Astrological Predictions for the Full Moon of March 8, 2012
March 7, 2012 by Nina Gryphon
The Full Moon in March, 2012 occurs on March 8 at 9:40 AM universal time. This is 1:40 AM Pacific time and 4:40 a.m. Eastern time. As with each Full Moon, the Moon is opposite the Sun, so with the Full Moon at 18° Virgo, the Sun is at 18° Pisces. In general, the influences of the Full Moon last about two weeks, until the next New Moon.
The March Full Moon’s Influences on You
The planet Mars is conjunct the Moon at this Full Moon, with a harmonious trine aspect to Jupiter and Venus in Taurus. Given that Mars is a malefic planet, while Jupiter and Venus are benefic, there will be a mix of influences we can expect with this Full Moon. Normally, an aspect to Mars causes conflict, especially with mercurial people (Mercury rules Virgo, the sign where the Moon and Mars are at this Full Moon). However, with the gentle and beneficial aspects of Venus and Jupiter moderating this otherwise negative energy, we can expect that the energy of Mars is turned into fuel that helps us move forward, rather than unproductive warfare with the world. Expect that this Full Moon will be especially favorable for legal, religious, or educational matters. There may be financial benefits or at least an opportunity to spend a little money to make a lot more later, perhaps thanks to creative ideas or artistic ventures. Partnerships in general, whether business or personal are favored. With both Venus and Mars involved, this could be a favorable period for relationships as well as births. In general, benefits will come from foreigners, wealthy or socially prominent people, as well as professionals of any stripe.
Depending on where the Full Moon falls in your natal horoscope, that area of your life will likely reap the benefits of this energetic, positive configuration. For example, if this Moon in Virgo falls in your natal 10th house of career, you will see changes in your profession, or through property transactions, since the fourth house of real estate is where the Sun is located during this March Full Moon. In addition, it may be a good period for one’s health, given that Venus and Jupiter would fall in the sixth house of illness, helping heal health problems. As with all Full Moons, it is important to retain a balance, since we have the Moon opposing the Sun; on to opposite ends of a seesaw, as it were. This month, it should not be too difficult to balance your home and career, but keep this in mind, as investing in relationships now will pay dividends later. The harmonious interaction of Venus and Mars allows for harmony in relationships, while Jupiter provides the material and spiritual benefits.
The Full Moon’s Influence in the United States and the World
This Full Moon falls in the ninth house of the United States chart set for 6:17 PM, as rectified by Regulus Astrology. This is going to be a very busy two weeks when it comes to public statements, debates, and media attention. Most obviously, we will see this play out in the Republican contest for the presidential nomination. Libel and slander will fly widely, and misunderstandings and misinterpretations will be rampant, but some of the harsh negativity we have been seeing in the past few months will abate. We are already seeing negotiations with Iran restarting, as well as additional talks between the world powers on next steps with Iran. The recent side talks between the United States and Israel will be fruitful, as Virgo rules Jerusalem; while Israel has been beating the drums of war (Moon with Mars in Virgo – a verbal sign ruled by Mercury, so lots of talk), more moderating influences symbolized by Venus and Jupiter will prevail for now.
The harmonious configurations of Venus, Mars, Jupiter offer a promising start to any talks initiated during this period. In particular, positive reports and communications around these talks will be carefully managed by PR people. With Venus as the traditional ruler of Islam and Muslims in general, its harmonious aspects promise a fruitful round of negotiations around Iran’s nuclear capability. We still believe that Iran will be engaged in conflict in 2013, but the time has not yet come.
We will be seeing news out of Greece, Africa, Iran, Iraq, and Jerusalem, as all these places are ruled by Virgo. In general there will be conflict, because of the influence of Mars, but it will be resolved at least in the short term, due to the presence of Venus and Jupiter.
The Full Moon and the Financial Markets
The global financial markets, too, are at an important juncture at this Full Moon. With Jupiter in the early degrees of Taurus, it may be that the stock markets will rally into the end of the year. The harmonious aspects to this Full Moon hint that the US stock market will go up for a while yet; however, according to my calculations, the US stock market will likely not continue to rise beyond 2012. This largely comports with the predictions for this week made by Raymond Merriman, a top astrological market analyst.
