HARMONIC CHARTS

uranian   cosmobiology   astrology  midpoint    midpoints

We have had a few threads about the use of harmonics in astrology in the Uranian and midpoint lists in the past months. This is an attempt to present this debate.


Date sent:              Sat, 5 Dec 1998 08:09:50 +1300
Subject:                ## Ed: Reply to Penny: Harmonics

Dear Penny and Fellow Uranians

    Thanks for your comments Penny.  I use harmonic charts extensively, especially the 8th and the 16th.  I sometimes use the 32nd and the 4th. These all represent depictions of the 'hard' manifesting
qualities in the original birth chart.

    With respect to orbs, I use a maximum range of +/- two degrees in the 8th harmonic.  I must stress that this is the absolute maximum.  I find harmonic work is best if exacting standards are applied.

    With harmonics it is essential to remember that the features of the birth chart are multiplied by the harmonic factor.  So an orb of 1 degree in the birth chart (1st harmonic) turns up as a difference of
8 degrees in the eighth harmonic.

    The beauty of tight orbs in the harmonic series charts ( 2 and up) is that the principle works in reverse.  An orb of two degrees in the 8th harmonic represents just 1/4 of a degree in the natal chart. In
other words, you are talking about tightly arranged patterns of energy in the natal chart.

    I have sometimes looked at the 64th harmonic although I really feel that this is untenable.  This is because any calculation, or calculating machine - our computers - have a degree of error in them.  Consequently, an error in the original birth chart, say even a minute or two in the ascendant degree in the original chart, is magnified by a factor of 64 in the 64th harmonic.  So the error of just one minute becomes a full degree in the 64th harmonic.

    Of course, when you work with orbs of a degree or less in the higher harmonics (I would recommend much less than a degree, even in the 32nd harmonic), you are ending up with nonsense charts when you
consider these potential errors.

    I think you will also agree that it is difficult to be sure about the ultimate accuracy of many birth charts, even those that purport to be timed to the second.  When this sort of inaccuracy is accepted in the original chart, it is not sensible to be multiplying the error by 64 or 128 or more for higher harmonics.

    For me the real beauty of harmonic charts is the surprising insights that they show up.  I would suggest that the 8th harmonic chart is actually a more insightful portrayal of the natal chart than the natal chart itself. I'll give you an example: in my own chart PL is at 14 VI 40; CH is at 15 PI 22; and the MO is at 22 TA 34. Using a traditional approach someone might want to say I have MO TRI PL.

    However, the 8th harmonic chart immediately shows a clearer picture, at least in terms of my own experience of emotion - MO appears OPP PL and CH at the midpoint of the latter pair: MO at 00 GE 34; PL at 27 SC 16; CH at 2 SG 54. You'll note that the orbs are slightly greater than 2 degrees in this example.  However, the complete picture very accurately describes my own experience of emotion - profound, troubling and cathartic!! but ultimately healing and cleansing.

I hope this is of use to you.

Best wishes

Ed


From:                   "Edward  Gillam"
Subject:                Re: ## Reply to Penny:> Harmonic Meanings
Date sent:              Mon, 14 Dec 1998 19:16:55
 

HARMONIC MEANINGS

     The important thing to remember with harmonic charts is that there are four signatures: the second, third, fifth and seventh.  These are the first four prime numbers after one. The fundamental first harmonic is represented by the natal chart.

     Harmonic charts amplify the information that is depicted in the natal chart. They add information to interpretation only in the sense that they reveal the hidden - or occult - qualities of the first harmonic.

     I think of these four signatures in terms of two polarities: the second and third harmonics, and the fifth and seventh harmonics. To represent this graphically you might like to think of a cross with one axis comprised of 2 and 3 at each pole, and at right angles to this axis, another axis with 5 and 7 at each pole.

     Other harmonics, such as 6, 12, 10 and 14, represent the blending of the essential principles represented by the prime harmonics.  (I am not sure what to make of harmonics formed from prime numbers such as 11 and 17.)

 ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES

     I work with the following essential principles:

 2 represents matter
 3 represents spirit
 5 represents order (cosmos)
 7 represents disorder (chaos)

     These are the broadest descriptions of the essential principles of the harmonic primes. Incarnation in this world is characterised by a balance between these four essential principles. I find this an interesting thought; frequently incarnation is only thought of as a material problem, or at best it is seen as a creating a balance between material and spiritual life.

     My feeling is that harmonic chart work actually shows us that incarnation has this other dimension - cosmos/chaos.  This axis tends to be forgotten. As astrologers we are just as negligent as the rest of society: we tend to forget quintile and septile aspects in most of our work!

     These metaphysical principles are described in many systems of occult thought.  (It is interesting to speculate on whether they are genuinely trans-cultural, or whether they are fundamentally Judeo-Christian/Greco-Roman/Western artefacts.)

 AMPLIFYING THE ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES: Two and Three

 Two: yang, outer, manifest, material, hard, active, immanent, masculine.....
 Three: yin, receptive, inner, transcendent, feminine, soft, passive....

