ASTROLOGIA MUNDA - Classical Astrologer Weblog

Book IV – Astrologia Munda
Appendix VIII
I also need to point out another important feature in Abu Ma’shar’s preceding
list. Namely, that the chart that was cast to determine the events relevant to the
«Greater» and «Middle» conjunctions, was not primarily the chart of the actual
conjunction! The four relevant conjunctions involving the superior planets were
cast at the ingress of the Sun into Aries for the year the Conjunction would
occur! (Please note the underlined text in the cited texts above.)
To further clarify these distinctions I want look at the next line of Abu
Ma’shār’s instructions.
[21] In the presence of one of these times that we have defined, one looks at the horoscopes of
those times, and the location of the celestial bodies’ in them, and all their natural and accidental
conditions from their essence 1 and from the Sun and the
sphere, 2 and one discovers (1) the nature of their indication from the planets which have
predominance over the principal positions, and (2) the time of it according to what the indicators
point out. Then one looks at the indications of these six principles. 3
We need to carefully examine these instructions, for what he is explaining is
essential to understanding Abu Ma’shār’s entire book and the ancients’
methods.
Abu Ma’shār tells us that, «…in the presence of one of these times» he has just
defined, i.e. one of these six elements or conjunctions, we are to «…look at the
horoscopes of those times.» Abu Ma’shār has also in his instructions made it
very clear which horoscopes those are, i.e. «…in the horoscopes of the
revolution of the years in which the conjunction of the two superior planets
occurs.»
Now these instructions concur exactly to what Māshā´allāh practices himself in
his book, On Conjunctions, Religions and Peoples. It would then appear that
perhaps Abu Ma’shār was himself aware of the confusion these identical terms
used by Māshā´allāh and Omar caused and tried to compile these into a more
1
I.e. their natural significations and accidental signification derived from their house position and the
house(s) they rule.
2
I.e. whether oriental or occidental of the Sun or by quadrant
3
In this paragraph, I believe Abu is saying to cast a chart at the conjunction in question, i.e. a greater
conjunction, middle, lesser or for the New and Full Moons for example, and then to cast one
according to his 6 elements, i.e. for the revolution of the year or quarter of the particular conjunction.
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