Astrological Houses

Astrological Houses

Definition: Houses are a method of connecting areas of everyday human experience with the Zodiac Wheel. However they are also one of the most confused and complex areas of astrology.Confused, because the House Definitions we use have drastically changed over the centuries, without any obvious justification; as have the House Systems for assigning the positions of the houses. Complex, because the more we look back at astrology as practiced by our Classical forebears, we see that they possessed three different astrological systems which all described how human experience was governed by the stars and planets: those of Celestial Temples, Celestial Lots, and Celestial Cardinal Points and Quadrants. The Temples are perhaps the closest to modern houses, but they possess some considerable differences from them. The Lots are now best known to us for the First Lot, the Lot of Fortune, but they are a fully realised House System in their own right. The powers of the Cardinal Points and Quadrants seem to have completely disappeared from modern astrology.

The Early History of Astrological Houses: We do not really know when houses became part of astrology but they definitely do not appear to have existed as astrological concepts prior to 400 BC. Claudius Ptolemy [c 130 - 170 AD], the father of classical astrology, almost completely ignored houses in his astrological masterwork, Tetrabiblos. However, the earliest datable horoscope that we now possess, which used houses in its interpretation, dates from c 20 BC. Manilius' Astrological Houses in the Astronomica: Writing less than half a century after that horoscope, the Roman poet-astrologer, Marcus Manilius, presents three versions of what we might now call house systems in his poem Astronomica [c 10 - 20 AD]. The pages on this web site represent Manilius' work on houses. As such, they are the earliest description of the nature of astrological houses - and the three systems by which the houses are applied to the Zodiac Wheel - that we possess. Nothing like this survives from before Manilius, and nothing like this appears again in the history of astrology - as it has come down to us - until the Anthologiae of Vettius Valens of Antioch [c 120 to 175 AD] some one hundred and fifty years later, and De Nativitatibus sive Matheseos of the Roman astrologer Julius Firmicus Maternus Siculus [c 337 AD], some three hundred years later. Valens' work - in his use of kentron [cardinal points], Temples and Lots is similar enough to the house concepts in Manilius' poem, to confirm the Astronomica as an accurate record of classical Greek and Roman thought on astrological houses from two millennia ago.If you come across any House Systems or House Definitions which differ from those presented on these pages - and, let's face it, most modern ones do - it's therefore worth bearing in mind that Manilius is the primary astrological source on astrological houses. He is our best way of looking into the minds of the Babylonian and Greek [and perhaps Egyptian - though this is open to debate] astrologers who were the originators of idea of what we now call houses. If we modern astrologers differ from Manilius in our use of houses, we had better be asking ourselves why... and on what do we base our systems? Classical Astrology House Links:

01:

The Twelve Houses of Classical Astrology

02:

House Systems in Classical Astrology

(a):

Cardinal Points and Quadrants(b):

Temples(c):

Lots03:

House Systems after the Time of Manilius

04:

House System Examples for Prince William's Horoscope

Dr Shepherd Simpson, Astrological Historian

Zodiac Wheels

Definition: [Principles] [Zodiacs] The term Zodiac comes from Ancient Greek "Zodiakos Kyklos" and refers to a 'circle of the animals.' Zodiac wheels have several different definitions. The history of the development of the wheels is given below.The Ancient Babylonian Zodiac Wheels: The original zodiac wheels were bands of constellations seen in the night sky, which would rise and set as the night progressed. They were first observed by the priest-astrologers of Ancient Babylon, in the 2nd millennium BC or earlier, and were named for their Gods Enlil, Anu and Ea. Aside from their importance in astrological divination, their appearance could be used to tell the time through the night, and their heliacal risings and settings to mark the progress of the year. The first zodiac wheel in a form recognisable to us was also seen by the Ancient Babylonians. This was the Path of the Moon through the constellations of the night sky, a Lunar Zodiac [we would now call this a Draconic Zodiac] equivalent to fifteen or sixteen of the Greek constellations plus the Pleiades. This Ancient Babylonian definition of a zodiac wheel was therefore: A circle of constellations against which a heavenly body - usually the Moon - is seen to move.The Ancient Greek Zodiac Wheel: The Ancient Greek, Achaean, culture did not possess a zodiac wheel of the same form as the Babylonians. It is certain that they possessed no Solar Zodiac at all, and considered the Zodiac Constellations we know today to be unimportant. However, the earliest Greek works we have, those of Homer and Hesiod, show that the Achaeans were intensely interested in the stars, in fact many of their ancient constellations are those we still use to map the heavens today. Some historical astrologers, of whom I am one, are now convinced that the Achaeans did use another type of zodiac wheel, the Galactic Zodiac of constellations, in their astrology. It is notable, as mentioned above, that Zodiac is a Greek not a Babylonian word.The Late Babylonian Zodiac Wheel [The Equal Sign Wheel]: At some time later than 550 BC the Babylonians introduced an important change to their concept of a zodiac wheel, that it should be divided into twelve equal segments approximately based on the positions of twelve Constellations. Other planets apart from the Moon also assumed an importance not seen before in their Omen Astrology. This definition of this Classical Babylonian zodiac wheel can be written as: A band of the heavens approximately 14 wide, centered on the ecliptic, against which the Moon and other planets are seen to move, as seen from the Earth. This band is divided into equal 30 segments, each one of which corresponds to one of twelve Babylonian constellations. Unfortunately, this simplified view of the heavens has a large flaw: some constellations, notably Virgo, are in reality much bigger than the others. This fact causes considerable controversy in astrology, even today. However, we have to bear in mind that a simplified view of the heavens would have been far easier for the Babylonians to use in an age without telescopes or astrological computer programs.When was the Late Babylonian Zodiac Wheel Introduced?The Babylonian Omen Texts show us that no Equal-Sign Zodiac was being used before about 550 BC. Individual horoscopes are not found from before 400 BC. The take up of the new Zodiac system into these new horoscopes can be seen in surviving Babylonian cuneiform tablets. In the third century BC the positions of the Moon were still given with respect to the stars. The first known use of a zodiac position for the Moon dates to 262 BC, in a cuneiform tablet from Uruk. By a century later, the star-related positions have dropped out of use, and lunar positions are only given relative to a Zodiac.The rise of these important facets of modern astrology [the Equal-Sign Zodiac and the individual horoscope] is so sudden and their differences from the preceding Omen Astrology so great that modern astrological commentators [notably Robert Hand] have speculated that much of the astrology we know today must have been the work of one man, or one school of thought operating in Babylonia during this period. [Perhaps in Uruk; we have no Moon-position cuneiform texts outside Uruk before 150 BC.] Certainly, there was no time to make the many centuries of observations of the planets and their effects on people, which perhaps we generally assume to underlie the history of astrology - an assumption which goes back to some Classical Greek astrologers. Perhaps this shouldn't surprise us too much. The Babylonians were not modern observational scientists, but they were perfectly capable of forming rich and complex philosophical world views. However, this does mean that our astrology was never based on actual observations, but rather on ideas of how man and the universe interacted. It still remains a challenge for we astrologers today to prove that the theories yield accurate predictions.Where in the Heavens did the Late Babylonian Zodiac Wheel Begin?: After the fall of Babylon to the Greeks in c 331 BC, cuneiform astrological tablets were transmitted by Alexander the Great's armies to the Greek world. They gave two systems for the point in the heavens at which the Babylonian Solar Zodiac began: that the Vernal Equinox lay 10 from the start of the Zodiac, [System A attributed to Nabu-rimanni, c 560 to 480 BC] or that it lay at 8 from the start of Zodiac [System B attributed to Kidinnu c 400 - 310 BC]. In other words, the Solar Zodiac started either 10 or 8 to the right of the Vernal Equinox, as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere, in the two systems. Owing to the Movement of the Ages, 10 from the start of the Zodiac would tie to a Vernal Equinox point in about 500 BC, and 8 from the start of the Zodiac to about 375 BC. Hence, they are consistent with what these two Babylonian astrologers would have observed in the skies during the likely periods of