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Astrology Classics

Tetrabiblos

4 articles

  • Tetrabiblos

    How Planetary Rulers Shape the Character of Human Action in Tetrabiblos 4

    This passage explains the two methods used to identify the planet that governs a person's actions—by examining the planet making its morning appearance nearest the Sun and the planet at the culminating sign, especially when it applies to the Moon. It then details how the nature of Mars, Venus, and Mercury, together with the signs they occupy, determines the kinds of professions and activities associated with a birth chart. The text further describes how aspects from benefic or malefic planets and angular positions affect the scale and success of those actions.

  • Tetrabiblos

    Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos: A Legacy of Celestial Knowledge and Its Enduring Questions

    Claudius Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos, composed in Alexandria, compiles astrological and astronomical lore from Egypt, Greece, Chaldea, Babylonia, and other cultures, presenting an Earth-centered cosmos that dominated Western thought until the 18th century. The opening book examines the philosophical and practical difficulties of astrological prediction and responds to ancient and modern critics, arguing for a measured assessment of what astronomy can and cannot forecast.

  • Tetrabiblos

    Reading Marriage in the Birth Chart: Techniques from Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos

    Ancient astrological methods for assessing marriage are described, focusing on the positions of the moon for men and the sun for women, along with planetary aspects, to determine timing, number of spouses, and the character of partners. The chapter also covers how the relationship between the luminaries in both charts indicates marital harmony or discord, and how Venus, Mars, and Saturn reveal sexual disposition and socially unconventional unions.

  • Tetrabiblos

    Planetary Patterns and Mental Disorder in Ancient Astrological Diagnosis

    Classical astrological doctrine held that the relative placement of Mercury and the moon, together with the malefic and benefic planets, could indicate psychological and behavioral conditions ranging from epilepsy and insanity to extremes of sexual conduct. This account sets out the specific configurations believed to produce each condition, whether the resulting afflictions were considered curable or incurable, and how the positions of Mars, Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter were thought to shape the character of the disorder.