Astrology Book Review: Traditional Medical Astrology
March 3, 2012 by Nina Gryphon
Lee Lehman’s latest book, Traditional Medical Astrology, is out, and it is a rich work with copious detail. As she points out in her preface, “the study of medical astrology is not especially sexy,” but when we need it, we really need it. The same is true for this book; there is little flash here but much substance for when the need arises. Lehman’s book is a good start for those interested in the historical underpinnings of medical astrology – and historical they surely are, since the Western and Middle Eastern application of astrology to medicine originated in antiquity and lasted until the 17th century. Lehman’s focus and sources are strictly traditional, though she will use the outer planets on occasion to fill in an interpretation. Note that Lehman is not a medical practitioner. As a result, we do not see the application of medical astrology to cases under the author’s care, an essential perspective that distinguishes the classics in the field, such as the works of Nicolas Culpeper. As an overview of the many astrological methods applied to medicine, however, this thorough book is outstanding.
Briefly…
Traditional Medical Astrology is a well-researched overview of traditional astrological medical methods, with a good historical and conceptual overview of the key basics of ancient medicine. The book covers natal topics, such as the temperament and length of life calculations, in addition to decumbiture/horary charts for specific instances of diseases. The last few chapters are devoted to electional astrology and prediction of the course of a disease. A solid reference book for those of us interested in the theory and practice of traditional medicine.
Contents and Structure
In an early chapter, “A Word to the Modern Astrologer,” Lehman encourages readers coming from a modern astrological tradition to dive in. This strikes me as sensible, given that traditional astrology can be intimidating, due to its plethora of foreign terms and frequent reference to ancient books. Few of us in this age of superficial knowledge have been educated to grapple with intellectual difficulty, but as with everything, more effort usually equals better results.
Chapter 1, “The History of Medicine and Astro-Medicine” is a good summary of the historical movements of medicine starting with prehistory, with a strong section on the four-humor structure, especially as applied to astrological diagnosis and theory. In the chapter, Lehman articulates a theory I have long held myself – traditional medicine worked hand in hand with electional astrology to assist in determining the best time for preparation and administration of treatments. The theory is that astrology fell out of the picture at the end of the 17th century and the treatments were timed according to what is convenient/practical for the practitioner. Perhaps for this reason, traditional medical treatments lost much of their effectiveness, and modern medicine began to be born from the search for a better alternative.
Chapter 2, “Understanding Hippocratic-Galenic Medicine” provides background on ancient ways of thinking about health and disease, and gets into the specifics of establishing and maintaining humoral balance by keeping the hot, cold, wet, and dry qualities in balance. This chapter provides some background on the four complexional types – choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, and melancholic – their personalities and predominant diseases. There are a few valuable tables here, notably Hippocrates’ injunctions for balancing health practices by the season. In winter, for instance, we would be required to do lots of walking but eat only one meal daily. The austere winter regimen is offset by Hippocrates’ recommendation to have as much sex as possible to heat the body (“But honey, the doctor said it’s for my health!”). In summer, we are encouraged to wrestle in the dust and keep our exercise short and infrequent.
Chapter 3, “The Body, Its Health, Temperament, and Virtue as Shown by the Natal Chart” gets into the eternally disputed methodology for calculating temperament. Lehman makes a few good points, notably the element of the Sun being used, rather than the season. I am not convinced that a perfect calculation exists, seeing the temperament as one of the tools in the astrological toolbox, but not necessarily the most important one. The author then provides a few temperament calculations of celebrities. It would have been nice to see a few charts for people known to the author that she can comment upon personally; with public figures; it is difficult to know what is reality and what is the public image, especially when it comes to health and the overall constitution. I enjoy speculation as much as anyone (possibly more), but for teaching purposes, the more first-hand information, the better.
There is an interesting section on Richard Saunders’ natal Almuten of Virtue, which looks to the 5th cusp almuten to see which bodily functions were likely to be impacted for someone. The 5th house is an unusual choice for a health reading, since we initially look to the 6th or the 1st houses of disease and vitality, respectively. The 5th rules the liver, however, the traditional seat of vitality, which regulates the humoral balance. I would have enjoyed seeing additional analysis and examples of this method, especially since Saunders’ method was of his own invention.
Chapter 4, “The Body and Its Diseases As Shown by the Natal Chart” starts with an interesting observation; unlike classical astrology, which mostly cared about the timing of one’s death, modern astrology tries to determine the exact cause of death – will it be cancer or heart disease? One can hardly wait to find out. There are difficulties with the modern approach. The Pluto in Leo generation, in a most inconsiderate fashion, has 36% lower rates of death by coronary heart disease than preceding generations, happily ignoring the fact that Pluto is a malefic and Leo rules the heart.
