Death, horimea and primary directions: an

example from Placido

July 31st, 2009 → 9:53 pm @ margherita

Surely the most popular chapter from Ptolemy’s Quadripartite is the chapter about the
duration of life, 1 where Ptolemy explains primary directions.

Primary directions were surely the most important tool of the traditional astrologer in
foreseeing the facts of life: lost of sight in the 20th century, they are reborn thank to the work
of Rumen Kolev 2 and more recently of Martin Gangsten,3 who has just published a book on
the subject.

In Italy we are lucky to have Marco Fumagalli, 4 who was recently overwhelmed by my
calculations and bacchanals of primary directions cum and without latitude about a modern
“guinea pig” chart and always replied without a lament.

The example (page 287) we will working on is this, Placido gives no data:5
Example from Physiomathematica, Placido Titi

Before examining the chart we should give some general information taken by Tetrabiblos
chapter about duration of life.

According Ptolemy the first thing to do is searching the hyleg, i.e the giver of life according
the proper sect of the chart:

1) For day charts, the Sun, if it’s in an hylegiacal place - the 10th house, the 1st, 11th, 7th,
9th - then the Moon, then the planets which has three kind of dignity on the Sun, the
preceding New Moon, and the Ascendant, then if no planet is in this situation, the Ascendant.

2) For night charts, the Moon, if it’s in an hylegiacal place, then the Sun (being a night chart
the Sun could be just in the first house), then the planets which has three kind of dignity on
the Moon the preceding Full Moon, and the Part of Fortune, then if no planet is in this
situation, the Ascendant if the birth was preceded by a New Moon, or the Part of Fortune if
the birth was preceded by a Full Moon.

Ptolemy goes on:

WHEN the prorogator has been determined as above directed, it is also necessary to take into
consideration the two modes of prorogation; one into succeeding signs, under the projection
of rays, as it is called; and, when the prorogator may be in an oriental place, that is to say, in
any place between the mid-heaven and the ascendant, this mode only is to be used. The other
mode extends into signs preceding the prorogator, according to what is called horimea or
horary proportion; and, in cases when the prorogator may be situated in any place receding
from the mid-heaven, or, in other words, between the mid-heaven and the angle of the west,
both modes of prorogation are to be adopted.

So when the prorogator is in the first quadrant, the deadly direction will be in the order of
signs, but when the prorogator is between MC and DESC, the deadly direction will be the one
which crosses the Descendant.

Traditionally the Descendant - the place where the Sun actually sets- was associated with
several stars of the Barbarian sphere with doomed names, the Acherusian lake (the lake souls
of deads should cross on Charon’s boat), Minos and so on.6

It is next to be observed, that certain degrees are anæretic; though, in the prorogation made
into signs preceding, the only degree which is strictly anæretic is that of the western horizon;
and it becomes so because it obscures the lord of life; while other degrees, of stars meeting
with or testifying to the prorogator, both take away from and add to the aggregate amount of
the prorogation, which would otherwise continue until the descension or setting of the
prorogator. Of these last-mentioned degrees, however, there are none properly anæretic; since
they are not borne to the prorogatory place, but, on the contrary, that place is carried to their
positions. In this manner the benefics increase the prorogation, but the malefics diminish it;
and Mercury assists the influence of either party with which he may be configurated. The
amount of the increase or diminution is indicated by the degree, in which each star, so
operating, is exactly situated; for the number of years will depend upon, and correspond with,
the horary times proper to each degree; and if the birth be by day, care must be taken to
calculate the diurnal horary times; if by night, the nocturnal. These directions are to be
understood as applicable to instances wherein the degrees in question may be in the
ascendant; if farther advanced, a deduction proportionate to the distance is to be made,
unless they should be on the occidental horizon, in which case there can be no remainder.

When we are considering a planet in its direction to the setting point, other rays this planet
meets are not deadly, just add or take away years.

