Dark waters

On the 9th of March a total solar eclipse will be visible from parts of Indonesia and from locations in the Pacific Ocean.

The eclipse

The greatest eclipse will be in the middle of Micronesia, an archipelago of islands in Pacific ocean in front of Philippines. The eclipse in that area will last about 4 hours and 9 minutes.

According to Ptolemaic doctrine the eclipse effects will last 4 years and 2 months. Since the syzygy will occur at the meridian the effects will start in the second forth months, that is, between July and October. The intensifications will be  in the middle third of the entire period of its duration, that is, between the mid July 2017 and the end of November 2018.

The syzygy occurs in Pisces, in the terms of Mercury  near the MC also in Pisces in the terms of Jupiter. Jupiter retrograde in exile in Virgo at the IC is opposing the syzygy both in the zodiac and in mundo. Saturn in Sagittarius on the occident is squaring the syzygy in the zodiac. Mercury is in parallel in mundo with the syzygy and with Jupiter. Moreover Saturn squares Mercury in mundo with a right ray, making an epidekateia on Mercury.

Checking the fixed stars, we see the syzygy is in conjunction with the Aqua Aquarii the cluster of stars in the waterfall of Aquarius. Aqua Aquarii has nature of Saturn and Jupiter. The star Fomalhaut, in the mouth of Piscis Austrinus, of nature of Mercury and Venus is at the MC.

As we see many influences gather in the eclipse and though Jupiter seems prominent, because it is angular, opposing the luminaries and it has a dominion over them, we must consider that it is not visible, retrograde and in exile in Virgo. On the other hand  Mercury is doing the matutine heliacal setting in the next seven days and it is close to the MC, in parallel in mundo with the Luminaries and Jupiter.

I think that the dominion over the syzygy is of Mercury and Jupiter.

According to Ptolemy:

Mercury, if he gains the rulership, is, generally speaking, in nature like whatever of the other planets may be associated with him. In particular, he is above all stimulating, and in predictions concerning men is keen and very practical, ingenious in any situation; but he causes robbery, theft, piracy, and assault, and furthermore, brings about unsuccessful voyaging when he is in aspect with the maleficent planets, and occasions diseases of dryness, quotidian agues, coughs, raising, and consumption. He is the cause of events taking place which concern the priestly code, the worship of the gods, the royal revenues, and of changes in customs and laws, from time to time, in consistency with his association with the other planets on each occasion. With reference to the air, since he is very dry and swift on account of his nearness to the sun, and the speed of his revolution, he is particularly apt to arouse irregular, fierce, and changeable winds, and, as might be expected, thunder, hurricanes, chasms in the earth, earthquakes, and lightning; sometimes by these means he causes the destruction of useful animals and plants. At setting he diminishes waters and rivers, at rising fills them.

Since the syzygy occurs in the sign of Pisces and in the constellation of Aquarius, which are both wet and in particular the Luminaries are with Aqua Aquarii, the waterfall I judge that the event will concern the see and tempest. A seaquake or a tsunami or an hurricane can be the event predicted by the eclipse.

Since Jupiter is involved the severity of the event will be attenuated, but, since Jupiter is not in good condition and Saturn squares Jupiter in the zodiac and Mercury in mundo the additional influx of Jupiter will not be so beneficial.

Let’s note some configuration concerning the weather. In a syzygy, either elliptic or not, when a conjunction, an opposition or a square between two planets of opposite docile occur then a violent change in weather condition happens. This configuration is called ‘Opening of the Portals’. We see in this chart that Saturn squares the Luminaries, and Mars squares Venus. Moreover Saturn and the Luminaries are angular so their effects will be stronger.
Magini says in his “De Mutatione Liber Libellus”:

The first Opening of the Doors happens when Saturn is configured with the Sun or the Moon and it generates a turbid, cloudy and cold air, especially in earth and air signs; but in water signs instead it brings great rainfall and in winter snow, especially when Saturn rules over the angle during the New Moon, the Full Moon or the quarters or also when it is stationary or retrograde.

