Astrological Houses
Astrological Houses
Definition: Houses are a method of connecting areas of everyday
human experience with the Zodiac Wheel. However they are also one
of the most confused and complex areas of astrology.Confused,
because the House Definitions we use have drastically changed over
the centuries, without any obvious justification; as have the House
Systems for assigning the positions of the houses. Complex, because
the more we look back at astrology as practiced by our Classical
forebears, we see that they possessed three different astrological
systems which all described how human experience was governed by
the stars and planets: those of Celestial Temples, Celestial Lots,
and Celestial Cardinal Points and Quadrants. The Temples are
perhaps the closest to modern houses, but they possess some
considerable differences from them. The Lots are now best known to
us for the First Lot, the Lot of Fortune, but they are a fully
realised House System in their own right. The powers of the
Cardinal Points and Quadrants seem to have completely disappeared
from modern astrology.
The Early History of Astrological Houses: We do not really know
when houses became part of astrology but they definitely do not
appear to have existed as astrological concepts prior to 400 BC.
Claudius Ptolemy [c 130 - 170 AD], the father of classical
astrology, almost completely ignored houses in his astrological
masterwork, Tetrabiblos. However, the earliest datable horoscope
that we now possess, which used houses in its interpretation, dates
from c 20 BC. Manilius' Astrological Houses in the Astronomica:
Writing less than half a century after that horoscope, the Roman
poet-astrologer, Marcus Manilius, presents three versions of what
we might now call house systems in his poem Astronomica [c 10 - 20
AD]. The pages on this web site represent Manilius' work on houses.
As such, they are the earliest description of the nature of
astrological houses - and the three systems by which the houses are
applied to the Zodiac Wheel - that we possess. Nothing like this
survives from before Manilius, and nothing like this appears again
in the history of astrology - as it has come down to us - until the
Anthologiae of Vettius Valens of Antioch [c 120 to 175 AD] some one
hundred and fifty years later, and De Nativitatibus sive Matheseos
of the Roman astrologer Julius Firmicus Maternus Siculus [c 337
AD], some three hundred years later. Valens' work - in his use of
kentron [cardinal points], Temples and Lots is similar enough to
the house concepts in Manilius' poem, to confirm the Astronomica as
an accurate record of classical Greek and Roman thought on
astrological houses from two millennia ago.If you come across any
House Systems or House Definitions which differ from those
presented on these pages - and, let's face it, most modern ones do
- it's therefore worth bearing in mind that Manilius is the primary
astrological source on astrological houses. He is our best way of
looking into the minds of the Babylonian and Greek [and perhaps
Egyptian - though this is open to debate] astrologers who were the
originators of idea of what we now call houses. If we modern
astrologers differ from Manilius in our use of houses, we had
better be asking ourselves why... and on what do we base our
systems? Classical Astrology House Links:
01:
The Twelve Houses of Classical Astrology
02:
House Systems in Classical Astrology
(a):
Cardinal Points and Quadrants(b):
Temples(c):
Lots03:
House Systems after the Time of Manilius
04:
House System Examples for Prince William's Horoscope
Dr Shepherd Simpson, Astrological Historian
Zodiac Wheels
Definition: [Principles] [Zodiacs] The term Zodiac comes from
Ancient Greek "Zodiakos Kyklos" and refers to a 'circle of the
animals.' Zodiac wheels have several different definitions. The
history of the development of the wheels is given below.The Ancient
Babylonian Zodiac Wheels: The original zodiac wheels were bands of
constellations seen in the night sky, which would rise and set as
the night progressed. They were first observed by the
priest-astrologers of Ancient Babylon, in the 2nd millennium BC or
earlier, and were named for their Gods Enlil, Anu and Ea. Aside
from their importance in astrological divination, their appearance
could be used to tell the time through the night, and their
heliacal risings and settings to mark the progress of the year. The
first zodiac wheel in a form recognisable to us was also seen by
the Ancient Babylonians. This was the Path of the Moon through the
constellations of the night sky, a Lunar Zodiac [we would now call
this a Draconic Zodiac] equivalent to fifteen or sixteen of the
Greek constellations plus the Pleiades. This Ancient Babylonian
definition of a zodiac wheel was therefore: A circle of
constellations against which a heavenly body - usually the Moon -
is seen to move.The Ancient Greek Zodiac Wheel: The Ancient Greek,
Achaean, culture did not possess a zodiac wheel of the same form as
the Babylonians. It is certain that they possessed no Solar Zodiac
at all, and considered the Zodiac Constellations we know today to
be unimportant. However, the earliest Greek works we have, those of
Homer and Hesiod, show that the Achaeans were intensely interested
in the stars, in fact many of their ancient constellations are
those we still use to map the heavens today. Some historical
astrologers, of whom I am one, are now convinced that the Achaeans
did use another type of zodiac wheel, the Galactic Zodiac of
constellations, in their astrology. It is notable, as mentioned
above, that Zodiac is a Greek not a Babylonian word.The Late
Babylonian Zodiac Wheel [The Equal Sign Wheel]: At some time later
than 550 BC the Babylonians introduced an important change to their
concept of a zodiac wheel, that it should be divided into twelve
equal segments approximately based on the positions of twelve
Constellations. Other planets apart from the Moon also assumed an
importance not seen before in their Omen Astrology. This definition
of this Classical Babylonian zodiac wheel can be written as: A band
of the heavens approximately 14 wide, centered on the ecliptic,
against which the Moon and other planets are seen to move, as seen
from the Earth. This band is divided into equal 30 segments, each
one of which corresponds to one of twelve Babylonian
constellations. Unfortunately, this simplified view of the heavens
has a large flaw: some constellations, notably Virgo, are in
reality much bigger than the others. This fact causes considerable
controversy in astrology, even today. However, we have to bear in
mind that a simplified view of the heavens would have been far
easier for the Babylonians to use in an age without telescopes or
astrological computer programs.When was the Late Babylonian Zodiac
Wheel Introduced?The Babylonian Omen Texts show us that no
Equal-Sign Zodiac was being used before about 550 BC. Individual
horoscopes are not found from before 400 BC. The take up of the new
Zodiac system into these new horoscopes can be seen in surviving
Babylonian cuneiform tablets. In the third century BC the positions
of the Moon were still given with respect to the stars. The first
known use of a zodiac position for the Moon dates to 262 BC, in a
cuneiform tablet from Uruk. By a century later, the star-related
positions have dropped out of use, and lunar positions are only
given relative to a Zodiac.The rise of these important facets of
modern astrology [the Equal-Sign Zodiac and the individual
horoscope] is so sudden and their differences from the preceding
Omen Astrology so great that modern astrological commentators
[notably Robert Hand] have speculated that much of the astrology we
know today must have been the work of one man, or one school of
thought operating in Babylonia during this period. [Perhaps in
Uruk; we have no Moon-position cuneiform texts outside Uruk before
150 BC.] Certainly, there was no time to make the many centuries of
observations of the planets and their effects on people, which
perhaps we generally assume to underlie the history of astrology -
an assumption which goes back to some Classical Greek astrologers.
