#alfred witte

[archetypography-blog]

Arabic parts or midpoints?

While most practicing astrology today are familiar with the idea of midpoints, at least in passing whether or not they use them in their own work, when Witte first introduced them (in print as Regelwerk für Planetenbilder: Die Astrologie von morgen / "Rules for Planetary Pictures: Astrology for Tomorrow", Hamburg, 1928), he actually introduced them in rather a different format. In the original presentation, he spoke of chart configurations such as A + B = C + D, where all four points were some body on the chart, whether a planet, the ASC or MC. For example, Jupiter + ASC = Venus + Neptune. In my chart, the ASC is around 28GEM44 (88.75°), Venus is 00LIB41 (180.69°), Neptune is 07SAG23 (247.39°) and Jupiter is 09PIS35 (339.59°), which makes Venus + Neptune = 428.08° and Jupiter + ASC = 428.34°, a difference of only 16 minutes of arc, barely over a quarter of a degree.

Curiously, neither Witte nor apparently anyone else since went on to talk about the potential meanings of such configurations! Instead, the focus became the special case of A + B = C + D where C = D. In that case, the equation becomes A + B = 2C or (A + B)/2 = C, which is to say that C is at the midpoint of A + B. In my own chart, for instance, Venus is as above, but Mars is 13LIB16 (193.27°) and Pluto is 06LIB48 (186.81°). So, (Venus + Mars)/2 = 06LIB59, a difference of about 10 minutes of arc from my Pluto, so my chart has VE/MA=PL as a midpoint configuration.

Thinking about the original, though, it occurred to me that there is another branch of astrology that worked in a way that was very much the same, and a far more ancient branch at that: those parts known today as the "Arabic parts" (I discussed these a bit earlier here), or as Greek lots in earlier times. Today most use only the part of Fortune, though often in an odd modern context of treating it like an ordinary point in the chart and as something machine calculated without understanding how it is found. Unlike the other elements in a chart, calculated by interpolation into an emphemeris of their orbital positions and rates of movement, Arabic parts are algebraic calculations built from the positions of those other points. The part of Fortune, for instance, also known as the lot of the Moon, is found by subtracting the position of the Sun from the Moon (in a day time birth), or the Moon from the Sun (in a night time birth) and adding the result to the position of the ASC. (Rarely used in modern charts, the part of "spirit" or the lot of the Sun is the reflection of this point: that is, if the part of Fortune used the day formula, the part of Spirit uses the night version and vice versa.)

The reason I mention these in the context of Witte's early work is the way they're usually written down: Fortuna = ASC + Moon - Sun. We know from basic algebra that it's the same as saying Fortuna + Sun = ASC + Moon; in other words, the Arabic parts themselves are a species of the four part equations of Witte. Only with Arabic parts, the point of the part itself calculated in this way is only a sensitive spot: the configuration itself won't be activated unless the point is conjunct a natal chart point or by transit, progression or direction. In my chart, for instance, Neptune is in approaching conjunction to Fortuna by 1°27'.

What has intrigued me with this idea is the exploration of these in light of their midpoint associations. That is, for a given Arabic part, move the negative term to the other side of the equation and assume a conjunction with that same point to produce the midpoint format of (A + B) = 2C. For instance, consider the configuration mentioned earlier of ASC + Jupiter = Venus + Neptune. If you explore the Arabic parts you can discover that traditional sources list ASC + Jupiter - Venus as the part of Love, Marriage and of family in some cases. And in midpoints? Ebertin's Combination of Stellar Influences lists JU/AS=VE as "Affectionate relationship with people in one's personal environment, desire to enjoy the company of others, artistic interests, a sense for harmonoious or artistic decoration. A happy love union." We have two distinct, unrelated traditions removed in time and location by centuries coming to essentially the same conclusion about the same configuration. Looking to the other part of that figure we could use Neptune instead of Venus and find that ASC + Jupiter - Neptune has been used both as a lot of Speculation/gambling and in other sources as a point of Suicide. By midpoint? JU/AS=NE is in Ebertin as "Tendency to live in hope or expectation of personal luck, the inclination to gamble. Unfulfilled hopes, disappointments, losses." Or the part of Love or Appreciation, ASC + VEN - SUN, as a midpoint VE/AS=SO, "A harmonious disposition coupled with a beautiful physique, graceful, a sense of art, an appreciation of beauty. The ability to create an impression through physical beauty. Love affair."

While I have by no means investigated all the known Arabic parts, in this fashion, I have seen enough of these correspondences to make me think there is something more than coincidence to these and worth further exploration when time permits. Other examples would be the part of Disappointment (ASC + MAR - NEP, MA/AS=NE), the part of Increase or Benefits (ASC + JUP - SUN, JU/AS=SO), Sudden Parting (ASC + SAT - URA, SA/AS=UR), Happiness (ASC + URA - JUP, UR/AS=JU), Influence / Magnetism (ASC + PLU - MOO, PL/AS=MO) and the part of False Love (ASC + NEP - VEN, NE/AS=VE), etc.