their particular lifetimes. However, this reason for the difference in systems was not widely understood by later Greek astrologers, and both systems were used by later Classical astrologers up to Ptolemy's time, even though by then - because of the Movement of the Ages - they were both inaccurate by several degrees. Archeologists have found ephemerides [tables of planetary positions] based on both systems, dating from Classical times.The Classical Greek Zodiac Wheel: The Classical Greek zodiac wheel is the basis of the standard Solar Zodiac wheel we use today. It is essentially the Late Babylonian zodiac wheel adopted by the Greeks in the intermingling of cultures that took place when Babylonia and many Greek isles were part of the empire of Alexander the Great and his successors. The transition of Zodiac and Zodiac Constellations between the two cultures was not perfectly smooth. In particular, the Babylonian constellation Luhunga [LU.HUN.GA in Sumerian script], the Hired Man, [or more prosaically the Agrarian Worker] never made the transition. It was replaced by Aries, the Ram, in Greek zodiacal astrology, thought to be the ram of the Golden Fleece of Jason and the Argonauts. Libra as a constellation also does not seem to have existed for the Greeks, rather they saw a much larger Scorpius, its claws the stars that we would call Libra today. By the second century AD Greek star maps (e.g. the Mainzer Globus) were still showing the 'Greater Scorpius' as a 'double-sign' of the Zodiac. This confusion is reflected in Ptolemy's Al Magest where he discusses the sign of Libra, but all the star names of Libra are parts of the "Claws of the Scorpion".Furthermore, the Greek heavens contained an ancient "thirteenth" Zodiac Constellation Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, which doesn't seem to have had a counterpoint in the Babylonian skies. Whilst twelve Greek constellations were co-opted for the zodiac wheel, Ophiuchus was ignored. Again this causes considerable controversy in astrology, even today.The Sidereal Zodiac Wheel: The Sidereal Zodiac we have today is essentially as given above: the early Classical Greek rendering of the Babylonian system. This can be defined as: A band of the heavens approximately 14 wide, centered on the ecliptic, against which the all the [known] planets are seen to move, as seen from the Earth. This band is divided into equal 30 segments, each one of which corresponds to one of twelve Greek constellations. This wheel is not tied to the Vernal Equinox.The Tropical Zodiac Wheel: In the 2nd century BC the Classical Greek astrologer Hipparchos is thought - or so we are informed by Ptolemy - to have been the first to suggest another change to the solar zodiac wheel: that the Zodiac should begin at the Vernal Equinox. [Rather than that the Zodiac should begin 10 or 8 away from the Vernal Equinox, as the fourth century BC Babylonian astrologers indicated.] This suggestion was rejected by most astrologers of the time, and it had to wait until three centuries later before Claudius Ptolemy made it part of astrological orthodoxy. However, this was more reasonable thing to do in the second century AD, as by Ptolemy's time the Vernal Equinox did actually lie very close to the start of Aries, because of the Movement of the Ages. [In fact by then it was already in Pisces: see Movement of the Vernal Equinox Point for more deatils on this.]Previously, in Babylonian astrology, the start of the Zodiac was related to the star positions in the heavens. By stipulating that Aries should begin at the Vernal Equinox, this tied the zodiac wheel to the calendar for the first time, because we, as the Romans did, organise our calendar so that the date of the Vernal Equinox always stays the same. This then is the Tropical Zodiac of Western astrology. This zodiac wheel can be defined as: A band of the heavens approximately 14 wide, centered on the ecliptic, against which the all the [known] planets are seen to move, as seen from the Earth. This band is divided into equal 30 segments, each one of which corresponds to a fixed set of dates in the yearly calendar, with the Zodiac starting at the Vernal Equinox.It is also, as Cyril Fagan put it in Zodiacs Old and New, Llewellyn 1950 AD, p 53, the 'greatest blunder that has ever been made in the history of astrology.' The blame for this error really lies with the astrologers of the Middle Ages, not Ptolemy. These later astrologers - rediscovering Classical astrology after it had all but died out in Europe under the influence of the Catholic church - took Ptolemy's comments on the Vernal Equinox starting Aries at face value, without realising that they were only true for a little before Ptolemy's time. In the Middle Ages, and now, because of the Movement of the Ages, the Vernal Equinox is in Pisces. Hence, unfortunately, nearly two millennia after Ptolemy, the Movement of the Ages has made this zodiac wheel hopelessly out of synchronisation with the heavens of the Greek Constellations. Nearly all of Western astrology still uses this wheel, following the errors of the Middle Age astrologers, meaning that skeptics can, quite correctly, question one of the fundamentals of our current astrological practice.The Vedic astrological tradition, being much less broken than astrology in the West, did not make this mistake and continued with the standard astrological practice of using a Sidereal Zodiac wheel.The Real Solar Zodiac Wheel: The Real Solar Zodiac Wheel is based on the real constellations, without the simplifications of Late Babylonian or Greek astrology. It is defined as: The thirteen constellations against which the Sun is seen to move, as seen from the Earth. The Planetary Zodiac Wheel: This is the Planetary Zodiac Wheel based on the real constellations, without the simplifications of Classical Babylonian or Greek astrology. It is defined as: The constellations against which the planets are seen to move, as seen from the Earth. The planets are seen against more constellations than is the Sun.The Zodiac and Astrology:

01:

What is a Zodiac? What are Zodiac Wheels?

02:

Galactic Zodiac

03:

Real Solar Zodiac

04:

Tropical Zodiac

05:

Sidereal Zodiac [Vedic Zodiac]06:

Comparison of Tropical and Sidereal Solar Zodiacs07:

Examples of Tropical and Sidereal Zodiac Wheels for Prince William's Horoscope08:

Planetary Zodiac

09:

Lunar Zodiac and Lunar Mansions

10:

Chinese Zodiac

11:

Celtic Zodiac12:

The Non-Zodiac Stars and Constellations

The Twelve Houses in Classical Astrology [c 10 - 20 AD]

Definition: [Astrological Houses] It is notable that the definitions of the houses from two millennia ago are very different to the ones that have evolved from them, which we use today.

c 10 AD

c 10 AD

c 1030 AD

c 1680 AD

c 2000 AD

The Twelve Temples*:

The Twelve Lots:

Al-Biruni'sHouses**:

William Lily's ***Houses:

'Modern' House Defintions:

First House:

Stilbon [Hermes]Children

Fortune & Home

Soul & Life

Life & Health

The Self

Second House:

Typhonis Sedes [Typho]

Warfare

Consumption & Nourishment

Wealth & Poverty

Possessions

Third House:

Dia [Moon]Brothers

Business

Siblings & Friends

Relatives & Messages

Contacts

Fourth House:

Daemonium [Cronus]Fathers & the Old

The Law

Parents & Descendants

Fathers & Paternity

Roots

Fifth House:

DaemonieHealth & Disease

Marriage & Friendship

Children & Pleasure

Children & Pleasure

Creativity & Pleasure

Sixth House:

Porta Laboris

Means

Sickness & Disease

Sickness & Disease

Work

Seventh House:

Ditis Ianua [Hades]Death

Dangers

Women & Concubines

Marriage & Partners

Partnerships

Eighth House:

Typhonis Sedes [Typho]

Social Rank

Death & Wealth

Death & Fears

Needs

Ninth House:

Deus [Phoebus]Accidents

Children

Travel & Religion

Foreign Places

Travel

Tenth House:

Fortuna [Aphrodite]Marriage

Character

Rule of the Sultan

Honor & Dignity

Status

EleventhHouse:

Fortuna Felix [Zeus]Happy Fortune

Health & Sickness

Happiness & Friends

Friendship

Community

Twelfth House:

Porta Laboris

Success

Anxieties & Enemies

Secrets

Secrets

The Lot and Temple descriptions are taken from Manilius' Astronomica, c 10 - 20 AD. Of the modern houses only 4 and 11 are the same as in Manilius' time in the Temple system, and none are for the Lots.Note: in classical astrology the place of the First Temple and First Lot on the Zodiac Wheel rarely coincide, as the systems for finding their places are completely different.* The ruler of the house is given in brackets. Note: the the rulers of the classical Temples are Gods not Planets. Pluto, the planet, was not discovered until over 1900 years after Manilius wrote his astrological poem. The monster Typhoeus was never a planet. I have given the rulers of the temples their Greek names, rather than Roman ones to avoid any confusion with the planets.** Taken from Abu'l-Rayhan Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Al-Biruni's Book of Instructions in the Elements of the Art of Astrology [1029 AD], translated R. Ramsay Wright [1934]. The second, sixth, eighth and twelfth houses are rather different to modern houses, but the remaining 8 have similar definitions.** Taken from William Lily's Christian Astrology [1647 AD]. Christian Astrology was the first major astrology textbook in English. Lily is widely credited with the revival of the fortunes of astrology in England, after making some famous predictions concerning the fate of King Charles I. The houses used in the 1600s are reasonably similar to the definitions we use today.

