Sunday, March 28, 2010

Listing natal astrology topics



Books III and IV of Claudius Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos deal with the inquiries about specific topics in the natal chart. That is to say, topics like the material fortune or possessions, the rank and eminence, the marriage, the "action", etc.


I would like to underscore the importance of this subject. Most contemporary books about traditional astrology give the reader the impression that to interpret a chart is just a matter of looking (for each topic) at specific houses, planets, and other points of the chart, according to their symbolism. One should look at the 10th for the career, the 2nd for the money, and so forth. It would be just a matter of (grammatically) "reading" the chart.


In horary astrology one need to simplify the inquiry, by choosing the more appropriate planet, house and/or point of the chart related to the topic under analysis so this "reading" might work quite well, but in natal astrology it looks like things are a bit more complex than that.


Here is the list of those "genethlialogical" topics according to the Tetrabiblos:


1. Concerning the parents, brothers and sisters (of the native)


2. About the birth of the native and whether the child will survive. (This includes the topics of the monsters and and the children that do not survive or are "exposed")


3. Concerning the length of life.


4. Concerning bodily form and mixture (and temperament); and bodily injuries and diseases.


5. Quality of the soul; and the diseases of the soul.


6. Possessions or material fortune.


7. Rank or dignity (eminence).


8. Quality of action.


9. Sexual union, marriage; and children.


10. Friends and enemies.


11. Travel abroad.


12. Quality of death.