CAPITULO XI De las Reducciones
N. DE E. EN RELACIÓN CON LA ENTRADA EN VIGOR DEL PRESENTE PÁRRAFO, VÉASE TRANSITORIO SEGUNDO DEL DECRETO QUE MODIFICA EL CÓDIGO
Also use definition 3: The cusp of house 10 is where MC is, and the cusp of house 1 is where the ascendant is.
The different definitions on what area of the zodiac the houses cover gives different charts. A. The definition of houses is based on the symbolism of being above/below the
horizon.
This is definition 4A above. Houses 1 - 6 are below and houses 7 - 12 above the horizon. The chart looks like this:
House 1 is the part of the zodiac just about to rise above the horizon. House 12 is the part of the zodiac just risen above the horizon. The same applies to houses 7 and 6 respectively, etc.
What is odd in this chart is that MC is in the north, and house 10 is the part of the zodiac that already has crossed MC. Traditionally it is the part of the zodiac just about to cross MC. On the other hand the symbolism of above/below is maintained.
B. The definition of the houses is based on their relationship with the meridian. This is definition 4B above.
1. East / west symbolism.
House 1 - 3 and 10 -12 are in the eastern hemisphere, and the other houses are in the western hemisphere.
The chart will look the same as Chart 1A.
1 The symbolism of the direction of movement relative to the meridian.
Houses 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, and 3 are about to cross MC in that order, and houses 4, 5, 6 , 7, 8, and 9 are about to cross IC in that order.
The chart will look like this:
What's really disturbing in this chart is that the part of the zodiac about to rise above the horizon is house 6, and that the part of the zodiac just risen above the horizon is house 7. Traditionally these parts of the zodiac are houses 1 and 12 respectively. This violates the profound definition of the ascendant and house 1 (definitions 1, 3, and 4A above). Because of this I guess it is hard for most astrologers to accept anything that generates Chart 1B.
In this case the traditional house definitions based on the meridian and the horizon becomes mutually exlusive in polar charts.
So, when MC is defined as the intersection of the meridian circle with the ecliptic above the horizon, the house problems will be reduced by using these definitions:
Houses 1 - 6 are below the horizon, and houses 7 - 12 above the horizon.
House 1 - 3 and 10 -12 are on the eastern hemisphere, and the other houses are on the western hemisphere.
However, we will have to accept that the part of zodiac about to cross MC is in house 9, and the house that already has crossed MC is house 10. The same applies to IC for houses 3 och 4 respectively. Also, we have to accept that MC is in the north.
1 MC is the point of the ecliptic culminating. This is definition 2B above.
Also try to use definition 3: The cusp of house 10 is where MC is, and the cusp of house 1 is where the ascendant is.
The different definitions on what area of the zodiac the houses cover gives different charts. A. The definition of houses is based on the symbolism of being above/below the
horizon.
This is definition 4A above. Houses 1 - 6 are below and houses 7 - 12 above the horizon. The chart looks like this:
A very annoying property in this chart is that one side MC is bordering to house 4 and on the other to house 3. This violates the profound definition of house 10 (definitions 3 and 4B above). As MC is not the cusp of house 10 most astrologers probably will not accept this definition.
This is another example demonstrating that the traditional house definitions based on the meridian and the horizon simetimes becomes mutually exlusive in polar charts.
Thus, if MC is defined as the point of culmination, and the cusp of house 10 is defined as MC, then it is impossible to define the placements and meanings of the houses based on the symbolism of above/below the horizon.
B. The definition of the houses is based on their relationship with the meridian. This is definition 4B above.
1. East / west symbolism.
House 1 - 3 and 10 -12 are on the eastern hemisphere, and the other houses are on the western hemisphere.
The chart will look like this:
What is disturbing in this chart is that houses 1 - 6 are above the horizon and houses 7 - 12 below. This is contradictory to their traditional symbolism based on houses 1 - 6 being below the horizon.
