Application Within Three Degrees

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Antiochus of Athens stated that 'contact' or 'application in the proper sense' occurred within an orb of three degrees. Lilly of Diseworth also stated that 'A Partile Aspect comes to pass within the difference of three degrees.' I would like to know if there is any particular reason as to why both Antiochus and Lilly privilege an orb of three degrees for application or perfection: is there an astrological reason? A numerological reason? An astronomical reason? A philosophical reason? I mention this because the Magi Society uses a uniform orb of three degrees for the conjunction, semi-sextile, sextile, square, trine, quincunx, and opposition. I have no idea why they do this, although perhaps it is a nod to Lilly? If anyone has any ideas as to why this distance of three degrees is preferred by Antiochus, Lilly, and/or the Magi astrologers, I would appreciate hearing about them. I have no solid ideas on this, so I'm pretty much open to anything. :?

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Hi Andrew,

Just some ideas ? but I?d have thought that it relates to the Law of Three, the Trinity, trine, triangulation that has carried on down through time.

Three being a number of harmony, complete unto itself (3 points enclose a circuit of self-sufficient energy until one of the points meets with a challenge).
Different groups of three giving rise to different meanings,
Eg.
?1 group of three: No.1 (Sun) x No.3 (Jupiter) = 3 (Jupiter). 1 x 3 = illuminating (Sun) opportunity (Jupiter) or Father?s (Sun) wisdom (Jupiter) etc. Masculine principle of creation, illumination, inspiration when associated with ?Fire?.

?2 groups of 3: No. 2 (Moon) x No. 3 (Jupiter) = No. 6 (Venus). As they say ?6 degrees of separation? or 60 degrees of separation (sextile)? 6 minutes of separation. Introduces the feminine into the opportunity equation. 2 x 3 = 6, Venus, love, daughter etc.

?3 groups of 3: No. 3 (Jupiter) x No. 3 (Jupiter) = 9 (Mars).

Re: 'A Partile Aspect comes to pass within the difference of three degrees.'

Perhaps key here are the words ?within the difference?.

I?d see part of this ?within the difference? as it relates to 2 (the point of division is illuminated, two bodies of 3 ? each one ?whole? in and of self ? conjoin/meet to emerge as a greater whole at point 3 - the middle point 2 ?within? the three where the application or aspect (glance) is perfect, brought into sharp focus by illuminating a difference through which its assimilated.

On passing this point of perfection it ?comes to pass within the difference?. Eg. Step 1(or degree 1) is applying; Step 2 is exact; step 3 it?s passed ? each degree is different, and at a glance (aspect) one is inspired to expand beyond self (1) so as to assimilate the difference(2) for a beneficial outcome (3).
Numerically:
No. 1 = Mars.
No. 2 = Moon.
No. 3. = Jupiter.

To look at it another way, if I stood in the middle of the zodiacal wheel and looked straight ahead, then the spatial expanse of conscious vision is ?perfected? or in complete focus at the middle point ?within? the boundary of three points, ie. from the peripheral point to my right (1), to the sharp focus of the point that lies directly before me (2) and peripheral point to my left (3).

Can?t see what lies behind the peripheral points when looking forward ? at least not with conscious, physical application of vision unless I had a mirror. Spatially the points that lie before me can also be seen above, but spatially what lies behind me I can?t see, same as I can?t see what lies below, beneath the surface I stand on.

Those three points could be equated to three angles of the zodiac, which contain two Quadrants. Where those two Quadrants converge is the point where I have ?perfect? direct vision, the focus converges or perfects at point 2, directly before me.

No matter which direction one turns, whilst in the middle of the wheel the range of peripheral vision remains the same with something new coming into focus as something leaves the range ? at any one time able to see only ?half? of the whole through physical vision.
Square root of 4 (2 of the 4 Quadrants), which introduces the quadrature aspects ? square, opposition - the point where the two Quadrants meet is point 2 and is the point of difference ?within? the three degrees that presents the opportunity for growth by harmoniously integrating the challenge that?s suggested by the 2nd degree and passing it.

Narrowing the 3 points that define the boundaries of the 2 Quadrants back to degrees, I?d have thought same 1-2-3 principle applies.

Or, if I shift positions to stand in the sign ascending in the zodiac at the start of a new year (Spring equinox) ? Aries ? then what can easily be observed within range of vision is that which lies from Leo on my right to Sagittarius on my left in the natural scheme of things. What lies before Leo and beyond Sagittarius in the circle is in my peripheral vision.

Standing at the Aries Ascendant:

Mars = No. 9 (rules Aries)
Sun = No. 1 (rules Leo)
Jupiter = No. 3. (rules Sagittarius)

Fire energy, masculine principle of creation.