This chapter is where the author gets into some data crunching. It would be ideal if she delved into the statistics, and I hope to see more information in Lehman’s future articles or talks. Comparison of each factor to the norm to see the deviation, a discussion of the sample characteristics, and controlling for variables such as age and sex would be outstanding. Lehman looks at a sample of about 700 A-rated charts and the natal planetary hour and 1st/6th house rulers represented in heart disease, cancer, and drug abuse. There are a couple of short sections on traditional analyses of disease, namely by Lilly and Gadbury.
Chapter 5, “The Body and Its Longevity” deals with the traditional length of life calculations. As in many other books on this topic, the author starts with an apologia, presumably to comfort the more sensitive readers who may be learning of the existence of death for the first time. This is followed by a substantive listing of Arabian parts around mortality and morbidity, and Morin’s own list of significators for the same. The author shares some statistics and bar graphs describing the placement of the Arabic parts and planets in heart disease and cancer deaths.
Lehman then walks us through the hyleg and alcochoden calculations that lead to a length of life estimate. This is a rather complex and hotly contested area of astrology, so the interested reader will want to review as many sources as possible, test many charts, and draw her own conclusions. As with calculating temperament, no one method works 100% of the time, but some are better than others. Ten examples are given for the reader to follow along with the author.
Chapter 6, “Astrological Iatromancy” is my favorite chapter, not only because iatromancy is a great word, but also because this is where we learn to apply some of the most useful techniques of medical astrology. The author discusses the difference between horary (question) and decumbiture (start of illness or diagnosis) charts, and a checklist for evaluating such charts. Then we are off. This chapter is where Lehman’s skills and insights as a researcher and compiler really shine. There is a handy six-step checklist (I bookmarked this page, as it is a great summary), followed by a lengthy list of medical aphorisms (of which there are thousands) from traditional sources including Saunders, Culpeper, Lilly, Hermes Trismegistus, and Blagrave. She then provides a few charts that she has run through a computer program that has all – yes, all – of the aphorisms in Lehman’s sources. It is interesting to see all the aphorisms fighting it out amongst themselves, and one cannot help but reach the same conclusion as Culpeper; let us keep our brains in our heads and not in our books. Each chart is different and applying thousands of rules to it will not give us a magic answer. The author seems to come to a similar conclusion, as most of the charts consist of her analysis with her six-point checklist, rather than a mindless application of aphorisms.
Chapter 7, “Prediction through Time: Crises and the Development of Disease” is a fascinating topic, as the ancients spent a lot of time evaluating the changes in a disease. Specifically, astrologers and doctors set charts for the crisis points of the disease and watched for the good and bad aspects in those charts. Crisis times are when the transiting Moon makes a major hard aspect to the decumbiture Moon. Judicial (intermediate) times are when the transiting Moon makes a minor hard aspect (semi-square and sesquiquadrate) to the decumbiture Moon. For chronic illnesses, we look at the same positions of the Sun relative to its decumbiture position. I have used this method for myself when ill, and it works extremely well. We then see some of the predictive value of solar return charts when it comes to illness and injury.
Chapter 8: “Surgery: Electionals and Events” shows us some rules for surgery, as well as examples of surgical elections and charts for surgeries done without astrological consultation, with discussion of how the procedures had turned out. The attentive reader will not be surprised to know that the surgery where the #1 rule of medical astrology was violated – never have the Moon in the sign ruling the treated body part – turned out terribly. The patient almost died and had to have multiple re-dos of the surgery.
Chapter 9: “Non-surgery Electional Astrology: Purges, Diets, and Breaking Habits” provides more opportunities to apply the art of electing the right moment for treatment. These are the moments that are more electable than surgery; few surgeons have very flexible schedules, but if we want to find the right moment to quit smoking, start a new drug regimen, or start a diet, elections can be helpful. We see a summary of the therapeutic methods of the Hippocratic/Galenic practitioners, few of which are in common use today; bloodletting, vomiting, purging, enemas, sweating, and diuretic procedures. Even for today, there are some helpful rules here, e.g.: to stop a nasal discharge, put the Moon in Earth. Lehman applies the ancient rules for more modern problems, like beginning a weight loss regimen: eat your first “diet” meal on a waning Moon, then once you enter a maintenance phase, do a second chart with lots of fixed signs to keep the weight off.