Classical Astrology House Links:

01:

The Twelve Houses of Classical Astrology

02:

House Systems in Classical Astrology

(a):

Cardinal Points and Quadrants(b):

Temples(c):

Lots03:

House Systems after the Time of Manilius

04:

House System Examples for Prince William's Horoscope

Dr Shepherd Simpson, Astrological HistorianHistorical Astrology

See the new Astrological Index for the meaning of other astrological words and phrases

Galactic Zodiac

Development of House Systems in Astrology after Classical Astrology

Definition: [Astrological Houses] The development of Houses and Houses Systems since Classical times.Houses and house systems seem to have taken a long and obscure road since the time of the early Classical Astrologers. Nowadays, some astrologers ignore houses completely as being too tainted by uncertainty to use. In this they follow the tradition of Claudius Ptolemy, the "Father of Classical Astrology", who in his seminal work, Tetrabiblos, appears to have had little time for houses at all. He ignores them, from which fact various astrological commentators have concluded that he considered houses meaningless mysticism. It is certainly true that houses are purely a symbolic description of the heavens, whereas the positions of the stars and the planets are measurable concrete things. For others of us, houses remain very important. This presents us with a problem, as unfortunately, in modern times, three classes of house system exist: ecliptic-based, time-based and space-based and these yield at least twenty methods of calculating the astrological houses on the Zodiac Wheel. In these different house systems the planets can appear in different houses: the planets aren't moving but the placement of each house is different in the various systems. [See for example how the different choice of modern house system changes the spread of planets in houses for Prince William.] Hence for those of us committed to the modern houses, the choice of house system can radically alter a horoscope. History: The most commonly used house system at present, the Placidus system was not that used by the Classical originators of astrology. In fact, it appears that there were three separate house systems in classical astrology: Temples Cardinal Points and Quadrants, and Lots. Over the last two millennia the fashion in house systems has gone through Alcabitus, Regiomontanus and now Placidus. And sadly this appears to be little more than fashion. It is also unfortunately true that an astrologer's preference for a particular house system is often based on how good our own chart looks with that house system. And that our clients - given the choice - often pick their chart using the house system that gives them the best chart. Not a very rigorous, nor truthful, method of casting a horoscope. In fact the lack of a rigorous choice of house system is one of the most fundamental problems in modern astrology. I would add to this that the divergence of our house systems from those of the Classical astrologers, also gives great cause for concern.Which System should you Use?: Who knows? It is rumored that one particular national meeting of astrologers descended into a fist-fight trying to resolve this question! I have yet to see a rigorous test of the house systems: no one appears to have done a study as to which gives the most accurate prediction. If you wish to choose based on popularity, Placidus, Koch and Equal House are the most common systems for modern Western individual astrology. All three start with the Ascendant on the cusp of the first house. In Placidus and Koch, the Midheaven is then the cusp [start] of the tenth house. But there is no requirement for this in the Equal House system. The Equal system has cusps which are generally completely dissimilar to Placidus and Koch. In turn, Placidus and Koch differ in the cusps of the second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and twelfth houses. In both Placidus and Koch some Zodiac signs may never appear on a cusp, because of the variable house size. The more northerly the latitude in which you were born the more likely this is to happen. In contrast for the Equal system all signs will appear on a cusp.To be honest, the more I have studied house systems the more I think that none of the above should be used. I think we should return to the Temples, Cardinal Points and Quadrants and Lots system that we appear, inexplicably, to have moved away from over the centuries. Classical astrologers used these three systems - basing their work on several hundred years of astrology; by what right do we think we should be doing something different?Newspaper Horoscopes: For these a variation of the Sun system is used. The Sun's position is used to mark the first house, with the first house being placed identically to the zodiac sign. The house sizes are equal. This is a completely invalid approach, only making even a poor approximation to a standard horoscope for the one-twelfth of people born in that sign with that sign as their Ascendant. Worthless... but fun...House Systems: Alcabitus [or Alchabitius or Alcabitius or Alcibitius or Alcabitius Declination]: [Time-based] [The standard house system in the late Middle Ages] This method of house division first appears in a treatise written by Rhetorius, the Egyptian (505 AD) entitled From the Treasury of Antiochus, an Explanation and Narration of the Whole Art of Astrology. The system was attributed to Abu al-Saqr al-Qabisi Abd al-Aziz ibn Uthman (d. 967) also known as Alcabitius [and variant spellings], the author of the Introduction to the Art of Judgments of the Stars (c. 916-967). Although this system was presented by various other Arabic writers of the time, Alcabitius' text was translated into Latin by John Seville in the 12th century and by Erhard Ratdolt in Venice in 1503, thus helping to popularize the method. The Midheaven and Ascendant are respectively the 10th- and 1st- house cusps. The remaining cusps are determined by the trisection of the semidiurnal and seminocturnal arcs of the Ascendant. The houses are formed by the lunes created by the true house circles that pass through these cusps and the North and South points of the Horizon. This varies from other quadrant systems, in which the trisection occurs along the ecliptic. Unlike the Placidus system it works well in the polar regions. One author notes that the method is a "logical development from the Porphyry system" since that method trisects the semi-arc of the ecliptic while this one trisects the diurnal arc and projects it onto the ecliptic by means of hour circles. The "Classical House" [Time-based] system is a variation on this, incorporating Ptolemy's five degree correction. The diurnal arc of the Ascendant is tri-sected and projected by hour circles onto the ecliptic to form the house cusps, but five degrees is subtracted from the Ascendant to form the first house cusp. This is a modern, slight correction to the Alcibitius Declination house system, despite its name.Campanus: [Space-based] Named after Giovanni di Campani (1233-1296). The vertical great circle from east to west is divided into 12 equal parts and great circles are drawn through these divisions and the north and south points on the horizon. The intersection points of these circles with the ecliptic are the house cusps. Thought by some authors to be the same system as that used by Al-Biruni in the 11th century under the name 'the system of Hermes' and perhaps that used by Marcus Manilius in his work, Astronomica, dated 10 AD - though as this latter is a poem it makes interpretation highly problematical. Used by Dane Rudhyar and Charles Zane in modern times.Equal: [Ecliptic-based] [Third most commonly used system in Western Astrology] The zodiac is divided into 12 houses of 30 degrees each starting from the Ascendant. Note that in this house system the Midheaven is not necessarily the cusp of the tenth house. This system is reputed to have the oldest pedigree, as some authors state that it is the system used by Ptolemy. Others state it dates back to the time of Petosiris (1st century, BC). This would be consistent with the lack of status for the Midheaven, which was not considered important in early classical astrology.Earth House: Zero degrees of Libra is taken as the first house cusp and each house cusp is thirty degrees farther along in the zodiac.Horizontal; The house cusps are defined by division of the horizon into 12 directions. The first house cusp is not identical with the Ascendant but is located precisely in the east.Koch/GOHS: [Time-based] [Second most commonly used system in Western Astrology] This system is named for its advocate German astrologer Walter Koch (1895-1970) . It was invented by Fiedrich Zanzinger and Heinz Specht. In German-speaking countries, it is also called the "Geburtsorthusersystem" (GOHS), i.e. the "Birth place house system". This name was coined by Walter Koch following his belief that the Koch system was more related to the birth place than other