In your actual practice of astrological delineation, how important are the stars?

I considers stars a major (primary) element in chart delineation..
Total votes: 6 (38%)
I consider stars a minor (secondary) element in chart delineation.
Total votes: 4 (25%)
I rarely (or never) consider stars in chart delineation.
Total votes: 6 (38%)
Total votes: 16

16
All stars and planets culminate and anti-culminate at some point during the day/night but they do not culminate at the zenith (or anti-culminate at the Nadir). Only stars (or planets) that have declinations equal to the geographical latitude of the place would culminate exactly on the zenith and anti-culminate exactly on the Nadir.
Thanks Astrojin. I thought that was the case. I just wanted to double check. I have been using Solar Fire but I dont have Brady's Starlight programme.
Anyway visually I take stars where the ecliptic crosses the local meridian (I hope I'm right here).
This is the source of my confusion too. :???: I particularly want to clarify this as I have just ordered Starry Night to assist me in calculating in mundo conjunctions with planets. Brady's list of stars excludes a lot of traditionally important stars. Plus I dont really agree with many of her star delineations.

Margherita wrote:
About Brady I don't understand where she took this thing of considering daily paran- I would be curious to see which texts she quotes.
I confess when I first came across Brady's approach to stars I misunderstood it and thought she was simply proposing Local Horizon co-ordinates such as local horizon (rising), zenith. However, it is more sophisticated than that and takes the co-arising degrees of the four angles into account ( ASC, MC, DESC, & IC). She cites Anonymous of 379 as her main source for this technique. Her primary focus is stars and planets simultaneously co-arising on one of the four angles.

However, it is not correct to equate Brady's approach as identical with that of Anonymous of 379. Firstly, Anonymous spends quite a bit of space delineating just stars alone on angles. Brady gives very little attention to this approach. Secondly, he only seems to be suggesting delineation for the exact time of birth. The idea of delineating parans that will form before or after birth is not suggested by Anonymous. This seems to be an innovation of Bernadette Brady. Thirdly, Anonymous projects stars on to the ecliptic. Some of these are well outside the ecliptic. Brady, completely rejects any zodiacal projection. Sounds a bit like you in that respect Margherita?

Mark
As thou conversest with the heavens, so instruct and inform thy minde according to the image of Divinity William Lilly

17
Among his other mystical-but-highly-intriguing concepts, Mathers (that's S.L. MacGregor Mathers, co-founder of the Golden Dawn in the late 1880's) stated (in his rarely available astrological "flying rolls") that "the initiates" considered the "Star Commando" to be that star either at the declination of the latitude of the geographical center of each continent, or, if no star were to be found within 1 degree (either side) of that place, the star which touches the horizon of that location (90-geographical latitude), just exactly as Astrojin has described in the above posting!!
Thanks Dr farr,

I love that term 'Star commando'. Its sounds like the title for a good science fiction movie. :D I like to describe planets in contact with powerful fixed stars as 'super-charged'.

As Margherita has pointed out Jean Stade preceded Maher by about 300 years. Jean Stade proposed the idea of cities latitude linked to stars directly above them by declination or by horizon. Its fun to check out your local vertical star and horizon. New York for example currently has Algol as its vertical star.... :shock:

Here is an link to Margherita's excellent translation of Jean Stade from her blog: http://heavenastrolabe.net/stade-on-fixed-stars/
As thou conversest with the heavens, so instruct and inform thy minde according to the image of Divinity William Lilly

18
Hello,

From MarkC
Plus I dont really agree with many of her star delineations.
Yes! I too disagree with many of her delineations. Her technqiues are similar to Anonymous 379 (though not identical). Her techniques are really worth a looking but her delineations must be studied with other traditional astrologers' delineations. Just remember fixed stars may mean differently for different charts (natal and mundane).

19
MarkC wrote: However, it is not correct to equate Brady's approach as identical with that of Anonymous of 379. Firstly, Anonymous spends quite a bit of space delineating just stars alone on angles. Brady gives very little attention to this approach. Secondly, he only seems to be suggesting delineation for the exact time of birth. The idea of delineating parans that will form before or after birth is not suggested by Anonymous.