Perhaps this shouldn't surprise us too much. The Babylonians were
not modern observational scientists, but they were perfectly
capable of forming rich and complex philosophical world views.
However, this does mean that our astrology was never based on
actual observations, but rather on ideas of how man and the
universe interacted. It still remains a challenge for we
astrologers today to prove that the theories yield accurate
predictions.Where in the Heavens did the Late Babylonian Zodiac
Wheel Begin?: After the fall of Babylon to the Greeks in c 331 BC,
cuneiform astrological tablets were transmitted by Alexander the
Great's armies to the Greek world. They gave two systems for the
point in the heavens at which the Babylonian Solar Zodiac began:
that the Vernal Equinox lay 10 from the start of the Zodiac,
[System A attributed to Nabu-rimanni, c 560 to 480 BC] or that it
lay at 8 from the start of Zodiac [System B attributed to Kidinnu c
400 - 310 BC]. In other words, the Solar Zodiac started either 10
or 8 to the right of the Vernal Equinox, as viewed from the
Northern Hemisphere, in the two systems. Owing to the Movement of
the Ages, 10 from the start of the Zodiac would tie to a Vernal
Equinox point in about 500 BC, and 8 from the start of the Zodiac
to about 375 BC. Hence, they are consistent with what these two
Babylonian astrologers would have observed in the skies during the
likely periods of their particular lifetimes. However, this reason
for the difference in systems was not widely understood by later
Greek astrologers, and both systems were used by later Classical
astrologers up to Ptolemy's time, even though by then - because of
the Movement of the Ages - they were both inaccurate by several
degrees. Archeologists have found ephemerides [tables of planetary
positions] based on both systems, dating from Classical times.The
Classical Greek Zodiac Wheel: The Classical Greek zodiac wheel is
the basis of the standard Solar Zodiac wheel we use today. It is
essentially the Late Babylonian zodiac wheel adopted by the Greeks
in the intermingling of cultures that took place when Babylonia and
many Greek isles were part of the empire of Alexander the Great and
his successors. The transition of Zodiac and Zodiac Constellations
between the two cultures was not perfectly smooth. In particular,
the Babylonian constellation Luhunga [LU.HUN.GA in Sumerian
script], the Hired Man, [or more prosaically the Agrarian Worker]
never made the transition. It was replaced by Aries, the Ram, in
Greek zodiacal astrology, thought to be the ram of the Golden
Fleece of Jason and the Argonauts. Libra as a constellation also
does not seem to have existed for the Greeks, rather they saw a
much larger Scorpius, its claws the stars that we would call Libra
today. By the second century AD Greek star maps (e.g. the Mainzer
Globus) were still showing the 'Greater Scorpius' as a
'double-sign' of the Zodiac. This confusion is reflected in
Ptolemy's Al Magest where he discusses the sign of Libra, but all
the star names of Libra are parts of the "Claws of the
Scorpion".Furthermore, the Greek heavens contained an ancient
"thirteenth" Zodiac Constellation Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer,
which doesn't seem to have had a counterpoint in the Babylonian
skies. Whilst twelve Greek constellations were co-opted for the
zodiac wheel, Ophiuchus was ignored. Again this causes considerable
controversy in astrology, even today.The Sidereal Zodiac Wheel: The
Sidereal Zodiac we have today is essentially as given above: the
early Classical Greek rendering of the Babylonian system. This can
be defined as: A band of the heavens approximately 14 wide,
centered on the ecliptic, against which the all the [known] planets
are seen to move, as seen from the Earth. This band is divided into
equal 30 segments, each one of which corresponds to one of twelve
Greek constellations. This wheel is not tied to the Vernal
Equinox.The Tropical Zodiac Wheel: In the 2nd century BC the
Classical Greek astrologer Hipparchos is thought - or so we are
informed by Ptolemy - to have been the first to suggest another
change to the solar zodiac wheel: that the Zodiac should begin at
the Vernal Equinox. [Rather than that the Zodiac should begin 10 or
8 away from the Vernal Equinox, as the fourth century BC Babylonian
astrologers indicated.] This suggestion was rejected by most
astrologers of the time, and it had to wait until three centuries
later before Claudius Ptolemy made it part of astrological
orthodoxy. However, this was more reasonable thing to do in the
second century AD, as by Ptolemy's time the Vernal Equinox did
actually lie very close to the start of Aries, because of the
Movement of the Ages. [In fact by then it was already in Pisces:
see Movement of the Vernal Equinox Point for more deatils on
this.]Previously, in Babylonian astrology, the start of the Zodiac
was related to the star positions in the heavens. By stipulating
that Aries should begin at the Vernal Equinox, this tied the zodiac
wheel to the calendar for the first time, because we, as the Romans
did, organise our calendar so that the date of the Vernal Equinox
always stays the same. This then is the Tropical Zodiac of Western
astrology. This zodiac wheel can be defined as: A band of the
heavens approximately 14 wide, centered on the ecliptic, against
which the all the [known] planets are seen to move, as seen from
the Earth. This band is divided into equal 30 segments, each one of
which corresponds to a fixed set of dates in the yearly calendar,
with the Zodiac starting at the Vernal Equinox.It is also, as Cyril
Fagan put it in Zodiacs Old and New, Llewellyn 1950 AD, p 53, the
'greatest blunder that has ever been made in the history of
astrology.' The blame for this error really lies with the
astrologers of the Middle Ages, not Ptolemy. These later
astrologers - rediscovering Classical astrology after it had all
but died out in Europe under the influence of the Catholic church -
took Ptolemy's comments on the Vernal Equinox starting Aries at
face value, without realising that they were only true for a little
before Ptolemy's time. In the Middle Ages, and now, because of the
Movement of the Ages, the Vernal Equinox is in Pisces. Hence,
unfortunately, nearly two millennia after Ptolemy, the Movement of
the Ages has made this zodiac wheel hopelessly out of
synchronisation with the heavens of the Greek Constellations.
