Regarding a planet in poor terrestrial state beginning the action and its dispositor taking over.
What if it is the dispositor beginning the action? Will the dispositor carry a millstone around its neck?
Hi Ouranos,
That's an interesting question. "Terrestrial state" is the term Morin uses for a planet's placement among the houses--by house location, rulership, aspect or antiscion, and opposite house location. "Celestial state" is the term he uses for a planet's placement in the Sky--by sign occupation, relationship with other planets and fixed stars, and its own motion and position in the Sky. A planet's terrestrial state tells us the
earthly things the planet signifies and acts upon; its celestial state, taken with its essential nature, tells us the
quality of its action.
The terrestrial state of a planet and its dispositor comes under the powerful and essential technique of house combinations, which Morin treats in some detail in Book 21, Section 2, Chapters 4 & 5. It would be a bit much to go into those considerations here.
Morin states a rule in Book 21 that can be summed up as: “Where you see a planet’s dispositor it is as if you see the disposed planet.” He focuses in the following passage on the celestial state of the dispositor, but not that of the disposed planet. He says, as translated in
Morin's Book 21, p. 84:
Fifth. A Planet that is ruler of one house in another acts not only by reason of the house it occupies and that it rules, but also [by reason] of Planets appearing in [the house it rules]. And so, if the ruler of Mercury is found in the first house, it prefigures the inborn talent of the native, even if Mercury is outside the first house. And the ruler of the Sun in the tenth, honors; and so of the others. Because doubtless any Planet acts on the native by reason of both states of its ruler, of course, Celestial and Terrestrial. And therefore, if [Mercury] has his ruler in the first house well conditioned, he will act on the native by reason of the significations of the first house, and especially inborn talent, owing to the analogy; and this fortunately, owing to the well conditioned state of the ruler.
He also says, as translated in
Morin's Book 21, p. 121:
Moreover, if a Planet is badly affected by Celestial or Terrestrial state, or both, but its ruler is well [affected], harms and misfortunes will be signified in the beginning, but benefit and good fortune will follow, especially if that Planet applies to its ruler by a fortunate ray. If, however, a Planet is well affected but its ruler badly affected, benefit will end in misfortune and hope will be fruitless. If both are well affected, this will be the best, whether the Planet is in the fortunate houses of the figure conferring their benefits, or in the unfortunate ones removing or mitigating their misfortunes. Finally, if both are badly affected, this will be the worst, whether the Planet is in the unfortunate houses of the figure conferring their misfortunes, or in the fortunate ones removing or obstructing their benefits.
These comparisons of the effect of a planet and its dispositor in different combinations of favorable and unfavorable celestial state indicate that the favorable or unfavorable celestial state of a disposed planet will have an effect on the action of its dispositor.
I would like to post Cardinal Richelieu's nativity. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find or figure out how to do that here. If anyone can send me to some instructions or tell me how, I will post the chart. But I’ll attach it. ..And now, with Jason's help, I'll place it inline.
Richelieu nativity-1.jpg
Viewed 5563 times 20.84 KiB
The nativity of Cardinal Richelieu, an outstandingly powerful figure in the court of King Louis XIII during Morin’s lifetime, shows Mars in Scorpio closely conjunct a very late Libra Ascendant. Mars sends a square to Ascendant ruler Venus on the MC in Leo. Saturn is fallen in Aries in the Regiomontanus 6th, disposed to that Mars. Mars also rules Richelieu’s 2nd, which by house derivation is the death of others—8th from the 7th. Mars’ location on the Ascendant says that the others’ death is ruled from Richelieu’s 1st—that is, that the death of others is in Richelieu’s figurative hands. He saw to the execution of numerous persons who plotted against him. I believe we can safely say that Saturn’s unfavorable celestial state contributed through his disposition to Mars to Richelieu’s aggressive or dangerous character and temperament—while Saturn also influences the Ascendant through his rulership of the Ascendant by exaltation. We also can say that the fallen state of Saturn in the 6th through his disposition to the Ascendant by Mars contributed to the harm Saturn did to Richelieu’s health—while Saturn does harm to Richelieu’s health also in other ways: as exaltation ruler of the Ascendant in the 6th, and by combining the 1st and 12th by simultaneously ruling (by exaltation) the Ascendant and the Regiomontanus 12th. So, as Saturn comes to the Ascendant through his disposition by Mars, his unfavorable celestial state adds to the danger of Richelieu’s character and temperament, and adds to the harm to his health.
You also mentioned in your project to translate the Cabala of the Houses.
You might be interested to add up in your contact list Pepa Josefa Sanchis Llacer, a Spanish astrologer who has been a Latin graduate since 1983 and a specialist in the astrology of Morin de Villefranche. She translated Cabala of the Houses in French. I have found a picture of her but doesn't know more about her.
http://www.scarabelli.org/Pepita_Sanchis.html
I didn’t know that Pepita Sanchis Llacer translated Morin’s
Cabala of the Houses, and didn’t know that she translates to French. Anthony Louis’ translation of Morin’s Book 18 of
Astrologia Gallica is from her Spanish-language translation of that book. I’m aware that she works with Morin’s teachings, and has done other translations of his work. Nice to see her photo. Much of the
Cabala of the Houses is included in quite similar terms in Book 17, which James Holden translated. There is an introductory section to the
Cabala that is not more or less reproduced in Book 17, and which is not included in George Wharton's 17th century translation. The introduction includes some interesting things about Morin's relationship with astrology.
What's the title? Incidentally, Nīlakaṇṭha didn't really author the Praśnatantra, although he may or may not have been responsible for the collage that is commonly attributed to him of excerpts from the original Praśnatantra (written by Samarasiṃha around 1291 CE as a Sanskrit epitome of Sahl ibn Bishr's work on horary) and other, chiefly non-Tājika works. The Tājikanīlakaṇṭhī that he did write was completed in 1587. I published an Open Access paper on the origins of the Praśnatantra a decade ago (available