I agree: I never saw anywhere the idea of taking previous or forthcoming "parans". Why should previous or forthcoming configurations of celestial bodies be influential in a chart?

Anyway I have the idea that when someone mentions a work should quote, at least a reference so the others can check.
Quotes don't spoil the reading of a text, they help the poor reader to understand if the writer is inventing a new technique-

Thirdly, Anonymous projects stars on to the ecliptic. Some of these are well outside the ecliptic. Brady, completely rejects any zodiacal projection. Sounds a bit like you in that respect Margherita?
well, what ancients did with stars is not very clear to me. Rethorius, Mashallah and the others who updated the catalogue of the Anonymous 379 updated longitudes of stars, true, but were always generic about what they were doing.

For example Albumasar updated this catalogue (it is edited and translated by Prof.Burnett in Liber de stellis beibeniis, Textus Arabicus et translatio Latina, Cura et studio P. K. In: Hermetis Trismegisti astrologica et divinatoria (Corpus Christianorum, Continuatio Mediaevalis CXLIV C = Hermes Latinus, tom. IV, pars IV). Turnhout: Brepols 2001) and then used this catalogue in order to update Teucer list in Liber VI about facies, which is a text about RISING stars.

Moreover some stars are not where they should be, for example Bears in Ptolemy are around longitude 60, but for some strange idea everybody -Albumasar, Manilius, Vettius Valens :) put them at the end of the zodiac. Why?
I have the idea that ancients mixed several different catalogues and then got a standard list without any link with reality.

What I do? I don't use Brady parans, I want to see a traditional quote before doing.

For the rest in modern charts I use CieloeTerra method. If ancients took rising and culminating values of stars, why taking the rest in longitude?

A star in fact does not rise with its longitude, as Astrojin said. so it's strange they used different methods for the same star, true?

I'm aware several authors use stars in longitude, but they always used a very large orb, I have the idea because they were unsure too about what they should do...

I use the same technique, which can be stupid, but solves many problems.

margherita
Traditional astrology at
http://heavenastrolabe.wordpress.com

20
Well, I would like to make two comments.

First, although I have absolutely no problem with using parans and other ways to analyse fixed stars, I sometimes get worried when traditionalists move the pendulum too far, and go to the opposite direction, just to prove a point.

So, we have all used divisional houses, but today there is this whole sect who want to dismiss houses as a mistranslation. I have a feeling that the same can happen with fixed stars: "oh, the tradition used the stars only with in RA", when several sources also speak of stars by longitude. I am not saying that contributors of this thread are doing that, I am saying that there is this strong trend in the traditional community to dismiss what works just because something "old" appears.

Second point is that, at least to me, the most important problem would be how to interpret them. I feel that delineations are scarce and hard to work. We all can say something seeing Algol (be it in longitude or ascension) in the ASC. But what about Deneb Kaitos and Lesath?

Frawley uses the symbolism of the star based on the constellation. Some use only the dual nature given by Ptolemy (mars-saturn, mars-jupiter, etc). Brady seems to have simply invented their own meaning based on the interpretation of celebrities charts.

It is easy to say something like "oh, algol is doing such and such thing on Bush?s chart", but if it was a mystery chart, would you be willing, for instance, to change your judgement because of a star? Would regulus in the ascendant make a phlegmatic a "go getter"? Would a star of mars nature in the MC bring animosity even with venus as ruler? etc, etc, etc. It is easy to talk about the stars in abstract, but I feel it is a lot harder to talk about their meaning in the particular context of real charts.

best regards
Meu blog de astrologia (em portugues) http://yuzuru.wordpress.com
My blog of astrology (in english) http://episthemologie.wordpress.com

21
I have found, in practice, the Ptolemaic planetary-quality allocations, coupled with Robson's material, and (personal) interpretations I have derived from Allen, Bullinger, and Alvidas (on overlooked astrological authority), to work best (for me) in determining the meaning/influence of many of the stars. Being an esotericist, I have also considered the indications of several stars as given in kabbalistic and hermetic practices, magic, also certain stellar indications found in Taoist practices.