In Chapter, 10, “Conclusion: When We No Longer Engage in Bloodletting,” the author puts the study of traditional medical astrology in context. As she points out, U.S. medical expenses have tripled in the last 50 years, yet life expectancy has only risen 10%. She expects that inevitable cutbacks in medical funding will lead to more alternative treatments, where medical astrologers could find a niche combining their skills with alternative medical modes such as herbalism, traditional Chinese medicine, or homeopathy.
Finally, there are a helpful few appendices: classical concepts necessary for horary (for those brand new from the land of modern astrology), a glossary of terms used in the book, where we may learn the meanings of words such as abstergent and spagyric. There are a few worksheets for temperament calculation, and medical rulerships of various body parts. Don’t miss the small but useful table comparing indications of a physical vs. mental or spiritual disease as indicated in horaries.
Observations
I enjoyed delving into this book, as it summarizes many of the traditional medical books on my bookshelf in easy-to-understand modern language. Though it is not a substitute for the classical texts, it provides a painless, accurate introduction to many essential topics that one can learn about in more depth from the masters themselves. This is not astrology lite by any means, but rather straddles the ground between a reference work and a critical text, as many of Lehman’s books do. Highly recommended.
—+++—
Traditional Medical Astrology
By: J. Lee Lehman, Ph.D.
Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 2011
34.99 USD
Available at amazon.com and leelehman.com
Gryphon Astrology returns! February 2012
February 26, 2012 by Nina Gryphon
The last few years have been busy here at Gryphon Astrology, leaving me less time for blogging than I would wish. On a personal level, there have been many changes; new work, a new home, new husband (first and hopefully the last), and a new city (Chicago). I have been busy researching astrological techniques and am happy to report that the years of effort have borne fruit. Here are some of the new projects you can expect to see in the near future:
1. The new GryphonForecasting.com website, focusing on financial and political predictions. Gryphon Forecasting will feature stock and market forecasts, free and paid, as well as a focus on world and national political events. I have been trading stocks for the last ten years or so, and have spent much of that time researching and developing astrological methodology for forecasting macroeconomic and stock conditions.
2. Gryphon Astrology newsletter. I have decided to focus on writing an occasional newsletter to provide a mix of shorter and more substantive articles for you. To make this happen, I switched newsletter providers recently. If you are a new or existing subscriber, please subscribe using the box in the right sidebar of the blog to ensure you receive our freshest astrological information.
3. Annual zodiac sign forecasts. Each month, I write a new forecast for each of the zodiac signs, a more economical option for budget-minded clients who cannot afford a personalized horary or natal reading. You will be able to download the forecasts electronically for a small fee from a dedicated page. Generally, I am unimpressed with the accuracy of the Sun sign forecasts available today, whether free or paid. I like reading them for fun, but typically leave feeling like I didn’t learn anything useful. Over the years, I have perfected a method of annual forecasting that is much more accurate, as it is based on the ancient method of annual solar aspects. I have tested the forecasts out on myself and a set of test subjects, and am impressed with their accuracy despite the absence of individual birth data.
4. UAC. I will be at UAC in New Orleans this year. Due to time constraints, I will not be lecturing, but am always delighted to chat with my far-flung readers in person. See you there!
2011 Predictions for the United States
March 29, 2011 by Nina Gryphon
Here is a look at the predictive annual horoscope for the United States each year to get a sense of what lies ahead for the next 12 months. This year looks interesting, especially on the economic front. Based on this horoscope, I do not think we are as far out of the housing/debt crisis as we would like to believe.
Prediction 1: Financial Fallout from Housing Crisis
There will be a new wave of major financial consequences from the housing boom of the last decade,and this topic will dominate the news in 2011 and early 2012. We will see substantial debate anddemagoguery about the American real estate and banking connection. Unfortunately, we as a nation are still not done paying for the financial excesses of past years. Farmers, especially, will be heavilyaffected by the financial difficulties we are facing. Credit may well tighten up again this year, and the mood of the nation will be somber and sad.
The Saturn-Moon conjunction in the 1st house indicates a serious tone in the public discourse; in individual horoscopes, it can indicate depression, and we see a similar feeling, just on the macro levelfor the United States in 2011. The official message will be one of optimism, as shown by Mercury conjunct Jupiter in the 7th house, but the mood of the people (and the reality) will be significantly less happy.