The square of Mars and Venus adds violence to the weather change, causing rainfall and lightning.
Since Jupiter and Mercury are also in parallel in mundo they produce strong winds.
Mercury is associated with all winds and so, being at the MC and aspected by Saturn and Jupiter, suggests that winds from different directions and opposite in humidity and temperature will meet and originate a cyclone.
Since this syzygy is the New Moon before the vernal equinox it should give an general picture of weather condition during the incoming spring season.
Anyway it gives and idea also about the effect of the eclipse.

Possible intensifications of the events

Ptolemy says:

The beginnings of the particular abatements and intensifications of the event we deduced from the conjunctions which take place in the meantime, if they occur in the significant regions or the regions in some aspect to them, and also from the other movements of the planets, if those that effect the predicted event are either rising or setting or stationary or at evening rising, and are at the same time in some aspect to the zodiacal signs that hold the cause; for planets when they are rising or stationary produce intensifications in the events, but when setting, and under the rays of the sun, or advancing at evening, they bring about an abatement.

Let’s look at moment in the range of possible manifestation of the syzygy influence in which the effects could be more intense.

During the Full Moon on the 6th of September 2017 Mercury in making its morning helical  rising and is on the occidental horizon with Mars and the star Regulus. The Moon is very close to the degree of the eclipse of 9th March 2016 and she is applying to Saturn. Saturn is squaring the Luminaries both in mundo and in the zodiac.

Another moment will be after the Full Moon on the 2nd March 2018.

Mercury in making its evening helical rising and is close to the degree of the eclipse of 9th March 2016. The Moon is applying to Mars which is with the star Shaula of the Sting of the Scorpio and it is squaring Mercury and Venus. Jupiter trines Mercury and Venus.

The darkened equinox

The next 20th of March, just before the vernal equinox, a solar eclipse will be visible in the northern hemisphere from Europe, Eastern Asia and North Africa.

The total solar eclipse will occur across the far Northern regions of Europe and the Arctic and will be visible from the the Faroe Islands and Svalbard. The longest duration of totality for this eclipse will be 2 minutes and 46 seconds as viewed off the coast of the Faroe Islands. This will be the last total solar eclipse in Europe for over a decade. The next not being until August 12, 2026.

In the rest of Europe will be visible a partial eclipse casting a darker shadow over regions closer to eclipse path.

 

Let’s look at the chart of this solar eclipse.

Since either Faroe Island or Svalbard are too close to the North Pole, being beyond the 60° parallel it’s not possible to cast an horoscope for that localities since the movement of ecliptic across the eastern horizon is not regular and so the Placidian horary house system, that I use, can not be used.

So let’s cast the horoscope for a place close to the eclipse northern path but still with latitude inferior to 60° parallel. Inverness in Scotland, UK will be suitable. This horoscope will be useful to inspect the eclipse general meaning.

The syzygy of the luminaries will occur at the 29° of Pisces. Since Cauda, the South Node, is at 11° of Aries we should expect the eclipse to take place in Aries. In this case Cauda, being at the beginning of Aries, and solar lunar conjunction in the last degree of Pisces are close enough to originate a partial solar eclipse. This event is quite rare.

Let’s try to find the lordship over this eclipse. Ptolemy in his Quadripartitum, Chapter 7 ‘Of the Class of those Affected’ paragraph, says