Nearly all of Western astrology still uses this wheel, following
the errors of the Middle Age astrologers, meaning that skeptics
can, quite correctly, question one of the fundamentals of our
current astrological practice.The Vedic astrological tradition,
being much less broken than astrology in the West, did not make
this mistake and continued with the standard astrological practice
of using a Sidereal Zodiac wheel.The Real Solar Zodiac Wheel: The
Real Solar Zodiac Wheel is based on the real constellations,
without the simplifications of Late Babylonian or Greek astrology.
It is defined as: The thirteen constellations against which the Sun
is seen to move, as seen from the Earth. The Planetary Zodiac
Wheel: This is the Planetary Zodiac Wheel based on the real
constellations, without the simplifications of Classical Babylonian
or Greek astrology. It is defined as: The constellations against
which the planets are seen to move, as seen from the Earth. The
planets are seen against more constellations than is the Sun.The
Zodiac and Astrology:
01:
What is a Zodiac? What are Zodiac Wheels?
02:
Galactic Zodiac
03:
Real Solar Zodiac
04:
Tropical Zodiac
05:
Sidereal Zodiac [Vedic Zodiac]06:
Comparison of Tropical and Sidereal Solar Zodiacs07:
Examples of Tropical and Sidereal Zodiac Wheels for Prince
William's Horoscope08:
Planetary Zodiac
09:
Lunar Zodiac and Lunar Mansions
10:
Chinese Zodiac
11:
Celtic Zodiac12:
The Non-Zodiac Stars and Constellations
The Twelve Houses in Classical Astrology [c 10 - 20 AD]
Definition: [Astrological Houses] It is notable that the
definitions of the houses from two millennia ago are very different
to the ones that have evolved from them, which we use today.
c 10 AD
c 10 AD
c 1030 AD
c 1680 AD
c 2000 AD
The Twelve Temples*:
The Twelve Lots:
Al-Biruni'sHouses**:
William Lily's ***Houses:
'Modern' House Defintions:
First House:
Stilbon [Hermes]Children
Fortune & Home
Soul & Life
Life & Health
The Self
Second House:
Typhonis Sedes [Typho]
Warfare
Consumption & Nourishment
Wealth & Poverty
Possessions
Third House:
Dia [Moon]Brothers
Business
Siblings & Friends
Relatives & Messages
Contacts
Fourth House:
Daemonium [Cronus]Fathers & the Old
The Law
Parents & Descendants
Fathers & Paternity
Roots
Fifth House:
DaemonieHealth & Disease
Marriage & Friendship
Children & Pleasure
Children & Pleasure
Creativity & Pleasure
Sixth House:
Porta Laboris
Means
Sickness & Disease
Sickness & Disease
Work
Seventh House:
Ditis Ianua [Hades]Death
Dangers
Women & Concubines
Marriage & Partners
Partnerships
Eighth House:
Typhonis Sedes [Typho]
Social Rank
Death & Wealth
Death & Fears
Needs
Ninth House:
Deus [Phoebus]Accidents
Children
Travel & Religion
Foreign Places
Travel
Tenth House:
Fortuna [Aphrodite]Marriage
Character
Rule of the Sultan
Honor & Dignity
Status
EleventhHouse:
Fortuna Felix [Zeus]Happy Fortune
Health & Sickness
Happiness & Friends
Friendship
Community
Twelfth House:
Porta Laboris
Success
Anxieties & Enemies
Secrets
Secrets
The Lot and Temple descriptions are taken from Manilius'
Astronomica, c 10 - 20 AD. Of the modern houses only 4 and 11 are
the same as in Manilius' time in the Temple system, and none are
for the Lots.Note: in classical astrology the place of the First
Temple and First Lot on the Zodiac Wheel rarely coincide, as the
systems for finding their places are completely different.* The
ruler of the house is given in brackets. Note: the the rulers of
the classical Temples are Gods not Planets. Pluto, the planet, was
not discovered until over 1900 years after Manilius wrote his
astrological poem. The monster Typhoeus was never a planet. I have
given the rulers of the temples their Greek names, rather than
Roman ones to avoid any confusion with the planets.** Taken from
Abu'l-Rayhan Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Al-Biruni's Book of Instructions in
the Elements of the Art of Astrology [1029 AD], translated R.
