Istanbul Airport Attack

With the shocking news of yesterday’s terror attack at Istanbul Airport dominating the headlines, our thoughts an prayers are with the victims and their relatives. This is the continuation of a recent string of sad news, and we can now see a more coherent picture emerging.

Displayed below is a bi-wheel of the moment the attacks took place and of Turkey’s foundation chart from 1923.

(Inner wheel: Turkey Foundation/outer wheel: airport attack)

Here we see that the lunar nodal axis of both charts are conjunct and also conjunct the MC of the foundation chart. We also notice that Mars in the attack chart is angular and conjunct Venus and Jupiter of the foundation chart.

If we compare this picture to the chart of the Paris terror attack of 13 November 2015, we will notice some striking similarities.

Mars and the south node are also of utmost importance in this chart. A detailed analysis of the chart above can be found in my web log entry about the Paris attacks, here.

At the time of writing this blog entry, Mars is stationary and about to turn direct again. This means that, over time, he will continue move through Scorpio, re-visit many sensitive points and finally moving towards a conjunction with Saturn and the fixed star Antares. As I wrote in another recent blog post (here):

“… Diana Rosenberg, one of the most knowledgeable fixed star astrologers, knew that Antares had strong connections with the great issues of humankind, especially intolerance, racism and human rights. In their nativities, Julius Caesar, Heinrich Himmler, Winston Churchill and Ayatollah Khomeini had strong Antares placements. History also shows that a prominent, angular Antares in mundane charts indicates extremism, radicalism, acts of terrorism, but also the possibility of natural catastrophes, like earthquakes, storms, or epidemics.”

The conjunction between Mars, Saturn and Antares will take place on 23 August 2016.

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UPDATE: My astrological colleague Gabriella Mittelman (see her website) sent me two graphics, which I am reproducing with her kind permission. She writes that she ran Timing solution, asking when planets (except Moon) were making major aspects to Antares. The higher the line or stronger, more planets angle Antares. :

The second graph is a view of 2016. She posted a link to Wiki- terror attacks in 2016- and counted 96 in January alone!

Cancer Ingress 2013 for the UK & Europe

With a moveable sign rising in the 2013 Aries ingress charts for the United Kingdom and Europe, it was obvious that the charts would be valid for three months only. In other words, from the 21^st of June, the Cancer-, Libra- and respectively the Capricorn ingress charts will have to be taken into account for further judgment.

On 21 June 2013, at 05:04UT, the Sun will be in 00*00 Cancer; the chart below, cast for London, shows the event:

We can see at a glance that the Ascendant ruler Moon, who was Lady of the Revolution for the first three months of 2013, is in her fall in Scorpio. This immediately rules her out as the new Lady of the Revolution for the time between 21 June and 22 September. Jupiter, Lord of the 10^th house is in his detriment and combust, which rules him out as well.

Looking at the planet exalted in Pisces, the sign on the 10^th house cusp, we see that it is Venus, essentially and accidentally dignified.  Therefore I propose that Venus will be the Lady of the Revolution, valid until the Libra ingress on 22 September 2013.

Venus is in tight conjunction with Mercury and bot planets are located in the first house. Bonatti tells us about this:

“Indeed if Venus were in the Ascendant … it signifies joy and gladness, and dancing, and the breaking up of battles, and especially the young women and men employing venereal practices …” (BA. P857*)

He continues:

“If Venus, in a revolution, were in the first, … then it signifies that men … will delight in edibles and drinking bouts, and they will be eager for living in a beautiful way …” (BA. p962)

Bonatti also describes Venus in Cancer, writing:

“And if Venus were in Cancer in a revolution of the year, … it signifies … peace between men in the western parts; and alleviation from things rendered and from tributes, more so than usual; and there will be a diminution of fevers and other illnesses, and heat will be diminished; and there will be rains …” (BA. P966)

Looking at our chart, we see that the Dragon’s Head is located in Scorpio. About this, Bonatti tells us:

“And if the Head were in Scorpio, Abu Ma’shar said it signifies good and joy in middle-class men, and evil and sorrow in great men; and it signifies wars and battles and wounds; a multiplication of fornication with deception.” (BA. P981).

It seems that most of the interpretation for this ingress is rather positive and the placement of the Dragon’s Head in the 5^th house adds to the general theme.

