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In connection to the OP and Placidus:
''And sometimes, also, among the signs that ascend slowly the sextile aspect destroys, when it is afflicted, and again among the signs that ascend rapidly the trine.'' - Robbins, F. E. (1940). Tetrabiblos
I would argue that Ptolemy here uses ordinary ecliptic aspects in rapidly and slowly ascending signs, rather than ''in mundo'' aspects. Of course, the reasoning is based on temporal degrees, but the aspect can only occur in its ordinary ''ptolemaic'' aspect i.e. 60 or 120 ecliptical degrees. The reasoning seems similar to the sextiles in signs of ''equal power''.

Thoughts?

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Professor Robert Schmidt believed that “epi??? prefix is an intensifier which is narrowing the interval of the yoke, probably to 3 portions or less — hora?? vs ephora?? (aspect), blepó vs epiblepó (aspect), marturie vs epimarturie (testimony). Also, he presented to his students the concept of "interval", arguing that aspects are primarily sign based.

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Marius Cojoc wrote:Professor Robert Schmidt believed that “epi??? prefix is an intensifier which is narrowing the interval of the yoke, probably to 3 portions or less — hora?? vs ephora?? (aspect), blepó vs epiblepó (aspect), marturie vs epimarturie (testimony). Also, he presented to his students the concept of "interval", arguing that aspects are primarily sign based.
This is one of the things I liked about Schmidt's work because it wasn't merely mechanical, but had several levels of common sense built into it. For instance, the word aspect has "spectacle" implied in it. It is a word that indicates "seeing". There are different levels of "seeing" and then there's also blindness (aversion) which corresponds to the blind spots in our eyes (the sign adjacent). One doesn't have to look directly at something in order to "see" it, but narrow orbs (such as 3 degrees) indicates heightened awareness and focus. It indicates relative undivided attention and higher priority.

I used to have these silly debates with astrologers back in the 90's over this as to whether a planet was in aspect or not. If it was beyond 8 degrees and not one of the lights, then it was said to no longer be in aspect. This is a mechanical interpretation divorced from the underlying wisdom of the founding principles. Then they said "Schmidt's making things up". Maybe. But all things ancient were at one time "made up". The integrity with which something is made up should be of some sort of importance, but this seemed particularly missing, especially from modern techniques like astrocartography or chart patterns (splay, bundle, locomotive, kite, etc).

I consider astrology to be useful because life follows patterns. In fact it seems that our lives are very mathematical and set theoretical which forms channels of probability and possibility based upon a continual series of choices. But I've had serious doubts that the planets are actually "doing anything" other than being a grand clock with precisely timed events which one can map against. Maybe there is something deeper involved. It wouldn't surprise me. But I just find many of the debates I see on forums such as this to be driven too much by almost a religious devotion that hints at some sort of emotional crutch.

Most of you probably don't know this, but in 1993, I had two career paths: music and astrology and I was leaning more strongly into music until Project Hindsight was founded. Robert Schmidt is the only reason why any of you even know who I am, because I was ready to move on in the 1990's into a completely different field. Delphic Oracle would never have existed if Schmidt hadn't made the field interesting again.

I'm sure some of you are glad I've become inactive in these forums (I also no longer have a FB or Twitter account). Censorship is running amuck. Astrology as a career is fundamentally a "cadent" subject, but fintech is "angular". I will continue to work in the shadows on Delphic Oracle. However, developments in the crypto field command my attention at least temporarily because they will affect the legitimacy of the platforms all software is written on. Embarcadero Technologies has resorted to rent seeking behavior because of the failed model of closed IT systems developed by Microsoft, Apple and other centralized IT. SAAS didn't solve the security and IT quality issues either. Our world is about to be turned upside down over the power of crypto (FB Libra token), etc. Fake news is about to turn into "fake money".
Curtis Manwaring
Zoidiasoft Technologies, LLC

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Greetings,

Over the years, Professor Robert Schmidt changed his astrological statements. I don’t find this thing disturbing. The research he was doing had its obstacles. We must prise his lagecy. Thank you Mr. Manwaring!

As I understood the texts:

The unconditional placement of two planets in a figure is the subject of testimony — gr. “marturia???; the planet acts as a witness in a court; it can provide info. for past or future events (foresees).

The conditional placement of two planets in a figure is the subject of telling testimony — gr. “epimarturia???; the witness will reveal previously unknown information and its testimony is producing a striking effect — I will say for future events, if we encounter an application (“sunaphē???); possibly because of past events, if we encounter a separation (“aporroia???);

As a raw conclusion, if a given planet placed in a sign, succeeds to join in a figure with another planet before either of one leaves their signs, even if at the moment of birth between them is a large interval of portions, will be finally a subject of “epimarturia???.