Skyscript Astrology Forum

I have been looking for premodern or early modern (pre-1800) texts that mention the use of transiting syzygies/lunations (Sun-Moon conjunctions and oppositions) as a predictive tool in natal astrology (nativities or, I suppose, annual revolutions). If anyone knows of such discussions, I'd be grateful for references.

Martin,

Not sure if this will fit your search for premodern or early modern criteria but here are a few studies on the syzygies.

Giuseppe Bezza
http://www.cieloeterra.it/testi.meteo1/meteo1.html
A study on weather predictions by Giuseppe Bezza with references from Theophilus of Edessa and a more extensive text from Latin Middle Ages Albumasar. Some other texts anonymous in late antiquity.

The next ones are in French from L'Echo d'Hermès
https://www.coursastrologiebordeaux.fr/ ... -d-hermès/

Danièle Jay
Syzygie et Météo, L'Echo d'Hermès no. 52
Predicting weather

Danielle Baudu-Philippe
La Sygygie, une matrice universelle, L'Echo d'Hermès, no 46
A study of 3 nativities from the Syzygy as a universal matrix.

Jumeaux, L'Echo d'Hermès, no 45
A study of 2 nativities from the Syzygy of 2 similar destinies (cosmic twins)

I know you are becoming fluent in French even without Artificial Intelligence.

Ouranos

Thanks, Ouranos, but the premodern texts discussed by Bezza all deal with weather predictions (just as you say), whereas I am specifically looking for any use of transiting syzygies (as opposed to the prenatal syzygy) with nativities, or with charts derived from nativities, such as annual revolutions. And the French-language articles that do touch on nativities do not cite any premodern sources as far as I could see from a cursory (and very far from fluent) examination.

In 'Pour une astrologie de l'événement', p.19 to 25, Danièle Jay gives more explanations on the role of the Syzygy.
I will try to report as faithfully as possible what she says in her book.
"The ASC is a place of light..."
To rectify this degree, astrologers can try to solve this problem with 3 solutions among other ways.

1) Hermes trustine

"Vettius Valens in Anthology, I, 23-24 and III,13 said that the natal Moon correspond to the ASC of birth.
Please note that Al-Daya defines the conception time with the drop of the sperm (Commento al Centiloquio tolemaico, aphorism LI, translated from arabic by Giuseppe Bezza, Ed. Mimesis, Milano, 2013)
The process would be very practical, except that most of us are unaware of the moment, day and hour, of conception, which rarely corresponds to the moment of the sexual encounter."

2) the Namudar

See Note 19 here of Deb https://www.skyscript.co.uk/centiloquium1.html
A method from Ptolemy.
"Namudar, a Persian term which means 'one who shows'.
After having determined the ruling planet of sygygy preceding birth, according to the five prerogatives (essential dignities) as defined in Book I, it will be necessary to see what degree this planet will hold in the sign it occupies at the time of birth. Such will be this degree, we will judge that a similar one will rise above the horizon (Tetrabiblos III, 2 tr Nicolas Bourdin)."
"Giuseppe Bezza and Marco Fumagalli have explained this passage, by evoking an isorhythmia. There is no question of attributing to the ASC the same degree as the planet which governs the Sygygy but of attributing to it a similar degree, that is to say having the same proportion (isorhythmia) in its sign as the ruler of syzygy in his house. If Jupiter, for example, ruler of a syzygy, would be in Pisces and placed in the middle of the house which welcomes him at the time of the nativity, while the ASC would be in the middle of his zodiacal sign, we could consider the time of birth to be correct. If this were not the case, we would move the ASC (or the MC if its degree was closer to that of Jupiter), until this proportionality is accomplished."


3) Primary directions

I think you are familiar enough on their use to rectify a chart.
Danièle Jay says that this is the most certain of all.
"The quality of our life will be defined in order as per Ptolemy in Tetrabiblos III,11, Bourdin by the Sun, the Moon, the ASC, the Syzygy, Fortuna and their rulers."
"The sun warms, the moon humidifies: together they create the optimal conditions for life."
"Their union before birth, by conjunction or opposition, must be consulted to judge the existence promised to the child. The Syzygy will give us valuable indications as to the climate which will determine its health. She will have a say in the question of longevity. The ruler of the syzygy will allow us to know, among other factors, whether or not, the death will be accidental."
"As for Fortuna, it represents the amount of light of the Moon in the local sphere."
"Once we ascertain that the 5 elements described by Ptolemy are looked at by benefics they will provide good conditions for the life of the child."
And Danièle Jay concludes by saying
"Planets are strong by their celestial positions when in good or friendly places; oriental to the Sun and fast in motion; by their angularities"
"Planets are weak when in places contrary to their nature; occidental to the Sun and slow in motion; falling from the Angles".
"Concerning the timing of events, angular or matutine planets to the Sun or the ASC are swifter and begin earlier. Vespertines act later in their effects."
---------------
So it appears that the Syzygy provides a quality to our life in the background. I find a parallel with the Sygygy in meteorology to know what the season of our life will look like. Will it be sunny or rainy!
I haven't found anything about a transiting or progressed syzygy but your question raises an interesting point. Like we do for a prenatal Syzygy, should we look at it in our annual revolution to get a feel of the kind of weather we will be facing for the year (figurative). And we could start to look at the planet ruling the Syzygy.