The "constellationofwords" website gives many of the meanings/indications from Ptolemy, Allen and Robson. But I must agree with Yuzuru that we possess only a relatively small amount of stellar indications (when compared with what we have regarding the planets and signs)

22
Hello Yuzuru
yuzuru wrote: First, , I sometimes get worried when traditionalists move the pendulum too far, and go to the opposite direction, just to prove a point.
I am not saying that contributors of this thread are doing that, I am saying that there is this strong trend in the traditional community to dismiss what works just because something "old" appears.
I don't want dismiss modern work. Just I don't like when someone talks about a "traditional technique" and nobody can find an example of it in traditional texts.
Do Brady's parans work? It is not a problem for me, but just I would like to see a quote, some lines of text or a reference, work title, page, chapter.

I don't like this way to present things of "ancients" without whatever quotes.


Second point is that, at least to me, the most important problem would be how to interpret them. I feel that delineations are scarce and hard to work. We all can say something seeing Algol (be it in longitude or ascension) in the ASC. But what about Deneb Kaitos and Lesath?

Frawley uses the symbolism of the star based on the constellation. Some use only the dual nature given by Ptolemy (mars-saturn, mars-jupiter, etc). Brady seems to have simply invented their own meaning based on the interpretation of celebrities charts.
I don't like this thing of Frawley too. We have plenty of texts about the meaning of fixed stars, we don't need any further explication.
We don't have a special meaning for Lesath? It could be that just this star has no meaning, which need to have to invent it.

We have so many things in a chart, the ruler of temperament, the ruler of geniture, the almuten, the planet who determines the quality of the soul, the hyleg and the alchoden, and so on.....

Why we should add Lesath? It sound for me like Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. Everything happening to a native we tend - me included, I started with modern astrology- "it is Uranus transit to the Ascendant".... :)

As you say if Lesath rises with the Ascendant it adds some Mercury/Mars quality to the temperament. It's quite enough for us.
It is easy to talk about the stars in abstract, but I feel it is a lot harder to talk about their meaning in the particular context of real charts.
I agree. Let alone beibenie, which are standard in meaning and very influential, the other stars should be considered in the general context.

margherita
Traditional astrology at
http://heavenastrolabe.wordpress.com

Mathers' Star Commando's

23
The following are the continental "Star Commando's" which I referred to in my posting about Mathers' concepts (above) These are presented only for general interest.

As stated above, Mathers considered the star at the geographical center of each continent to be the "central", "commanding" or "guiding" star for that entire continent (he also considered the starry constellation in which the Star Commando was found to be the "continental constellation", ie, the starry constellation of most influence upon that continent) In determining the geographical center of each of the following continents, I have referenced Wikipedia and several other sources on the internet: the geographical center of Europe (given below) and of Asia, are subject of some controversy among modern geographers (the computations I used for Europe are based upon the "extreme points" calculations; for Asia, upon the work of Chinese government geographers-the greatest controversy surrounds the Asia geographic center figure) For the stars I have used latitude (as referenced in the constellationofwords latitude star list)

+North America (100:10 West 48:10 North)
Star Commando = Princeps
Continental Constellation = Bootes

+South America (55:45 West 15:26 South)
Star Commando = Mira
Continental Constellation = Cetus (the Whale)

+Asia (87:20 East 43:40 North)
Star Commando = Alphecca
Continental Constellation = Corona borealis (the Northern Crown)

+Australia (134:21 East 25:36 South)
Star Commando = Alnitak/Alnilam (essentially Cingula Orionis)
Continental Constellation = Orion

+Africa (18:04 East 2:02 North)
Star Commando = Zaniah
Continental Constellation = Virgo

+Europe (7:30 East 60:00 North)
Star Commando = Deneb Adige
Continental Constellation = Cygnus (the Swan)

24
Bernadette Brady did something similar with her parans - if you've ever read her Visual Astrology Newsletter, she does talk about parans as concern particular cities sometimes, not particular people, for example, how the same stars are prominent at the swearing-in of every US president because of the location, etc.

From what little I've seen of the technique (not enough to really come down on its side, though), parans seem to have some bearing on people, but I tend to use conjunctions (sometimes other aspects if a planet is already conjunct a star) on the ecliptic.