“If it were in the fifth, it signifies the fortune of children and from children, and their increase in good and joy, and freedom from contrary and displeasing things.“ (BA. P987)

Looking at fixed stars, we find that Achernar is on the MC. Ebertin writes in Die Bedeutung der Fixsterne:

“Well-placed, it promises happiness and success by giving good morals, faithful adherence to one’s religious beliefs or philosophical inclinations.” (BF. p63)

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*All Bonatti quotes from: Guido Bonatti’s Book of Astronomy (BA), translation B Dykes, Cazimi Press, 2007

Fixed Stars, Gemstones & Plant Correspondences in Ficino’s De Vita

The following is a tabulation of the information given in Marsilio Ficino’s Three Books on Life*, book three, chapter 8, Concerning the Powers and Use of the Fixed Stars:

	Zodiacal  Position*	Fixed Star	Planetary Correspondence	Crystal/Gemstone	Plant/Herb	Desired Effect
1	22nd degree of Aries	Navel of Andromeda	Mercurial and Veneral
2	18th degree of Taurus	Algol	Saturn and Jupiter	diamond	mugwort	Boldness and victory
3	22nd degree of Taurus	Pleiades	Lunar and Martial	crystal	diacedon, fennel-seed	Sharpens the sense of vision
4	1st or 3rd degree of Gemini	Aldebaran	Martial and Venereal	ruby	spurge, woodruff	Increases riches and glory
5	13th  degree of Gemini	The Goat	Jovial and Saturnine	sapphire	horehound, mint, mugwort, mandrake	Helps towards honour and the help of princes
6	6th or 7th degree of Cancer	Canis Major	Venereal	beryl	savine, mugwort, dracontea	It proffers favour
7	17th degree of Cancer	Canis Minor	Mercurial and Martial	agate	heliotrope, pennyroyal	bestows favour
8	21st degree of Leo	Heart of the Lion	A royal Jovial and Martial star	garnet	swallowwort, mastic	Represses melancholy and makes am an temperate and agreable
9	19th degree of Virgo	Tail of Ursa Major	Venereal and Lunar	magnet	chicory, mugwort	Provides protection from robbers and poison
10	7th degree of Libra	Right Wing of the Raven
11	12th or 13th degree of Libra	Left Wing of the Raven	Saturnine and Martial		sorrel, henbane, frog’s tongue	Increases boldness and will be noxious
12	15th or 16th degree of Libra	Spica	Venereal and Mercurial	emerald	sage, trefoil, promarulla, mugwort, mandrake	Increases riches, and victory and releases from poverty
	17th or 18th degree of Libra	Alchameth		jasper	plantain	Strengthens the blood and expels fevers
13	4th degree of Scorpio	Elpheia	Venereal and Martial
	According to another computation in the 5th degree of Scorpio	Cornea (maybe the same as above)		topaz	rosemary, trefoil and ivy	Increases grace, chastity and glory
14	3rd degree of Sagittarius	Heart of the Scorpion	Martial and Jovial	sardonyx, amethyst	long birthwort, saffron	Makes the colour good, the mind happy and wise and drives out daemons
15	7th degree of Capricorn	Falling Vulture	Mercurial and Venerial	chrysolite	savory, fumitory	Temperate; beneficial when in ASC or MC
16	16th degree of Aquarius	Tail of Capricorn	Saturnine and Mercurial	chalcedony	marjoram, catnip, mugwort and mandrake	Furnishes favour in lawsuits, increases wealth and makes men and their homes safe
17	3rd degree of Pisces	Shoulder of the Horse	Jovial and Martial

*Positions of fixed stars are correct for the time Ficino published De Vita in 1489.

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Compare also to my previous blog entry:

Fixed Stars, Gemstones and Plant Correspondences – a Potted History

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*Kaske and Clark: Marsilio Ficino, Three Books on Life, A Critical Edition and Translation wit Introduction and Notes, Arizona 2002

Between Darkness and Light – Comet ISON

On 21 September 2012 05:15AM, a comet named ISON was discovered at the ISON-Kislovodsk observatory, Russia. It is believed that ISON may prove to be brighter than a full moon when it is set to appear by the end of 2013.