     I am sure that group members don't need to be reminded that these poles represent extremes, and in no way compartmentalise men and women! The polarities I have described represent a conceptual framework for understanding reality and human experience. Here we have the old commonplace: it is a mistake to assume that the map, or framework, is the reality.

 AMPLIFYING THE ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES: Five and Seven

 Working with 5 and 7 gets more difficult.  I think this is because the language is not sufficiently well developed to give a clear description. John Addey, Charles Harvey, Michael Harding and David Hamblin have had a go. It's worth checking out their work.

     Five: Appollonian, social, conservative, balanced, harmonious, inclusive, ego, stability, static, constructive, conforming...

     Seven: Dionysian, anti-social, radical, unbalanced, disharmonious, exclusive, id, instability, ecstatic, destructive, rebellious...

     Nietzsche has very interesting things to say about this polarity in The Birth of Tragedy.  I think he is one of the only modern thinkers to really identify this polarity in human experience.  My feeling is that Nietzsche's ideas in this area profoundly influenced Freud.

     The mistake here is to think of '5 - good'  and '7 - bad', just as it is a mistake to think 'spirit - good', 'matter - corrupt'.  These polarities find their expression in human experience; our role as astrologers is to find the positive, creative or adaptive expression of the principles and encourage our clients to work with them.

     This interpretation of 7 is one that is only hinted at in the literature. David Hamblin gets closest but still hangs on to the 'traditional' interpretation of 7 as 'inspiration' or 'imagination'. "...I shall propose that Seven is in fact a number of man: a number not of man's rational and constructive abilities, but of his wild, fertile and unpredictable imagination....It is a number of man's highest flights of creative imagination, and of his lowest depths of destructive illusion." (David Hamblin, Harmonic Charts, p. 65)

     My feeling is that all the harmonic primes are forms of inspiration or imagination (or illusion of that matter). It is the quality of the inspiration/imagination that is described by the harmonic charts. Hamblin does make it clear that he feels that there is no divine association with 7. This is the trap that Charles Harvey and John Addey fall into.

     I tend to agree with David Hamblin's thoughts on this. My feeling on this point is that all harmonic primes, including one, are manifestations of the divine, and none is particularly associated with God/Source. 'God is in all things, and all things belong to God.'

 I feel that this interpretation of 7 does fit nicely with the fact that the septile aspect cannot be reduced to a lowest common denominator which incorporates the other harmonic factors. 7 is truly outside the realm of 2, 3 and 5.

     (For example, the trine - 3 - can be described as 90 + 30 = 120 or one and third squares! The quintile is 90 - 18 = 72 or four-fifths of a square. The septile just does not fit the jigsaw.  It cannot be reduced to any of the common multiples - which all come down to whole number factors involving 2, 3 or 5 - which make up the other aspects.)

 INTERPRETATION OF HARMONIC CHARTS

     I generally work only with close hard aspects in the harmonic charts. This focuses me on the manifesting quality of the chart since hard aspects represent the principle of 2. A good tip, if you are struggling with the interpretation of a harmonic prime, is to look at the prime x 2.  So, if you can't get to grips with a seventh harmonic chart, look at its expression in the fourteenth harmonic.  This is the astrological representation of the manifestation of 7.

 Here are some ideas:

 Fifth harmonic: the principle of order.

 Squares in the fifth: challenges or obstructions in the manifestation of order, spur to the manifestation of order.

 Second harmonic: material circumstances

 Trines in the second: the spiritual significance of these circumstances, path of wealth creation?!

 Seventh harmonic: the principle of disorder

 Squares in the seventh: sources of profound psychological resistance or challenge, destructive elements or impulses within the personality

 I must stress that these are very broad principles.  The meaning of individual harmonic charts is only really determined in relation to the natal chart, and the individual's expression of the principles and symbols described in the chart.

 CONCLUSION

     There are profound relationships between the second, third and fifth harmonics.  I tend to see these as colluding elements within the horoscope. They stand together, or fall together. Again, the strength of the relationship depends on the individual horoscope.  However, I think, in general, we act to preserve the integrity of these three at the expense of the seventh.

     Think of these three as an equilateral triangle; they form a stable relationship with each other: matter, spirit and order.  Seven, from an astrological point of view, represents a 'loose cannon' or 'wild card' that threatens to undermine this 'acceptable triumvirate'. The principle of seven is not easily integrated.

     Or to return to the earlier model - think of the 2-3 axis representing the threshold of consciousness, imagine 5 - order - above this threshold at right angles to the pole.  7 is then represented at the opposite end of this pole, below the threshold. The principle of 7 would then be a representation of the unacceptable, but ultimately undeniable, contents of the unconscious, a la Freud's conception of the 'id'.

 OK. I'm really speculating now!  Time to go.

 Best wishes to you all

 Ed


From:                   "John Sutton" 
Date sent:              Fri, 18 Dec 1998 10:42:00 +0000
Subject:                Re: ## Ed: re: Penny: Harmonic Meanings
 
 

Ed wrote some about Harmonic meanings, and invited feedback. Thanks, Ed, for the thought-provoking post.