Saturn is well-placed in the horoscope, as it is in the sign of its exaltation, Libra, but it is retrograde. The old astrologers say that Saturn in Libra indicates a time of great building of houses; with the planet beingretograde, however, this building up is reversed, and we see an overabundance of buildings. This will not be a good year for the housing market, and indeed, we are seeing even the best housing marketsexperience drops in price in late 2010. The United States horoscope is experiencing a Saturn return this year, indicating a time when the accounts are coming due for the country’s finances. Saturn rulesthe nation’s second house of money, and his return to its place in the United States nativity indicates closing of one chapter in our financial history, with a final accounting before the new cycle begins.
Jupiter in the national horoscope indicates the banking industry, as well as farming, and real estate.Jupiter and Saturn are opposed in the 1st and 7th houses, showing the housing business being negatively impacted by public pessimism and an unwillingness of buyers to pay, as they wait for lower prices. Inother words, we will see housing prices come down further this year. The housing crisis will continue tobe a drag on the banking industry as well. Oppositions of planets from the cardinal signs indicate “huge evils,” as Jean-Baptiste Morin, the 17th century astrologer, writes.
Many of the evils described by Saturn – debt, inability to pay, insolvency – are related to the common people’s desire to be placed on an equal footing with great men, as the old astrologers have it. The Moon is with Saturn in the 1st house; the Moon signifies the masses and the common man, while Saturn represents the rich and powerful. With the two planets together, the poor wish to be the same as the rich, and as we can see, they are willing to bankrupt themselves to be seen as such.
2011 Aries Ingress Horoscope
Prediction 2: Sex Scandals
Not that there is ever a dearth of sex scandals, but this year shall be particularly notable for hidden vices coming to light. Guido Bonatti writes that Saturn in Libra oriental (as it is in this horoscope)shows the “desire of shameful, criminal men.” In the natal U.S. horoscope, Saturn is occidental,bringing “infamy…upon fornicators, and those abusing shameful sexual intercourse.” These are challenging configurations for public figures, so expect to see lots of public shaming in 2011.
Prediction 3: Public Health Concerns
With Saturn in the 1st house in Libra, we can expect to see health problems that especially affect the poor. Bonatti says that especially “slaves” will be harmed, so likely we will see people at the very lowest strata of society be subject to health concerns of a Saturnian kind. Saturn brings illnesses having to dowith the cold humors, such as tuberculosis, colds, flus, edema, and so on.
Prediction 4: Trouble for the President
2011 will not be an easy year for the U.S. President; there will be lots of contentions between him and his opponents. He might face health challenges as well this year. With the malefic South Node on the midheaven, and the ruler of the 10th house of kings being the Moon conjunct Saturn, we can see that he might have a number of things on his mind, namely people who rise up against him. There could be significant protests this year against his policies, for example.
Iran: War and Change in 2014?
March 13, 2011 by Nina Gryphon
This is the last article in Gryphon Astrology’s series on Iran. It took me nearly two years to write this article, not because it was so complicated – the signs are very simple and clear – but because I hesitated to make such a serious prediction. I believe that 2014 will bring great conflict in Iran, up to and perhaps including regime change.
The God of War
The traditional authors (Masha’allah and Morinus) write that a year with similar characteristics as 2014 will bring wars, seditions, captivities, the fall of cities, anger of Princes, murders. Violent illnesses, deaths of the young, fires, and looting. This combination brings hot spells and wars. The year 2014 will bring serious upheaval for the country’s leadership.
What brings such terrible things to Iran? No other than the god of war, Mars. In 2014, Mars will fall on the Ascendant of the Aries Ingress horoscope. This is the chart cast for the first second of the first day of spring; the beginning of the astronomical (and traditional Persian!) new year. The tenor of this horoscope predicts major events for the specific location where the horoscope is cast. More than this, however, Mars will be in the sign of its detriment, Libra. This is a highly unpleasant Mars, very possibly bringing destruction from the air (Libra is an air sign).
Mars’s malevolent influence is emphasized still further: there will be a total lunar eclipse on April 15, 2014, that falls on the very degree of the Ascendant of the Aries Ingress horoscope set for Tehran, Iran. Eclipses are malefic influences in the political arena, bringing upheaval and shocking events. This Mars is spring-loaded, as it were, ready to pop at any moment.
Badges
