HOW TO LEARN ASTROLOGY


GLOSSARY


NOTE: The pronunciations, given only for terms which are alien to everyday non-astrological usage, are from Webster's International Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition, Springfield, Mass., Merriam, 1935, of which Dr. Walter Clyde Curry of Vanderbilt University is Astrological Editor. The respellings are a simplification to avoid the use of diacritical marks. The syllable on which the accent falls is indicated by capital letters.

The Basic Terms

Astrology: the science and art of charting events in human experience, or of analyzing human character, by the cycles of motion and the zodiacal positions of the heavenly bodies.

Natural astrology: astronomy in the simplest sense.

Natal, judicial or genethliac (jeh-NETH-lee-ak) astrology: the fundamental science and art, i.e., the interpretation of a horoscope made for the precise place and time of a person's birth.

Horary (HOE-rah-ree) or divinatory astrology: the interpretation of a special horoscope made for an event, for a query, or for determining a favorable time to act.

Mundane astrology: the interpretation of general human affairs by the horoscopes of political leaders, of historical events and of celestial phenomena, as well as by altering phases and patterns of celestial phenomena.

Directions, progressions, revolutions and transits: the interpretation of the continuing motion of the heavenly bodies in relation to an original horoscope, or to some prior situation among them.

Horoscope, chart, nativity, figure, map or wheel: the conventionalized diagram of the situation among the moving bodies in the heavens at the moment, and in relation to the place, of an event on the earth; also, sometimes, in the case of the first three terms, the written interpretation of the diagram.

Native: the person for whom a horoscope is made, calculated, cast, erected or put up, and then delineated, read or interpreted.

Astrologer, astrologian (ass-trow-LOW-gee-ann) or (not in good usage) astrologist: the interpreter or practitioner.


The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac
 
Aries (AYE-ree-eeze, AIR-ee-eeze)Libra (LIE-bra)
Taurus (TAW-rus)Scorpio
Gemini (GEM-ee-nigh)Sagittarius (saj-ee-TAY-ree-us)
CancerCapricorn
Leo Aquarius (ah-KWAIR-ee-us)
VirgoPisces (PISS-eeze)
 

The Ten Planets
 
The sunJupiter
The moonSaturn
MercuryUranus (YOU-rah-nus)
VenusNeptune
MarsPluto
 


One Hundred and Fifty Technical Terms,
Commonly Encountered

Above the earth: the area in the houses counterclockwise from the descendant to the ascendant; the southern hemisphere.

Accidental dignity: the favorable position of a planet by house or aspect.

Affliction: an unfavorable aspect or situation in the horoscope.

Air: the triplicity of the signs associated with autumn.

Almuten (al-MEW-ten): the strongest planet in the chart in terms of accidental and essential dignities.

Anareta (ah-NAR-ee-ta): the planet concerned in death; see also "hyleg."

Angle, angular: a house, or house relationship, at the horizon and meridian, an indication of a focalized emphasis in human affairs.

Application: a planet's movement towards a given aspect.

Ascendant, ascendent: the horizon at the east in the horoscope, the cusp of the first house, and the first house itself.

Aspect: a geometrical relationship between planets in the ecliptic, such as the "major aspects" of conjunction, sextile, square, trine and opposition; also known as "configuration" and "familiarity."

Aspectarian (ass-peck-TARE-ee-ann): a tabulation of culminating aspects by day and hour for convenience in reference.

Below the earth: the area in the houses counterclockwise from the ascendant to the descendant; the northern hemisphere.

Cadent (KAY-dent): a house relationship of direct sub­ordination to the angles, an indication of dependence in human affairs.

Cardinal: the quadrature of the signs associated with the equinoctial and solstitial points in the heavens, an indication of the factor of change in experience; also known as "moveable."

Cazimi (KAZ-i-mee): see "combust."

Celestial equator: the path of the earth's rotation on its axis, the "circle of the houses."

Chaldean order: see "planet."

Circle: the astrological symbol for a "higher" or "spiritual" reference; also often the houses, or signs, or both together.

Combust (kom-BUST): a planet weakened by conjunction with the sun; but strengthened if within 17' of exact, which is then known as "cazimi."

