Astrology Tips: Primary Directions from ancient and modern sources
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“The concept behind primary directions is that, in the hours after birth, the diurnal rotation of the celestial sphere brings the planets successively to the eastern horizon, upper meridian, western horizon and lower meridian. The space in time between the moment of birth and the moment of rising, culmination, setting or lower culmination of a planetary body, converted to years of life at the rate of approximately 4 minutes of Sidereal Time to a year of life, yields a prediction which usually corresponds to a major life event consonant with the symbolism of the planet involved. conversely, working backwards from a list of major life events, it is often possible to rectify an uncertain birth time to within a few seconds.” Jerry Makransky
As early as the first century A.D., Dorotheus of Sidon describes the primary directions in the third book of his "Carmen Astrologicum". He gives detailed examples for the calculation and interpretation of primary zodiacal directions to the ascendant.
One century later, in Book III Chapters XIV-XV of "Tetrabiblos", Ptolemy describes the primary mundo directions to the angles as well as the interplanetary conjunctions and mundo parallels. His method of directing now would be called Placidian.
Astrologers who followed this method were Alcabitius, Lucas Gauricus, Placidus, Alan Leo and others.Regiomontanus (1436-1461) formulates the laws of the spherical trigonometry and invents a house division and a primary directions system that carry his name.After Regiomontanus a number of astrologers direct according to his system.
Among them: Argolus, Maginus (1555-1617), Manginus, Zobulus, Leovitius (1529-1574), Naibod (1527-1593), Morin de VilleFranche (1587-1656), William Lilly (1602-1681), Henry Coley.
Cardanus (1501-1576) was another famous scholar and astrologer of this time. He directed in a different way, which comes close to the method of Ptolemy and Placidus.
The Italian astrologer of the 17th century Placidus de Titti (1603-1668) was the one destined to remain in the history of Astrology as the first astrologer to systemize and clearly explain almost all the kinds of primary directions. Even now, his brilliant treatise "Primum Mobile" remains a classic. He was also the inventor of the house system that carries his name.
Placidus rediscovered the methods of house division and primary directioning of Ptolemy.
The teaching of the primary directions survived well into the middle of our century. First it was the astrological school thriving during the end of the last century in Britain.
Alan Leo employed Placidian primary directions. Sepharial worked more with Placidian under the Pole of the Significator.
Later, in the first half of our century, the tradition found fertile ground in Germany. Such illustrious astrologers as Kuehr, Kuendig, Pracht, Kloeckler, Knappig, Korsch and some others made the second "golden age" of the primary directions.
All of them worked with the Placidian system; either with the Placidian directions proper or with the Placidian Under the Pole.
At present there are only a dozen astrologers scattered all over the world, who still keep the tradition alive. In USA (Guatemala) Jerry Makransky is the authority on all kinds of primary directions. Makransky is a member of the center Zenith.
Primary Directions by Bob Makransky - part 1(9.54 MB)
Primary Directions by Bob Makransky - part 2<(11.02 MB)
Primary Directions by Bob Makransky - part 3(14.95 MB)
In Bulgaria it is the center Zenith with director the author of the program Placidus. The center Zenith investigates all kinds of authentic primary directions as well as directions that claim the name. It collects, examines and makes executable in a software all possible books on the subject, preferably from classic authors from the XIV-XVIII centuries, who wrote in English, German or Latin.
At present, the center offers the program Placidus and two books on the Placidian primary directions available in English, Bulgarian and Japanese. Source
Software:
This module’s other features for off-the-ecliptic astrology include an impressive celestial sphere that shows in mundo relationships in the chart and how they change when points are directed. Selecting from its more than 100 menu choices, you can also use this screen to explore fixed stars, great circles, coordinate systems and houses. There's also a very nice 360-division Gauquelin wheel (a.k.a. Placidus mundoscope) that makes it easy to see parans and in mundo aspects
Freeware:
Morinus - Free Astrological Program Written in Python, Using The Swiss Ephemeris
This software can calculate Ptolemy’s directions - semiarc method, without logarithms, sinus, trigonometry, rotating spheres and all the paraphernalia that generally accompany the subject.
