Skyscript Astrology Forum

Posted: **Mon Mar 01, 2010 6:42 pm**

Tonight while using Lilly's table of accidental dignities in "Christian Astrology," I remembered something I'd recently read: historically, many astrologers accepted aspects by sign, not only by degree. According to what I saw, these more specific degree-based aspects (within orb) were referred to as partile or partill aspects, in part to distinguish them from broader sign-based aspects.

In Lilly's table of dignities, points are added or subtracted for "partile conjunction to" a benefic or malefic planet. Which meaning of "partile" is meant here? Does it mean within 1 degree of orb, or 'based upon degrees' rather than sign?

Posted: **Mon Mar 01, 2010 6:47 pm**

Aspects by sign was mostly used in Hellenistic astrology from what I can tell. Probably early Arabic used it as well. By the later medieval period, degree aspects were more popular. Lilly definitely is talking about degree aspects. His use of partile means an exact aspect by degree.

Posted: **Mon Mar 01, 2010 7:17 pm**

Thanks for the clarification, Mithra6... If, then, Lilly is referring to exact aspects (within 1 degree) for his point system, how do most traditional astrologers treat aspects that are beyond 1 degree of orb? I understand that Lilly's table is intended to be more of a guideline than a rigid calculation, but I'm curious about how it works in practice. Would a square from, say, Saturn a few degrees away (rather than one) still damage a planet's accidental dignity?

Posted: **Mon Mar 01, 2010 7:56 pm**

In CA p.107 Lilly writes:

There is also a Partill or Platick aspect: Partill aspect is when two Planets are exactly so many degrees from each other as make a perfect aspect: as if Venus be in nine degrees of Aries, and Jupiter in nine degrees of Leo, this is a Partill Trine aspect: So Sun in one degree of Taurus, and Moon in one degree of Cancer, make a Partil Sextile, and this is a strong signe or argument for performance of anything, or that the matter is neer hand concluded when the aspect is so partill, and signifies good; and it's as much a signe of present evill when mischief is threatned.

A Platick Aspect is that which admits of the Orbs or Rayes of two Planets that signifie any matter: As if Venus be in the tenth degree of Taurus, and Saturn in eighteen degrees of Virgo, here Venus hath a Platick Trine, or is in a Platick Trine to Saturn, because she is within the moiyty of both their Orbs; for the moity of Saturn his Rayes or Orbs is five, and of Venus 4, and the distance betwixt them and their perfect aspect is eight degrees.

But in his Merlini Anglici, 1677, he says: "A Partile Aspect comes to pass within the difference of three degrees"

So I think you could choose to apply that 3 degree limit in the table where the points are awarded for a partile contact. Although that table is a rough and ready guide, it's still good practice to work through it a few times, and to understand the principles of how the dignities contradict each other.

Outside the scoring system, a platick aspect is counted as effective, yes, but the idea is that it becomes more effective the closer it gets in orb. Or sometimes an applying aspect with a wider orb will indicate something that has yet to fulfill its potential expression (so it describes something that will happen in the future).

Regards
Deb

Skyscript Astrology Forum

Accidental dignity in Lilly's 'Christian Astrology'

Accidental dignity in Lilly's 'Christian Astrology'