ASTROLOGIA MUNDA - Classical Astrologer Weblog

Book IV – Astrologia Munda
Appendix II
Appendix II
Excerpt from Abu Ma’shār’s:
On Historical Astrology [On the Great Conjunctions]
Ed. and Trans. Keiji Yamamoto, Charles Burnett
Volume 1: The Arabic Original (Leiden: Brill, 2000)
There are a couple of things which must be noted with regard to Ramesey’s use
of the ancients’ techniques concerning the matter of length or durability of the
ruler’s rule. His considerations appear to be taken directly from Abu Ma’shār’s
considerations in his work, On the Great Conjunctions. As you will read in the
excerpt, Abu Ma’shār is considering the life span of the ruler. Ramesey,
however, makes this distinction: If the significator of the king is impeded, e.g.
under the Sun beams, and if it should indicate there is danger of his decease in
that Revolution, then, Ramesey would rather judge his kingly power to be at
that time near death or an end or at the least is eclipsed or diminished. He
makes this statement because he feels that there are many significators to be
considered for judging the death of a ruler. I imagine not least the rulers own
nativity! And he asserts that death ought never to be pronounced upon this one
testimony alone. This is a very reasonable assertion and I would agree that the
affliction of one of the kings’ or rulers’ significators does not necessarily
indicate death. There are testimonies, even according to Ramesey, that point to
the rulers’ death; e.g. the significator being aspected by a planet in the 8 th or the
ruler of the 8 th or the ruler of the 8 th from the significator etc.
What I feel Ramesey was trying to say in his explanations is that while the
rulers’ death is an option it is also an option that it is signifying the rulers fall
from power or some loss of authority etc. It all depends on the disposition of
the significator, the disposition of the afflicting planet, and the degree of
affliction!
There is one other thing which also must be considered before looking at what
Abu Ma’shār says. That is which chart are we to use. Ramesey only discusses
one chart, that of the actual time of the rulers ascension to power. Abu
Ma’shār’s considerations include those of the Great Conjunctions as well as the
ingress chart of the year that the ruler accedes. It is important when reading
Abu Ma’shār to distinguish which chart he is basing his considerations on. In
general, he is very careful to tell the reader which chart he is considering. Every
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