Ramsay Wright [1934]. The second, sixth, eighth and twelfth houses
are rather different to modern houses, but the remaining 8 have
similar definitions.** Taken from William Lily's Christian
Astrology [1647 AD]. Christian Astrology was the first major
astrology textbook in English. Lily is widely credited with the
revival of the fortunes of astrology in England, after making some
famous predictions concerning the fate of King Charles I. The
houses used in the 1600s are reasonably similar to the definitions
we use today.
Classical Astrology House Links:
01:
The Twelve Houses of Classical Astrology
02:
House Systems in Classical Astrology
(a):
Cardinal Points and Quadrants(b):
Temples(c):
Lots03:
House Systems after the Time of Manilius
04:
House System Examples for Prince William's Horoscope
Dr Shepherd Simpson, Astrological HistorianHistorical
Astrology
See the new Astrological Index for the meaning of other
astrological words and phrases
Galactic Zodiac
Development of House Systems in Astrology after Classical
Astrology
Definition: [Astrological Houses] The development of Houses and
Houses Systems since Classical times.Houses and house systems seem
to have taken a long and obscure road since the time of the early
Classical Astrologers. Nowadays, some astrologers ignore houses
completely as being too tainted by uncertainty to use. In this they
follow the tradition of Claudius Ptolemy, the "Father of Classical
Astrology", who in his seminal work, Tetrabiblos, appears to have
had little time for houses at all. He ignores them, from which fact
various astrological commentators have concluded that he considered
houses meaningless mysticism. It is certainly true that houses are
purely a symbolic description of the heavens, whereas the positions
of the stars and the planets are measurable concrete things. For
others of us, houses remain very important. This presents us with a
problem, as unfortunately, in modern times, three classes of house
system exist: ecliptic-based, time-based and space-based and these
yield at least twenty methods of calculating the astrological
houses on the Zodiac Wheel. In these different house systems the
planets can appear in different houses: the planets aren't moving
but the placement of each house is different in the various
systems. [See for example how the different choice of modern house
system changes the spread of planets in houses for Prince William.]
Hence for those of us committed to the modern houses, the choice of
house system can radically alter a horoscope. History: The most
commonly used house system at present, the Placidus system was not
that used by the Classical originators of astrology. In fact, it
appears that there were three separate house systems in classical
astrology: Temples Cardinal Points and Quadrants, and Lots. Over
the last two millennia the fashion in house systems has gone
through Alcabitus, Regiomontanus and now Placidus. And sadly this
appears to be little more than fashion. It is also unfortunately
true that an astrologer's preference for a particular house system
is often based on how good our own chart looks with that house
system. And that our clients - given the choice - often pick their
chart using the house system that gives them the best chart. Not a
very rigorous, nor truthful, method of casting a horoscope. In fact
the lack of a rigorous choice of house system is one of the most
fundamental problems in modern astrology. I would add to this that
the divergence of our house systems from those of the Classical
astrologers, also gives great cause for concern.Which System should
you Use?: Who knows? It is rumored that one particular national
meeting of astrologers descended into a fist-fight trying to
resolve this question! I have yet to see a rigorous test of the
house systems: no one appears to have done a study as to which
gives the most accurate prediction. If you wish to choose based on
popularity, Placidus, Koch and Equal House are the most common
systems for modern Western individual astrology. All three start
with the Ascendant on the cusp of the first house. In Placidus and
Koch, the Midheaven is then the cusp [start] of the tenth house.
But there is no requirement for this in the Equal House system. The
Equal system has cusps which are generally completely dissimilar to
Placidus and Koch. In turn, Placidus and Koch differ in the cusps
of the second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and
twelfth houses. In both Placidus and Koch some Zodiac signs may
never appear on a cusp, because of the variable house size. The
more northerly the latitude in which you were born the more likely
this is to happen. In contrast for the Equal system all signs will
appear on a cusp.To be honest, the more I have studied house
systems the more I think that none of the above should be used. I
think we should return to the Temples, Cardinal Points and
Quadrants and Lots system that we appear, inexplicably, to have
moved away from over the centuries. Classical astrologers used
these three systems - basing their work on several hundred years of
astrology; by what right do we think we should be doing something
different?Newspaper Horoscopes: For these a variation of the Sun
system is used. The Sun's position is used to mark the first house,
with the first house being placed identically to the zodiac sign.