This is the election chart for the discovery:

The picture below shows the path of comet ISON with its perihelion in 06*49′ Sagittarius, on 28 November 2013:

(via the website of the Planetary Society, http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/space-images/charts/comet-ison-predicted-path.html)

In 1680 William Greene already mentions comets in signs in his Memento to the World, writing about the appearance of a comet in Sagittarius:

 “In Sagitary it denotes Evil to Great Men, Controversies about Religion and Laws, Feavers and other dangerous Infirmities”

He also quotes a poem by Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas from 1578:

  “Here in the Night appears a flaming Spire,

There a fierce Dragon folded, all in fire;

Here a bright Comet, there a fiery stream,

Here flying Lances, there a burning Beam;

Here seems an Horned Goat, environed round,

With fiery flakes, about the air to bound,

There with long, Bloody Hair, a Blazing Star,

Threatening the World with Famine, Plague and War.

To Princes Death, to Kingdoms many Crosses,

To all Estates inevitable losses,

To Herdsmen Rots, to Ploughman hapless seasons,

To Sailors Storms, to Cities civil Treason.”

Around the time of its perihelion, at the end of November 2013, comet ISON will be conjunct the fixed star Dschubba sitting at the head of the constellation Scorpio. Dschubba is believed to be of the nature of Mars and has some of Saturn’s characteristics as well.

Reinhold Ebertin writes in Die Bedeutung der Fixsterne, that  Dschubba would be detrimental:

“[t]o material wealth, it causes problems, difficulties, impediments and loss.” (p.55)

This similarity to the greater and lesser malefic suggests that Dschubba is close in nature to comets, which are, as we have seen before, bringer of famine, plague and war.  We can therefore conclude that the conjunction between comet and fixed star will enhance the potential for negative occurrences.

Due to the precession of the equinoxes the constellation of Scorpius overlaps with the tropical zodiac sign of Sagittarius. To be able to try and predict the events symbolized by comet ISON, we have to consider both, the sidereal Scorpius and the tropical Sagittarius to get a clearer picture.

Diana Rosenberg says about the region of Scorpius/Sagittarius in her Secrets of the Ancient Skies, that:

“[t]his is an area of night, the Serpent and the Scorpio, both denizens of dark, hidden places … dominate these longitudes … There is a direct conflict here between expansive, congenial tropical Sagittarius and the dark Scorpion underlying him.” (vol.2, p.272)

Manilius said about Scorpio that it would preside over armaments and makes men’s minds burn with eagerness for war; their hearts rejoice in the flow of blood, for slaughter as much as for acquiring booty.

But then we have to consider as well that there must be a calmer, more enlightened influence, coming from the tropical sign of Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter, the greater benefic. And, looking at the comet’s path again, we can see that after its perihelion, ISON will move sharply to the north, encountering Ophiuchus, the shaman. He is the mediator between heaven and earth, source of all wisdom and healing. But Ophiuchus is also forever encircled by the Serpent, forever struggling in a fight neither of them can win.

So after all it seems when dealing with the influence and possible effect of comet ISON we are reminded of a sentence from the Tabula Smaragdina:

That which is below is as that which is above, and that which is above is as that which is below, to perform the miracles of the one thing. 

With the appearance of comet ISON, the eternal struggle of darkness against light is once again played out in the heavens as well as on earth. Will Ophiuchus, the shaman, magician and healer, be successful in his battle against merciless violence, destruction, greed, and over-inflated materialism, and be able to keep the coming events, symbolised by comet ISON, which is so similar to the Serpent he is struggling with eternally, under his control?

As an addendum it should be noted that, according to Manilius and Ptolemy, Scorpio reigns over the eastern North African area, including Syria, Algeria, Morocco, and Libya .

UPDATE:

Comet ISON – the interactive model:

http://www.solarsystemscope.com/ison/

Keep track of comet ISON with the help of the ISON Comet of 2013 Astrology Viewer 1.0:

http://www.inner-sky.com/isonastrology.html

ALSO OF INTEREST:

The Astronomy & Astrology of Comet ISON

Of Beheadings, Fixed Stars and Eclipses

In only a few weeks’ time another lunar eclipse will be upon us. This time the Moon’s south node will be conjunct the fixed star Algol, renowned for its connection with sudden violence and danger, hinting at the fact that not everything might turn out to be as rosy as we would like it to be. To pick up the theme and provide the gentle reader with a graphic example of an eclipse’s predictive powers, I have chosen to delve deep into the occurrences happening in London, back in 1648, the year before the extraordinary execution of King Charles I took place.

Due to the recent publication of the excellent book The King’s Revenge, by Don Jordan and Michael Walsh, telling the story of King Charles II and his hunt for the regicides responsible for the death of his father, this might be a timely addition.