    I don't know how well this relates to the use of Harmonics in astrology, but I think of two and three the other way around.  For me, MATTER (the word is etymologically linked, I believe, to "mater" and mother) is that which embodies spirit by recieving and holding it, providing a vessel, shape, form for it.  This is feminine don't you think?

    If I remember rightly, the Pythagoreans and earlier schools of thought from the Middle East and India saw the number two as the first "female" number, and three as the first "male" number.

    In ancient times Five was seen as, amongst other things, the coming together of two and three, hence marriage.   That seems to fit with your "balanced, harmonious, inclusive".

    Five is also closely connected with the Golden Section, as can be seen by the great number of Golden Section proportions which result from drawing a pentacle in a circle, and from the fact that Five is part of the mathematical formula that yields the Golden Section:  the square root of five, plus one, all divided by two.  So, it seems to me that whatever we understand about the Golden Section needs to be incorporated into our view of the 5th Harmonic. Something to do with qualitative leaps?  Evolutionary possibilities (the Golden Section seems to be integral to the evolution of life on Earth)?

    If Five is the coming together of two and three, male and female, I'm not sure you can call it "static" because this is a very productive union, and one which brings forth new life of a sort which, at least genetically speaking, has never existed before.

    "Stability"....Theodor Landshcheidt has been arguing that the Golden Section ratios which abound in the structure of the solar system are essential for the solar system not to lose it's shape and order.  He says that in Physics the Golden Section represents the principle of stability, counterbalancing the principle of disorder.  However, this "stability" doesn't seem to be a "static" thing, according to his work. He shows that many natural and economic phenomena occur in cycles which peak in line with Golden Section points within the cycles.  For example, the most powerful hurricanes, which we don't equate with "stability", "balanced",  "harmonious", "static", or "constructive".    On the theme of "constructive", too, has it not been shown that some very *destructive* people have had stacks of quintiles in their charts?

    For me, the nature of Five is as strong, as subtle and as beautiful as the Golden Section itself, and as exciting....  there's something very "on the edge", or "point of departure" about it.

    I believe it has been argued that Five, in human terms, has a lot to do with the creative or destructive power of consciousness, or consciousness applied in a powerful, masterful way.

John


From:                   "Edward  Gillam"
Subject:                Re: ## Numerological Symbolism and Harmonic Meanings
Date sent:              Sat, 19 Dec 1998 16:45:04 -0000

Hi John, Steve and Fellow Uranians

    Thanks for your reply to my posting on harmonic meanings.  My understanding is that although there is a Pythagorean/numerological bent to John Addey's original work on harmonics, numerological significance has tended to take a back seat since then.

    I take your point on 2 and 3.  I think you're absolutely right, numerologically, to assign matter to 3. This fits much better with the traditional numerological symbolism. The etymology of the word also points in this direction as you suggest.

    So, as you say, spirit (2) infuses matter (3) and gives it life or animates it: this is the Greek idea that breath or 'pneuma' (spirit) is the essential life giving force.  Conversely, matter (3)  is the substantial expression of spirit (2).

    Certainly, in the I Ching, the first hexagram is to do with 'masculine/spiritual' expression, which is symbolised by the doubling of the trigram for Heaven; the second hexagram is to do with 'feminine/natural' expression which is symbolised by doubling the trigram for Earth.

    As Richard Wilhelm says, the Receptive (hex. 2) '...is the perfect complement of the Creative (hex. 1)...for the Receptive does not combat the Creative but completes it.  It (hex. 2) represents nature in contrast to spirit, earth in contrast to heaven, space as against time, the female-maternal as against male-paternal.' (R Wilhelm, I Ching or Book of Changes, tr. by C F Baynes, London, Penguin Arkana, 1989, p 10)

    This leaves us with a paradox - although 3 is numerologically linked with matter, from a harmonic point of view 3 is associated with idealism and immateriality.  Hamblin and others do not really pick this contradiction up.

    Certainly Harvey and Harding, in Working with Astrology, connect 9 (3 x 3) with idealism.  Hamblin associates 9 with pleasure, joy, happiness and peace. Although these qualities have their material expressions, they are certainly not material qualities (like hard, rough, smooth etc.). He also describes 9 as related to 'knowledge and understanding and truth'. Again, there is no way, in my mind at least, that these 'products of threeness' can be said to relate to the material/natural/feminine described above.

    Again, in Harding and Harvey's Working with Astrology, 2 is clearly linked with manifestation.

    "The concrete, manifest qualities of this series of aspects is evident when it comes to interpreting a chart, for most astrologers (especially Uranians and Cosmobiologists! - my observation) will be much more confident in describing 'what it's like' to have for example SO-90-MA than SO-120-MA. The ideas associated with the square are so much more tangible, clear cut, and visible to Western perceptions.' (Harvey and Harding, Working with Astrology, p. 286)

    They do go on to say that the symbols described in the 2 series '...represent those ideas within us which are demanding to be made manifest, to be actualised, through an effort of the will.' (ibid..) This seems to suggest that there is an idealistic foundation to the concept of manifestation that they so closely identify with 2.

    These first principles of astrology certainly give us some food for thought!

    Would this be fair to say: the 2 series charts describe the spiritual/ideal foundation of material/manifest reality, and the 3 series charts describe the material or manifest qualities of spiritual reality?

