Still a better love story than Twilight

In the last post, I wrote a bit about Gadbury and Lilly.

I warned that it was an ad for the Gadbury book I commented, and it was; but it felt a bit too short. I like selling stuff, but I thought I should have given a bit more.

So, here’s what Gadbury has to say about Lilly’s chart (in his Collectio Geniturarum):

“The person whose geniture this is [Lilly’s natal chart is presented, along with the latitudes of the planets, just before the text. Here’s a better version of it, from astro.com] (to puzzle the understandings of the inquisitous) has pretended himself to have two several nativities.

1 — in his Almanack, 1645, he tells his reader (in Epistle thereunto) that he had the Moon in Pisces, which makes him a piece of a good fellow, etc, which (if true), he must be born the fifth or sixth of May, 1602.

2 — in his Introduction, under his Effigies, he says he was born in May 1. 1602, and then the Moon will not be in Pisces, but in Capricorn, as in this figure.

I am of opinion, he has not the Moon in Pisces, but in Capricorn, and therefore believe this to be his right nativity; the rather, because my loving friend Mr. James Blackwell has proved it so to be, by 13 several arguments or accidents, printed a hear and half since by itself. In which little tract, the ingenious artist may meet with a concise method for the calculation and judging a Nativity; and unto which, I refer the desirous reader for further satisfaction in his Geniture. The reason why I am no larger herein is because I would not be esteemed either envious or partial”.

Yes, no one would ever call Mr. Gadbury partial.

In the judgment of the nativity of Thomas Gataker, who he admits “was in his life-time a great enemy to astrology”, he states he “shall not refuse to give his nativity a place in my book”.

I wonder why…

In the revolution for Gataker’s death, he writes “[…] See his discourse against Lilly. Let not any mistake me; I do only assert the verity of influences in defects of the luminaries, but cannot defend Lilly in any point, because he deserves notoriously to be condemned, in that he pretended unto the Science of the Stars, and was not able to answer Mr. Gataker’s sophisms against the same.

And, when discussing Oliver Cromwell’s chart, he adds “until he [John Reynolds] had been advised by Lilly what the success thereof [a mission Cromwell had sent Reynolds to, in Flandres] would amount unto; and therefore gives him his nativity to direct him by. But Lilly, being sir John’s Master’s creature, viz, Oliver’s, would never predict any thing contrary to his blessed patron’s undertaking”.

(He calls Lilly’s actions “this parasite’s knavery” shortly after).

It’s moving, really. There’s more emotion here than in all the Twilight movies combined.

A symbol doesn’t mean anything and everything, regardless of how much our modern colleagues would want it to do.

However, it is never a translation, or a dictionary definition, of anything. A symbol might mean different — sometimes opposing — things, as everyone who searches the words “Lion”, or “serpent”, in the Bible would find.

(Don’t worry, I’ll tell you: both Christ and the devil are described as “lions”; and the serpent is both the Tempter in Paradise and one of the animals — the other is the dove — the same Christ advises His followers to imitate).

And astrology is full of these opposing significations.

The most obvious are “bad” fixed stars.

Don’t get me wrong, they are bad; but they can also mean positive things. What they cannot mean are easy and harmless ones.

Another one is the Arabian Part known as “the Part of Captivity and Escape of Captivity”, associated with Saturn and the twelfth house.

As for Saturn, it symbolizes both what restricts us, and the qualities needed to set us free.

Or the sixth house of diseases, also related to hospitals (places in which we go to get rid of sickness) and surgeries.

Or yet the seventh house, that means both the ones we love and the ones we hate.

It’s not hard to see that these are not really reversals of the symbols, but integral parts of them. They may be reversals of one particular perspective.

I received a nice edition of Kafka’s Metamorphosis and the Trial, giving me an excellent opportunity to reread them.

The Trial is one of my favorite books, but I decided to start with Metamorphosis, which is shorter.

With so many changes (Gregor turns into a vermin, and is not the provider of the family anymore; his father gets back to being an active worker; Grete turns into a beautiful woman), one would expect to see testimonies of that in his chart.

However, he is one of those unfortunate victims of the Great Conspiracy Against Astrology in Nurseries, Hospitals, and Places of Birth — he doesn’t have a known birth time.

(This should be illegal).

Nevertheless, the chart is interesting.

Three or four planets in mutable signs, two in cardinal ones, and one — very afflicted — planet in a fixed sign. Changes, indeed.

The Moon could be anywhere between the middle of Gemini and the beginning of Cancer, unfortunately. It would be nice if it were conjunct Venus and Mercury, though.

“It would be nice” because that would mean it would be conjunct Venus, Mercury, and, by antiscion, the Sun and Jupiter.

Venus and Mercury are in conjunction with Bellatrix, the female warrior. The planet of changes (which is also the stronger and most influent planet in the chart) conjunct an aggressive star that means risks. Mercury’s strong, in mutable sign, and conjunct Venus, though. Changing might lead to beauty (or to death).

Júpiter and the Sun, with Sirius, the mouth of the Great Dog. Big exalted Jupiter conjunct the Big Dog, big, big, big — growing. Changing might lead also to elevation — but there are risks here too (Sirius is not a tame star).

Saturn is conjunct Prima Hyadum, one of the “weeping sisters”, of Saturn and Mercury nature. Structures in a mutable sign, giving cause to sorrow.

Mars, the only planet in a fixed sign, in its detriment and closely conjunct Caput Algol, the star of temptation and losing one’s head.

I think there is possibility of metamorphosis (and death) here.

The Mercury-Venus-Bellatrix conjunction reminds me specially of the change Grete, Gregor’s sister, undergoes in the book.

Now, back to The Trial.

That’s it for now. See you soon.