#hellenistic astrology

In my last post, I talked about some of the basics that we need to understand in order to actually grasp astrology. It’s so easy, especially in the beginning, to fall into the trap of “cookbook astrology”. Spoiler: it only gets you so far and you’re not understanding the practice. Instead of cookbook astrology, try to understand the bricks that build the house instead. On of these bricks is The Temperament. “But what is Temperament and why does it matter?” you may ask. The ancients used it to define the complexion of an individual. Someone’s nature, their psychological tendency. The four Temperaments are connected to the four elements: fire, earth, air and water. Each Temperament is associated with one element and every sign and every planet has a temperament. The Formation of the elements matters too, as that is what temperament is built upon.

The Choleric Temperament is associated with fire (hot and dry)

The Sanguine Temperament is associated with air (hot and moist)

The Melancholic Temperament is associated with earth (cold and dry)

The Phlegmatic Temperament is associated with water (cold and moist)

Now how do we apply this?

As I said, each planet and each sign is related to a Temperament. The combination of the Temperaments of the planet and the sign it occupies is the core of our astrological interpretation.

While astrology is very intuitive, it is also very technical. I’ve realised that many people skip “the boring part” and want to read charts immediately- with little to no knowledge. Practicing with charts is an amazing thing to do, but so much is missed without important fundamentals. Temperament matters. Understanding modalities matters. Why a certain sign is a certain modality. Dignity matters. And so much more. Doing the boring and technical part is what ties everything together, what makes things make sense. You can’t understand how Mars in Pisces functions if you don’t understand their basics natures, their temperament, their primary qualities.

Example: mars is a malefic planet. Why? Because mars is excessively hot and dry. Its excessive nature makes it incompatible with life. It is known as the lesser malefic. Mars is also the fastest moving planet of the superior planets. It’s associated with the choleric temperament and the elements of fire. Due to it’s nature it represents Action and Courage, combat, struggle and competition. It is also associated with fire and war, thus violence, aggression and conflict. Know we know Mars’ basic nature and what it wants, how it wants to operate. Now the question is, what does Pisces want? How well can Pisces accommodate Mars and what resources does it offer? How do their different temperaments combine?

Venus Ruled 12th House Profection Year

So, I was a little apprehensive about a 12th house profection year. It's a spooky house! Which, lowkey is part of it's whole deal - fear. Founded or unfounded, fear often lives here.

But it's been an interesting two months since I entered this profection year. Some of the slowest, most isolated months I've had in... At least six years. And even then, I was so active online during COVID that I never felt alone.

But here's the thing - I've been *enjoying* the isolation. I should have realized, in true Venus fashion, her ability to make any event a pleasant one. Part of it is that I've been forced into excessive socialization for the past five years, so it's been a huge relief to get a break from that. The other part of it - the more Venusian part of it - is that I've been spending my alone time making art.

Venus, my evening star, has been the light under which I've been writing a romance novel and FINALLY recording my debut album. I've also been doing an immense amount of reading, journaling, horticulture, and dancing. For every minute that I'm stuck being a caretaker for my mother or cat, I try to spend a minute tending to my own needs. Add the fact that my love life feels more on track than it has been in a few years, that my home is looking SOOO GOOD, and all the Venus-related pleasures feel present and accounted for. My 12th house being Libra specifically, the constant balancing act of care for self and others feels especially appropriate.

Saturn Stationing Retrograde Squaring Natal Venus

The reason I started thinking about how this profection year has been treating me is because I realized today that Saturn will be stationing retrograde at 14 degrees of Aries. My natal Venus is at exactly 14 Cancer, meaning that Saturn will be in a superior square position due to its earlier placement in zodiacal order.

The fear spiked again when I saw this (Saturn, like the 12th house, is all too familiar with being a harbinger of fear). But reviewing what this year has been like so far, and having a day chart natally, I realized that fear is likely unfounded. Even if Saturn is currently in my 6th House and I'm a chronically ill mfer. I'm getting the feeling that this Saturn retrograde will be less like a descent into poorer health, and more like a review of what daily practices actually serve me.

This morning, the day before the station with Saturn sloooowwwing down to glance sideways at Venus, before I thought about any of this, I decided to do yoga for the first time in God only knows how long. I had been saying to my partner that I was going to try and work out when they do. They got on the bike, and I wanted to make excuses (I just woke up, I'm too tired, I haven't had breakfast), but I thought, no. You said you were going to do some kind of movement when they did, so do SOMETHING. I picked a mellow morning flow and took advantage of the motivation that body doubling gives me. What's more Venus-Saturn than committing to a practice of discipline that leans on your partner's existing discipline?

So, hopefully that was the beginning of what will continue to be a fruitful habit. We'll see! I've been trying to shape my routine now around what my schedule will be like when I start graduate school in the fall so I can more or less keep doing what I'm doing now.