    What is certainly true is that harmonics 2 and 3 are profoundly linked which, I guess, is another way of saying that 'spirit' and 'matter' etc. are really just two sides of the same coin.

    Perhaps you could offer your thoughts on these ideas; it will certainly help me to clarify my own thoughts on these very profound principles.  Perhaps the exchange will help clarify things for others.

    What this is suggesting to me is that spiritual understanding can lead to a fresh apprehension of material reality; and that profound connection with material reality can inform spiritual understanding.

    I feel that these conceptions of matter and spirit are useful constructions for helping us to think about human experience. As Richard Wilhelm says, the Creative and the Receptive are not enemies but necessary complements to each other. Astrology also shows us the two concepts are fundamentally linked and related, and perhaps, from some perspectives, even blurred.

    There is some evidence for this relationship between 2 and 3 if you look at the semi-sextile (in the first harmonic). The aspect throws up a square in the third harmonic and a sextile in the second harmonic.  This suggests to me that there is some analogous relationship between the two harmonics series.

    The semi-sextile represents the division of the circle by 12; a square (2  x 2 = 4) in the 3rd harmonic seems to be somehow fundamentally related to a sextile (2 x 3 = 6) in the 2nd harmonic. (3 x 4 = 12 = 2 x 6)

    From a wider perspective, the combination of 2 and 3, most commonly seen in astrology's interest in 12-fold manifestations (zodiac, houses, major aspects), might represent the symbolisation of lived experience, this blend of inner and outer, yin and yang, active and receptive etc.. Perhaps the 6th and 12th harmonic charts represent our struggle for balance between inner and outer experience, between material and and spiritual experience. Being incarnate we have to strike some sort of balance between the two modes of existence.

    I'll leave further thoughts on 5 and 7 for another posting.  Essentially I've drawn my ideas for 5 from Hamblin's book.  I realise my interpretation of 7 is idiosyncratic.  However, the cosmos (order)/chaos (disorder) polarity is so woven into our thinking that it seems a suggestive way to go with developing ideas around 5 and 7.

    Perhaps you could also offer some further insight into the addition of primes - eg 2 + 3 = 5 - compared with the multiplication of primes (as described above).  I've never really got to grips with this.

Thanks again John. Your feedback was very helpful and thought provoking.

Best wishes to everyone.

Ed


From:                   "John Sutton" 
Date sent:              Sun, 20 Dec 1998 00:37:46 +0000
Subject:                Re: ## Ed: Harmonic Meanings & Numerological Symbolism

    Ed and I have been musing on the meanings of some of the Harmonics. Unfortunately I didn't say what I meant to say clearly enough, so Ed misunderstood me.   Sorry, Ed!  Here's an attempt to straighten things out.

    What I meant to suggest was that "2 is matter and feminine, while 3 is spirit and masculine", but it came across to Ed as "2 is spirit and masculine and 3 is matter and feminine."

    Hmm.  This misunderstanding is maybe not entirely a waste of time, for me at least, as it makes me think more not only about the relationship between 2 and three, but also about how all of that sits within the One.  I'm not clever enough to get into a truly interesting, comprehensive philosophical treatise here, but briefly:

    If matter (2, feminine) is dependent on spirit (3, masculine - the pattern that informs the matter, "pattern" derived from pater ) then why does 3 come AFTER  2?

    But who's to say that either feminine or masculine should come one before the other?   In a contrived list of principles inevitably one thing comes before another, but as you say,

> What is certainly true is that harmonics 2 and 3 are profoundly
> linked which, I guess, is another way of saying that 'spirit' and
> 'matter' etc. are really just two sides of the same coin.

    Co-existent and interdependent, complete in each other.  No spirit without matter, and no matter without spirit, all contained / expressed in the One, and flowering together in 5.

    I'm suspicious of the habit we've inherited, which I believe goes back to the Greeks and goodness knows who else, of trying to see things hierarchically.    Our notion of "spirit" often seems to be exalted above our notion of "matter", but how can that be so?

    As I understand it, in the Hermetic vision embracing astrology and alchemy the ultimate goal is not to transcend matter by rising up to some rarefied, superior, detached "spiritual" way of being, but rather to consciously work with the manifestation of spirit in matter - to bring or join Heaven to Earth, and Earth to Heaven.

<< As Richard Wilhelm says, the Receptive (hex. 2) '...is the perfect complement of the Creative (hex. 1)...for the Receptive does not combat the Creative but completes it.  It (hex. 2) represents nature in contrast to spirit, earth in contrast to heaven, space as against time, the female-maternal as against male-paternal.' (R Wilhelm, I Ching or Book of Changes, tr. by C F Baynes, London, Penguin Arkana, 1989, p 10)

    Not sure about "space as *against* time", not having plumbed the depths of Saturn; space and time are probably in the same Saturnian pot. According to Physics they are pretty much the same thing, or so I'm told.

    At least the paradox you percieved (re-presented in the paragraphs following this one) goes away if  you consider 3 as spirit / masculine and 2 as matter / feminine.