The house sizes are equal. This is a completely invalid approach,
only making even a poor approximation to a standard horoscope for
the one-twelfth of people born in that sign with that sign as their
Ascendant. Worthless... but fun...House Systems: Alcabitus [or
Alchabitius or Alcabitius or Alcibitius or Alcabitius Declination]:
[Time-based] [The standard house system in the late Middle Ages]
This method of house division first appears in a treatise written
by Rhetorius, the Egyptian (505 AD) entitled From the Treasury of
Antiochus, an Explanation and Narration of the Whole Art of
Astrology. The system was attributed to Abu al-Saqr al-Qabisi Abd
al-Aziz ibn Uthman (d. 967) also known as Alcabitius [and variant
spellings], the author of the Introduction to the Art of Judgments
of the Stars (c. 916-967). Although this system was presented by
various other Arabic writers of the time, Alcabitius' text was
translated into Latin by John Seville in the 12th century and by
Erhard Ratdolt in Venice in 1503, thus helping to popularize the
method. The Midheaven and Ascendant are respectively the 10th- and
1st- house cusps. The remaining cusps are determined by the
trisection of the semidiurnal and seminocturnal arcs of the
Ascendant. The houses are formed by the lunes created by the true
house circles that pass through these cusps and the North and South
points of the Horizon. This varies from other quadrant systems, in
which the trisection occurs along the ecliptic. Unlike the Placidus
system it works well in the polar regions. One author notes that
the method is a "logical development from the Porphyry system"
since that method trisects the semi-arc of the ecliptic while this
one trisects the diurnal arc and projects it onto the ecliptic by
means of hour circles. The "Classical House" [Time-based] system is
a variation on this, incorporating Ptolemy's five degree
correction. The diurnal arc of the Ascendant is tri-sected and
projected by hour circles onto the ecliptic to form the house
cusps, but five degrees is subtracted from the Ascendant to form
the first house cusp. This is a modern, slight correction to the
Alcibitius Declination house system, despite its name.Campanus:
[Space-based] Named after Giovanni di Campani (1233-1296). The
vertical great circle from east to west is divided into 12 equal
parts and great circles are drawn through these divisions and the
north and south points on the horizon. The intersection points of
these circles with the ecliptic are the house cusps. Thought by
some authors to be the same system as that used by Al-Biruni in the
11th century under the name 'the system of Hermes' and perhaps that
used by Marcus Manilius in his work, Astronomica, dated 10 AD -
though as this latter is a poem it makes interpretation highly
problematical. Used by Dane Rudhyar and Charles Zane in modern
times.Equal: [Ecliptic-based] [Third most commonly used system in
Western Astrology] The zodiac is divided into 12 houses of 30
degrees each starting from the Ascendant. Note that in this house
system the Midheaven is not necessarily the cusp of the tenth
house. This system is reputed to have the oldest pedigree, as some
authors state that it is the system used by Ptolemy. Others state
it dates back to the time of Petosiris (1st century, BC). This
would be consistent with the lack of status for the Midheaven,
which was not considered important in early classical
astrology.Earth House: Zero degrees of Libra is taken as the first
house cusp and each house cusp is thirty degrees farther along in
the zodiac.Horizontal; The house cusps are defined by division of
the horizon into 12 directions. The first house cusp is not
identical with the Ascendant but is located precisely in the
east.Koch/GOHS: [Time-based] [Second most commonly used system in
Western Astrology] This system is named for its advocate German
astrologer Walter Koch (1895-1970) . It was invented by Fiedrich
Zanzinger and Heinz Specht. In German-speaking countries, it is
also called the "Geburtsorthusersystem" (GOHS), i.e. the "Birth
place house system". This name was coined by Walter Koch following
his belief that the Koch system was more related to the birth place
than other systems. He believed this, because all house cusps in
this system are calculated with the same polar height, the "polar
height of the birth place": this has the same value as the
geographic latitude. With the Koch system, the house cusps are in
fact defined by horizon lines at different times. To calculate the
cusps 11 and 12, one can take the time it took the Midheaven degree
to move from the horizon to the culmination, divide this time into
three and see what ecliptic degree was on the horizon at the
thirds. Why Koch thought this procedure should be more related to
the birth place remains obscure.Midheaven: The Midheaven
(Midheaven) is taken as the cusp of the tenth house and each house
is thirty degrees further along in the zodiac. Note that in this
house system the Ascendant is not necessarily the cusp of the first
house. Meridian or Vehlow-Equal or Zariel: The Meridian house
system was proposed by the Australian astrologer Zariel (David
Cope) in the early 1900s. It has never received much attention, but
was investigated by American astrologers Bruce Lloyd and Garth
Allen in the late 1950s. This system is also referred to as the
"Axial Rotation System," a term which is somewhat misleading, as no
rotation is involved, but derives from the use of the North and
South Celestial poles for the construction of the great circles.
Circles are drawn through the poles and twelve points that divide
the equator equally, starting at the meridian. These points are
then projected onto the ecliptic. The Midheaven is identical to the
10th house cusp. The Ascendant is not equal to the 1st cusp, but is
equivalent to the so called "East Point" or equatorial ascendant.
This system works in extreme latitudes [the poles]. The Meridian
house system is most popular with Uranian astrologers. Moon: The
Moon is taken as the tenth house cusp and each house cusp is thirty
degrees farther along in the zodiac. Note that in this house system
neither the Ascendant nor the Midheaven are necessarily house
cusps.Morinus: [Space-based] Named after Jean-Baptiste Morin
(1583-1656), known as Morinus. The Morinus system uses great
circles that pass through the poles of the ecliptic and through
points that are spaced at 30-degree intervals along the Celestial
Equator, beginning with the intersection of the Celestial Equator
and the East Point. The cusps are determined by the intersections
of these great circles and the ecliptic. The houses are not of
equal size. The Midheaven is not the same as the 10th cusp. The
ascendant is not the same as the 1st cusp. This system is unusual
in this respect, that it doesn't begin with the Ascendant but with
true East. [The Ascendant is often not at true East.]Natural
Graduation: A complicated mathematical variation of the Porphyry
House System, as described on pp. 46- 47 in "New Waite's