systems. He believed this, because all house cusps in this system are calculated with the same polar height, the "polar height of the birth place": this has the same value as the geographic latitude. With the Koch system, the house cusps are in fact defined by horizon lines at different times. To calculate the cusps 11 and 12, one can take the time it took the Midheaven degree to move from the horizon to the culmination, divide this time into three and see what ecliptic degree was on the horizon at the thirds. Why Koch thought this procedure should be more related to the birth place remains obscure.Midheaven: The Midheaven (Midheaven) is taken as the cusp of the tenth house and each house is thirty degrees further along in the zodiac. Note that in this house system the Ascendant is not necessarily the cusp of the first house. Meridian or Vehlow-Equal or Zariel: The Meridian house system was proposed by the Australian astrologer Zariel (David Cope) in the early 1900s. It has never received much attention, but was investigated by American astrologers Bruce Lloyd and Garth Allen in the late 1950s. This system is also referred to as the "Axial Rotation System," a term which is somewhat misleading, as no rotation is involved, but derives from the use of the North and South Celestial poles for the construction of the great circles. Circles are drawn through the poles and twelve points that divide the equator equally, starting at the meridian. These points are then projected onto the ecliptic. The Midheaven is identical to the 10th house cusp. The Ascendant is not equal to the 1st cusp, but is equivalent to the so called "East Point" or equatorial ascendant. This system works in extreme latitudes [the poles]. The Meridian house system is most popular with Uranian astrologers. Moon: The Moon is taken as the tenth house cusp and each house cusp is thirty degrees farther along in the zodiac. Note that in this house system neither the Ascendant nor the Midheaven are necessarily house cusps.Morinus: [Space-based] Named after Jean-Baptiste Morin (1583-1656), known as Morinus. The Morinus system uses great circles that pass through the poles of the ecliptic and through points that are spaced at 30-degree intervals along the Celestial Equator, beginning with the intersection of the Celestial Equator and the East Point. The cusps are determined by the intersections of these great circles and the ecliptic. The houses are not of equal size. The Midheaven is not the same as the 10th cusp. The ascendant is not the same as the 1st cusp. This system is unusual in this respect, that it doesn't begin with the Ascendant but with true East. [The Ascendant is often not at true East.]Natural Graduation: A complicated mathematical variation of the Porphyry House System, as described on pp. 46- 47 in "New Waite's Compendium" by Colin Evans. Natural Hours: [Time-based] The times of sunrise and sunset are noted for the location and date of the horoscope. The degrees of the Ascendant at Sun rise and Sun set give the degrees of the Ascendant and descendant respectively. The hemispheres between the Ascendant and Descendant are divided into six sectors, each representing two 'hours' of time. These sectors also give the house cusps. Note that the Ascendant and descendant are no longer tied together as a pair in this system, and the Midheaven may fall in any house. Octopos: The prime vertical is cut at forty-five degree intervals starting at the east point of the horizon, and these points are projected onto the ecliptic using house circles. This produces eight houses instead of twelve as by most other systems, and these are then numbered starting at the descendant and going counter-clockwise, so that the house placed at the seventh house is called the first house, and the house normally near the ninth house is the second house, etc. For those persons with a fear of the twelfth house, this is the one to use.Placidus or Placidian: [Time-based] [Most commonly used system in modern Western Astrology, not through any particular merit but because, as is widely accepted, it was the one for which affordable data tables were available in the 19th century.] This system is named after the Italian monk Placidus de Titis (1590-1668) and was found in his work Primum Mobile. The cusps are defined by divisions of semidiurnal and seminocturnal arcs. The 11th cusp is the point on the ecliptic that has completed 2/3 of its semidiurnal arc, the 12th cusp the point that has completed 1/3 of it. The 2nd cusp has completed 2/3 of its seminocturnal arc, and the 3rd cusp 1/3. Some authors argue that this rather than the Equal house system is closer to the original Ptolemaic ideal. I find this unlikely as this is a time-based system whereas Ptolemy probably thought in terms of an ecliptic system. It may also be an attempt to justify is current dominant position by referring it back to the wellspring of astrology. However it is an elegant system.Polich-Page or Topocentric: [Time-based] This system was introduced in 1961 by Wendel Polich and A.P. Nelson Page. The tangents of the polar height of the 11th house is the tangents of the geo. latitude divided by 3. (2/3 of it are taken for the 12th house cusp.) The philosophical reasons for this algorithm are obscure. Nor is this house system more topocentric (i.e. birth-place-related) than any other house system. (c.f. the misunderstanding with the birth place system.) The topocentric house cusps are close to Placidus house cusps except for high geographical latitudes. It also works for latitudes beyond the polar circles, wherefore some consider it to be an improvement of the Placidus system. However the striking philosophical idea behind Placidus (i.e. the division of diurnal and nocturnal arcs of points of the zodiac) is completely destroyed.Porphyry: [Ecliptic-based] Attributed to a Neo-Platonist named Porphyry (233-c.304), a Greek philosopher and student of Plotinus. Porphyry is best known for his work Introduction to Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, which is essentially an encyclopedic dictionary of astrological terms and techniques. In chapter 43 entitled Determination of the Angular, Cadent, and Succedent Houses to the Degree, Porphyry shows how the cusps are derived by trisecting the semi-arc between the Ascendant and Midheaven. The Porphyry system seems to be used in at least some 'Vedic' Jyotish Indian astrology.After the Ascendant and Midheaven ecliptic positions have been calculated, the semi-arc between them is computed by subtracting one from the other. This semi-arc -- which represents one quadrant of the chart -- is then divided by 3 to determine the arc of each of the intermediate houses. This constant is then added to the Midheaven to yield the cusp of the 11th house, to the 11th to yield the cusp of the 12th, and to the 12th to confirm the Ascendant degree. The cusps of the 4th and 7th houses will be 180 degrees from the Ascendant and Midheaven respectively and opposite in Zodiacal sign. The same quadrant arc division process is applied to the northeastern, northwestern, and southwestern quadrants of the chart to yield the cusps of houses 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 9. Because this process yields the same constant in each quadrant arc division, house cusps 11 and 5; 3 and 9; 2 and 8; and 6 and 12 will be 180 degrees apart. Also houses 11 and 3, 9 and 5 will be 120 degrees apart; houses 12 and 2, 8 and 6 will be 60 degrees apart.Some authors note that the first appearance of a description and explanation of this method is made by Vettius Valens (150-175 AD) in Book III, Chapter 2 of his Anthology entitled The Authentic Degrees of the Angles. Valens himself attributes this method to an otherwise unknown astrologer named Orion.Regiomontanus: [Space-based] [The standard house system in the later Middle Ages, it supplanted the Alcabitus system.] Named after the Johannes Mller (called "Regiomontanus", because Mller came from Knigsberg). The equator is divided into 12 equal parts and great circles are drawn through these divisions and the north and south points on the horizon. The intersection points of these circles with the ecliptic are the house cusps.(1436-1476).Solar: The position of the Sun is taken as the first house cusp and each house cusp is thirty degrees farther along in the zodiac. Note that in this house system neither the Ascendant nor the Midheaven are necessarily house cusps. This system is commonly used when the Ascendant and Midheaven are not known. It is therefore commonly used in newspaper astrology where a horoscope is being produced for everyone of a certain Sun-sign.Sun: The Sun is taken as the fourth house cusp and each house cusp is thirty degrees farther along in the zodiac. Note that in this house system neither the Ascendant nor the Midheaven are necessarily house cusps.Topocentric: See Polich-Page.Vehlow An equal house system promulgated by Johannes Vehlow ( b 1980 Germany).Zariel: See Meridian.Classical Astrology House Links:

01:

The Twelve Houses of Classical Astrology

02:

House Systems in Classical Astrology

(a):

Cardinal Points and Quadrants(b):

Temples(c):

Lots03:

House Systems after the Time of Manilius

04:

House System Examples for Prince William's Horoscope

Dr Shepherd Simpson, Astrological Historian

Prince William's Available Horoscopes

Definition: [Prince William Horoscope] Prince William has one of the most astrologically predicted lives there has ever been. Here are some of the horoscopes for William currently available on the web. Prince William's Web Horoscopes:Horoscope

Horoscope Type*

Zodiac Chart

House SystemChartOriginally Found At:

01:Anonymous

Natal

http://www.demon.co.uk/kdm/william.html

02: Anonymous

Natal

None (0)

http://www.adze.com/bios/htm/1982/06210001.html

03: Whitaker, Anne

Natal/SolarReturn

Tropical(1)Placidus (1)

yes

http://www.stariq.com/

04: Anonymous

Natal

Tropical

Placidus (2)

yes

http://www.women.com/horoscope/fame/articles/ and at http://astrozine.astrology.com/prince_william.html

05: Marion March

Natal

Tropical

Koch (2)

yes

http://www.astrologysoftware.com/astromag/archive/articles/

06: Steve Judd

Natal/SolarReturn

http://www.stevejudd.com/articals/

07: Liz Greene

http://www.astro.com/astrology/

08: Anonymous

Tropical

Placidus(2)(3)

yes

http://www.astroprofile.com/focusastro.htm

09: Laura Pogiani

Tropical (1)Placidus (1)

yes

http://www.astralis.it/eclipses.htm

10: Anonymous

(0) (4)

yes

http://www.astralaspects.com/celeb_princewilliam.htm

11: Stacey Woolf

http://www.getpsychic.com/html/prince_william.html

12: Kelli Fox

SolarReturn

TropicalPlacidus and Koch (5)

http://my3.chartshop.com/

13: Anonymous

Tropical

Placidus (2)

yes

http://www.patterns.com/princewi.htm

14: Adrian Duncan

Tropical (1)Placidus

yes

http://www.world-of-wisdom.com/articles/articlewilliam.htm

15: Claudia Dikinis

http://starcats.com/anima/Wills.html

16: Myra & David Williamson

Natal

Tropical

Placidus

http://rightplace.net/a/c/Prince-William.htm

17: Amy J. Volkers

Aspects

Tropical

Placidus

http://www.astrological-insights.bigstep.com/

18: Pandit G

http://astrology.indya.com/ips35/html/astro/crystalball/crystalball17.htm

19: Nimmi

Natal

Tropical

http://www.findyourfate.com/astrology/celebrity/William.htm

20: Shelley von Strunckel

Natal

Tropical

http://www.handbag.com/horoscopes/celebritystars/celebpwilliam2/

21: Penny Thornton

Natal/Solar Return

Tropical

Placidus

http://www.astrolutely.com/cosmic/cosmic010701.htm#william

22: Brandy Jasmine

Natal/Solar Return

Prince William: Natal Sky

http://www.astrology.ca/library/jasmine/celebrity/prince-wills.html

Definition: [Prince William Horoscope] The night sky over St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London when Prince William was born to Princess Diana at 21:03 BST, 21 June 1982.Prince William's Natal Solar System: Prince William's natal solar system is illustrated right. The positions of the planets in their paths around the Sun are accurately shown. The planets themselves are shown much larger than their real appearance would be, as in reality they would all be too small to see at this scale. The Moon is not depicted, as at this scale it is essentially in the same place as the Earth. Moving out from the Sun, the order of the planets is Mercury, Venus, Earth-Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto and finally Neptune. Pluto is often the outermost planet of the solar system, but its path is not symmetrical around the Sun. You can see in the picture how Pluto's path lies partly within that of Neptune. During such periods [which last for several years] Neptune is the outermost planet. This was the case in June 1982 at William's birth.When we look at one of these planets in the night sky, its place against the background constellations - the Planetary Zodiac - depends on two things: where the Earth is in its path around the Sun and where the planet is on its path around the Sun. In other words, the planet moves, but so does the place we are observing the planet from - the Earth - which also makes the planet appear to move against the background constellations. To see how this works for the Inner Solar System Planets [Sun to Venus] and the Outer Solar System Planets [Mars to Neptune], the two components of Prince William's full birth chart, please follow the links.

The solar system at the exact moment of the birth of Prince William, viewed from the North Celestial Pole. [The orbits have been scaled slightly to separate out the planets. At the real scale the inner planets would be difficult to separate out. The positions of the planets in their orbits are accurate.]

Prince William's Natal Sky - Horizon Charts: Shown below are views of William's natal sky, i.e. how the constellations appeared as viewed from London and where the planets appeared against those background constellations at the moment of William's birth. Examples of the sky to the north, south, east and west are shown. For the view of the sky to the south east, follow the link to William's Ascendant.

William's natal sky: the northern sky as viewed from London on 21 June 1982 at 21:03 BST. The constellation Andromeda, the Princess, lies on the horizon.

William's natal sky: the spin of the Earth causes the constellation of Aquila, the Eagle, to appear to rise on the eastern horizon. No Real Solar Zodiac constellation is visible to the east in this sky. Instead, as the Earth is at Summer Solstice at William's birth, the Ecliptic lies to the south east.

William's natal sky: the spin of the Earth causes the constellations of Hydra, the Water Snake, and Canis Major, the Greater Dog, to appear to set on the western horizon. No Real Solar Zodiac constellation is visible to the west in this sky. Instead, as the Earth is at Summer Solstice at William's birth, the Ecliptic appears to set to the north west.

William's natal sky: the southern sky as viewed from London on 21 June 1982 at 21:03 BST. The planets Jupiter, Saturn and Mars can be seen against the constellation of Virgo, the Maiden.

Prince William's Natal Sky - The Complete Visible Sky: The chart shown below would be your complete view of the sky if you looked overhead from St Mary's' Hospital Paddington at the time of William's birth. The line from north west to south east is the Ecliptic. The line from west to east is the Celestial Equator.

William's natal sky: the visible sky - i.e. that part of the sky above the horizon - as viewed from London on 21 June 1982 at 21:03 BST.

The spin of the Earth is just about to make the Sun appear to set to the north west - its normal 'setting' position at the Summer Solstice. The Moon, which is positioned relative to the Sun and Earth such that it is 'new' [i.e. dark as seen from Earth] can be seen against the constellation of Gemini, the Twins. Further to the East, Mars, Saturn, Pluto and Jupiter can be seen against the constellation of Virgo the Maiden. Pluto lies quite a distance from the Ecliptic, almost seen against the constellation of Bootes, the Bear Driver. This is because the path of Pluto is quite tilted in comparison to the Ecliptic. See Planetary Zodiac for more information.] Further East, Uranus can be seen against the constellation Libra, the Scales, almost on the cusp with Scorpius, the Scorpion, and Neptune can be seen against the constellation Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer.From London at this time, the Earth's spin has moved you away from a position in which Venus and Mercury are visible, i.e. they are said to have 'set.'Occultations: As well as being seen against certain constellations, some planets will be seen to appear close to particular stars in those constellations, or occasionally to occult those stars. Occultation means that viewed from Earth the planet lies directly between the Earth and the star rendering the star invisible. At Prince William's birth the following occultations occurred:Sun None.