Best to you,
Ouranos

Yes, I am familar with all these traditional methods of rectifying the ascendant/birth time, but they are still nothing to do with what I am looking for. The namūdār/animodar technique makes use of the prenatal syzygy, but I'm wondering whether the transiting syzygies were used as a predictive technique relative to nativities, and if so, how.

Incidentally, about the Trutine (sic) of Hermes, this is clearly wrong:

Please note that Al-Daya defines the conception time with the drop of the sperm (Commento al Centiloquio tolemaico, aphorism LI, translated from arabic by Giuseppe Bezza, Ed. Mimesis, Milano, 2013)
The process would be very practical, except that most of us are unaware of the moment, day and hour, of conception, which rarely corresponds to the moment of the sexual encounter.

The modern definition of conception as fertilization of the ovum occurring hours or days after coitus was unknown in ancient and medieval times. The crucial moment was considered to be that of ejaculation ('the drop of the sperm'), and it was the time between that moment and birth that was estimated at an average of 273 days (= 10 sidereal months or 39 weeks).

In the introduction to her book "Lunations and predictions" Sophia Mason wrote:

Forecasting with the use of New and Full Moons is an ancient art that has been lost through the ages. Although many modern astrologers are fully aware of the potentials in using this method, they have not made it a practice to teach it to their students.

Alas, there is no list of references or any mention of the source of this claim.

Thanks for the reference all the same!

Hi Martin ... the only thing I could find in a quick search of my notes is the following; not really a 'transit' but ....

SOURCE: HOROI Project: "The fragments ascribed to Heliodorus of Alexandria"

According to Heliodorus; one of the "crisis" periods happened "18. By the falling of the years in the syzygy preceding the expulsion." [Referring to where the Profection year fell]

A related scholia has "(6) There is ‘falling’ when the number counted down from the Hour-Marker falls in the sign in which the syzygy immediately preceding the expulsion is in accordance with each year of the signs."


I vaguely remember Abu Ma'shar mentioning moving the preceding full or new moon (as well as 12th parts and 9ths) but do not recall an actual example of his using it. Unfortunately I didn't mark where he mentioned them.

Thank you, Jane. I have similar vague recollections and was hoping someone else's memory might be better than mine. Do we know what 'expulsion' refers to in the text fragment you cite?

Martin Gansten wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2024 5:57 am Do we know what 'expulsion' refers to in the text fragment you cite?

I suspect the word "expulsion" means "birth" (or miscarriage?) , for a baby being separated from his mother's womb. So this text refers to the prenatal syzygy.

The fragments ascribed to Heliodorus of Alexandria

Syzygy is mentioned three times:

"According to the philosopher Heliodorus, the crises are taken in nineteen ways...8. By the falling of the years in the syzygy preceding the expulsion."

"Scholia on the division of (life-)time from Heliodorus’s Discussions[1]...(6) There is ‘falling’ when the number counted down from the Hour-Marker falls in the sign in which the syzygy immediately preceding the expulsion is in accordance with each year of the signs."

"28. On falling...(1) There is said to be ‘falling’ when the year that is cast from the Hour-Marker falls into the sign where the syzygy preceding to the birth occurred."

Three stages in childbirth , including dilation, expulsion, and placental.

Oh dear, another casualty of astrological translatorese... Thanks for clarifying the context. One has to wonder what was wrong with the word birth, or delivery, or even parturition, if for some reason a clinical-sounding term was the effect sought after.

Martin,
Have you looked at Willi Sucher?
He has a few articles here including prenatal astrology, prenatal events and prenatal horoscope.
https://www.astrosophy.com/publications

Additional note: I have a friend who studied with Willi Sucher in California. It just coming back to me because he did for many years consultations that he called 'Life Biography' starting with the Sygygy an he once told me that 3 points he considered important to look at by transits or progressions
- The Nodes
- The Sun/Venus cycle
- The Jupiter/Saturn cycle.

Have a nice day,
Ouranos