The third heading is that of generic classification, whereby one must determine what classes the event will affect. This is ascertained from the special nature and form of the zodiacal signs in which happen to be the places of the eclipses and in which are the heavenly bodies, planets and fixed stars alike, that govern both the sign of the eclipse and that of the angle preceding the eclipse. In the case of the planets we discover the rulership of these regions thus: The one which has the greatest number of relationships to both the regions aforesaid, that of the eclipse and that of the angle which follows it, both by virtue of the nearest visible applications or recessions, by those of the aspects which bear a relation, and furthermore by rulership of the houses, triangles, exaltations, and terms, that planet alone will hold the dominance. However, if the same planet is not found to be both lord of the eclipse and of the angle, we must take together the two which have the greatest number of familiarities, as aforesaid, to either one of the regions, giving preference to the lord of the eclipse. And if several rivals be found on either count, we shall prefer for the domination the one which is closest to an angle, or is more significant, or is more closely allied by sect. In the case of the fixed stars, we shall take the first one of the brilliant stars which signifies upon the preceding angle at the actual time of the eclipse, according to the nine kinds of visible aspects defined in our first compilation, and the star which of the group visible at the time of the eclipse has either risen or reached meridian with the angle following the place of the eclipse.

In trying to figure out the ruler of the eclipse we cannot take into account the angle following the eclipse, which is for the majority of places across Europe the upper pivot, because it changes from place to place. We will consider its influence in particular charts which will be studied later.

As we see from the  Planetary Dignities Table below, Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn have dignity over the syzygy’s place.

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The Moon, after the conjunction with the Sun, will be applying to Saturn with a trine. Saturn is in    Sagittarius and receive the Moon which is in the term of Saturn. The Sun in also in trine with Saturn.  Moreover the Sun is in mutual reception with  Jupiter which is at the edge of the Sun vis luminis. Jupiter is also in in trine with Saturn and its lord too. Both Saturn and Jupiter are retrograde.

Due to the liminal characteristic of this eclipse, during the sun obscuration, which last more than two hour from start to end for most of the places in Europe, the Moon will move to the sign of Aries. The Moon will be so in the term of Jupiter, in the domicile of Mars.

So we can conclude that Saturn is the lord of the eclipse with the aid of Jupiter and participation of Mars.

Says Ptolemy:

Saturn, when he gains sole dominance, is in general the cause of destruction by cold, and in particular, when the event concerns men, causes long illnesses, consumptions, withering, disturbances caused by fluids, rheumatisms, and quartan fevers, exile, poverty, imprisonment, mourning, fears, and deaths, especially among those advanced in age.He is usually significant with regard to those dumb animals that are of use to man, and brings about scarcity of them, and the bodily destruction by disease of such as exist, so that the men who use them are similarly affected and perish. With regard to weather, he causes fearful cold, freezing, misty, and pestilential; corruption of the air, clouds, and gloom; furthermore, multitudes of snowstorms, not beneficial but destructive, from which are produced the reptiles harmful to man. As for the rivers and seas, in general he causes storms, the wreck of fleets, disastrous voyages, and the scarcity and death of fish, and in particular the high and ebb tides of the seas and in rivers excessive floods and pollution of their waters. As for the crops of the earth, he brings about want, scarcity, and loss, especially of those grown for necessary uses, either through worms or locusts or floods or cloud-burst or hail or the like, so that famine and the destruction of men thereby result.

Here the rulership is not of Saturn alone. Jupiter bring a soothing effect and the incoming influence of Mars let us think of a more violent and sudden tone toward the end of eclipse influence.

We can forecast something like an ongoing economic recession concerning European countries especially the northern ones ending with demonstrations and social conflicts or a enduring cold weather condition that will be fatal to European agriculture or a flood which will threat man and animals.

Moreover, being the eclipse in the constellation of Pisces:

In the constellations pertaining to rivers, such as Aquarius and Pisces, they concern the rivers and springs;

in bicorporeal sign

eclipse has significance for men and kings;

in signs near the mid‑heaven above the earth

concerning sacred rites and kings.

So fluvial floods or epidemic disease or imprisonment or death of political leaders can be possible outcomes.

About the extent of the effects, Ptolemy say:

To the question, how large a portion of the class involved will the event affect, the answer is supplied by the extent of the obscuration of the eclipses, and by the positions relative to the place of the eclipse held by the stars which furnish the cause. For when they are occidental to solar eclipses, or oriental to lunar, they usually affect a minority; in opposition, a half; and the majority, if they are oriental to solar eclipses or occidental to lunar.