    The next thing you said reminds me of how, in the yin - yang symbol, there is a bit of yin in the yang and vice versa:

<< Would this be fair to say: the 2 series charts describe the spiritual/ideal foundation of material/manifest reality, and the 3 series charts describe the material or manifest qualities of spiritual reality?

What this is suggesting to me is that spiritual understanding can lead to a fresh apprehension of material reality; and that profound connection with material reality can inform spiritual understanding.>>

    Me too, coming via a roundabout route from an early inclination to aim for a fallacious "spirituality" leading away from materiality. I have begun to see that conscious Spirit honours the material world, celebrates it, rejoices in it, and bears fruit in and through it.  Being and doing, fullness in emptiness, love, service, recieving and giving - the whole dance seems to come together as this sinks in.

<< From a wider perspective, the combination of 2 and 3, most commonly seen in astrology's interest in 12-fold manifestations (zodiac, houses, major aspects), might represent the symbolisation of lived experience, this blend of inner and outer, yin and yang, active and receptive etc.. Perhaps the 6th and 12th harmonic charts represent our struggle for balance between inner and outer experience, between material and and spiritual experience.  Being incarnate we have to strike some sort of balance between the two modes of existence.>>

I sometimes wonder what's supposed to be so great about NOT being incarnate. Why do we seem, generally, to assume that beings on the "spiritual plane", meaning discarnate, have more potential than us for wisdom?  Seems to me they might be missing something.   Trouble and strife, sure, but more than that.

John


Date sent:              Sun, 27 Dec 1998 20:02:56 -0500 (EST)
From:                   Mary Downing Subject:                Re:harmonics

Dear Folks:

     I've been using harmonics since 1960ish without much concern about assigning particular qualities to each harmonic.  I've been much more concerned with the nature of the events they seem to presage. There's a reason for that.

    My previous focus (to '60)  had been horary and event, so dial work was quite new.  I applauded the "contact" concept -- because I'd already dismissed the trine=good, square=bad attitude.  The 90 deg dial generates 1,2,4,8, 16 and 3,6,12, 24 very nicely.  A 360 can be marked to show 5,7, and 9ths as well. You can even pick up 9ths on a 90 (5 degrees on either side of the 45deg arrow), but you loose the concept of even distribution and symmetry -- which are however retained for the 30/45 deg families. A 360, of course, shows everything except symmetry.

    Hindu astrologers use the 9th harmonic extensively.  It's the navamsa. I've used a 40 degree dial for years as an adjunct ( if I see indication that there are significant  "bumps" showing 5deg off the 45 position. It's also a logical "other" breakdown of the zodiac.  We sort by quadriplicity (i.e. "quality -- cardinal, fixed, mutable) as being a very natural distribution because it shows the nature (quality) of " action". (Note: the Earth will be in a different element than the Sun.  You need to enter both)

    Why is it less logical to sort by triplicity, or elements?  Is the link created by similarity of action -- Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn -- really so much more significant than the link by element -- Aries, Leo, Sagittarius?  It would seem all the same concepts of equal distribution, contact, solar arc-- should operate just the same.  I think if you try using a 40 deg. dial, you'll find they do.

    9ths also explain why such ghastly things can happen on trines.  A trine is 3 X 40. There does seem to be a more fated quality about the events that occur. It does seem to relate more to "hereditary" qualities than ones acquired by education. It does not seem too often to be accidental. Births, deaths, marriages, arrests.

    Because for years I drafted my own yearly graphic ephemerides (before programs that did it for me), I tended to be lazy and use heliocentric positions for 5ths, 7ths, and 9ths.  The 9ths  show an affinity for heliocentric positions in financial astrology.  If you have a program that will generate a 40 deg graphic, run one and watch how the market responds to planetary contacts (remember to put the Earth in by hand, it's often a major trigger).  I know several people who use 7ths for the bond market. 5ths seem to  relate to pulses of activity.

    I'm loathe to define the flavor of any harmonic. The 4th family is certainly more active than the 9th, but both have pleasant and unpleasant events.  The 9th tends to relate to "inevitable" events.  They  can't be avoided.  Is that a quality?

    However I do have a feeling of discomfort whenever someone starts defining a 5th as being creative, etc. Much too pat. Frankly I feel we simply absorb our interpretive concepts so predigested that we stop thinking and observing the society around us.  What we should be doing is watching what happens during a transit or direction.  (This isn't "this week's whim", I've been practicing astrology almost 40 years.)

    There is much more misinformation than useful material in the "textbooks". One of the major pluses of Cosmo and Uranian is the focus on how combinations manifest. Interpretations are more often external and event related.  That's a sanity-check.

    Be cautious swallowing abstract interpretations of harmonics.  It's still the planets that are important, but they may relate more to one thing than another, and with a specific style.  It may not be the stock market that falls out of bed, it may be gold futures. It may not happen as a result of something Greespan said, but because its been oversold for weeks.   That 9th contact between two charts could be either a "soul-mate" or a destructive obsession.

    You have to know " in your gut" what both the planetary combination AND the specific limits of the harmonic  mean in a given situationl.  You also have to understand the society in which any given aspect, harmonic, planetary picture, etc. is going to play out. What works in the USA may not work in India, and certainly won't in Iran.