Mercury Within 2 degrees of Aldeberan, "The Follower", Alpha Tauri in Taurus.

Venus Within 10 degrees of the Pleiades Star Cluster**

Moon Occults Mu Geminorum, in Gemini.

Mars Within 5 degrees of Gamma Virginis, a binary star system in Virgo.

Jupiter Within 5 degrees of Spica, "The Ear of Wheat", Alpha Virginis, in Virgo.

Saturn Within 5 degrees of Gamma Virginis, a binary star system in Virgo.

Uranus Within 2 degrees of Graffias, "The Claws", Beta Scorpii, and Delta Scorpii*.

Neptune None

Pluto None.

* in the neighboring constellation of Scorpius.

** In contrast to statements in several of William's web horoscopes, Venus is nowhere near Algol,

"The Medusa's Head", Beta Perseus. Perseus is not even a Solar Zodiac constellation!

Further Information: Shown below is the positional information of the planets at the moment of William's birth. Right Distance From 5131'N 010'W:

Ascension Declination (AU) Altitude AzimuthSun 6h 0m 26s +23 26.4' 1.016 0.710 128.588 Up

Mercury 4h 31m 36s +17 53.8' 0.743 -13.725 144.644 Set

Venus 3h 35m 10s +17 23.2' 1.281 -18.441 157.763 Set

Moon 6h 21m 42s +22 34.8' 57.0 ER 2.654 124.015 Up

Mars 12h 33m 49s -3 39.2' 1.022 31.383 27.467 Up

Jupiter 13h 55m 19s -10 27.0' 4.843 27.983 3.189 Up

Saturn 13h 1m 5s -3 44.1' 9.369 33.001 19.654 Up

Uranus 15h 57m 38s -20 18.6' 17.986 14.178 -26.737 Up

Neptune 17h 40m 46s -22 3.0' 29.259 2.821 -48.241 Up

Pluto 13h 55m 39s +6 39.0' 29.547 45.075 3.909 Up

ER is 'Earth radii' i.e. the Moon lies 57 times the radius of the Earth away from the Earth. The other distances are in AU, astronomical units. 1 AU is the average distance from the Earth to the Sun, i.e. Neptune and Pluto are both more than twenty-nine times further from the Sun than the Earth is. Azimuth in the above table follows the astronomical convention: zero degrees is South with positive angles toward the West and negative angles toward the East. For the meanings of Right Ascension, Declination, Altitude and Azimuth follow those links.

Prince William's Zodiac Charts:1:

Zodiac Charts: The Outer Solar System

2:

Zodiac Charts: The Inner Solar System

3:

Prince William's Ascendant

4:

Prince William's Venus and the Fixed Stars: Algol and the Pleiades

5:

Prince William's Natal Sky - the Stars and Planets of his Birth

6:

Prince William's Chart Systems - View Points and Zodiacs

7:

Prince William's House Systems - Alcabitius through Vehlow

8:

Prince William's 21st Birthday - Solar Return Charts Prince William's Web Horoscopes:

Prince William's Horoscopes

Notes on the Horoscopes:The notes correspond to the numbers in brackets in the Zodiac Chart or House System columns above.(0) This astrologer does not use houses in the written horoscope, discussing planets in signs only. (1) My best guess of the Zodiac Chart or House System used based on the astrologer's choice of Zodiac Chart, as the astrologer has not stated it. (2) In these examples, both Placidus and Koch house Zodiac Charts have been redrawn by the software used by the authors to give equal-seeming house sizes for William. [Follow the links for examples of more accurate Non-Equal Zodiac Charts for these House Systems.] The positions of the cusps are then noted around the rim to show the house changes. This perhaps makes the Charts easier to read but is a bit misleading on first sight. (3) There is something wrong with this Chart. It states that it is Placidus but puts Mars and Saturn in the 8th house, whereas they are in the 9th house in a standard Placidus Charts for William. It does miss the one hour summer time correction for William's birth, which may be a part of the problem. (4) This is the Chart this site put up for William but it isn't William's - the Sun transiting Virgo gives this away. I therefore can't work out what House System or Zodiac Chart it is. (5) An unusual case where the astrologer uses two House Systems - Placidus and Koch. *Natal is the birth horoscope. Solar return is a horoscope for the current birthday, i.e. the Sun's return to the position which it was in at birth - the planets will not be in the same positions however. (6) The astrologer uses no Zodiac Signs in her horoscope restricting her information to Houses and Aspects. However she does not say which house system she is using.Anonymity, Zodiacs and House Systems A surprisingly large number of the horoscopes listed above appear without a particular author claiming credit. Less than half of the authors have specified their choice of Zodiac and Chart System. As these two factors make a huge difference to the Zodiac Chart produced, this makes the validity of the horoscopes difficult to assess. The majority of authors have not stated their chosen House System. Where they have, the clear preference is for Placidus. Surprisingly no astrologer used Equal-House, though reputedly this is popular. Koch is popular in continental Europe, which perhaps explains its low popularity in this list, as only horoscopes available in English are listed here.Prince William's Zodiac Charts:1:

Zodiac Charts: The Outer Solar System

2:

Zodiac Charts: The Inner Solar System

3:

Prince William's Ascendant

4:

Prince William's Venus and the Fixed Stars

5:

Prince William's Natal Sky - the Stars and Planets of his Birth

6:

Prince William's Chart Systems - View Points and Zodiacs

7:

Prince William's House Systems - Alcabitius through Vehlow

Dr Shepherd Simpson, Galactic Astrologer