Common: the quadrature of the signs directly subordinate to the cardinal group, or an indication of the factor of adaptability in experience; also known as "mutable."

Configuration: an aspect or aspects; a pattern in the horoscope.

Conjunction: the aspect where the planets are at approximately the same place in the zodiac.

Constellation: a group of stars, usually arranged in an identifiable pattern; specifically, such groups as they originally identified the signs of the zodiac, or the "natural zodiac."

Cosmic cross: a pattern of the planets in which quadrature is emphasized, including both the t-cross and the x-cross.

Crescent: the symbol of the moon; more generally, a representation of soul or personality.

Critical degrees: the places of certain fixed stars regarded as of particular import; also the cusps of the lunar mansions.

Cross: the symbol for matter, or for a "lower" or physical reference; also a shortened term for cosmic cross.

Cusp: the line at which a house begins or is defined.

Debility: the unfavorable position of a planet in a reverse of "dignity," such as "detriment" or "fall."

Decanate (DECK-a-nate): one third of a sign, named from its decan or ruler, known also as decan, decant or face and involved in much difference of opinion; in the most general modern practice, the rulership of the first third of a sign by its own nature and lord, and the next thirds in order by the succeeding signs of the same triplicity in the terms of their natures and lords.

Declination: the angle between the planes of a planet's orbit and the earth's equator, measured in degrees of arc on the hour-circle where the planet is situated.

Degree: one thirtieth of a sign of the zodiac or one three-hundred-and-sixtieth of a circle; in the zodiac, a special narrow unit which has been given significance by the tabulation of particular cases of characteristic emphasis, and by the expression of degree differentiation through a system of symbolical interpretation.

Descendant: the horizon at the west in a horoscope, the cusp of the seventh house, and the seventh house itself.

Determinator: an astrological factor with a particular significance; see "focal determinator."

Detriment: a planet weakened by its place in a sign opposite a sign it "rules."

Dignity: see "accidental dignity," "essential dignity"; also known as "fortitude."

Direct: a planet's forward or normal motion, counter­clockwise in the zodiac.

Directions: the projection of the horoscopic relationships into time cycles of the unfolding life and experience according to an equation of four minutes after birth corresponding to a year of life, which creates the relatively little used "primary directions," or an equation of a day after birth corresponding to a year of life, which is the commonly used system of "secondary directions"; together with expansions and modifications of these procedures; also known, in whole or in part, as "progressions."

Disposition: the rule of one planet by another when the former lies in a sign "ruled" by the latter.

Diurnal (die-UR-nal): see "rotation."

Dragon's head: the moon's north node, or the ascending node given in an ephemeris, usually taken as a point of protection in the horoscope.

Dragon's tail: the moon's south node, exactly opposite the north mode, usually taken as a point of self-undoing or "spiritual opportunity" in the horoscope.

Earth: the triplicity of the signs associated with winter; also, occasionally, the horizon, as in the phrases "above the earth" and "below the earth."

Eclipse: a lunation of extra significance in astrology, when both sun and moon are in a line of observation from the earth; with effects traditionally said to have duration of a year for every hour the sun is eclipsed, and of a month for every hour the moon is eclipsed.

Ecliptic (ee-CLIP-tick): the orbit of the earth and apparent orbit of the sun; thus the zodiac, or the "circle of the signs," sometimes specifically designated as the "fixed zodiac"; see also "constellation."

Election: a horary chart cast in advance to aid in determining the proper time for a given action; more correctly, "radical election."

Element: usually a "triplicity"; sometimes any distinguishing quality, as of a planet.

Elevated: position in the houses near the midheaven or upper meridian.

Ephemeris; plural, ephemerides (eh-FEM-er-iss; eff-ee-MARE-uh-deez): a tabulation of the planets' places, together with relative data.

Equator: the central line around the earth midway between the poles; also the projection of its plane into the heavens as the path of the earth's rotation on its axis, the "circle of the houses."

Equinox (EE-kwee-nocks; ECK-wee-nocks): a point where the ecliptic and equator cross in the heavens; sometimes specifically the vernal equinox, or Aries 0°, but equally properly the autumnal equinox, or Libra 0°.