Since Saturn is oriental, moving toward the opposition to the Sun the effects will involved more than half especially in the northern parts.

Now let’s consider the places which will be affected by the eclipse. We have to consider two element:

1. The places of maximum obscuration
2. The place ruled by the element trine of the zodiac sign in which the eclipse occured

The places of maximum obscuration are located in the far northern Europe, while the part of earth under the rulership  of watery triangle and Pisces, according to Ptolemy, are North of Africa, in particular Libya and the Anatolian Peninsula in particular Turkey. In those regions eclipse will be quite weak though.
Taking in account that the Moon will pass in Aries during the eclipse we can think that countries under the rulership of Aries will be also affected. The northern Europe from France and UK through Germany till Ukraine are under the rulership of Aries.

Concerning the “Time of the Predicted Events” Ptolemy says:

Inasmuch as the eclipses which take place at the same time are not completed in the same number of ordinary hours in every locality, and since the same solar eclipses do not everywhere have the same degree of obscuration or the same time of duration, we shall first set down for the hour of the eclipse, in each of the related localities, and for the altitude of the pole, centres, as in a nativity; secondly, how many equinoctial hours the obscuration of the eclipse lasts in each. For when these data are examined, if it is a solar eclipse, we shall understand that the predicted event lasts as many years as the equinoctial hours which we discover, and if a lunar eclipse, as many months. The nature of the beginnings and of the more important intensifications of the events, however, are deduced from the position of the place of the eclipse relative to the centres. For if the place of the eclipse falls on the eastern horizon, this signifies that the beginning of the predicted event is in the first period of four months from the time of the eclipse and that its important intensifications lies in the first third of the entire period of its duration; if on the mid‑heaven, in the second four months and the middle third; if upon the western horizon, in the third four months and the final third.

Since the average duration of the phenomenon is about 2 hours and half and eclipse falls close to the mid-heaven, the events will lasts for two year and half and will start around the first months of summer 2015 and will last till the end of 2017. The effects will be more intense between June 2016 and March 2017.

Lastly Cardan says (aphorism 34, Section 7 in ‘Aphorismorum astrologicorum segmenta septem’):

If there will be eclipse or comets in earth signs announces famine because of drought; if in watery signs,famine and scourges by heavy rains; if in airy signs, winds and uprisings; if in fire signs, wars

Since this eclipse is also the syzygy before the equinox, the beginning of Spring season, it is significative of the general temper of incoming Spring. Here the lacking of light due to the solar eclipse signifies a cold season. Since Saturn trines Jupiter we can expected a cold and rainy Spring. Saturn is mainly dry and Jupiter is hot and wet because they are retrograde. Since they are both in fire signs and Jupiter is Lord of Saturn, the effect is milder and the season will not be cold but changeable. Saturn also trines Mercury so there will be also dry winds.

Opening of the portals of sky over Genoa

Genoa was flooded again recently during the 9th, 10th and 11th of October. A dear friend of mine noted the significative chart for the lunar eclipse of 8th of November 2014 for the city of Genoa. The lunar eclipse was not visible from Genoa, still the chart is noteworthy, first because every syzygy, plunilune in this case, is significative concerning weather forecast  and secondly because the syzigy occurred  very close to the superior and inferior pivots and Mars was rising on eastern horizon while Venus was culminating.

 

The sizygy is dominate primarily by Venus because the Sun is in Libra and Venus is with the Sun in Libra at the superior pivot and the rising degree is in the terms of Venus. Secondly Venus is helped by Saturn and Jupiter: Jupiter is Lord of the Ascendent and also bound lord of the Sun moreover it has familiarity with the Sun and the Moon and Venus and Saturn and Mars; Saturn is dignified in Libra by exaltation and trigonocrazy and configured with Jupiter.