Compendium" by Colin Evans. Natural Hours: [Time-based] The times
of sunrise and sunset are noted for the location and date of the
horoscope. The degrees of the Ascendant at Sun rise and Sun set
give the degrees of the Ascendant and descendant respectively. The
hemispheres between the Ascendant and Descendant are divided into
six sectors, each representing two 'hours' of time. These sectors
also give the house cusps. Note that the Ascendant and descendant
are no longer tied together as a pair in this system, and the
Midheaven may fall in any house. Octopos: The prime vertical is cut
at forty-five degree intervals starting at the east point of the
horizon, and these points are projected onto the ecliptic using
house circles. This produces eight houses instead of twelve as by
most other systems, and these are then numbered starting at the
descendant and going counter-clockwise, so that the house placed at
the seventh house is called the first house, and the house normally
near the ninth house is the second house, etc. For those persons
with a fear of the twelfth house, this is the one to use.Placidus
or Placidian: [Time-based] [Most commonly used system in modern
Western Astrology, not through any particular merit but because, as
is widely accepted, it was the one for which affordable data tables
were available in the 19th century.] This system is named after the
Italian monk Placidus de Titis (1590-1668) and was found in his
work Primum Mobile. The cusps are defined by divisions of
semidiurnal and seminocturnal arcs. The 11th cusp is the point on
the ecliptic that has completed 2/3 of its semidiurnal arc, the
12th cusp the point that has completed 1/3 of it. The 2nd cusp has
completed 2/3 of its seminocturnal arc, and the 3rd cusp 1/3. Some
authors argue that this rather than the Equal house system is
closer to the original Ptolemaic ideal. I find this unlikely as
this is a time-based system whereas Ptolemy probably thought in
terms of an ecliptic system. It may also be an attempt to justify
is current dominant position by referring it back to the wellspring
of astrology. However it is an elegant system.Polich-Page or
Topocentric: [Time-based] This system was introduced in 1961 by
Wendel Polich and A.P. Nelson Page. The tangents of the polar
height of the 11th house is the tangents of the geo. latitude
divided by 3. (2/3 of it are taken for the 12th house cusp.) The
philosophical reasons for this algorithm are obscure. Nor is this
house system more topocentric (i.e. birth-place-related) than any
other house system. (c.f. the misunderstanding with the birth place
system.) The topocentric house cusps are close to Placidus house
cusps except for high geographical latitudes. It also works for
latitudes beyond the polar circles, wherefore some consider it to
be an improvement of the Placidus system. However the striking
philosophical idea behind Placidus (i.e. the division of diurnal
and nocturnal arcs of points of the zodiac) is completely
destroyed.Porphyry: [Ecliptic-based] Attributed to a Neo-Platonist
named Porphyry (233-c.304), a Greek philosopher and student of
Plotinus. Porphyry is best known for his work Introduction to
Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, which is essentially an encyclopedic
dictionary of astrological terms and techniques. In chapter 43
entitled Determination of the Angular, Cadent, and Succedent Houses
to the Degree, Porphyry shows how the cusps are derived by
trisecting the semi-arc between the Ascendant and Midheaven. The
Porphyry system seems to be used in at least some 'Vedic' Jyotish
Indian astrology.After the Ascendant and Midheaven ecliptic
positions have been calculated, the semi-arc between them is
computed by subtracting one from the other. This semi-arc -- which
represents one quadrant of the chart -- is then divided by 3 to
determine the arc of each of the intermediate houses. This constant
is then added to the Midheaven to yield the cusp of the 11th house,
to the 11th to yield the cusp of the 12th, and to the 12th to
confirm the Ascendant degree. The cusps of the 4th and 7th houses
will be 180 degrees from the Ascendant and Midheaven respectively
and opposite in Zodiacal sign. The same quadrant arc division
process is applied to the northeastern, northwestern, and
southwestern quadrants of the chart to yield the cusps of houses 2,
3, 5, 6, 8, and 9. Because this process yields the same constant in
each quadrant arc division, house cusps 11 and 5; 3 and 9; 2 and 8;
and 6 and 12 will be 180 degrees apart. Also houses 11 and 3, 9 and
5 will be 120 degrees apart; houses 12 and 2, 8 and 6 will be 60
degrees apart.Some authors note that the first appearance of a
description and explanation of this method is made by Vettius
Valens (150-175 AD) in Book III, Chapter 2 of his Anthology
entitled The Authentic Degrees of the Angles. Valens himself
attributes this method to an otherwise unknown astrologer named
Orion.Regiomontanus: [Space-based] [The standard house system in
the later Middle Ages, it supplanted the Alcabitus system.] Named
after the Johannes Mller (called "Regiomontanus", because Mller
came from Knigsberg). The equator is divided into 12 equal parts
and great circles are drawn through these divisions and the north
and south points on the horizon. The intersection points of these
circles with the ecliptic are the house cusps.(1436-1476).Solar:
The position of the Sun is taken as the first house cusp and each
house cusp is thirty degrees farther along in the zodiac. Note that
in this house system neither the Ascendant nor the Midheaven are
necessarily house cusps. This system is commonly used when the
Ascendant and Midheaven are not known. It is therefore commonly
used in newspaper astrology where a horoscope is being produced for
everyone of a certain Sun-sign.Sun: The Sun is taken as the fourth
house cusp and each house cusp is thirty degrees farther along in
the zodiac. Note that in this house system neither the Ascendant
nor the Midheaven are necessarily house cusps.Topocentric: See
Polich-Page.Vehlow An equal house system promulgated by Johannes
Vehlow ( b 1980 Germany).Zariel: See Meridian.Classical Astrology
House Links:
01:
The Twelve Houses of Classical Astrology
02:
House Systems in Classical Astrology
(a):
Cardinal Points and Quadrants(b):
Temples(c):
Lots03:
House Systems after the Time of Manilius
04:
House System Examples for Prince William's Horoscope
Dr Shepherd Simpson, Astrological Historian
Prince William's Available Horoscopes
Definition: [Prince William Horoscope] Prince William has one of
the most astrologically predicted lives there has ever been. Here
are some of the horoscopes for William currently available on the
web. Prince William's Web Horoscopes:Horoscope
Horoscope Type*
Zodiac Chart
House SystemChartOriginally Found At:
01:Anonymous
Natal
http://www.demon.co.uk/kdm/william.html
02: Anonymous
Natal
None (0)
http://www.adze.com/bios/htm/1982/06210001.html
03: Whitaker, Anne
Natal/SolarReturn
Tropical(1)Placidus (1)
yes
http://www.stariq.com/
04: Anonymous