In this case we will have to accept that the part of the zodiac about to rise above the horizon is in house 12, and that house 1 contains the part of the zodiac already risen above the horizon. Traditionally it is the other way around. We also have to accept that we can't use the above/below symbolism to derive neither the placements nor the meanings of the houses.
1 The symbolism from the direction of movement relative to the meridian.
Houses 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, and 3 are about to cross MC in that order, and houses 4, 5, 6 , 7, 8, and 9 are about to cross IC in that order.
What this boils down to
We are left with two acceptable charts: Chart 1A and Chart 2B. Both use definition 1 for the ascendant and definition 3 for the house cusps.
Chart 1A.
Basically charts 1 is based on directions: east and west, and above and below. Thus, defining MC as the intersection between the ecliptic and meridian above the horizon (def 2A) works well together with defining the houses using the above/below
symbology (def 4A) as well as the east/west symbolism (def 4B-1). It excludes the possibility to define the houses using the direction om movement relative to the meridian (def 4B-2).
During the period of retrograding ascendant the chart will have these characteristics: o Houses 1 - 6 are below the horizon, and houses 7 - 12 above the horizon.
o House 1 - 3 and 10 -12 are on the eastern hemisphere, and the other houses are on the western hemisphere.
o Houses are reversed relative to the MC/IC-axis: house 10 contains the part of the zodiac that has crossed MC, and house 9 contains the part of zodiac about to cross MC, etc.
o The culmination point is below the horizon.
Chart 2B.
Defining MC as the point of ecliptic culminating (def 2B) works well together with defining the houses using the east/west symbolism (def 4B-1) and the direction of movement relative to the meridian (def 4B-2). It exludes the possibility to define the house using the above/below symbolism (def 4A).
During the period of retrograding ascendant the chart will have these characteristics: o Houses 1 - 6 are above the horizon, and houses 7 - 12 below the horizon.
o House 1 - 3 and 10 -12 are on the eastern hemisphere, and the other houses are on the western hemisphere.
o Houses are reversed relative to the Ascendant/Descendant-axis: house 1 contains the part of the zodiac that has risen above the horizon, and house 12 contains the part of zodiac about to rise above the horison, etc.
o The culmination point is below the horizon.
So, it's all about choosing the definitions leading to Chart 1A or the ones leading to Chart 2B. We can't have it both ways, or can we?
In Chart 1A the sun is in house 10, and ought to be interpreted by the usual house 10 meanings.
In Chart 2B the sun is in house 3, and ought to be interpreted by the usual house 3 meanings.
Suppose - just for the sake of argument - that both interpretations are valid. That leads us to houses having double meanings, that is house 3 is a mix of the traditional house 3 and 10 meanings, and house 10 is a mix of the traditional house 10 and 3 meanings. Further, house 1 will then be a mixture of house 1 and house 12 meanings, while house 12 will be a mixture of houses 12 and 1, etc. Does this imply that house 1 and 12 have identical meanings when the ascendant is retrograde? Well, I just don't know.
Two hours later the ascendant and IC are only a couple of degrees from each other. They will conjunct a little later.
Just before the reversal of movement direction
This chart is erected for a fraction of a second before the MC/IC-axis and the Asc/Desc-axis coincide. Once more the ascendant is exactly in the south where it will become stationary and reverse its direction of movement.
The ascendant and IC are conjunct, thus making houses 1, 2, and 3 dissapear. The same happens with houses 7, 8, and 9.
Just after the reversal of movement direction
This chart is erected for a fraction of a second after the MC/IC-axis and the Asc/Desc-axis have coincided. The zodiac's movement is reversed. The signs now ascends
counterclockwise as usual.
A short time before 0°43' Aquarius was ascending. Now that point is descending. Instead 0°43' Leo is ascending.
The intersection between the meridian circle and the ecliptic above the horizon no longer is 0°43' Leo. Instead it is 0°43' Aquarius, which now becomes MC.