--Mary


Date sent:       Sun, 27 Dec 1998 08:39:56 -0500
From:            Penelope Publications
Subject:         Re: ## Ed: re: Penny: Harmonic Meanings

Hello Ed and Group,

    Thank you for taking the time to explain what some of the harmonics mean Ed. I appreciate it. I have a question that is probably on the minds of many experienced and beginning astrologers in relation to the "HARMONICS."

    Is it possible that you could explain the following?

1)    How do you find a harmonic in the horoscope?

2)    When you find it, how do you personally apply it?

3)    When you first investigate the horoscope do you seek out certain specific harmonics that you believe have a meaning to you in the  quick analysis of that chart?

    I understand that one must divide the harmonic number by 360 degrees in order to discover the number of degrees that separate one harmonic from the next. Some of the harmonics you discuss are not exact multiples that equal 360 degrees. This is true of the the 7th harmonic, which equals 360 by a dividend of 51.43.

    In the case of the 2nd harmonic, the 180 degree aspect or opposition is a familiar aspect to astrologers. In the case of the 3rd harmonic we have 120 degrees and is known as a trine. The 5th harmonic places the division of 360 every 72 degrees. How do you discover this pattern which is not readily seen with the eye using the 12 house system or even a 360 dial?

Penny


From:            "Edward  Gillam"
Subject:         Re: ## Ed: Reply to Penny
Date sent:       Sat, 2 Jan 1999 08:15:43 -0000

Hi Penny, Steve and Colleagues

    Penny has asked the following questions re: harmonic work.  I will do my best to answer them for you.  Please let me know if you would like more clarification.

1)    How do you find a harmonic in the horoscope?

    This is really a matter of calculating the harmonic chart.  However, some harmonic relationships can be seen in the natal chart fairly easily.  For example, two planets 45 degrees apart will be conjunct in the 8th harmonic.  Two planets 22.5 degrees apart in the natal chart will be opposite in the 8th harmonic.  Two planets 40 degrees apart will be conjunct in the 9th harmonic; two planets 20 degrees apart will be
opposite in the 9th.

    If you have a list of all the angular separations between the planets in a natal chart, and a list of the angular separations that correspond to harmonic relationships, you could find harmonic patterns without having to calculate each harmonic chart.

    The table below is an example of this: you could use it to calculate hard aspects in the 8th harmonic by simply knowing the angular separation between planets in the natal chart.

Table for calculating hard aspects in 8th harmonic chart.

           Degrees of separation in natal chart

CNJ       0.000     45.000     90.000     135.000
SES       5.625     50.625     95.625      140.625
SQU     11.250     56.250   101.250      146.250
SSQ     16.875     61.875   106.875       151.875
OPP     22.500     67.500   112.500       157.500
SSQ     28.125     73.125   118.125       163.125
SQU     33.750     78.750   123.750       168.750
SES     39.375     84.375   129.375       174.375

The aspects in the left-hand column represent hard aspects in the 8th harmonic chart.

    You can use this chart in the following way: calculate the angular separation between two planets in a natal chart. Say, for example, you find that in a particular chart the Moon and Venus are separated by 112.5 degrees.  By checking with the table above, you would find that in the 8th harmonic the Moon and Venus are opposite each other.

    It is rare that an angular separation will exactly equal a figure in the table; you need to allow an orb of say 0.25 of a degree.  So, in the above example, an angular separation of 112.5 +/- 0.25 degree will give an opposition with maximum  2 degree orb in the 8th harmonic.

    These tables can be calculated for any harmonic.  However, in reality, you would only want to use them to calculate harmonics in the absence of any other technique, including a pocket calculator! They do make it clear, however, that harmonics are nothing more than a detailed examination of angular/aspect relationships in the natal chart.
 

2)    When you find it, how do you personally apply it?

    This is a complicated question.  I think it is a matter of assessing the harmonic, the aspect within the harmonic, and the planets involved.  I tend to only look at hard aspects within each harmonic, and I tend to focus on the 2-series - especially the 8th and 16th harmonic.  These seem to be the easiest to read.  The 2-series harmonics appear to represent day to day manifestations of the horoscope, and, as such, may be the material that comes to the fore in life.

    It's very difficult to be definitive about this.  One thing that harmonics have done for me is move me away from the generic and bland interpretations that come from traditional approaches to aspects. Harmonics are a very good way of seeing the highly individual nature of the horoscope.  Once you have got into harmonics its very difficult to be satisfied with the old 'Sun in Leo in the 8th house trine Venus in Sag. in the ......' stuff.  What harmonics have made me realise is that there is a lot of material packed into a statement like that, and its real meaning for a client/ourselves cannot be known until we have explore exactly what the nature of that aspect is.

    If you have a look at the table above, you will see that within a trine's traditional orb there are two angular separations that represent hard aspects in the 8th harmonic - 118.125 and 123.75.  So a trine can contain a great deal of tension/manifesting energy which may feel quite uncomfortable to the client (perhaps Mars 'trine' Pluto with an angular separation of 118.125 +/- 0.25 degs.). A traditional interpretation might miss this altogether by offering bland assurances about the ease with which the client can get in contact with this powerful source of energy.