Naturally, I couldn't resist looking up the part of "Perversion" (which I wrote about in the earlier Arabic parts article, cited above), VEN + MAR - NEP, and for VE/MA=NE I found, "Pathological or abnormal craving in sex relationship, negation of the love urge, inclination to perversity. Disappointment in sex relationships." Agreement between midpoints and Arabic parts again!

[archetypography-blog]

The Jupiter/Pluto Midpoint

Earlier, I saw Basil Fearrington had posted a link to a two part article on "The Symbols of Success & Prominence in a Horoscope" (parts one and two) and decided to have a look. As I've recently been examining career and success associated elements in my own chart, the topic took my interest.

I must confess I'm not entirely sure how to take his presentation, however. His focus is on the application of midpoints and planetary pictures, particularly the Jupiter/Pluto midpoint, and he claims his basis was the work of Reinhold Ebertin:

"I ran across a book by Reinhold Ebertin. I no longer own it and cannot remember its title. But I do remember that the cover had the words, 'I am successful.' Alongside those words were the planetary symbols for Jupiter, Pluto, and I believe the Sun and Midheaven were also included." (ibid., pt. 1)

Clearly, he is referring to this book:

However, the focus of that book is not natal midpoints but the use of transits, progressions, solar arcs and directions to make quick analysis of current or future life trends, and the pattern on the cover concerning success isn't showing a static meaning of a midpoint but addressing the potential when the directed MC conjuncts the natal Sun which is on the midpoint of Jupiter/Pluto, which is quite another thing than simply the Jupiter/Pluto midpoint. Ebertin's core book presenting his view on and work with midpoints is The Combination of Stellar Influences (COSI), the English translation of the original Kombination der Gestimeinfluße, itself based on Alfred Witte's Rules For Planetary Pictures / Regelwerk für Planetenbilder. But his presentation of Jupiter/Pluto does not in itself match that which Mr. Fearrington seems to be presenting in passages such as

"Jupiter's symbolism is one of expansion, good luck, rewards, etc. So when Pluto is in hard aspect relationship with Jupiter, all of the wonderful elements of Jupiter's symbolism are really quite magnified. The potential of expansiveness, luck, and all of those things that you know about Jupiter become much larger than they are when Jupiter is in an aspect relationship with other planets. This fortunate, lucky, expansive prowess is also extended to aspect contacts to the Jupiter/Pluto midpoint." (Fearrington)

In COSI, Jupiter/Pluto isn't explicitly "success" or "good fortune" but desire for power (plutocracy) (p. 234). Psychologically, Ebertin says that, if positively set, it suggests a striving for the development of power (spiritual, mental, material, whatever), the desire to lead/direct the masses and so forth, while if poorly placed it can indicate fanaticism in these goals, the desire to exploit the masses and wastefulness. When addressing the "probable manifestations", he cites it as indicating (positive) "leading or participating in uprisings" and/or the "attainment of leadership", which I suppose latter item might be taken as a kind of success; but if negative, rather the opposite: the "loss of social standing and wealth; conflict with authorities and the executors of governmental power (arrest). The misfortune to lose everything." For specific manifestations contrary to the success theme, Ebertin cites for instance Mars = Jupiter/Pluto as the "desire to achieve great things" and not the actual achievement of them; Mercury at Jupiter/Pluto is similary a desire to influence, an indication of a propensity for propaganda, but not necessarily the success of that propaganda. Saturn at Jupiter/Pluto is given as "Inhibitions in one's development. The inability to progress, difficulties, separation." With Neptune, the "Inclination to deceive others, and to cheat and seduce people. A general disappointment, suffering damage or loss through others without being aware of it." The closest match in Ebertin to what Fearrington seems to intend would appear to be MC = Jupiter/Pluto, which was given as "advantages in one's occupation, advancement and promotion, great luck." Which brings us back, again, to the actual book cover illustration which Mr. Fearrington says he'd forgotten: the MC directed to the Jupiter/Pluto midpoint.

With Ebertin, Sun = Jupiter/Pluto indicates the potential for a successful use of "extraordinary physical or mental powers", the "creation of (apparently) magical effects" in a life. In the charted example, that potential is present natally; it is presented as manifesting in actual success around age 35 when the directed MC conjuncts the Sun. The placement of the red "I AM" is also not coincidental on the cover, since the Sun and MC in the Hamburg school and Ebertin's own Cosmobiology are symbols of self, so their conjunction is an explicit manifestation of the individual's self and thus the expression "I AM". In COSI, the "probable manifestation" of the well-placed Sun/MC conjunction is "individual progress or advancement, individual relations, pursuit of one's objective, successes".

In my own chart, on the 90° dial, I have no natal bodies directly on my Jupiter/Pluto midpoint, but my Venus/MC midpoint is conjunct with an orb of 15 minutes, and Node/Ascendant by 26 minutes, either of which might suggest why a handful of people occasionally enjoy my music or varied efforts at artistic pursuits. Had I been born roughly a half hour later, I would have had MC = Jupiter/Pluto exactly and very nearly Fortune = Jupiter/Pluto.

Do you have any bodies conjunct your Jupiter/Pluto?