The Astrologer’s Son

It all started with a footnote.

I have recently written a book in Portuguese, called “O Frei e a Astrologia” (“The Friar and Astrology”). It’s based on a chapter of a book I have already mentioned in previous posts, the “Learned Entertainment” by Friar João Pacheco. In this chapter, he vehemently defends the legitimacy and the orthodoxy of astrology (although he seem not to like Sahl, and by extension horary astrology — “interrogations” — at all).

While discussing some objections based on the motion of the spheres, he mentions someone called Ricardo Monte Pulciano, whom he describes as a “distinguished mathematician”.

Part of the work I was undertaking was finding out all his sources and present them in notes, and I tried to discover who this astrologer/mathematician was.

As it turns out, it’s Ricciardo Cervini, later Ricciardo Cervinini degli Spannocchi, from Montepulciano, Italy. He was well known at his time, apparently, for being a learned man, expert in many subjects including astrology, for being pretty well-off, and for having good and powerful friends at Church, including Pope Clement VII and future pope Pope III, then Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (the first patron of Luca Gaurico).

Unfortunately, I searched high and low for anything written by him, and couldn’t find anything — not even the work Fr. João alludes to, although I discover what it was: a treatise on the calendar reform, touching on the motion of the spheres. Some say that, opposing many astrologers of the time, he assured Pope Clement that he didn’t have to fear a deluge that was expected for 1524.

He is not very known nowadays, but whenever mentioned, it’s because he’s the father of Pope Marcellus II and the grandfather of Saint Robert Bellarmine.

One of the stories about him is that he either checked his first son’s natal chart, or had an astrologer check it, discovered he would have a great ecclesiastical career, and did everything he could to direct him to such a career.

That meant I had to find pope Marcellus’s birth chart.

However, Astrodatabank was of little help. They offer an untimed chart, with the following as “Source Notes”:

“NN No.513 quotes Junctinus for May 5, 1501 OS but gives a chart calculated for May 16 (not the 15th) NS with MC 16 Taurus and ASC 24 Leo = 11:20 AM LMT.”

The thing is, every source I could find (there are quite a few) affirmed Pope Marcellus was indeed born in the 6th of May, old style: 16th of May in our calendar.

Either Giuntini screwed up somewhere, or “NN” misread, but the date checks out. I decided to confirm this in his Speculum Astrologiae.

Not an easy task, as the only sources I found out were Google Books scans, and all the almost 1000 pages of it are written in Latin.

But there it was. On page 196, next to the 6th of May, he writes “Marcellus Cervinus ex monte Puliciano (sic), Pontifex maximus, nascitur anno 1501, hora 11 min 1[illegible] post mediam noctem”(Marcello Cervini from Monte Pulciano, Pope, was born in the year 1501, hour 11 min 1? after midnight).

So, he have a date, and a time.. sort of. But I wanted more solidity. There is another mention of the Pope in the same book, on page 239 (I’ll just give you my translation):

Henceforth the nativity of Pope Marcellus II will be examined; of whom, I was told, his father — born from a humble family in Monte Pulciano — discovered, partilly conjunct in the Horoscope of the nativity, the fixed star Cor Leonis, of first honor and of the nature of Jupiter and Mars, and in the royal house you will find the right side of Perseus, of the second honor, of the nature of Jupiter and Saturn. On which account he himself would rise to pontifical dignity, as he father vaticinated, being himself an astrologer, when from his mother’s womb he proceeded. Due to this he happily said ‘Today the Great Antistes of the Church is born from me’.”

According to the same Giuntini, Regulus was as 23 degrees and 30 minutes of Leo by then. So, Regulus (Cor Leonis) on the Ascendant and Mirfak (the right side of Perseus) on the Midheaven would give this chart:

Ok, I’m not saying this is the chart for the exact moment he was born, timed to the second. I’m saying this is a close one. Same day, same approximate time, same stars on the angles.

I think the “he will rise in ecclesiastic honors” bit is congruent with the chart, although the story might be exaggerated. Yes, we have Regulus on the Ascendant, the ruler of the first on the tenth, the North Node close to the Midheaven, the rulers of the ninth and tenth in excellent reception, and the ruler of the tenth about to get a whole lot of dignity… but lots of other people would have had the same testimonies. Italy was soaked in astrology at the time. It would be a wonderful sight if lots of fathers shouting “I am the Pope’s father” all across the Peninsula.

But let’s check if this chart works.

Marcello Cervini was elected Pope on April the 9th, 1555, and died three weeks later, on the 1st of May.

That is, he reached the pinnacle of his profession and died in the same year, within the same Solar Return.

Let’s take a look at the Secondary Progressions first. We have to see something. Dying at 53 is not a common event. It has to be marked somehow.

I’m checking the progressions for the same period of the Solar Return (that is, between his 53rd and his 54th birthdays). I want this post to end at some point, so I’m not calculating the Arabian Parts (the exception is Fortuna, but the one calculating it is the software), and I’m not looking into fixed stars.

