The Book of Nativities and the Centiloquy of Hermes

with an alliance. When indeed the Sun and Moon are unfortunate, they destroy and add misfortune in evil and destruction. When they are in their own dignity Dignity refers to a planet being in a zodiac sign where it has natural strength, or with their misfortunes, they will remove the evil from the misfortunes; but it is not to be said thus of Mercury. When he is with a misfortune, he will increase the evil and the misfortune. When, in any birth, they are surrounded by unfortunate luminaries, they will not be able to harm by the will of God, or at least they will harm very little. Similarly, when the misfortunes falling in a birth are the Hyleg The planet or point that determines the life force and longevity of the newborn, they will not harm in the revolution of the years. Furthermore, if the lord Alcocoden The planet that determines the number of years a person will live, based on the Hyleg's position is joined to the Sun in the birth, he adds his "lesser years." The Head of the Dragon The North Node of the Moon, generally considered auspicious neither adds nor diminishes. The Head of the Dragon, however, strengthens the Alcocoden. The Tail The South Node of the Moon, generally considered malefic weakens it and brings sickness to the native. Thabit said: Likely referring to Thabit ibn Qurra, a famous 9th-century astronomer/astrologer When the Alcocoden is in the same degree with the Head of the Dragon, it adds a fourth part of its years to the Alcocoden; but if it is with the Tail, it diminishes a fourth part from the Alcocoden. And if a planet in the birth, being stronger, reaches a better degree than it was at birth, it will direct and impel the native from weakness to strength and sublimity. But if it reaches a worse degree, it will do the opposite. When in the birth of any son of a king or prince the disposition of the heavens is evil, he will be unfortunate in his kingdom or principality. And this significance will be stronger if the planets from which the misfortune comes are in their ascension Rising in the sky and are mutual enemies, namely the "unfortunating" and the "unfortunate." For in that case, accidents of habits and place will happen to the native. When with this the misfortune is strong and that degree which is "unfortunated" is in a weak place, and the lord of its house does not behold it, nor does a fortune A "fortune" is a beneficial planet like Jupiter or Venus nor the fortunes apply to it by conjunction or aspect. Look in the birth of one whose life is short at the descension of the planets and their misfortune, as well as at the Sun. The Moon ascending, the Part of Fortune, and the degree of conjunction or prevention preceding the birth, and the degree of these significations is bound with a misfortune. For then the native shall die and his years shall end. You shall look at this regarding the weakness of the misfortune, because in whatever way it may be, whether falling, retrograde, or combust Too close to the Sun, thus weakened, and it has bound with it any of the aforesaid significations: it will kill the native, especially when his planets are unfortunate and the misfortunes are in the angles The 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th houses of a chart, where planets are most active. For if the Moon is in the 4th house or opposite its own place, it will kill the native. For if the Sun at the time of birth is in a "burning" house and a misfortune existing in an angle beholds it: the native will die at that hour when the Sun reaches the said misfortune. When the lord Alcocoden at the time of birth is unfortunate or in a weak place, and reaches the fourth aspect opposite its place, it will kill the native. When the native does not have an Alcocoden, look at the Part of Fortune and its lord, in which sign they fall: and take the degree of ascension of that sign in which the Part of Fortune is, according to the climate or latitude of that city in which he was born: and add upon this the circuit or revolution of the lord of the Part of Fortune: And say that the native shall live for as many months, days, or years according to the number of those degrees: or according to what you find in the years of the planets: for when the birth is unfortunate and the planets are unfortunate, and the lord of the Part of Fortune is unfortunate, then the native will live according to the aforesaid number for that many hours. But if the said planets are in the 10th house: the native will not complete a full year, unless God wills it. Know that when the ascending sign is at the 29th degree: the Athazir A method of directing or progressing a point in the chart to predict timing is of that 29th degree, and it is better from that if there is a fortune in the 2nd sign: because the lord of the 2nd will be a participant; since the said ascendant in that year and the following year will be alone in the following without the participation of the first.

Concerning the years of the planets: which the wise use in the partitioning of the birth. Chapter 13.