Natal
Tropical
Placidus (2)
yes
http://www.women.com/horoscope/fame/articles/ and at
http://astrozine.astrology.com/prince_william.html
05: Marion March
Natal
Tropical
Koch (2)
yes
http://www.astrologysoftware.com/astromag/archive/articles/
06: Steve Judd
Natal/SolarReturn
http://www.stevejudd.com/articals/
07: Liz Greene
http://www.astro.com/astrology/
08: Anonymous
Tropical
Placidus(2)(3)
yes
http://www.astroprofile.com/focusastro.htm
09: Laura Pogiani
Tropical (1)Placidus (1)
yes
http://www.astralis.it/eclipses.htm
10: Anonymous
(0) (4)
yes
http://www.astralaspects.com/celeb_princewilliam.htm
11: Stacey Woolf
http://www.getpsychic.com/html/prince_william.html
12: Kelli Fox
SolarReturn
TropicalPlacidus and Koch (5)
http://my3.chartshop.com/
13: Anonymous
Tropical
Placidus (2)
yes
http://www.patterns.com/princewi.htm
14: Adrian Duncan
Tropical (1)Placidus
yes
http://www.world-of-wisdom.com/articles/articlewilliam.htm
15: Claudia Dikinis
http://starcats.com/anima/Wills.html
16: Myra & David Williamson
Natal
Tropical
Placidus
http://rightplace.net/a/c/Prince-William.htm
17: Amy J. Volkers
Aspects
Tropical
Placidus
http://www.astrological-insights.bigstep.com/
18: Pandit G
http://astrology.indya.com/ips35/html/astro/crystalball/crystalball17.htm
19: Nimmi
Natal
Tropical
http://www.findyourfate.com/astrology/celebrity/William.htm
20: Shelley von Strunckel
Natal
Tropical
http://www.handbag.com/horoscopes/celebritystars/celebpwilliam2/
21: Penny Thornton
Natal/Solar Return
Tropical
Placidus
http://www.astrolutely.com/cosmic/cosmic010701.htm#william
22: Brandy Jasmine
Natal/Solar Return
Prince William: Natal Sky
http://www.astrology.ca/library/jasmine/celebrity/prince-wills.html
Definition: [Prince William Horoscope] The night sky over St
Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London when Prince William was born to
Princess Diana at 21:03 BST, 21 June 1982.Prince William's Natal
Solar System: Prince William's natal solar system is illustrated
right. The positions of the planets in their paths around the Sun
are accurately shown. The planets themselves are shown much larger
than their real appearance would be, as in reality they would all
be too small to see at this scale. The Moon is not depicted, as at
this scale it is essentially in the same place as the Earth. Moving
out from the Sun, the order of the planets is Mercury, Venus,
Earth-Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto and finally
Neptune. Pluto is often the outermost planet of the solar system,
but its path is not symmetrical around the Sun. You can see in the
picture how Pluto's path lies partly within that of Neptune. During
such periods [which last for several years] Neptune is the
outermost planet. This was the case in June 1982 at William's
birth.When we look at one of these planets in the night sky, its
place against the background constellations - the Planetary Zodiac
- depends on two things: where the Earth is in its path around the
Sun and where the planet is on its path around the Sun. In other
words, the planet moves, but so does the place we are observing the
planet from - the Earth - which also makes the planet appear to
move against the background constellations. To see how this works
for the Inner Solar System Planets [Sun to Venus] and the Outer
Solar System Planets [Mars to Neptune], the two components of
Prince William's full birth chart, please follow the links.
The solar system at the exact moment of the birth of Prince
William, viewed from the North Celestial Pole. [The orbits have
been scaled slightly to separate out the planets. At the real scale
the inner planets would be difficult to separate out. The positions
of the planets in their orbits are accurate.]
Prince William's Natal Sky - Horizon Charts: Shown below are
views of William's natal sky, i.e. how the constellations appeared
as viewed from London and where the planets appeared against those
background constellations at the moment of William's birth.
Examples of the sky to the north, south, east and west are shown.
For the view of the sky to the south east, follow the link to
William's Ascendant.
William's natal sky: the northern sky as viewed from London on
21 June 1982 at 21:03 BST. The constellation Andromeda, the
Princess, lies on the horizon.
William's natal sky: the spin of the Earth causes the
constellation of Aquila, the Eagle, to appear to rise on the
eastern horizon. No Real Solar Zodiac constellation is visible to
the east in this sky. Instead, as the Earth is at Summer Solstice
at William's birth, the Ecliptic lies to the south east.
William's natal sky: the spin of the Earth causes the
constellations of Hydra, the Water Snake, and Canis Major, the
Greater Dog, to appear to set on the western horizon. No Real Solar
Zodiac constellation is visible to the west in this sky. Instead,
as the Earth is at Summer Solstice at William's birth, the Ecliptic
appears to set to the north west.
William's natal sky: the southern sky as viewed from London on
21 June 1982 at 21:03 BST. The planets Jupiter, Saturn and Mars can
be seen against the constellation of Virgo, the Maiden.
Prince William's Natal Sky - The Complete Visible Sky: The chart
shown below would be your complete view of the sky if you looked
overhead from St Mary's' Hospital Paddington at the time of
William's birth. The line from north west to south east is the
Ecliptic. The line from west to east is the Celestial Equator.
William's natal sky: the visible sky - i.e. that part of the sky
above the horizon - as viewed from London on 21 June 1982 at 21:03
BST.
The spin of the Earth is just about to make the Sun appear to
set to the north west - its normal 'setting' position at the Summer
Solstice. The Moon, which is positioned relative to the Sun and
Earth such that it is 'new' [i.e. dark as seen from Earth] can be
seen against the constellation of Gemini, the Twins. Further to the
East, Mars, Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter can be seen against the
constellation of Virgo the Maiden. Pluto lies quite a distance from
the Ecliptic, almost seen against the constellation of Bootes, the
Bear Driver. This is because the path of Pluto is quite tilted in
comparison to the Ecliptic. See Planetary Zodiac for more
information.] Further East, Uranus can be seen against the
constellation Libra, the Scales, almost on the cusp with Scorpius,
the Scorpion, and Neptune can be seen against the constellation
Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer.From London at this time, the Earth's
spin has moved you away from a position in which Venus and Mercury
are visible, i.e. they are said to have 'set.'Occultations: As well
as being seen against certain constellations, some planets will be
seen to appear close to particular stars in those constellations,
or occasionally to occult those stars. Occultation means that
viewed from Earth the planet lies directly between the Earth and
the star rendering the star invisible. At Prince William's birth
the following occultations occurred:Sun None.