Leo ? Sun ? Father
Aries - Mars - Son
Sagittarius ? Jupiter ? Spirit

Observing the Sun?s natural passage from east to west, in line with numbering of the Quadrants (Q1 = Houses 12,11,10 etc) - standing at Aries we see ?son of the right hand? (Benjamin, southern tribe) ? (Aries-Mars-Son) of the right hand (Leo-Sun-Father) when motion is clockwise.

In Hebrew, the letters of the alphabet also serve as numbers, correlating to the decimal numbering system, also the cycles of the moon (important in Hebraic religious consciousness) ? the right to left writing showing a correlation with the Moon?s steady movement throughout the month further and further to the left of the Sun.

If ?within the difference of three degrees? = 2, then with No. 2 = Moon which introduces the quadrature aspects and brings in idea of the harmony/perfection brought about by integrating No. 2, the feminine/mother principle - the soul - with the masculine/father principle.

The right side of the brain is associated with intuitive, feeling, spatial, holistic, visual, artistic (feminine principle).
The left is associated with the logical, rational, analytical, verbal, mathematical, linear etc (masculine principle).

In considering the passage of the Sun and Hebrew attunement to the Moon, this reflected by the Hebrew linguistic practice of writing right to left ? it also illuminates the shift from the matriarchal (right to left, moon/ mother/ mind ? noting Judaism is carried down through the mother?s side) to the patriarchal (left to right) ? Greek is written left to right as is English.

This shift to a patriarchal view which resulted in the destruction of records etc on a grand scale (Antiochus IV Epiphanes ca. 215-164 BCE) resulting in changes to scripture, cosmological understandings, change from use of the Moon as the basis of calendar etc, a suppression of knowledge that contributed to bringing about the? ?dark age? ? but not to the extent the shift and destruction was able to eclipse earlier knowledge already in Kabbalistic thought, as well as evidenced by Archimedes, the younger contemporary of Aristarchus: ?His hypotheses are that the fixed stars and the sun remain unmoved, that the earth revolves about the sun in the circumference of a circle, the sun lying in the middle of the orbit." To which Cleanthes (who died about 232BC ? pre Antiochus IV Epiphanes) "thought it was the duty of the Greeks to indict Aristarchus of Samos on the charge of impiety for putting in motion the Hearth of the Universe (i.e. the earth), this being the effect of his attempt to save the phenomena by supposing the heaven to remain at rest and the earth to revolve in an oblique circle, while it rotates, at the same time, about its own axis."

In addition to their numerical correlations, the Hebrew letters have characteristics of spatial and temporal extension ? are given correspondences related to space, time & soul.

In Kabbalistic thought, the ecliptic pole is thought of as defining the axis of the universe around which the two great circles of the masculine Sun and the feminine Moon meet and where earthly and spiritual achieve a mystical union (the lunar nodes). The True Node becomes stationary 3 times each year for about 2 months (magnifying situations of change or decision). Again, a repetition of the 3 ? and the 3 x 2 = 6? the union of the masculine-feminine that signals opportunity for greater understandings.

Don?t know if any of this helps at all, hopefully it might inspire some further thoughts ? but I do think the rationale for the 3 degrees would be based upon the Law of Three, the Trine, Holy Trinity, triangulation etc (in astronomy relating to the ?Inverse Square Law??)

Kind regards,
TS.

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Thank you for sharing your thoughts: certainly an example of 'fides quaerens intellectum, fides quaerens dialogum,' far superior to blind acceptance of past practices. Antiochus and Lilly must have had a reason for this rule, whatever it might have been.

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Thanks Andrew, I appreciate your words ? forgot to mention, probably goes back to Pythagoras/ the Pythagoreans (if not before) as they considered three the first true number, ie:
?The all-perfect multitude of forms.?
Iamblichus ?Life of Pythagoras? transl. by Thomas Taylor in Theoretic Arithmetic? and Aristotle De caelo (On the Heavens):

?A magnitude if divisible one way is a line, if two ways a surface, and if three a body. Beyond these there is no other magnitude, because the three dimensions are all that there are, and that which is divisible in three directions is divisible in all.

?For, as the Pythagoreans say, the world and all that is in it is determined by the number three, since beginning and middle and end give the number of an ?all?, and the number they give is the triad.

?And so, having taken these three from nature as laws of it, we make further use of the number three in the worship of the Gods. Further, we use the terms in practice in this way. Of two things, or men, we say ?both?, but not ?all?: three is the first number to which the term ?all? has been appropriated. And in this, as we have said, we do but follow the lead which nature gives.?

Perhaps could be seen as a partile aspect comes to pass within the 'all' .. the 'all' being an orb of 3.

Kind regards,
TS

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Perhaps could be seen as a partile aspect comes to pass within the 'all' .. the 'all' being an orb of 3.
Ah! Thank you! The extracts were wonderful. I suspected that, given the words of Antiochus, the reason must have been philosophical or even numerological -- why, after all, 360 degrees for the ecliptic? The reasons make perfect (metaphysical) sense. The philosophy first, then astronomy.