I inform you that every thing which is decided and indicated comes to be from the lords of the triplicities. And for every thing of tribulation and hardship which afflicts people of the world and generality of men, the lords of the triplicities decide it [1]
Carmen Astrologicum, Dorotheus of Sidon
Dorotheus of Sidon’s emphatic endorsement of triplicity underpins much of his monumental treatise on Hellenistic practice and he uses them extensively. One technique, the triplicity lords of the sect-light, also features prominently in Vettius Valens’ Anthology. It aims to provide an overview of one’s success and prosperity, and the ease and dis-ease of life over extended periods.
Triplicity, or trigons, refer to the division of the twelve signs into four groups of three, each being 120° from each other. Each triplicity was first associated with one of the four winds (Eurus, Notus, Zephyrus, and Boreas) and later still, one of the four elements.
Each triplicity is connected with three planets:
- Aries, Leo and Sagittarius have, by day, the Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn, and by night, Jupiter, the Sun, and Saturn.
- Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn have, by day, Venus, the Moon, and Mars ; and by night, the Moon, Venus, and Mars.
- Gemini, Libra and Aquarius have, by day, Saturn, Mercury, and Jupiter ; and by night, Mercury, Saturn, and Jupiter.
- Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces have, by day, Venus, Mars, and the Moon ; and by night, Mars, Venus, and the Moon.
As you can see, the order changes depending on whether the chart is diurnal (Sun above the horizon) or nocturnal (Sun below the horizon). The division between day (diurnal) and night (nocturnal) charts is known as sect.
For this technique, we note whether the chart is diurnal or nocturnal and then locate either the Sun (for day charts) or the Moon (for night charts). After considering its state, one moves to considering its triplicity lords. For example, if you have a day chart, we look at the Sun and its condition. If the Sun is in Cancer, we consider its lords which, by day, is Venus, Mars, and the Moon.
Both Dorotheus and Valens, and their early successors, divided life between the first two triplicity lords, and saw the third as participating throughout life as an assistant. I find dividing life between the three planets yields a better dividend, with the first ruling the first third, the second the next third and the final third is governed by the third lord.
Let us consider the chart of the late Scottish signer, Lena Zavaroni [2]:
With the Sun in the third place, the chart is nocturnal, and we must turn to the Moon and then the three triplicity lords of the Moon. We find her in Taurus. The order is thus the Moon, Venus, and Mars, respectively.
On first glance, we see the Moon is quite strong. She is in the house of her exaltation, of the sect and in her triplicity, and occupies a pivot. Such conditions are favourable in keeping the Moon comfortable in her significations, as well as some prominence in the public eye [3]. However, she suffers a tight aspect with Saturn. As this is a night-chart, Saturn is the out-of-sect malefic and is in a dark place (the sixth house of illness). The Moon’s twelfth part also falls with Saturn, too. Valens emphasises the importance of the domicile lord. Sadly, that is Venus, who is not in great shape. Traversing Scorpio, her singular strength is angularity. Otherwise, she is the house and bound of Mars with whom she is in wide conjunction. The third ruler is Mars, also in Scorpio. Mars is in a loose aspect with the diurnal Jupiter, who is retrograde and in a dark house (house of death).
Having considered the triplicity lords of the sect-light, we now have a broad understanding of the flow or ease of success and prosperity throughout life. Here, we see a strong start, with some prominence, too, before a sudden downward turn with things evening out towards the end. It is not in itself a quantitive indicator. Strong sect-lights cannot overrule a weak financial promise, but they can soften the blow.
For determining the individual time-period of each lord, Vettius Valens [5] considers the ascension times [6], or the ‘cyclical return of the chronocractor (time-lord).’ Chris Brennan identifies the latter as the minor years of the planets [7] – an important, and underused, timing tool. For me, the latter has proven the more reliable.
Lena was born in November, 1963. The minor years of the Moon, Venus, and Mars are 25, 8, and 15, respectively. Thus, the Moon would rule until 1988 ; Venus until 1996 ; and Mars until 2011. The ascensional times of Taurus and Scorpio are 22.54 and 41.17, respectively. We convert these into years, saying Venus rules for 22-years, and Venus and Mars for 41 each. These time-frames are broad indicators and refined further through additional predictive techniques, such as releasing of the hyleg, profections and solar revolutions[8].
Zavaroni rose to fame at the age of ten, winning a talent show and becoming the youngest person to have a Top 10 UK album and hosted her own television shows in the late 1970s and early 80s. Sadly, at the age of 13, Zavaroni developed anorexia nervosa and never recovered. It is pertinent to note, that in addition to its aspect with Saturn (who brings illness), the Moon rules the twelfth sign.
In 1989, she married but divorced eighteen months later. That year, her mother died of an overdose. Again, we can note that Venus and Mars are both in the house of family, but also rule the tenth (mother) and fourth (father) places, respectively. Also, Venus is inherently reliant on Mars and Zavaroni moved to live near her father, who was her primary support.
Zavaroni underwent a psychosurgical procedure in 1999. Despite initial signs of success, she developed pneumonia and died aged just 35. She had been living on benefits. Sadly, she is primarily remembered for her tragic career and death.
As you can see, one can tell much from such a simple technique. Try it. Since studying it frequently, after reading Abū’Ali al-Khayyāt [9], I’ve been consistently impressed.
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References:
[1] Dykes, B. (2017). Carmen Astrologicum. Minneapolis, Minn.,: The Cazimi Press, pp. 61 – 62, and 98 – 106.
[2] Chart cast when using Sidereal system.
[3] Of course, not everyone who has their sect-light in the tenth place can expect celebrity or world fame. However, such placement is conducive to prominence within a chosen field, or social circle.
[4]The dark places are the second, sixth, eighth and twelfth. These four are all in aversion to the ascendant. As the joys of Mars and Saturn, the sixth and twelfth are considered the most malefic.
[5] Valens, V. (2010). Anthologies (Riley, Translation), PDF: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/r/rileymt/Vettius%20Valens%20entire.pdf
[6]Each sign takes a different length of time to rise over the horizon depending on location. The ascension times refers to the number of degrees that pass the midheaven in the time it takes for a sign to rise in the east.
[7] Brennan, C. (2017). Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune. 1st ed. Denver, Colorado: Amor Fati Publications, p.495 – 510.
[8]For the astrologer, the prediction is primarily concerned with timing events found in the birth chart. Nothing can ever be forecast if it is not promised in the nativity. Contrary to contemporary practice, transits themselves were never considered to either influence or cause events, and not all planets are active either at the same time or throughout life – hence the importance of the time-lords (chronocrators).
[9] Dykes, B. (2009). Persian Nativities Volume I: Māsha’allāh & Abū’Ali al-Khayyāt. 1st ed. Minneapolis, MN: Cazimi Press, pp. 240 – 256
Article was written in 2019