The picture above shows the birth chart of King Charles I, as given by the astrologer William Lilly in his Angelicus Merlin in 1652. Lilly also mentions elsewhere that the king

“[h]ad the Sun in his Radix with Cor Scorpii, and he laboured these two yeeres last past under the Medium Coeli to the conjunction of Mars.”

Without going into too much detail about the king’s nativity, I only want to highlight that his natal Libra Moon is conjunct fixed star Vindemiatrix, regarded by the ancients as unfortunate and associated with deception and disgrace.

The picture below shows the nativity in a form most of us are more accustomed to.

Looking at the important November 1648 lunar eclipse, we find that eclipse Jupiter is also conjunct fixed star Vindemiatrix. According to the Arab astrologer al-Biruni, Jupiter is the natural significator of kings, which seems to be fitting.

The November 1648 lunar eclipse took place only hours after the 48th birthday of King Charles I ; we can see that the eclipse Sun is nearly exactly conjunct the king’s Sun. This means of course as well that the eclipsed Moon is precisely opposing the king’s Sun. Furthermore, the eclipsed Moon is in King Charles I natal 10th house, which signifies kings in general. We have seen that the king’s natal Moon was conjunct Vindemiatrix and now we find that eclipse chart Jupiter, significator  of royalty, is once again conjunct fixed star Vindemiatrix, promising deception and disgrace to the king. To top it all, the Moon’s north node is conjunct the fixed star Bellatrix. According to Diana Rosenberg’s Secrets of the Ancient Skies, there seems to be a well known connection of this fixed star with imprisonments, assassinations, fanaticism and intolerance.

Recounting the factors, influencing the extreme event that happened so soon after the king’s 48th birthday, we find:

• Eclipsed Moon opposite natal Sun right at King Charles I solar return (birthday)
• Eclipsed Moon in the 10th house, signifying royalty
• Jupiter conjunct fixed star Vindemiatrix
• North node conjunct fixed star Bellatrix

The natal Sun, opposed by the eclipsed Moon is located in the 4th house, darkening the king’s life force and casting a shadow over his ancestral home. We know that only less than 2 months later, on 30th January 1649, King Charles I was executed in front of the Banqueting House which Inigo Jones had built for him.

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For an analysis of the November 2012 lunar eclipse, see my web log entry:

November 2012 lunar eclipse

On the Nine Spheres of Heaven

The transmission of Arab and Persian astrology took place from as early as the middle of the 12^th century. John of Seville, to name only one of the early scholars dedicated to support the survival of original source material, translated the works of famous astrologers like Alkindi, Albumasar, Messahala or Thebit ibn Qurra straight from the Arabic into Latin. Nevertheless it should take until the 16^th century before the first astrological works were printed and published in the vernacular. Stöffler and Pflaum published their Almanach Teutsch in 1510 and Regiomontanus published his Kalendarius Teutsch Maister Joannis Küngspergers in 1512.

But these were only almanacs and calendars, including prognostications for the coming year. It took another 40 years before one of the earliest astrological textbooks in German, Astronomia Teutsch Astronomei, was printed. The book was published in Frankfurt am Main in 1545 by Enriaco Jakob zu Bath.

Although the name of the author is unknown, he tells us about the source material used to produce this volume.

“and although/about this astronomy/some books have appeared in print before/but nearly none (according to my humble opinion) has led so far and explained so much in German/than this which my very good friend/Hans Orth von Bacharach/lover of astronomy/in a very old handwritten book/for the good of all Germans/has sent me [presumably Enriaco Jakob, the printer and publisher of this work]/wherein you will find much/about comets/and other things which have never been printed in German before […]”

One part of the book gives a detailed description of the “36 heavenly images or pictures in heaven”. These are to be found in the eighth sphere of heaven. The theory of the celestial spheres can be traced as far back as to the theories of Anaximander and Plato. Later on Ptolemy refined the theory of the spheres and in the Middle Ages Christian and Muslim philosophers modified the system to include an outermost region, the empyrean, or dwelling place of God. The idea of the celestial spheres continued to have a great influence on the imagination of may scholars and famous authors like Chaucer or Dante.