Essential dignity: the favorable position of a planet by sign, as place in a sign it "rules" or in a sign in which it is "exalted."

Exaltation: certain special places of strength for the planets, as Aries for the sun, omitted from this book as of no great value to beginners.

Fall: a planet weakened by its place in a sign opposite its "exaltation."

Familiarity: an old term for "aspect."

Fanhandle: a special pattern of the planets in which a "singleton" is given added significance by the regularity of arrangement in a group of planets opposite to it.

Feminine signs: the water-earth group, or Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn and Pisces.

Fire: the triplicity of the signs associated with spring.

Fixed: the quadrature of the signs which provides the projection of the cardinal group, an indication of the defining factor in experience.

Fixed stars: the brighter or more prominent stars, other than planets, which by zodiacal place, or projection on the ecliptic in longitude, are given particular astrological indication or importance, such as the Pleiades in Taurus 27°.

Fixed zodiac: see "eclipitic."

Focal determinator: an underlying or basic pattern in the horoscope, the indicator of an effective focus in a native's life as a guide to perspective in astrological delineation.

Fortitude: see "dignity."

Geocentric: the normal astrological point of view, with the earth as the center of human experience taken as the basis for astronomical observation.

Grand trine: a chain of trines around the wheel.

Head: see "dragon's head."

Heliocentric: an astrological point of view sometimes advocated, with a hypothetical center of experience and measurement taken in the sun.

Hemisphere emphasis: all planets east, west, south or north; or similarly placed in any definable half of the wheel.

Horizon: the ascendant and descendant; in astrology, the plane of observation and the ground of experience.

Hour: see "planetary hour."

House: one of the twelve divisions of the celestial equator, similar to the division of the ecliptic or zodiac into signs, and numbered one to twelve counterclockwise from the ascendant; also a sign of the zodiac of which a given planet is ruler.

Hyleg, hylegiacal (HIGH-leg; high-lee-JYE-a-cal): the planet principally concerned with giving life, or the places in the horoscope which convey the life-giving power, omitted from this book as of little value to a beginner; also known as "apheta" or "prorogator."

Interception: the situation of a sign wholly between the cusps of two adjacent houses, so that it does not appear on any cusp; also the situation of any planet placed in such a sign.

Latitude: on the earth's surface, distance in degrees north or south from the equator; in the heavens, the angle between the planes of a planet's orbit and the ecliptic or earth's orbit, measured in degrees of arc on the hour-circle where the planet is situated.

Lights: the sun and moon; also commonly, the "luminaries."

Long ascension: the signs Cancer through Sagittarius, which take longer in rising daily at the eastern horizon, and give a greater fluidity in general experience.

Longitude: on the earth's surface, distance in degrees east and west from the meridian of Greenwich; in the heavens, distance in degrees counterclockwise in the circle of the zodiac from the vernal equinox, or Aries 0°.

Lord: a planet as "ruler" of a sign, house or other planet.

Luminaries: see "lights."

Lunar mansion: see "mansion."

Lunation: the moment of conjunction of the sun and moon, and the time interval between successive conjunctions; also the chart for the moment of a lunation at any given place.

Mansion: a house, or sign of the zodiac; sometimes specifically the sign ruled by a given planet; more particularly, the twenty-eight divisions in the zodiac of the moon's monthly course through the heavens, or the "lunar mansions" which establish "critical degrees" of the zodiac at the point of each of the twenty-eight cusps.

Masculine signs: the fire-air group, or Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius and Aquarius.

Meridian: the circle of longitude in the zodiac, and of right ascension or sidereal time in the celestial equator, which passes through the point overhead; also any half-circle by which terrestrial longitude is indicated on the earth's surface.

Midheaven: the upper meridian in the horoscope, the cusp of the tenth house, or the tenth house itself; also known as the "medium coeli" or "M.C."

Moveable: see "cardinal."

Mutable: see "common."

Mutual reception: two planets, each in a sign ruled by the other, with a consequent strengthening of both.

Nadir (NAY-dur; NAY-deer): the lower meridian in the horoscope, the cusp of the fourth house, or the fourth house itself; also known as the "imum coeli," or "I.C."