Venus is under the sun rays, having done the heliacal setting two days before. So it’s very cold.  The square aspect between Venus at the Medium Coeli and Mars at the easter horizon is very powerful and it’s called Opening of the Portals. The Opening of the Portals is every aspect between an inferior planet and a superior planet having opposite domiciles . Here this aspect was also involving the main pivots: eastern horizon and Medium Coeli. So it was very powerful and effective. Magini in his “De Mutatione Aeris Libello” says:

The one of Mars and Venus causes rain and lightening and sometimes hailstorm

Mars rising gives an even more violent tone at the humoral configuration. Moreover Mars is raising with Antares, the bright reddish star at the heart of Scorpio, of nature of Mars and Jupiter.
The star Porrima, of nature of Mercury and Venus, is culminating with Venus.
Vendemiatrix of nature of Saturn and Mercury is with the Sun.

So there are many signs of bad and violent meteorological phenomena but why did the flood strike the city of Genoa and not somewhere else?
Ptolemy says in the Tetrabiblos’ chapter concerning the countries effected by eclipses:

We are to judge of the first portion of the inquiry, which is regional, in the following manner: In the eclipses of sun and moon as they occur, particularly those more easily observed, we shall examine the region of the zodiac in which they take place, and the countries in familiarity with its triangles, and in similar fashion ascertain which of the cities, either from their horoscope at the time of their founding and the position of the luminaries at the time, or from the mid‑heaven of the nativity of their then rulers, are sympathetic to the zodiacal sign of the eclipse. And in whatsoever countries or cities we discover a familiarity of this kind, we must suppose that some event will occur which applies, generally speaking, to all of them, particularly to those which bear a relation to the actual zodiacal sign of the eclipse and to those of them in which the eclipse, since it took place above the earth, was visible.

The lunar eclipse was not visible from Genoa, in fact it was visible from the pacific area, but it occurred in the zodiacal sign of Aries where it was the Moon. So the place effected by the lunar eclipse should be a country with familiarity with Aries and the fire triangle. According to Ptolemy the western Europe is ruled by the fire signs: Aries rules the northern part of Europe, Lion Italy, and Sagittarius Spain, Portugal, south France and Tyrrhenian shores. So Genoa is included in the area that is supposed to be effected.
Let’s have a look to the map of mediterranean area during the eclipse:

 

we see that Genoa is located exactly at the center of a polygon determinate by the line of rising Mars, culminating Venus, setting Betelgeuse and Algol.

In the Quadripartitum chapter ‘On the Time of the Predicted Event’ Ptolemy says:

The beginnings of the particular abatements and intensifications of the event we deduced from the conjunctions which take place in the meantime, if they occur in the significant regions or the regions in some aspect to them, and also from the other movements of the planets, if those that effect the predicted event are either rising or setting or stationary or at evening rising, and are at the same time in some aspect to the zodiacal signs that hold the cause; for planets when they are rising or stationary produce intensifications in the events, but when setting, and under the rays of the sun, or advancing at evening, they bring about an abatement.

At the beginning of the flood, around the 21 of the 10th of October, the star Antares has just set on the occidental horizon. Mars was going to set with the star Arcturus, about which Magini says that bring strong wind with rain, thunders and lighting bolts. Moreover Mars is with the Lot of Fortune and Saturn with the Lot of Spirit doing a figure called isosceles or equicrure in mundo, being distant the same quantity of time from the occidental pivot. This equicrure figure between Mars and Saturn stir the humors and corrupt the weather marking the beginning of the flood that will last for two days.

We see that the Moon was going to firstly square Jupiter and then to oppose Saturn, which both have a lordship on the syzygy.

 

When Moon was perfecting the opposition to Saturn, around 3 o’clock of 10th of November, when another cloudburst was striking Genoa with strong winds, it was at the supernal pivot with Antares. The star Regulus was rising at the horoscope. Both the lots of Fortune and Spirits were in aversion with the horoscope, the first one on the cusp of the eighth house the second one on the cusp of the sixth house.