The wise have taken the circuits of the planets, namely Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus, and the Numbers according to their terms through the 12 signs: and from the conjunction of Mercury's terms with each other, they made the "greater years" of the planets. In the Sun and Moon, however, they took their Firdaria A system of planetary periods or "time lords" governing blocks of a person's life. And because the years of the Sun's firdaria are 10, they multiplied them by 12 and arrived at 120 years: which they called the greater years of the Sun. Similarly, the years of the Moon's firdaria are 9, which being multiplied by 12 will reach 108 years. Therefore, the greater years of the Moon will be 108. But they took the "middle years" of the Sun and Moon by the mediation of their greater years: and the addition of their "lesser years" and the mediation of the whole aggregate. For the greater years of the Sun are, as was said, 120, which being halved reach 60; if we add the lesser years of the Sun, which are 19, they reach 79; if we halve these, they reach the middle years of the Sun, which are 39 and a half. The cause why the lesser years of the Sun are 19 is that from the beginning of Aries to the degree in which it is exalted are 19 degrees. Therefore the ancient wise men made their lesser years according to the quantity of these degrees. And because from the appearance of the Moon after its conjunction with the Sun until it is joined to it again are 25 days, they said that the lesser years of the Moon are 25. The years of Mercury are 20, because from the beginning of its hiding under the rays of the Sun until its appearance are 20 days. But the lesser years of Saturn are 30, because in 30 years it completes the circuit of its circle. Similarly, the lesser years of Jupiter are 12, because in 12 years it completes the circuit of its circle. The years of Mars are 15, because in that many months it makes a circle from the house of its diurnal sign, which is Aries, to the sign of its nocturnal sign, which is Scorpio. But the lesser years of Venus are eight, because in eight months it completes its circle. The middle years of the five aforesaid planets, namely Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury, are obtained thus: Take their lesser or small years: And add them with their greater years, and then subtract half; what remains after the subtraction will be the middle years.

Concerning the science of the divisors or the partitioning of the years of the native. Chapter 14.

When you wish to have the divisor of the years in a birth, see of which planet the term of the ascending degree shall be, because that planet will be the divisor, giving one year to each degree. And when the term of the ascending degree has passed, look to the following term. For the lord of the said following term will be the divisor. And do thus from term to term until the life of the native is completed. Look therefore at the planets beholding the lord of the term, and combine their significations with the significations of the lord of the term. For if the lord of the term and the planets beholding it are fortunes, their significations will be for good; if misfortunes, for evil. And if the lord of the term is a misfortune and a fortune beholds that lord, mix their significations together and judge according to this. An example of this: If Mercury in any birth is the lord of the term of the ascending degree, and Jupiter beholds it with a square aspect, and Venus in a trine; while Saturn and Mars are in opposition: Mercury, since he is the lord of the term, will give the native knowledge and good intellect. For the aspect of Jupiter will be for him ornament and great status among other men; and the native will have the friendship of wise men and ecclesiastical prelates, as well as profit from them. Similarly, the aspect of Venus to Mercury will give the native beauty and good friendship with men, and joy with his wife and children. The aspect of Saturn, which signifies through the planet of pain, weeping, and sadness, means that sometimes one of his children will die, or that pains and sadness will invade him on account of his wife, money, or the melancholy of profit. But the aspect of Mars to Mercury signifies hot illnesses and evil through fire or the infusion of blood, or fear of death, and perhaps that he will fall from his honor and be deprived of his status. And if none of the planets behold the lord of the term, the lord of the term himself will be the sole disposer and divisor. We must, however, consider the manner of the native and his age, and in what time of life the lord of the term disposes him, and according to the quantity and condition of the planets in the hour of birth, as the wise have said to judge. For the wise have said that when Mercury is the lord of the term and has dominion over the ascending degree, he disposes knowledge, writing, and trade in the years attributed to his disposition; and his disposition will be from the hour of the native's birth until the years corresponding to the degrees of the term that are passed. If, for example's sake, there are still three degrees of the term of Mercury to pass, we should not judge because of this that the native will abound in knowledge in those three years, or that he will involve himself in science or trade, or that he will have familiarity with princes. Since because of his age it is not possible for him. But we will say of the native that in a short time he will speak and will move lightly, and that he will be intelligent, of good appearance, and subtle. In the same way we will speak of the disposition of Venus, which brings women as wives or expects to lie with them, when his age is repugnant to this. But we will say that he will be beautiful and well-nourished, pious, and of sweet appearance, and so with the other planets.