Skyscript Astrology Forum

As I review various texts on Primary Directions (PD's) I see the word accident describing the Direction of the Ascendant. Now I think it means all events and not just what we call an "accident" in English today. If accidents are random events involving the physical body then what is the 'norm' state or the opposite of accident. There must be a binary system in this view but the philosophy is not very clear to me as there many systems in Astrological Philosophy. So my question is can anybody clarify the underlying philosophy regarding this.

majid wrote:As I review various texts on Primary Directions (PD's) I see the word accident describing the Direction of the Ascendant. Now I think it means all events and not just what we call an "accident" in English today.

Hello,
my dictionary says the word "accidens" comes from cadere, (cado. is) or accidere (o,is) - which is the composite a+ cadere- "to occur" but even "fall" (we still have it in Italian), whatever casual (they have the same root, if I understand) event, good or bad.

Anyway, this is more from Italian than from Latin. There are several people more versed than me in the latter
margherita

Thanks I am also looking for the philosophy i.e. if accident is a moving manifestation what would be the permanent idea as in the notion of Deity for example.

Hi Majid!
Are you a muslim?

You are right in saying that "accident" is more like event. The ancients may have used the term "accidens" to denote events that are external and not your "esse" which are directly related to the "essence" of a person. However, I don't think that the term random should be included into the "accidens" term because not all "accidens" come from events that are random in nature (even the term random is actually not really correct, fortuitous is better as it has the connotation of tuche or fortune as explicated by Aristotle).

As an example, the medieval astrologers have to methods of determining "length of life" viz. the hyleg-alchocoden method and the primary direction of hyleg or apheta (point of life) to anareita (killing point). Actually, both methods do not really calculate the time of death but they do say something related to the "failings" of the body.

Hyleg-Alchocoden method:
Make sure that the native belongs to the fourth differentia birth (First differentia - die before being nourished or stilborn, second differentia - nourished by die soon after, third differentia - die before the whole cycle of profection is completed or before one Jupiter cycle i.e. 12 years.

Find the hyleg and alchocoden (there are a few methods here!). Calculate the "length of life" according to the alchocoden and its aspects...


Directional Method
Find the apheta (which could be the same as hyleg depending on the method used). Find the anareita (killing point). When apheta meets anareita via primary direction, the native dies (or is in trouble due to disease, illness, accidents, etc.). The meeting of apheta and anareita can be conjunction or aspect (Ptolemaic aspects).


Usually the hyleg-alchocoden method gives one figure (say 73 years) but the directional methods would give a few (say 20, 33, 57, 75, 80, 90). Some astrologers claim that the native would probably not die at ages 20, 33 and 57 because these figures are well below the achocoden figure (thoguh they might meet with an accident, catch a disease, etc. although the native might still die if the direction involves powerful malefics with no help from the benefics). In all probability, the native would "probably" cross over at the age of 75, 80 or 90.


Now, do these numbers really give the years of death. No! The ancients were careful to say that the years 75, 80 and 90 are dangerous years aka "climacteric" years. These are the years the native should be careful and take extra caution in his life (the ancient astrologer might advise his client not to engage in risky adventures like traveling - in ancient times, traveling is a big deal!).


Returning to the topic at hand, the method of hyleg-alchocoden is the way the ancients try to look into the native's "esse" meaning the level of battery power of your life. The directional method is the way that the ancients prognosticate the "accidens" in life. If the hyleg and alchocoden are in fantastic condition, then you are are born a "Queen Victoria ship" (good esse) where even the roughest "current and waves" (bad accidens) would not deter you in your journey. If the the hyleg and alchocoden are in bad condition, then you are born a second hand small boat where the slightest current could wash you away! Does this mean that fantastic hyleg-alchocoden (good esse) equals long life and bad hyleg-alchocoden (bad esse) equals short life? No, because there could be a tsunami (really bad accidens i.e. aspects from the malefics with no help from benefics in the directional method) that could destroy even the starship enterprise! and there could be very few bad aspects (bad accidens) from the directional method which then make the small boat (not so good esse) sails through without much tragedies.

The ancients work according to a simple premise: "everybody dies sooner or later". Hence, even if you have a really fantastic hyleg and alchocoden, you would only enjoy "life" for a certain period of life (indicated by the alchocoden). Hence, the waves and current that were previously just minor inconvenience can later be treachorous once the battery of life starts to fade.



In general , the accidens (external events) can come from the native's so called destiny (the fulfilment of certain events simply because you are born at that time and place - usually predicted using the predictive techiques like timelord procedures, directions, transits, etc.), consequences of his previous choices (effects that are part of necessity when choices are made), consequences of his future choices (telos) or even seemingly random events which can still be predicted (usually using the Lots).

Yes I am muslim and a member of a few Sufi organizations. Thanks for the info. I have Ben Dykes's Persian Series Vol 1&2 and lots of .pdf's so I understand about the determination of longevity. I have also studied Tajik and Hindu Astrology so I am familiar with some of these ideas in another culture. I was trying to find out which underlying philosophy of the many that are involved in astrology to place the accidents as in the idea of Sun = Spirit, Moon =Soul and normally Ascendant = body. In Bonatti's case he seems to say that the ascendant governs fate in some way. In Arabic that would be Qada or destiny.

Hello Majid,

An essentially fatalistic philosophy would probably use the word accident (in relation to the ascendant) as anything that happens to the physical or dense body. This would include as much a fall from the stairs as self-flagellation. However, I find the Vedic classification of the four types of karma quite compelling because the philosophy is profound and complex in the way it blends destiny and free will. For me, it does show a way to understanding the notion of accidents. Here?s just one of the many links:

http://divine-energytools.com/2009/08/f ... orrection/

Sorry if this information is a repetition for you. Also, I am quite sure you are already well versed with Theosophical analogies because it seems to me that your question points in that direction too.

I am afraid one of the moderators might scold us for not posting all this in the Philosophy and Science Section.

Mansoor

Firstly, I agree, this is better off in the Philosophy section.

Secondly, it is not unusual to define a continuance as absence of an event- as a short workable definition.

The World Health Organisation defines "Health" as -absence of disease !!
If it is easier define to the abnormal, then normal can be defined by the absence or opposite of abnormal.

If we carry on discussing this- we might well end up with Greek philosophy and the "Upanishads" with a generous mix of Theosophy.




PD

Hi! Thanks guys I guess I will sign off on this now as it is going to Philosophy and I have a ton of that from Hindu sources and from the Ancients. My leaning was to try and find a Hermetic Philosophical explanation or to fit it in with 17th Century Hermetic Philosophical ideas. But I do have an understanding of the early Astrologers ideas and religions etc.
I must re-read some things to find a more precise fit for the Ascendant in the overall scheme of philosophy.
Thanks again!
Majid Buell