In the following I provide  a partial translation of the chapter On the Nine Spheres of Heaven, from Astronomia Teutsch Astronomei, 1545:

Above the firmament is the ninth heaven or sphere/in the same heaven are God and God’s angels/and all souls who are just/This ninth heaven is called Empirium/that is the fiery heaven/because it is a secret place of mighty power/and it is hidden from the people on earth/[it is] the throne upon which deity is sitting/a heaven of the uppermost trinity called Thronus/or the highest chair/he is a true Emperor/and a King of all kings/and a Master of all rulers/and in this ninth heaven there is no star and no planet/because this heaven is adorned with the highest Light of the brightness of God/and it is adorned in a way/that nobody may talk or write about it.

The eighth sphere is called the firmament of heaven/and therein are all the stars according to their order/and the stars are equal to the twelve signs of heaven/and it is said about these same stars that they are in the order of the xxxvi pictures in heaven/which is called firmament/and this is turned around more mightily than all the other wheels of movement/and out of this fast rotation comes such mighty heat/that the stars and the air have too much heat in them caused by the heat and warmth/and therefore has God/who is the highest artificer above it/put another heaven/which is called crystal heaven/and this heaven has the shape and form of pure water/and frozen ice/stronger than a crystal/and the cold of this crystal heaven withstands the warmth of the fiery heat/[and] a wheel is turning there/and God has set the firmament amidst the waters/and separates the waters from the waters/and it should not be understood that the crystal heaven is a heaven in itself/otherwise there would be ten spheres/but there are only nine. […]

The full translation of this chapter can be found in my published work A German Stargazer’s Book of Astrology. Find out more, HERE

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[See as well the related web log entry Athanasius Kircher on the Celestial Spheres]

Christine Hartley and the Western Mystery Tradition

Christine Hartley was born as Christine Campbell Thomson in London on May 31^st 1897, at 11:30 am. Although there is not much known about her youth, her nativity shows clearly that she was fortunate to be born into an important family who provided her with all the support she needed.

 

Her Part of Fortune is conjunct her Virgo Ascendant, casting a square aspect to her 10^th house Sun and Moon in Gemini, both conjunct her MC. It does therefore not come as a surprise that, after a short employment as a secretary in a literary agency, she founded her own agency. This is where she met John William Brodie-Innes, who, shortly after the end of the First World War, intended to publish a book with her. Brodie-Innes was a high-ranking member of the Order of the Golden Dawn and it is believed, that he was Dion Fortune’s teacher. He was as well a first-rate magician and immediately recognised Christine’s dormant magical abilities. There may have been some ancestral recognition also, as Brodie-Innes considered himself to be the reincarnation of John Dee, whilst Christine Hartley was in fact a descendant of Dee through common Welsh ancestors. Christine did not take Brodie-Innes up on his offer to teach her magic; it should still be quite a while indeed, before she would enter the world of occultism.

In 1927 Christine Hartley was approached by Dion Fortune; the latter intended to publish one of her books, “The Problem of Purity”. Like Brodie-Innes, Dion Fortune would as well have immediately recognised the innate magical potential in Christine, but it would take until 1932 for the two women to meet again. At this time Dion Fortune returned to Christine’s office and invited her to attend a lecture on Ceremonial Magic at the Society of the Inner Light.

This is, how the remarkable career of CCT, as Christine Hartley became to be known amongst her fellow members of the Society of the Inner Light, began. In 1937, when her training period was over, she was to meet the man who would become her priest or magical partner, Charles Seymour. In this year her primary directed Ascendant was sextile Sun, of which Lilly says:

Great Health of the Body, tranquillity of Mind,[…] new and eminent friends of great account[…] (CA p661)

 and sextile Moon, of which Lilly has to say:

[…] apt to undertake any matter [and] does follow his Profession with much alacrity[…] (CA p664).

Colonel Charles Seymour’s occult background was in Freemasonry, although it is likely that he knew Brodie-Innes. Alan Richardson says about Seymour in his recommended book Dancers to the Gods:

There is a curious reference in his diaries, which reads: ‘Working with Volens in the Museum Chambers’.[…] the whole statement calls to mind the old tradition that a Temple of the Golden Dawn once worked magic in the British Museum with the sanction and co-operation of E.A. Wallis Budge, the eminent Egyptologist.

For the next two years Christine and Seymour were working together, bringing a stream of Moon magic, which was rooted in the Celtic Otherworld, into the Western Mystery Tradition. In Christine’s nativity primary directed Sun and Moon are conjunct the fixed star Castor in 1938 and in 1939. According to Robson’s Fixed Stars and Constellations this is an indicator of ‘prominence in occult matters’ (Sun) and ‘occult interest and psychic ability’ (Moon).