You can download for free here
Deborah Houlding, An easy introduction to primary directions
There is also a book by Martin Gansten who is both a practicing astrologer and a historian of religion specializing in astrological and divinatory traditions. His previous scholarly contributions to the field focus mainly on the Indian subcontinent and include translations of Sanskrit astrological texts. He lives in Sweden, where he lectures and teaches various aspects of traditional astrology, including primary directions.
Students of traditional astrology have often been deterred by overly mathematical presentations from approaching the important subject of directions. This comprehensive study explains the principles of primary directions in an accessible form, illustrating them by practical examples.
It also draws on many original source texts to outline the historical origins and development of the technique, and shows how it has been reinterpreted and occasionally misunderstood. A full glossary and appendices with software reviews as well as formulae for manual calculations complement the text. The craft of the Old Masters can still be learnt.
First chapter online: Click here to read a free chapter from "Primary Directions: Astrology’s Old Master Technique".
In the hours after your birth the sky continues to move around the earth (actually the earth rotates on its axis, causing the sky to appear to move). As the changing positions of your natal planets align with the position of the planets at birth, “primary directions” form and can be used to forecast major events in one’s life. Primary directions are an ancient predictive technique.
They were the mainstay of astrological forecasting for hundreds of years. Primary directions are somewhat complicated to compute, but with the advent of modern PCs they are staging a comeback. Directions are very helpful in the rectification of birth charts. This e-book is an introduction to primaries for astrologers who are relatively unfamiliar with the method but would like to learn the basics and begin to apply primary directions in their work.
The main focus is on the semi-arc method of Claudius Ptolemy, though Regiomontanus' misunderstanding of Ptolemy is also briefly discussed. Several case examples are given to show how useful directions can be in astrological practice.
And a few excerpts from Shemaya, Ebn [pseud. for Parkes, David]. 'The Star: A Complete System of Theoretical and Practical Astrology". S. Cornish & Co., for the author, 1839:
"Rules for Describing the Personal Appearance
Observe the sign ascending, and the planets in partile aspect thereto, a judicious combination of whose testimonies will invariably point out the formation of the body; but when many planets aspect the ascendant this cannot be determined, because of the impossibility of combining such a number of conflicting testimonies.
The Mind and Disposition
Observe the places of Mercury and the Moon with the planets aspected by them; also those planets near the cusp of the ascendant and mid-heaven, a portion of whose qualities the mind of the native will always imbibe. The nature of the mental faculties may be always clearly determined, because the powers of the mind may be so varied as to receive very different, and sometimes very opposite qualifications.
Thus an individual may be at once frugal and generous, addicted to sensual enjoyments, but at the same time possess abilities to pursue with success the most abstruse studies; may have a genius for poetry and the fine arts, and also to explore the deepest arcana of philosophy and science. The student must, nevertheless, be careful to observe the configurations of the strongest planets, and those whose aspects are most partile, for of the nature of these will the native's mind most participate.
On Life and Health
The strength of the Sun, Moon, and Ascendant, must be carefully noticed, but more especially the hyleg; for if the hyleg is afflicted at birth, the health of the native will always be delicate, and the diseases which he will be most subject to will always be of the nature of the afflicting planets. But although the apheta should be moderately well fortified, and yet the other two hylegiacal points afflicted, the native will never enjoy any good health or live to a great age. The student will see the application of these rules in the succeeding nativities, a careful study of which will enable him to give a true judgement on any geniture whatever.
The health and fortune in life are principally ruled by the operating directions; but it must be borne in mind that where a nativity is naturally strong, evil directions will have less influence, and benevolent directions greater power than if the nativity were weak; and when it is naturally weak and afflicted, the configurations of the celestial orbs will operate exactly in a contrary manner.
Evil direction to the hyleg will always cause illness but a train of malefic directions is required to produce death if the nativity be strong; but death may ensue when the hyleg is afflicted by one or two directions only, if the other aphetical points be vitiated at the same time; nevertheless reason and experience will be the best guides in these cases, for without a portion of both no artist will be capable of giving any thing like a correct judgment.
Rules for determining the Particular Qualities of the Mind
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