Both MC and ascendant are moving forward the zodiac. Eventually MC will catch up on the ascendant in the late degrees of Scorpio.
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In another two hours the sidearal time will be 6:00:00 and the MC, Asc, and houses will have the same positions as in the chart on page 1 (however, the planets will have moved a little because one day has passed).
Summing up
Summary of the behaviour of the ascendant at 70° northern latitude: Direct motion from 0°43' Leo through Virgo, and Libra to 29°17' Scorpio.
Jump to 29°17' Taurus.
Jump to 0°43' Leo.
Note that some areas of the zodiac never can cross the horizon. The more northen the geographical latitude the larger this area will grow. At this geographical latitude the ascendant never move in the areas 29°17' Scorpio - 0°43' Aquarius and 29°17' Taurus - 0°43' Leo. Astrological software failing to reflect this behaviour of the ascendant in my opinion is of no use for astrologers wishing to calculate charts for polar latitudes.
Summary of the behaviour of MC at 70° northern latitude:
Direct motion from 0°43' Aquarius though Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, and Libra to 29°17' Scorpio.
Jump to 29°17' Taurus.
Jump to 0°43' Aquarius.
The points in the area 29°17' Taurus - 0°43' Leo cross the meridian above the horizon twice each day. It's the position of MC twice each day, when MC is defined as the intersection of the meridian circle with the ecliptic above the horizon.
On the other hand, defining MC as the point of ecliptic reaching its culmination not such jump occur but the MC just goes round and round the zodiac.
A plea to the developers of astrological software
For users wishing to calculate chart for polar regions the software need to have the following functionality:
When the ascendant reverse its direction of movement it must jump to the opposite point in the zodiac. There are no alternatives to this.
The user must have the option to select how he wish the MC to behave:
1. MC jumps to the opposite point of the zodiac when the ascendant reverse its direction of movement.
Definition of MC: The intersection of the meridian circle with the ecliptic above the horizon.
2. MC does not jump to the opposite point of the zodiac when the ascendant reverse its direction of movement.
Definition of MC: The point of zodiac culminating.
As I see it, the software developer doesn't need to take side in the issues of controversy between astrologers. The developers just has to put the different options in the program, and then the user can choose what he or she prefer.
The popular freeware program Astrolog meets this standard regarding polar regions. You'll have to use the modified version of Astrolog found at Valja's astrology page (this page also has some articles discussing the problem of polar charts). To select which definition of MC the program shall use you select the menu Edit, and then Enter command line, and
type YH for definition 1 above and -YH for definition 2 above.
Finally
The Astronomy of Houses
Graham Bates – December 2013 and March 2014 Introduction
There is general agreement amongst astrologers about the signs and what they signify, and how to define in which sign a planet is located, except possibly for the dispute between using tropical or sidereal signs. Houses are much more controversial. There are many different ways to define
the location of the house cusps, and so to determine in which house a planet is located. The houses of a chart serve two functions. On the one hand, they denote areas of life, and on the other, they determine the strength of a planet (planets in angular houses: 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th,
are stronger than those in succedent or cadent houses). Our understanding of the area of life corresponding to each house has changed over time, so the traditional descriptions found in Lilly
[1], or Houlding’s recent book [2] differ in some respects from descriptions based on 20thcentury
ideas [3, 4, 5]. However, this article is not concerned with house meanings, but with how we define which house a planet occupies: how we calculate the house cusps.
Planets in signs and houses operate on very different timescales. The sign a planet occupies depends on the date, with planets passing through all the signs in anything from 28 days (the Moon), to over 240 years (Pluto). The house a planet occupies depends on the time of day and location, with each planet passing through all twelve houses each day. As we will see, these very
different timescales imply a very different basis for calculating a planet’s sign and for calculating its house position.