Colonel Seymour left the Inner Light at the beginning of World War II. He died in 1943, but Christine Hartley continued her magical work. In 1945 she married Henry Alexander Hartley; they had been brought together by a book called The Science of Astrology, which he had written. The fact that it was a profected first house year shows the new beginning in her life. If one looks at the beautiful Venus in her nativity, one can get a good idea of the feminine aspect of her personality. Her Venus certainly is Lady of the Geniture, being domicile ruler, triplicity ruler and in trine aspect with Jupiter. Venus is placed in the 9^th house and trines the Ascendant as well as the Part of Fortune, a clear indicator of her role as a successful priestess in the Western Mystery Tradition.

In 1968 Christine published her masterpiece, The Western Mystery Tradition, wherein she weaves Celtic mythology into the greater occult picture. She does this with great knowledge showing her personal involvement and the magical experience of a lifetime.

Christine Hartley died on September 29th 1985, at the age of 88.

Fixed Stars, Gemstones and Plant Correspondences – a Potted History

In his book The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology, first published in 1923 and still in print, Vivian Robson provides a chapter on the correspondences between fixed stars, gemstones and plants. Unfortunately he does not share the origins of this knowledge with his readers, but only mentions that Cornelius Agrippa wrote much about “magical ceremonies”.

In the following I give a summary of the correspondences between fixed stars, gemstones and plants, according to Robson:   

Fixed Star	Gemstone	Plant
Aldebaran	Carbuncle, ruby	Milky thistle, “matry-silva”
Algol	Diamond	Black hellebore, mugwort
Algorab	Stones of the colour of black onyx	Burr, quadraginus, henbane, comfrey
Alphecca	Topaz	Rosemary, trefoil, ivy
Antares	Sardonyx, amethyst	Long aristolochy, saffron,
Arcturus	Jasper	Plantain
Capella	Sapphire	Horehound, mint, mugwort, mandrake
Deneb Algedi	Chalcedony	Marjoram, mugwort, nip, mandrake root
Pleiades	Crystal, the stone Diodocus	The herb Diacedon, frankincense, fennel
Polaris	Loadstone	Succory, mugwort, periwinkle flowers
Procyon	Achates	Flowers of marigold, pennyroyal
Regulus	Granite	Sallendine, mugwort, mastic
Sirius	Beryl	Savine, mugwort, dragonwort
Spica	Emerald	Sage, trefoil, periwinkle, mugwort, mandrake
Wega	Chrysolite	Succory, fumitary

Following Robson’s hint, a look into Cornelius Agrippa’s books shows that Agrippa has a similar list of correspondences to offer.  Here is a table, listing the correspondences between fixed stars, gemstones and plants after Agrippa in Three Books on Occult Philosophy, first English edition, 1651:

Fixed Star	Gemstone	Plant
Head of Algol	Diamond	Black hellebore, mugwort
Pleiades or Seven Stars	Crystall, Diodocus	Diacedon, frankincense, fennill
Aldeboran	Carbuncle, ruby	Milky thistle, matry-silva
Goat-Star	Saphir	Horehound, mint, mugwort, mandrake
Great Dog-Star	Berill	Savin, mugwort, dragonwort
Lesser Dog-Star	Achates	Flowers of Marigold, penyroial
Heart of the Lyon	Granate	Sallendine, mugwort, mastick
Taile of the lesser Bear	Loadstone	Succory, mugwort, flowers of periwinkle
Wing of the Crow	Such stones as are of the Colour of the black Onyx stone	Bur, quadraginus, henbane, comfrey
Spica	Emerald	Sage, trifoile, perwinkle, mugwort, mandrake
Alchamech	Jasper	Plantain
Elpheia	Topaze	Rosemary, trifoile, ivy
Heart of the Scorpion	Sardonius, amethyst	Aristolochy, saffron
Falling Vulture	Chrysolite	Succory, fumitary
Taile of Capricorn	Chalcedone	Majoram, mugwort, nip, root of mandrake

Agrippa names his sources as Hermes and Thebit, which leads us to the conclusion that he had access to Thabit ibn Qurra’s De Imaginibus, and the famous Liber Hermetis de xv stellis xv lapidibus xv herbis et xv imaginibus, which only seems to exist in the form of a few Latin manuscripts. Nevertheless we can catch a glimpse of the original set of correspondences. In 1390 John Gower published his Confessio Amantis. In book 7 of his monumental work he lists 15 fixed stars together with stones and herbs. Scholars who studied Gower’s work are convinced that he used various versions of Liber Hermetis in his Confessio Amantis.