Well, Fortuna passes Uranus, opposes Venus, Natal tenth-house ruler, then Jupiter, Natal eighth-house ruler, both by Antiscion, and then conjuncts the eighth house cusp.

The Moon opposes progressed Saturn (the ruler of the sixth house, of sickness), Natal Mercury, conjuncts the fifth house, then opposes progressed Mercury.

Progressed Ascendant opposes Natal Fortuna.

Progressed Midheaven opposes Natal Moon.

Progressed Mercury and Venus conjunct by Antiscion, which means progressed Moon is also opposed progressed Venus.

So, quite a few testimonies, which seem to point to body, death, sickness, and career. OK.

Now, his Solar Return.

At first, it doesn’t look good, but doesn’t look that important. We have that close Jupiter-Saturn opposition (Jupiter rules the tenth, career, and Saturn rules both death, eighth, and religion, ninth, houses), but it’s mutually separating. The Sun and Venus are on the twelfth cusp, not a good thing. Mars conjunct Fortuna by Antiscion, and that’s it.

When we compare it to the Natal Chart, however…

Solar Return tenth ruler, Jupiter falls on Natal Fortuna by Antiscion (emphasizing this Jup-Sat opposition).

Natal tenth ruler is Venus, and SR Venus falls on the natal tenth node.

His father wouldn’t have got it, of course, but SR Neptune falls onto Natal Midheaven.

Natal Ascendant falls on the SR Fortuna.

Natal Mercury is conjunct SR Mercury and both are on SR North Node. Mercury rules the eleventh, of gifts from above and possessions from work.

OK, a very important, and nice, time for career, full of testimonies of elevation. But what about death?

First, Natal Mars falls on SR fifth house by Antiscion. The fifth is the house of fun, children, sex, creativity… but is also the house of death of the job (the eighth from the tenth). Mars rules the sixth house of sickness in the Solar Return. SR Mars, being conjunct Fortuna by antiscion, is necessarily also conjunct natal Ascendant by antiscion.

That close Jupiter-Saturn opposition is, after all, between Natal and Solar Return eighth-house rulers, and Saturn also rules the house of diseases in the Natal chart.

Natal Jupiter falls, by antiscion, exactly on the fourth house — the SR tenth and Natal eighth ruler opposing the career.

Natal Moon is maybe too far away to be counted as opposing the Ascendant, but the Natal Saturn (the SR eighth-house ruler) Antiscion opposing the SR eighth is not.

So… even not looking too deep in it, there’s a mixed bag here. And the gifts in the bag seem to be congruent to career advancement and death.

Let’s take a very quick look at the Lunar Returns for the events.

For the election:

The ruler of the first house less than 4 minutes of arc from gaining lots of dignity (leaving its fall and detriment) immediately catches the eye. It’s more evident because it changes from an opposition by Antiscion to a conjunction with Saturn, which rules the tenth in this chart. Saturn is evidently important, being conjunct the Sun, but it’s not in a nice state (combust and in its fall).

The Moon closely conjunct the cusp of the house of death also seems ominous. No, he didn’t die then, but shortly after — and being elected Pope is what aggravated his health.

LR Fortuna and LR Venus hit Natal Mars, all this on the eleventh cusp (and on the eighth Natal cusp). Mars rules the sixth house of sickness in the Lunar Return, and the ninth in the Natal Chart. Natal Mars hits, by Antiscion, Natal Jupiter, which — besides ruling natal eight — is the ruler of the eleventh in the Lunar Return.

LR Ascendant is on Natal Mercury.

Enough of this one, let’s take a look at the next.

Not much here, at first sight. Venus opposing the Ascendant (or conjunct the Descendant, but we know it’s not important for him). Venus rules the ninth here, and the tenth in the radix. Lord I, Mercury, conjunct Fortuna, and the Moon immediately applying to the ruler of death.

However, this Venus is conjunct Natal Mars — that is, the LR death ruler. The Natal Ascendant is on the twelfth cusp.

LR Saturn, the ruler of the sixth house in both charts, is closely conjunct natal Fortuna.

LR Mercury is conjunct natal North Node, while Natal Mercury is conjunct LR Midheaven. Two testimonies of elevations, which would be very nice, if he wasn’t already at the very top of his career (there’s nothing above Pope for him to aspire to) and sick. “Going up”, here, must be going to Heaven.

This is enough. I hope I have convinced you that this chart works well.

Is it the exact true one? I don’t know, and I think we never will.

I must remind you that the registrations for the course on Basic Celestial Mechanics will close on the 30th. Not because I’m a bad person, but because I said I’ll start next week, and people enrolled must know when it will be before it starts.

So, if you’re interested, please subcribe. The price is 60 USD and may be paid via Paypal ([email protected]; or ask me and I’ll send a payment request by email).

See you soon. As usual, if you liked, it, please share and