Recent (since 2000) Stellar Ingresses

25
Some of us consider ingresses of certain stars into new (tropical) signs important modulations of celestial influence (relating mostly but not exclusively to mundane-and certain esoteric- considerations) The following stellar ingresses have occured (or soon will) since about 2000:

+approximately 2000:

-Mirach, a 2.4 mag. star in the constellation of Andromeda, moved into the sign of Taurus.

-Alcyone, of the Pleiades, a 3 magnitude star, moved into the sign of Gemini


+approximately 2010

-Menkalinan, a variable 1.9 magnitude star of the constellation Auriga, moved into the sign of Cancer


+upcoming approximately 2012

-Regulus, a 1.35 magnitude star of the constellation Leo (the "Heart of the Lion") moves into the sign of the Virgin.

26
I have her 2 books on Fixed Stars and her Starlight program.

Bernadette Brady's interpretations of the stars based on mythology.
She wrote that the stars that she uses in her system are the ones that are mythologically bright.
Furthermore, not everybody born on the same day has the same parans in Brady's method.
The location factors.
Also time can be critical for the parans involving the moon

27
Both Actress Winona Ryder and I were born on October 29, 1971.
She was born in Rochester, Minnesota at 11 AM.
I was born in San Francisco, California at 3:20 AM
She and I have very different parans with Brady's method.


Brady's paran method includes body motion, only stars visible from location
and the day starting at previous Sunrise - Egyptian,Roman

there are 6 paran day start options that leave to different parans

Solar Fire's paran method includes Circumpolar Nadir and the day starting at Local Midnight- Modern

Therefore, Solar Fire's method is very different from Brady's method which leads to different parans.





MY PARAN ANALYSIS
Star Options: Absolute, Visible from Location
Orbs: 2.00 mins (00°30') parans 4.00 mins (01°00') angles
Day Start: Just before Sunrise (28 Oct 1971 07:32)
Planets: Traditional
¥ Sun, ¦ Moon, § Mercury, ¨ Venus, © Mars, ª Jupiter, « Saturn
Stars: Brady

STARS ON ANGLES AT MOMENT
<None>

HELIACAL RISING STAR
Spica - Rising 51 mins 47 secs before Sunrise -
Wanting to use one's talents for the greatest possible good

HELIACAL SETTING STAR
Alpheratz - Setting 61 mins 45 secs before Sunrise -
Always reaching for greater levels of self expression or freedom

PARANS - BY ANGLE
RISING - Stars of Your Youth
Alpheratz as ª Jupiter is Culminating orb 00 mins 30 secs -
The explorer, inventor and/or reformer
Markab as « Saturn is On Nadir orb 00 mins 43 secs -
Seeking respect by endeavouring to build reliable structures and ideas
Deneb Adige as « Saturn is Setting orb 01 mins 02 secs -
To act against the tide of society’s expectations

CULMINATING - Stars of Your Prime
Zuben Eschamali as ¨ Venus is Culminating orb 00 mins 45 secs -
To feel strongly regarding what is right, and what is wrong
Algol as © Mars is Setting orb 00 mins 51 secs -
A constructive, but also destructive, person - Curtailed passage
Menkar as § Mercury is On Nadir orb 00 mins 56 secs -
To speak for the collective
Sadalmelek as ¦ Moon is Culminating orb 00 mins 57 secs -
Good, or fortunate, associations; one's creative work is well received
Alderamin as ª Jupiter is Setting orb 01 mins 38 secs -
To create an illusion but with dignity and pride - Circumpolar
Antares as ª Jupiter is Culminating orb 01 mins 38 secs -
The engineer, a person who can envisage a structure, material or social
Acubens as ¥ Sun is Rising orb 01 mins 39 secs -
The Healer, a person who sees life as sacred

SETTING - Stars of Your Latter Years
Alphard as § Mercury is Culminating orb 00 mins 45 secs -
The revealer or holder of secrets, an investigating mind, a sharp tongue
Regulus as © Mars is Rising orb 00 mins 54 secs -
Maintaining faith in one’s skills
Arcturus as ª Jupiter is Setting orb 01 mins 08 secs -
Someone who is seen as a brave or bold leader

