal human brotherhood. Ammonius revealed the essential identity of all religions, acquainting his students with the various systems. Plato and Pythagoras were compared with the philosophies of the ancient East; the Jewish Qabbala with the ancient Egyptian teachings. He revived the system of Orpheus, in which a single Supreme Essence, unknown and unknowable, emanates the souls of the world and the people in it. He taught theurgy, the art of using the divine powers of man to rule the blind forces of nature. Although unwritten, his philosophy (through followers such as Plotinus, Porphyry and Iamblichus) has had a powerful and enduring influence on Astrology, Hermetic Esotericism, Qabbala, Christianity, Gnosticism, Judaism, Islam and Paganism
Anabibazon
Dragon’s Head (north lunar node).
Anareta
A planet severely afflicting the Hyleg at birth and by direction. Usually a malefic, but any planet can be the Anareta, particularly the lord of the 8th, the almuten of the lord of the 8th, or any planet placed in the 8th house. Known as the “killing planet”, it is believed to portend the cause of death.
Anaretic Degree (Anaretic Place)
- The 30th degree (29°00’–29°59’) of any Sign. It is also known as the degree of fate. Planets and other factors that occupy the anaretic degree reveal deep issues which generate significant trials in life.
- The degree wherein the Anareta is found, according to DeVore.
- The terms of the infortunes are also known as Anaretic Degrees.
Anaxagoras
Anaxagoras (c.500–428 BCE), a presocratic Greek thinker and friend of Pericles, first proposed that the Moon’s light reflects the Sun, lunar eclipses being caused by Earth’s shadow, with solar eclipses coming from the Moon obscuring the Sun. He declared that the Moon had mountains, and that the stars were far distant from the Earth. Holding that the universe was ordered by the cosmic mind (nous), he distrusted the evidence of the senses, preferring reasoning. His ideas on the origins of matter were a precursor of the atomic theory.
Androgyne (Androgynous)
- Expressing characteristics of both sexes. Mercury is convertible and androgynous, as he can be either dry, or moist, depending on his position in the chart.
- In ancient mythologies, primordial gods and goddesses are regularly depicted as androgynes (hermaphrodites), revealing the polar nature of creation. We see this too in the light and dark, the yin and yang of the cosmos.
- In alchemy, Sol and Luna are seen as complementary halves of the one whole, the soul and body. Ancient astrology assigned Sun and Moon as co-rulers of both Leo and Cancer, though this is no longer accepted in modern astrology.
- Actual human androgynes (hermaphrodites) were once considered incarnations of the divine. Twentieth century medicine denied the existence of hermaphrodites, often assigning gender surgically. A number of these third sex individuals have surfaced in recent years to reclaim their identities
Angles
In order of power: First House (Ascendant – East Angle) Tenth House (M.C. – South Angle) Seventh House (Descendant – West Angle) Fourth House (I.C. – North Angle) The Angles are the most important houses. Planets in angles are the strongest and most significant.