The following is a list according to Gower’s Confessio Amantis, book 7:

Fixed Star	Gemstone	Plant
Aldeboran	Carbuncle	Anabulla
Clota or Pliades	Crystal	Fennel
Algol	Diamond	Black hellebore
Alhaiot	Sapphire	Horehound
Greater Dog Star	Beryl	Savin
Lesser Dog Star	Agate	Cowslip
Arial	Gorgonza	Celandine
Crow’s Wing	Honochinus	Sorrel
Alaezel	Emerald	Sage
Almareth	Jasper	Plantain
Venenas	Adamant	Chicory
Alpheta	Topaz	Rosemary
Scorpion’s Heart	Sardis	Birthwort
Botercadent	Chrysolite	Savory
Scorpion’s Tail	Chalcedony	Marjoram

Chihuahua Saves Dwarf in Welsh Woods

Recently, not far from where I live, the following tragedy unfolded. A 45 year old woman, suffering from dwarfism, got lost in the woods and was kept alive by the  little dog of her daughter. The full story can be found at: http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25240877-5012895,00.html 

For more details go to: http://www.northwalesweeklynews.co.uk/conwy-county-news/local-conwy-news/2009/03/26/colwyn-bay-woman-stranded-on-snowdonia-mountainside-survives-by-hugging-her-pet-chihuahua-55243-23232732/

The chart is set for the approximate time Mrs. Burkitt got lost in the woods in Snowdonia. Cornell tells us that a typical indication of  dwarfism can be: “… if  the Lord of the Ascendant and the Moon in the last degree of a sign”. If we consider that the Moon is just on the cusp, the chart, describing Mrs. Burkitt, seems to be radical. If we turn our interest to the little Chihuahua, we look at the Lord of the 6th house, Jupiter. He is in very good shape, being direct, fast moving and oriental. Interestingly both Jupiter and the Moon are peregrine, lost wanderers in the woods. Looking at the aspects, we find that Moon and Jupiter will perfect their conjunction in one unit of time – after about 24 hours, the ordeal will have come to an end and the little dog will have succeeded in its live saving efforts. The Part of Fortune in the 11th house, the house of friends, indicates the relationship between human and animal. If we have a look at the fixed stars, we find Moon’s South Node conjunct  Asellus Borealis and Asellus Australis. This indicates a fearless nature with a tendency to take risks. Furthermore we find Mars conjunct Fomalhault which is traditionally associated with fame and is said to stimulate mental capabilities. Mrs. Burkitt, according to the papers, remembered how to survive in the wilderness and kept on singing and dancing!

Helicopter crash

On April 1st 2009 at 13:57 PM a helicopter crashed in the North Sea, 14 miles from Peterhead. All 16 people on board were killed. The story can be found here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article6020787.ece.

The event chart very clearly shows a picture of this tragedy. The 9th house, representing the helicopter,  is ruled by Jupiter, which seems appropriate. If we turn the chart and look at the turned 6th house, representing the physical state of the helicopter, we find Saturn retrograde, in opposition to Mars in the 12th house. The ruler of the turned 6th house is Mercury, who is in the 9th house, being peregrine and combust. Saturn is conjunct the fixed star Mizar. If badly afflicted it can be connected with calamities. Martial in nature it can bestow violence and aggression. Looking at the turned 4th house, the end of matters, we find the Dragon’s Tail in it. It is conjunct Asellus Borealis, the Northern Ass.  A fearless nature is indicated, with a tendency to take risks or perform dangerous stunts. If we move on and look at the Moon, we find her in the turned 3rd house. She is in an applying square to Venus and conjunct the fixed star Polaris. This can show an instinctual sense of direction in life, however it has a reputation for loss and trouble or sickness. It is held to have the nature of Saturn and Venus. We have already observed the state of Saturn. Venus, in the 9th house is in mutual reception with Jupiter by term. Venus is in a terrible state, being combust, peregrine and in her detriment. Letting these facts speak for themselves, nothing more needs to be said about this terrible tragedy.

(please see as well: More on Helicopter Crash)