Overview

Spanning from the 1st c. BCE – 7th c. CE and influenced by ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian astrology, Hellenistic astrology was transmitted throughout the Mediterranean in mostly Greek, the dominant language of the time, though it had many other obscure influences as well. This Greco-Roman tradition, much like the Mesopotamians’, focused on nativities using the ecliptic to interpret movement through the zodiac. However, Hellenistic astrologers used a complex system incorporating signs, houses, planets, and aspects, incorporating the rationale for the Planetary Joys and the Thema Mundi, as well as Sect and various forms of rulerships and intricate timing techniques. These astrologers, including Manetho, Valens, Porphyry, Hermes, Dorotheus and many others used their technique mostly with nativities and elections for major events such as a wedding or birth. While there are not many complete texts, nor many horoscopes to be studied, and the history and origins of this tradition are not completely clear, it is clear that these astrologers used a complex, detailed, and thought-inducing technique which unfortunately fell at out fashion with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and rise of Christianity and the Islamic Empire in the 7th century CE.  

Hellenistic vs. Modern Astrology

The Difference between Hellenistic and Modern Astrology

Unlike Modern astrology, Hellenistic astrology did not have nor use the “Twelve Letter Alphabet” to correlate the correspondences of the Planets and Signs in such a way that their correspondences overlap. More importantly, because the ancient astrologers did not have the technological means we have today to see the outer planets in our solar system, they did not include the outer planets in their practice. Rather ancient astrologers used only the traditional “planets” including the sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. And most importantly, modern astrology does not take Sect into consideration, which is the first, foremost, and furthest-reaching interpretive factor in Hellenistic astrology.

With the rise of interest and research into psychology or mental phenomena, modern astrology has a strong focus on the non-physical and psychological: describing personality, attitude, or character traits. Whereas Hellenistic astrology has a wide range of foci including both physical (appearance, health, actions and consequences) as well as non-physical (career/life direction, character traits, and relationships)-- these seem to play a big role if we consider the lots of various family relations, and many planetary and house correspondences (i.e., Asclepius’ eight-house system).

Additionally, the reintroduction of Whole Sign Houses from Traditional Astrology not only simplifies, but also clarifies, the personal houses based on a native’s birth chart—though other house systems, such as Porphyry’s Quadrant houses were considered for particular techniques (e.g., Length of Life) or indications (i.e., exact degree of the MC). Modern astrology often uses various other versions of equal house systems based on the exact degree of the ascendant, and unequal house systems based on degree of both the AC and MC (in various ways). These are all more complex than the Traditional house system, but the Whole Sign House system is not only adequate to interpret angularity and general tenth house placement, but in-fact additive when it comes to interpreting planetary aspects (by degree or sign), planets in signs and houses (where the general significations of both can blend together within a clear boundary), and most impressively in the ancient timing techniques. And, though various timing techniques have been discovered from ancient astrological texts from Vettius Valens and others, these techniques are still far separated from most modern astrological practices due to their complexity but also their implications for free-will and determinism. No modern technique is as precise, nor as incredible as that of the timing technique known as Zodiacal Releasing, which is able to exemplify how far-reaching and affectual astrology is in our individual lives.

Areas of Overlap between Hellenistic and Modern Astrology

There are many ways in which the two are similar, including using ASC, Sun, and Moon signs as main signifiers of a nativity, major planetary aspects, general planetary correspondences, (of-course) the same zodiacal signs with modality (quadruplicity) and elements (triplicities)-- though the meanings and correspondences vary today from their original interpretations. Much of the interpretive process of modern astrology is the same, but lacks the added personal details derived from sect and the various rulerships, such as lord and master of the nativity or time-lords of Annual Profections. This is noteworthy because these rulerships, and especially Sect can change the entire meaning of a chart and its placements. It is also worth noting that Triplicity Lords, and sometimes Decans and Bounds are still used today.

Understanding Hellenistic Astrology

The Use of the Seven Traditional Planets in Ancient Hellenistic Astrology

 The outer planets are not physically visible from Earth with the naked eye. Though they influence the astrology today, the traditional planets, due to there proximity and visibility to Earth have the most pronounced and distinct effects for an individual. However, when it comes to centuries or large spans of time, the outer planets also play a major role.