ON NADIR - Stars of Your Foundation
Antares as ª Jupiter is On Nadir orb 01 mins 12 secs -
The engineer, a person who can envisage a structure, material or social
Aldebaran as ¦ Moon is Rising orb 01 mins 16 secs -
Physically gifted, or a lover of nature
Zuben Eschamali as ¨ Venus is On Nadir orb 01 mins 46 secs -
To feel strongly regarding what is right, and what is wrong





WINONA'S PARAN ANALYSIS
Star Options: Absolute, Visible from Location
Orbs: 2.00 mins (00°30') parans 4.00 mins (01°00') angles
Day Start: Just before Sunrise (29 Oct 1971 07:44)
Planets: Traditional
¥ Sun, ¦ Moon, § Mercury, ¨ Venus, © Mars, ª Jupiter, « Saturn
Stars: Brady

STARS ON ANGLES AT MOMENT
Antares - Rising at the Ascendant orb 02 mins 46 secs -
Perpetuating, or being subjected to, polarizing events
Betelgeuse - Setting at the Descendant orb 03 mins 06 secs -
A person who is empowered by a successful attitude

HELIACAL RISING STAR
Spica - Rising 58 mins 20 secs before Sunrise -
Wanting to use one's talents for the greatest possible good

HELIACAL SETTING STAR
Alpheratz - Setting 49 mins 15 secs before Sunrise -
Always reaching for greater levels of self expression or freedom

PARANS - BY ANGLE
RISING - Stars of Your Youth
Mirach as « Saturn is On Nadir orb 00 mins 16 secs -
A loved leader, or a person’s work is loved - Curtailed passage
Denebola as ¦ Moon is Setting orb 01 mins 12 secs -
The anthropologist, an interest in different lifestyles
Al Rescha as § Mercury is Setting orb 01 mins 16 secs -
To take ideas from one world and use them in another
Vega as ¥ Sun is Rising orb 01 mins 31 secs -
Seeing the magic in life, touching another world
Alcyone as ¨ Venus is Setting orb 01 mins 40 secs -
A love of theatre or the rituals of religion: the poetic soul
Rukbat as ¦ Moon is Rising orb 01 mins 45 secs -
Providing a foundation, or beginning, for the people or ideas that you love

CULMINATING - Stars of Your Prime
Altair as § Mercury is Setting orb 00 mins 15 secs -
A military mind, a brave and independent thinker
Mirfak as ¨ Venus is On Nadir orb 00 mins 29 secs -
To be candid in personal, and public, relationships - Circumpolar
Antares as ª Jupiter is Culminating orb 00 mins 51 secs -
The engineer, a person who can envisage a structure, material or social
Algol as § Mercury is On Nadir orb 00 mins 56 secs -
The passionate, intense writer or communicator - Curtailed passage
Arcturus as ¥ Sun is Culminating orb 00 mins 58 secs -
A pathfinder, to break new ground
Rukbat as ¥ Sun is Setting orb 01 mins 21 secs -
To be persistent in your aims, to be unswerving in your goals
Capulus as ¥ Sun is On Nadir orb 01 mins 43 secs -
To be harsh or experience harshness - Circumpolar

SETTING - Stars of Your Latter Years
Facies as ¦ Moon is Culminating orb 00 mins 23 secs -
Emotionally experiencing violence or turmoil
Sadalsuud as § Mercury is On Nadir orb 00 mins 40 secs -
Honest and direct in one's thinking
Ankaa as ¥ Sun is On Nadir orb 00 mins 54 secs -
The desire to alter and transform

ON NADIR - Stars of Your Foundation
Antares as ª Jupiter is On Nadir orb 00 mins 25 secs -
The engineer, a person who can envisage a structure, material or social
Acubens as « Saturn is Rising orb 00 mins 35 secs -
The cartographer; one who maps, records or collects people, events, or things
Arcturus as ¥ Sun is On Nadir orb 00 mins 58 secs -
A pathfinder, to break new ground
Acubens as ª Jupiter is Setting orb 01 mins 52 secs -
Joy from one’s children; to be blessed with fruitfulness and vitality