    I think it's also important to refer back to the natal chart, from the harmonic chart, to see the 8th harmonic formations in the context of the patterns in the horoscope.

3)    When you first investigate the horoscope do you seek out certain specific harmonics that you believe have a meaning to you in the quick analysis of that chart?

See question 2 - 8th and 16th.

I hope this helps.

Ed


Date sent:       Mon, 04 Jan 1999 09:11:15 -0500
From:            Penelope Publications
Subject:         Re: ## Ed: Reply to Penny - Harmonics

Hello Ed,

    Thank you for the truly clear lesson on harmonics. In my mind, the astrologer who reads a chart via harmonics is placing a focus on the meaning of aspects and the power of a certain aspect (harmonic) as it relates to the person. Is this correct?

    I see that you take note of the 8th and 16th harmonic specifically and have confirmed to yourself what Alfred Witte had discovered. The 8th (45 degrees) and 16th (22.30) harmonic along with the 4th and other hard aspects dominate the symmetries of the 90 degree dial. In short, your own research concludes  what Witte found . . . that the hard aspect appears to represent material events and experiences.

    The main difference between harmonics astrology and Witte's approach, however, seems to be that the Uranian astrologer accepts (uses exclusively)  the 4th harmonic (which incorporates many other harmonic numbers). The main focus, however, is on the analysis of the meanings of the planetary symmetries i.e., midpoints and sensitive points when using the dials.

QUESTION:

1)   In the study of harmonics and horoscopes, do you determine that your client is a 4th harmonic, 7th harmonic or 3rd or 5th harmonic person? Do you arrive at a conclusion about what harmonic dominates a client's horoscope? Do you apply this harmonic value then to how that client will express certain planetary aspects?

2)  Once you have determined what harmonic dominates a horoscope, do you then study the midpoints and planetary pictures?

Penny

From:            "jenkins"
Subject:         Re: ## Ed: Reply to Penny - Harmonics
Date sent:       Thu, 14 Jan 1999 21:57:06 +1300

   There is a use for harmonics,  but in my opinion, does not have very much to do with academic measurements. I believe that astrology is about the reading of charts. Quite simply it is sufficient to understand at a very deep level that splitting the circle by three introduces the addictive dive of the person or condition being investigated, and the division by 2 make life so damn difficult that we are forced to do something about it.

    Therefore difficulties are much to be preferred than what I see as the primrose path that leads to destruction.  Just as an artist needs to be able to paint what he sees before he takes the liberty to paint what s/he feels. So the astrologer had better understand what the 360 degrees is trying to tell Him/Her. By the way I am being terribly PC tonight, but that is probably because I had a visit by Steve and his lovely Pauline.

    So all you Uranian  or Hamburg school of astrologers, learn the basics of your craft, what each house means  and how they progress from one to another. For instance, the first house deals with the early conditioning of the person being investigated, and the second house indicates the need and expectations of self worth as progressed from what we revived our strokes in childhood for fulfilling what we conceived as out parents and environment wishes.  Depending on these two is the way we learn to communicate.  All this is basic astrology which I learned over 50 years ago from a occultist who I do not think had ever heard of Carl Jung.

    Just as the slide rule was of great value to the engineer and mathamatian so is the computer and the harmonic dials they produce for us, but first the real chart which is the 360 degree, all else might be an ego trip unless you can produce results from it at a first time reading. Covering is just not enough.

                Love you all
                            John J


Date sent:      Fri, 15 Jan 1999 16:05:07 EST
Subject:        ## basic harmonics question.

    Okay. This is going to sound REALLY stupid so bear with me as I can't seem to get a straight answer out of anyone who supposedly is "in the know" about these matters (Just FYI, I am NOT referring to anyone in THIS group!)

    I have WinStar which only gives me 12 harmonic charts (as opposed to the bazillions that you can get if you are willing to lose the sleep and do the actual math yourself). So, I am only asking about the basic 12 that I have access to.

    If I run a harmonic chart - I get a 12 house wheel with signs and planetary placements. My question is two-fold.

    One: What is the specific correlation between each harmonic and actual living expression? In other words, if I am running a 5th harmonic - what is it that I am being shown? Creativity? Health? Wealth? Genius? My soul's evolutionary pattern in the 22nd dimension? My dog's personal karma?

    Two: If I am looking at this harmonic chart (and I am assuming that all harmonic charts pretty much look the same with signs, planets and houses, etc. Correct me if I am wrong, please! I am still learning!) - what are the signs for? Do they have a particular type of expression or are they just there to show an aspectual relationship? What about the house placements?

    If harmonics only concern themselves with aspectual relationships - then why a round chart with house and sign placements at all? Why not just degree numbers?

    Example: If my natal Jupiter is in Taurus conjunct the MC but moves to the 8th/9th cusp in Sagittarius in a 5th harmonic - what does this mean, if anything? Or do I ultimately ignore the sign and house placement in a harmonic and utilize ONLY the aspects generated?