Obviously this method is linked with the 360 years of planets, as indicated by the terms they
rule: 57 to Saturn, 79 to Jupiter, 66 to Mars, 82 to Venus, 76 to Mercury.7

But how does the method work in practice? This is not evident, because there are very rare
examples in astrological literature, the most known is the one taken from Ephaestio.

This is the one taken from Placido, I tried to re-do his calculations.

Placido does not mention any data for this chart - I copied it here as I found - but googling a
little it’s easy recognising Pope Urbano VIII, born Maffeo Barberini
Urbano VIII

The heart of Lion - Regulus -is rising with the Ascendant, receiving the trine by the Sun in the
ninth house, the Sun being in a sextile in mundo with Venus and in parallel with Jupiter in
mundo, because the Sun is distant from the MC as Jupiter from IC.

Now let’s see how Placido explains horimea.

Calculation of arcs of direction

The Sun - the prorogator or hyleg- is in the second quadrant so the deadly direction is the one
of the Sun to the Descendant, increased or decreased of the rays of benefic or malefic planets
to it.

Let’s start calculating the direction of the Sun to the Descendant.

This is the speculum given by Placido for this chart.

A direction is just the motion of a planet to another point with its own pace, in the case the
path of the Sun to the Descendant.

The position of the planet is given by the hourly distance, its pace by the temporal hour.

the pink area is the semiarcus while the violet one is the meridian distance, so it’s evident the
difference between the two areas is again the wanted direction.

arc of direction= semiarcus- meridian distance (i.e. the distance in AR of the planet from
meridian)

Sun

99.26-(45.31-23.49)= 99.26- 21.42= 77.44

Now we should add and take away according benefic and malefic rays of planets, as in
Ptolemy’s chapter.

Venus

The direction of Venus to Descendant:

83.50-(360-344.43+45.31)= 83.50-60.48= 23.02

now Placidus says that if the whole arcus 167.40 gives 13.57 temporal hours, how much will
give the direction arc of 23.02?

i.e. 23.02/12= 1.55 (Placidus writes 1.54)

Saturn

Saturn to the Ascendant.

Saturn is under the horizon, so the nearest meridian is IC

arc of direction: 84.53- (225.31-173.58)= 84.53- 51.33= 33.20

the proportional part

33.20/12= 2.46 (Placido writes 2.37)

Jupiter

Jupiter to the middle of the third house, from which it will trine the Descendant.

Jupiter in this chart is in the middle of the 4th house, so we should move of one house, ie. 1/3
of the semiarcus.

110.24/3= 36.48

arc of direction: 36.48 + (246.23-225.31)= 36.48 + 20.52=57.40 (Placido writes 57.38)

the proportional part

57.40/12=4.47

Mars

Mars at MC, from which it will square the Descendant

arc of direction= 121.24-45.31= 75.53

proportional part

75.53/12= 6.19 (Placido writes 6.16)

Recapitulation

So we can recapitulate results:

1) the arc of the Sun gives 77.44

2) Jupiter and Venus give together 1.54+4.47= 6.41

3 ) Mars and Saturn take away 2.37 + 6.16 = 8.53

so life of the native will last 77.44 + 6.41 -8.53= 77.44 - 2.12 = 75.32

Placido’s key

At this point Placido does not convert directly degrees in years but uses his own key.

Adding the result 75.32 to the RA of the Sun he gets

75.32+ 23.49= 99.21

He finds that this RA corresponds to 8.35 Cancer.

The Sun arrives at this degree on the 20th June 1568.

Between the 5th April - birth date - and the 20th June there are 25 days of April, 31 of May,
and 20 of June= 76 days which correspond to 76 years.

Urbano died on the 29th July 1644, at the age of 76 years.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Claudius Ptolemaeus , Le previsioni astrologiche (cura Simonetta Feraboli), Scrittori greci e

latini (Milano: Fondazione Lorenzo Valla : A. Mondadori, 1985).

Claudius Ptolemaeus, Tetrabiblos, translated by Giuseppe Bezza

Giancarlo Ufficiale, Le direzioni- for Cida School

Written by Margherita Fiorello @ year 2009