The Thema Mundi— The rational for the Planetary Rulerships

The Thema Mundi--the nativity of the universe or of God, whose planetary placements are based on the basic natures shared with the signs underlies the twelve traditional rulerships. The placements are as follows and proceed in Zodiacal order based on their distance from the sun: Moon in Cancer in the Ascendant and neighboring Sun in Leo, Mercury nearest to the Sun in Virgo, then Venus in Libra, Mars in Scorpio, Jupiter in Sagittarius, and Saturn furthest from the sun (and slowest moving) in Capricorn. The tradition planets then fill in the second half of the chart, with Mercury again closest to the Sun in Gemini, then Venus in Taurus, Mars in Aries, Jupiter in Pisces and Saturn again furthest from-- and now opposed to-- the sun in Aquarius.

By ruling two signs each and in this order, each of the traditional planets rules both a masculine and a feminine sign, whereas the sun rules only masculine Leo and Moon, only feminine Cancer.

The Planetary Joys— The rationale for the significations of the Houses or Places

The Planetary Joys scheme is the primary scheme: assigning the Sun to the place of God (9), Moon to the place of the Goddess (3), Mercury to the in-between place of the Ascendent which is the Helm (1), Venus to the place of Good Fortune (5), Mars to Bad Fortune (6), Jupiter to Good Spirit (11), and Saturn to Bad Spirit (12). The remaining houses are assigned by location: The Gate of Hades (2) is the first place beneath the horizon, the Subterranean place (4) lies at the bottom angle of the chart, the Setting place (7) lies on the right angle representing the Western horizon, the Idle or Inactive place (8), and the Midheaven (10) angled to the sky. Aspect or visibility plays a role here as well as the so-called Bad Places (2, 6, 8, and 12) have no aspect, or lack visibility, to the Ascendant.

Accordingly, the basis of the significations of each place is the representation in the Joy. To clarify, the intermediary nature of Mercury in the Helm (or at the wheel) in the 1st place signifies both the spirit and body of the native and the life of the native overall. Moon in the place of the Goddess signifies short-distance travel (like that of the moon), as well as siblings (which may go back to the Thema Mundi which holds Mercury in the 3rd place which may correlate siblings to the 3rd). The 4th, or Subterraneous signifies family, ancestry, roots, as well as matters dealing with the home and also death or the afterlife. With Venus in the place of Good Fortune, the 5th place signifies children and good-doing; with Mars in the place of Bad Fortune, the 6th place signifies injury and illness; and the 7th or Setting place signifies marriage, old age, and death. The 8th place of inactivity signifies idleness, death and money not earned (others’ money); the sun in the 9th being long-distance travel, education, beliefs, and the like as related to the light or illumination of the sun; and the 10th or Midheaven signifies advancement, career and reputation. Jupiter in the 11th place of Good Spirit signifies friends, hopes, and gifts; and Saturn in the 12th place of Bad Spirit signifies suffering, weakness, also enemies. It is worth noting that oftentimes opposing houses or places can have overlapped or interconnected meanings, as we see with the 3rd and the 9th both represents travel; we see this as well with the 8th and the 2nd, where the 8th signifies others’ money, but the second signifies one’s own money or livelihood.

It is clear the Joys scheme underpins the places, although additional considerations such as angularity and aspects, as well as significations or rationales from sources such as Hermes and Asclepius have become prominent in delineations as well. We see this in the 3rd place signification of siblings which aligns with both Hermes’ dodekatropos and Aslepius’ oktatropos, and ties back to the Thema Mundi.

 Aspects in Hellenistic Astrology

Major aspects such as the trine, sextile, and square are justified by the signs having something in common. This may be common triplicities: fire, water, air, and earth as corresponding to their basic natures or temperaments including hot, cold, wet, or dry; quadruplicities: modalities such as cardinal or movable, fixed, or double-bodied/dual-natured; and/or gender. Planets with no aspect have nothing (substantial) in common and are described as not able to “see” one another. These work together triplicities, quadruplicities, and genders separate the chart into 120, 90, and 60- degree increments, respectively. In this way the signs (or objects in these signs) are said to see or witness one another by the particular angle (or path of a ray) and at the same time share something in common. As one example, Scorpio and Pisces have both a 120- degree (trine) and a 60- degree (sextile) angle to one another—with the trine, the sign share the same element or nature (water) and with the sextile they share the same gender (female). With the conjunction, the objects are in the same sign and have everything in common, and even with the opposition, the signs share the same quadruplicity and gender; for example, Capricorn and Cancer are both cardinal or movable and are both feminine signs.

While modern, minor aspects may create an angle between two signs or objects, they would not share these commonalities and would not, as the Greek’s would say, “see each other,” and would be considered in aversion or “turned away.”