Over time, many different methods of house division, or house systems, have been suggested, and a significant number of them are currently in use. Astrologers seem to have found it very difficult to decide which house system works best. Writers have pointed out the advantages of
one and the deficiencies of another, but no consensus has emerged. This article will not be adding fuel to that debate! My aim is to suggest some reasons for different systems having been
proposed in the past, and to make clear just how each system is constructed. If readers can understand how a particular system works in practice, how it relates to what is happening in the
sky and the astronomy behind the house cusp calculations, they will be able to make a more reasoned choice of system for themselves. I should point out at the start that some astrologers have suggested that different house systems are appropriate for different purposes: one system
for natal work, another for mundane, another for horary, etc. I will not be discussing this further but recommend the idea as worth further investigation.
In explaining how the houses are constructed, I will be using some simple diagrams, but if you are not familiar with the celestial sphere and the relationship between the ecliptic, celestial equator and horizon, before continuing with this article you may wish to read another of my
articles on this website: Charts are not flat. For those interested in more detail on house construction and some of the history I recommend the excellent book by R. W. Holden [6].
No single classification of house systems adequately covers all the many possibilities; however, following Holden’s approach, we can distinguish three broad classes of house system:
Ecliptic Systems: These divide the ecliptic itself. Some of the earliest house systems,
such as Porphyry, are of this type.
Space Systems: These divide the volume of the celestial sphere and then determine how the resulting house cusps relate to the ecliptic. Regiomontanus and Campanus houses
are of this type.
Time Systems: These divide the daily (24 hour) rotation of the Earth, and the resulting
house cusps are then related to ecliptic positions. Placidus houses are of this type. Most house systems, such as Porphyry, Campanus or Placidus, produce houses of unequal size,
when measured on the ecliptic.
Another way to classify house systems is to distinguish quadrant and non-quadrant house systems. Quadrant systems divide the quarters (‘quadrants’) of the sky between the Ascendant,
MC, Descendant and IC, treating these as the cusps of the First, Tenth, Seventh, and Fourth houses, respectively. They differ in where they place the intermediate house cusps. These quadrant systems give Angular, Succedent and Cadent houses. A planet in an Angular house, such as the first, tenth, etc. is considered stronger than one in a Succedent house, such as the
second, fifth, etc., and a planet is weakest in its effects when in a Cadent house, such as the third, twelfth, sixth.
Whole Sign Houses
Probably the oldest house system is the Whole Sign system (not to be confused with the similar Equal House system, discussed below). This is a non-quadrant ecliptic system. James Holden, who researched early systems of house division, particularly the early Greek systems, points out
[7] that the system used in the Hellenistic tradition was whole sign houses, or what he called the “sign-house” system. Robert Hand in his booklet [6] is also of the opinion that Whole Sign houses
are probably the earliest system. In this system, the first house is the whole of the sign that is rising; the second house is the next sign to rise, and so on. In figure 1 (which is shown with Placidus houses), the first house is from 0 Pisces to 30 Pisces, the second house the whole of Aries and so on. If we look at Uranus, by Placidus it is in the first house, by Whole Sign, it is in
the second; similarly, Jupiter is in the first by Placidus, but in the third by Whole Sign. However, even with the Whole Sign system things are not quite that simple. Vettius Valens was a
2nd-century Hellenistic astrologer, and younger contemporary of Ptolemy. In his booklet, Hand [8] suggests that Valens used Whole Signs for determining the area of life a planet would affect, but used a quadrant system (probably Porphyry) to determine the strength of the planet. In most
modern house systems, the same set of houses fulfils both functions: area of life and planetary strength.
A problem with Whole Sign houses is that the house cusps cannot easily be used for timing events. As houses correspond to signs, a transiting planet conjunct the cusp of the first house is
also sextile the cusp of the third, square the cusp of the fourth, trine the fifth, etc. In addition, when a transiting planet moves from one house to the next it is, at the same time, changing sign.
Porphyry Houses
The oldest and simplest of the quadrant systems is Porphyry. The four quadrants (the areas