Mercury Within 2 degrees of Aldeberan, "The Follower", Alpha
Tauri in Taurus.
Venus Within 10 degrees of the Pleiades Star Cluster**
Moon Occults Mu Geminorum, in Gemini.
Mars Within 5 degrees of Gamma Virginis, a binary star system in
Virgo.
Jupiter Within 5 degrees of Spica, "The Ear of Wheat", Alpha
Virginis, in Virgo.
Saturn Within 5 degrees of Gamma Virginis, a binary star system
in Virgo.
Uranus Within 2 degrees of Graffias, "The Claws", Beta Scorpii,
and Delta Scorpii*.
Neptune None
Pluto None.
* in the neighboring constellation of Scorpius.
** In contrast to statements in several of William's web
horoscopes, Venus is nowhere near Algol,
"The Medusa's Head", Beta Perseus. Perseus is not even a Solar
Zodiac constellation!
Further Information: Shown below is the positional information
of the planets at the moment of William's birth. Right Distance
From 5131'N 010'W:
Ascension Declination (AU) Altitude AzimuthSun 6h 0m 26s +23
26.4' 1.016 0.710 128.588 Up
Mercury 4h 31m 36s +17 53.8' 0.743 -13.725 144.644 Set
Venus 3h 35m 10s +17 23.2' 1.281 -18.441 157.763 Set
Moon 6h 21m 42s +22 34.8' 57.0 ER 2.654 124.015 Up
Mars 12h 33m 49s -3 39.2' 1.022 31.383 27.467 Up
Jupiter 13h 55m 19s -10 27.0' 4.843 27.983 3.189 Up
Saturn 13h 1m 5s -3 44.1' 9.369 33.001 19.654 Up
Uranus 15h 57m 38s -20 18.6' 17.986 14.178 -26.737 Up
Neptune 17h 40m 46s -22 3.0' 29.259 2.821 -48.241 Up
Pluto 13h 55m 39s +6 39.0' 29.547 45.075 3.909 Up
ER is 'Earth radii' i.e. the Moon lies 57 times the radius of
the Earth away from the Earth. The other distances are in AU,
astronomical units. 1 AU is the average distance from the Earth to
the Sun, i.e. Neptune and Pluto are both more than twenty-nine
times further from the Sun than the Earth is. Azimuth in the above
table follows the astronomical convention: zero degrees is South
with positive angles toward the West and negative angles toward the
East. For the meanings of Right Ascension, Declination, Altitude
and Azimuth follow those links.
Prince William's Zodiac Charts:1:
Zodiac Charts: The Outer Solar System
2:
Zodiac Charts: The Inner Solar System
3:
Prince William's Ascendant
4:
Prince William's Venus and the Fixed Stars: Algol and the
Pleiades
5:
Prince William's Natal Sky - the Stars and Planets of his
Birth
6:
Prince William's Chart Systems - View Points and Zodiacs
7:
Prince William's House Systems - Alcabitius through Vehlow
8:
Prince William's 21st Birthday - Solar Return Charts Prince
William's Web Horoscopes:
Prince William's Horoscopes
Notes on the Horoscopes:The notes correspond to the numbers in
brackets in the Zodiac Chart or House System columns above.(0) This
astrologer does not use houses in the written horoscope, discussing
planets in signs only. (1) My best guess of the Zodiac Chart or
House System used based on the astrologer's choice of Zodiac Chart,
as the astrologer has not stated it. (2) In these examples, both
Placidus and Koch house Zodiac Charts have been redrawn by the
software used by the authors to give equal-seeming house sizes for
William. [Follow the links for examples of more accurate Non-Equal
Zodiac Charts for these House Systems.] The positions of the cusps
are then noted around the rim to show the house changes. This
perhaps makes the Charts easier to read but is a bit misleading on
first sight. (3) There is something wrong with this Chart. It
states that it is Placidus but puts Mars and Saturn in the 8th
house, whereas they are in the 9th house in a standard Placidus
Charts for William. It does miss the one hour summer time
correction for William's birth, which may be a part of the problem.
(4) This is the Chart this site put up for William but it isn't
William's - the Sun transiting Virgo gives this away. I therefore
can't work out what House System or Zodiac Chart it is. (5) An
unusual case where the astrologer uses two House Systems - Placidus
and Koch. *Natal is the birth horoscope. Solar return is a
horoscope for the current birthday, i.e. the Sun's return to the
position which it was in at birth - the planets will not be in the
same positions however. (6) The astrologer uses no Zodiac Signs in
her horoscope restricting her information to Houses and Aspects.
However she does not say which house system she is using.Anonymity,
Zodiacs and House Systems A surprisingly large number of the
horoscopes listed above appear without a particular author claiming
credit. Less than half of the authors have specified their choice
of Zodiac and Chart System. As these two factors make a huge
difference to the Zodiac Chart produced, this makes the validity of
the horoscopes difficult to assess. The majority of authors have
not stated their chosen House System. Where they have, the clear
preference is for Placidus. Surprisingly no astrologer used
Equal-House, though reputedly this is popular. Koch is popular in
continental Europe, which perhaps explains its low popularity in
this list, as only horoscopes available in English are listed
here.Prince William's Zodiac Charts:1:
Zodiac Charts: The Outer Solar System
2:
Zodiac Charts: The Inner Solar System
3:
Prince William's Ascendant
4:
Prince William's Venus and the Fixed Stars
5:
Prince William's Natal Sky - the Stars and Planets of his
Birth
6:
Prince William's Chart Systems - View Points and Zodiacs
7:
Prince William's House Systems - Alcabitius through Vehlow
Dr Shepherd Simpson, Galactic Astrologer