Paperback  | 7 x 10 | B&W | Illustrated | xxv + 591 pp.
Auckland · Rubedo Press · 2018

Volume One Available Now

—Volume One—

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Ancient Astrology
in Theory and Practice

A Manual of Traditional Techniques

Volume One Assessing Planetary Condition

Demetra George

 With a Foreword by Chris Brennan

“Demetra George’s Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice is the culmination of decades of study and teaching in traditional astrology. In both the essence of the tradition and interpretive details, Demetra acts as Ariadne’s thread, guiding the student through the labyrinth of terminology and ideas. Her skill as a teacher comes through in each lesson, including the valuable exercises and examples, which help every student understand the beauty and richness of traditional astrology”.—Benjamin DYKES, PhD

“This book provides a comprehensive overview of the techniques of what has come to be known as Hellenistic astrology, which was practiced in the Mediterranean region around the time of the Roman Empire. The goal of this book is to help revive an astrological tradition that until now has been lost for centuries”.—Chris BRENNAN

DEVELOPED UNDER THE SHADOWS of the Egyptian temples, Hellenistic astrology is an ancient form of divination inherited from Mesopotamian wisdom traditions. Distilled in Græco-Roman antiquity, and refined in the fires of philosophy and astronomy, it forms the bedrock of traditional western astrology (while also bearing profound similarities to Jyotish or Vedic astrology). Drawing on a body of Greek texts that have remained largely untranslated for almost two-thousand years, Demetra George brings the contemporary practice of astrology back to its ancient roots. Scholar, translator, and practitioner, her work reveals the potent cosmological veins that bear the lifeblood of traditional astrology.

Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice is, in essence, a training manual for the study and practice of Hellenistic astrology. In two volumes, it provides the complete foundations and detailed dynamics of ancient chart-reading techniques. Each volume and each technique is richly illustrated with diagrams, example charts, and practical exercises.

Volume 1: Assessing Planetary Condition

In ancient cosmology, the planetary divinities symbolised the hierarchy of forces that shape our lives in the sublunary world. Not all planets are created equal in a given nativity, however, and so the first step of the practicing astrologer is to assess the condition of each planet in a chart in order to determine its effectiveness (or lack thereof) in the native’s life. To this end, this volume provides a series of rigorous methods for evaluating the condition of each planet in a birth chart through the lenses of classification (sect, gender, benefic/malefic), signs and rulerships (residences, reception, exaltation, trigons, bounds), the solar phase cycle (speed, direction, visibility, phase, phasis), lunar considerations (course, phases, bonding, nodes, bending, eclipses, prenatal lunation), and aspects (configurations, witnessing, testimony, bonification, maltreatment, adherence, overcoming, rays). Finally, it brings all of these factors together in a powerful synthesis that unlocks the layers of a chart with unrivaled precision.

Volume two is scheduled to appear in mid 2021.

C O N T E N T S


Volume One—Assessing Planetary Condition

Volume One—Assessing Planetary Condition

Dedication
Acknowledgements
Foreword by Chris Brennan

Preface: My Long and Winding Road to Hellenistic Astrology

Introduction and Overview

Introduction: A Brief Historical Overview
1. The Hierarchy of the Cosmos
2. The First Five Steps in Learning Traditional Astrology

Part One: Planets and Sect

3. The Planets: Their Names, Significations, and Classifications
4. Classification: Benefic and Malefic
5. Gender of the Planets
6. Sect of the Planets
7. Planetary Joys and Sect Rejoicing
8. Summary and Source Readings

Part Two: Signs and Rulerships

9. Zodiacal Signs
10. Functions and Classifications of the Zodiacal Signs
11. Zodiacal Signs as Configurations
12. Signs and Residences of the Planets
13. Planetary Reception
14. The Exaltation Lords
15. Trigon Rulerships
16. Bound Rulerships
17. Decans
18. The Judgement
19. Summary and Source Readings

Part Three: The Solar Phase Cycle

20. Special Solar Considerations: An Overview
21. The Synodic Solar Phase Cycle
22. Planetary Speed, Direction, & Visibility
23. Visibility at the Horizon
24. Planetary Phases
25. Final Overview of the Solar Phase Cycle
26. The Synodic Cycle & the Minor Years of the Planets
27. Summary and Source Readings

Part Four: The Lunar Phase Cycle

28. Special Lunar Considerations
29. The Lunar Phases
30. Bonding and the Moon under the Bonds
31. Phases and Illnesses of the Moon
32. Nodes, Bendings, Eclipses
33. The Lot of Fortune: The Special Lot of the Moon
34. Zodiacal Releasing from the Lot of Fortune
35. The Prenatal Lunation
36. Final Judgement on the Influence of Lunar Concepts
37. Summary and Source Readings

Part Five: Aspects

38. Aspects: The Cosmic Dance of the Planets
39. Whole Sign Aspects: Witness and Testimony
40. Interpretation of Whole Sign Configurations
41. Aspect Relations
42. Bonification and Maltreatment
43. Coming Together, Connecting, Adhering, Flowing Apart
44. Superior Aspects: Left- and Right-sided Figurations
45. Overcoming and Hurling Rays
46. Maltreatment and Overcoming
47. Maltreatment by Striking with a Ray
48. The Opposition
49. Enclosure, Containment, Intervention
50. Maltreatment by Domicile Lords and House Locations
51. Final Judgment of a Planet based upon Aspect Conditions
52. Doruphoria: Spear-bearing Bodyguards
53. Sign-based Sympathies and Planetary Connections
54. Summary and Source Readings

Part Six: The Art of Judgement

55. The Celestial Condition of the Planetary Gods
56. Summary for Final Synthesis
57. Chart One: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
58. Chart Two: Pablo Picasso
59. Final Evaluation of Planetary Condition

60. Afterword

About the Author­

About the Author

Demetra George (M.A. Classics) is a pioneering mythic-archetypal astrologer, who studies Greek astrological texts, as well as the transmission of classical doctrines into the Arabic and Medieval worlds. Recipient of the Regulus Award, her work provides the keys to understanding all forms of traditional astrology.