Natural zodiac: the constellations of stars in the heavens which originally, some two thousand years ago, identified the signs of the zodiac and served as an "ephemeris in the skies."

Node: the point where the orbit of another heavenly body intersects the ecliptic; in astrology, usually the moon's ascending or north node, the "dragon's head," if not indicated otherwise.

Obliquity of the ecliptic (ob-LICK-wee-tee): the angle between the planes of the earth's orbit and celestial equator; in 1940 it is 23°, 27', 49.5" and diminishing .47" a year.

Occidental: the area in the houses counterclockwise from the nadir to the midheaven; the western hemisphere.

Opposition: the aspect where the planets are approximately opposite each other in the zodiac.

Orb of influence: the degree of deviation from exactness allowed planets in aspect; usually shortened to "orb."

Orbit: the path of one heavenly body in revolution around another; in the case of the earth around the sun, the ecliptic or zodiac.

Oriental: the area in the houses counterclockwise from the midheaven to the nadir; the eastern hemisphere.

Parallel of declination: a sixth and final "major aspect," omitted from this book as of no great value to a beginner, indicated by a "P" and occurring when two planets have the same declination, irrespective of whether this be north or south; usually known simply as "parallel," and in such a case not to be confused with other forms of parallel in primary directions.

Part: a symbolical point expressing the relationship between any two planets or other astrological factors as the distance between them, when this distance is projected counterclockwise in longitude from the ascendant to establish the point in question.

Part of Fortune, pars fortuna: the one "part" in rather universal use, usually taken as an indication of the fundamental focus of self-interest in the life. The counterclockwise distance from the sun to the moon is projected counterclockwise from the ascendant.

Planet: one of the heavenly bodies with a regular movement across the face of the "fixed stars," in astrology including the sun, whose apparent motion in the zodiac is really that of the earth, and the moon, which is a satellite of the earth rather than the sun, but excluding the asteroids and periodic comets; the seven bodies of the original system which, in the "Chaldean order" that links the planetary days and hours, are Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, sun, Venus, Mercury and moon, and by "extended Chaldean order" include Pluto, Neptune, Uranus and the original seven in the same sequence.

Planetary days: the rule of each day by the planet which has named it, as Sunday by the sun, Monday by the moon, Tuesday by Mars (from Tiu, the war-god also known as Tiwaz and Tyr), Wednesday by Mercury (from Woden, i.e. Odin), Thursday by Jupiter (from Thor), Friday by Venus (from Freya, or Frigga), and Saturday by Saturn.

Planetary hours: the division of the daily periods between sunrise and sunset, and between sunset and sunrise, into twelve "hours" each, under the rulership of the planets in original Chaldean order beginning at sunrise with the planet ruling the day and continuing on in an infinite sequence.

Prenatal epoch: see "rectification."

Primary directions: see "directions."

Progressed horoscope: a wheel calculated for a given period of life in secondary directions.

Progressions: practically a synonymous term for "directions," but with specific reference among some astrological groups.

Quadrature: the classification of the signs in groups of four on the basis of their conformity to the axes of the equinoctial and solstitial points in the ecliptic, or their deviation from them; specifically the distinction among the signs as "cardinal," "fixed" and "common"; also sometimes the square aspect.

Quartile (KWOR-tul): see "square."

Querent (KWEER-ent): the person who asks a horary question.

Quincunx (KWIN-kungks): a minor aspect in which planets are approximately five signs apart, or 150°, or a semisextile beyond the trine and in nature and strength similar to the semisextile.

Quintile (KWIN-tul): a minor aspect when planets are approximately one fifth of a circle apart, or 72° also creating the "semiquintile" or "decile" of 36° separation, and the biquintile of 144° separation; indications of various phases of personal talent.

Radical: in horary astrology, the competency of a chart for judgment.

Rectification: the art of correcting a horoscope of uncertain time, or of rectifying errors in its calculation, through a comparison of its testimony with the events of the native's life, or by some equivalent technique such as the determination of the "prenatal epoch."

Retrograde: a planet moving backwards in the zodiac, a phenomenon due to the angle of observation from the earth.

