(in Astrology)
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One of the things rarely discussed in astrology is just how a planet's zodiacal position is measured against the background of the ecliptic.
This is easy with the planets from Mercury to Pluto which appear as specks or points of light traveling eastward along the ecliptic, but what about the luminaries(Sun and Moon), which are plainly visible spheres and which(visually to the naked eye) occupy thirty-two and thirty-one minutes of arc respectively? This makes them large objects requiring a specific method of calculation or measurement. Exactly which part of the Sun's or Moon's sphere is used to designate its precise astrological position. Is it its center? It's circumference? -if so which side or point? The answer is of course a sphere's circumference, specifically the part or side that is etching its way eastward against the ecliptic. The diagram below illucidates this...
 If we take this a step further, the circumference of our own planet(Earth) also has an apparent eastward motion along the ecliptic -as seen from an individual's specific place and time. This is the so-called eastern horizon point in astrology where the Earth's curvature appears to intersect the ecliptic or planetary path, and which serves as the measuring point for the Ascendant or Rising sign(see illustration below).
 The Ascendant or rising sign is so-called because from a terrestial or individual point of view, the Earth appears static and the sky appears to slowly ascend or rise above the horizon, when In reality it is the Earth that is moving or rotating, its curvature unobtrusively forwarding itself into a different sign of the zodiac roughly every two hours. The eastern horizon in astrology is where the Earth meets the sky along the ecliptic or zodiac band from the observer's point of view. It is more than just a personal point in the chart -it is the Earth itself, and its position in the zodiac for the individual in question. The Ascendant or Rising point is how we measure Earth's astrological influence in our lives. It must be remembered that astrology is based on the APPARENT location of a heavenly body as seen from an individual's perspective rather than from outer space. In this way it binds each of us to the cosmos in a very personal and meaningful way, and the Earth is part of this
All planets are hollow spheres whose centers of gravity are in their shells rather than in their centers. Even suns and moons are such, with shells ranging in thickness from less than a hundred to more than a thousand miles thick. Earth's shell is some 800 miles thick at the equator and about half that near the poles. The center of gravity is deep inside the shell, closer to the planet's concave inner surface. This zero-gravity center is the spirit of the planet which gives us its astrological influence(see illustration below).
 This is why the horizon is used to determine the Ascendant or Rising influence in astrology -because that is where the planet's actual center of influence is located. This influence is not to be confused with a planet's inner central core or sun which gives off another astrological influence and is the subject of another topic. back to main |