Revolution: the time in which a star or planet revolves around the sun or the earth; a horoscope erected for the return of a body to its place in a natal figure, or rather commonly the "solar revolution" erected annually for the sun's return; also the sun's return to a zodiacal point as the "ingress charts" for the equinoctial and solstitial points, and by extension the ingress of any or all planets into a sign; and very commonly the return of the moon to a conjunction with the sun, or the "lunation chart."

Right ascension: measurement counterclockwise on the celestial equator in degrees from the vernal equinox, equivalent to sidereal time.

Rising: position in the houses near the ascendant, usually referring to one particular planet below the horizon and closer to the ascendant than any others.

Rotation: the time in which a heavenly body makes a complete turn on its own axis, the diurnal as compared with the annual motion of the earth.

Ruler: a planet specially assigned two of the signs, as Mars to Aries, and by extension ruler also of the house or houses on whose cusp or cusps the sign or signs will appear, and of any other planets contained within a sign so ruled; also known as "lord."

Secondary directions: see "directions."

Semisextile: a minor aspect in which planets are at approximately the same point in adjacent signs, a half­sextile and of similar nature to the sextile but weaker.

Semisquare: a minor aspect in which the planets are approximately a sign and a half apart, a half-square and of similar nature to the square but weaker; also known as an "octile."

Separation: a planet's movement away from a given aspect.

Septile (SEP-tul): a minor aspect when planets are approximately one seventh of a circle apart, or about 51°, an indication of fatality.

Sesquiquadrate, sesquiquartile: a minor aspect in which the planets are at the approximate distance of a square and a semisquare, or 135°, in strength and nature similar to the semisquare.

Sextile (SEKS-tul): an aspect in which the planets are related by sympathetic triplicity or half trine, or are approximately separated by the sixth part of the zodiac.

Short ascension: the signs Capricorn through Gemini, which take less time in rising daily at the eastern horizon, and give a greater self-containment in general experience.

Sidereal time (sigh-DEAR-ee-al): in astrology, a way of indicating distance around the circle of the houses or celestial equator, counterclockwise from the vernal equinox, by hours and minutes instead of degrees, exactly equivalent to right ascension.

Sign of the zodiac: one of the twelvefold divisions of the zodiacal circle; usually just "sign."

Significator: a planet with certain specific importance, sometimes a house or sign in the same sense; also known as a "promittor."

Singleton: a single planet in a hemisphere of the horoscope.

Solstice (SOL-stiss): a point in the ecliptic farthest from the celestial equator, specifically the summer solstice at Cancer 0° and the winter solstice at Capricorn 0°.

Speculum: a tabulation of various important elements in a horoscope, especially used in connection with primary directions.

Square: an aspect where the planets are approximately at right angles to each other, or at quarter points on the circle, and so related by cross-stress in a similarity of quadrature; also known as "quartile," "quadrate" and "quadrature."

Stationary: a planet without zodiacal motion at a given moment, a phenomenon due to the angle of observation from the earth.

Stellium: a cluster of planets in any one sign or house.

Succedent (suck-SEE-dent): a house relation which provides a projection of the angles, an indication of potentiality in affairs.

Symbolical degrees: see "degree."

Tables of Houses: a calculation of the correspondence of the house cusps to the signs according to the modification of the horizon, and the houses other than the tenth and fourth, by the geographic latitude.

Tail: see "dragon's tail."

Transits: interpretation of a horoscope by the correspondences between its factors and the place of the planets in the heavens at the actual time of investigation, together with judgments based on the current relations among the planets themselves.

Translation of light: a planet moving from its aspect to another planet into its aspect to a third, when neither of the two other planets are in proper orb of aspect, thereby bringing about the effect of an actual aspect between them.

Trine: an aspect in which planets are related by triplicity, or are separated by approximately a third part of the zodiac.

Triplicity (tri-PLISS-i-tee): the classification of the signs in groups of three on the basis of their affinity to the four seasonal points in the ecliptic; specifically the distinction among the signs as "fire," "water," "air" and "earth."

Via combusta: from Libra 15° through Scorpio 15°, used in horary astrology.

Void of course: when a planet makes no aspect before it leaves the sign in which it is found, a detail of importance in horary astrology.

Water: the triplicity of the signs associated with summer.

Zodiac: see "ecliptic," also "constellation."



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