    I have texts on harmonics but I can't find any information on the importance or unimportance of signs and houses for the new planetary placements - nor can I find any information on what each harmonic chart shows or implies.

    Is this similar to a solar return or a horary wherein the signs and houses retain their original delineations but the rules for "reading" the chart change how the information is used?

Can someone help please?????

Confused in the Cosmos,
Jen

From:            "Buz & Joanie Overbeck"
Subject:         Re: ## Jen: basic harmonics question.
Date sent:       Sat, 16 Jan 1999 17:42:49 -0800

Re: Jen's harmonic questions

    I'm not a Harmonic expert but I do have some experience with Harmonics, having written some of the first harmonic computer programs as well as doing some statistical runs for John Addey on his data sets.

    As I understand it, the basic premise of a harmonic chart is linked to the meaning of the number of the harmonic. So, the first 9 harmonic charts would find their meaning in the meaning of the first nine number.

    Now, Addey had his own set of meanings for the numbers but you can use whatever you find has meaning for you. In any case, there were originally two basic approaches:

1. Take a Data Set (sun, moon, etc. signs) and perform an Harmonic (Fourier) analysis on it to see what, if any, harmonic stood out and passed the statistical test of significance. So, if you had a large collection of (say) murderers and ran an Harmonic analysis on the Sun signs and found that the 8th harmonic was predominate at a statistically significant level, then you could infer that the 8th harmonic was significant in the charts of murderers.

2. Take a natal chart and examine a specific area of life as determined by the meaning of the number. So, if you suspect the new fiance of your sister and run an 8th harmonic chart and find a significant number of conjunctions, you could warn her that her spouse-to-be has the potential of a murder!

    The first approach is beyond the scope of most astrologer, lacking the proper computer program to run the analysis.

    The second has possibilities considering the following:

1. The time of birth *must* be perfectly known (not wrecktified!) as whatever error exists in the planetary positions is multiplied by the number of the harmonic.

2. Signs and Houses have no significance

3. Only conjunctions are considered (any other aspects, ie., squares, inconjuncts, etc. are sub-harmonics of the original harmonics.)

    If you want to experiment with Harmonics, I would recommend you first equip yourself with a set of Pythagorian meanings of the 1st nine numbers and restrict yourself to the first 9 harmonics. Keep it simple.

    Most computer programs will provide a listing of the 1st nine harmonics with the conjunctions in each flagged. Pick the harmonic with the most conjunctions and then focus on the meaning of the appropriate number.

This is my opinion only and I hope it helps,

Buz Overbeck
 
 

Date sent:       Sat, 16 Jan 1999 21:23:23 -0500 (EST)
From:            Mary Downing
Subject:         Re: ## Jen: basic harmonics question.

    There are two ways to create harmonic charts;

1. The way you describe a la Winstar and most other programs (which creates a set of bastard signs and houses),

2, and by analysing the symmetric relationship between planets in a given harmonic, which would be a division of 360.

    There is a real problem with using fake houses and signs.  Any true meaning positional notation has, either in zodiac or in elevation, is completely destroyed. Taurus stops being May and Scorpio stops being November, to say nothing of Venus/ Mercury oppositions and Neptune/ Pluto conjunctions.

    If it can't happen, like Aries in January,  we shouldn't be trying to interpret it.

(Do I feel strongly about this? Never! )

    This ersatz sign/house method is lunacy. It doesn't the least bit surprise me that harmonics have pretty much dropped off the astrologic map since programmers concocted this silly nonsense to add another buzz word to their advertised list of supported techniques.  Other readers may defend it, but I defy you or anyone else to either delineate objective characteristics of a client or predict events from these illegitimate notations. Harmonic "aspects" yes.  Bogus signs and houses, no.

    What you can do is divide the zodiac into overlapping segments and analyse the symmetrical relationship of planets within that closed system. That's what you do with a 90 degree dial -- you overlap all the cardinal, fixed and mutable signs.  If you use a 40 deg dial you overlap all the fire, air, earth and water signs; and so on.

    This "overlapping" shows you the ** relationship** of planets in that harmonic.  It allows you to progress (solar arc), find midpoints, use transits, compare charts. The 90 deg dial will let you do 1,2,4,8,16; 3,6,12, 24 ( and a rudimentary 9th).  A 40 deg will give you 3rd, 6th, 9th and 18th.  The 22.5 is a "magnifying glass" for the 90.

    Time Graphs II , and probably several other programs, will generate graphic ephemerides in any harmonic you wish.  The graphics are real harmonics. Since the 5th (72 deg) and 7th (51.428 deg ) make very awkward dials, they are best viewed as graphics anyway.  If you want to find out what they mean, run some graphics and see what happens to you or your target when significant contact occurs.  Watch the impeachment hearings or the stock market.

    Consider what a harmonic really is, please.  You take a "note" and divide it by 2, 3, whatever.  The "chords" resonate.  Try it on a piano. You don't just hear it as pleasing, you can feel it vibrate.  That's the concept. There are families of "aspects", not signs and houses.  Who ever heard of making houses for squares and trines?

    Get out your dials.  Look at things over the Aries/Libra Axis, see the links between planetary aspect- families.  See the "complexes" that are being activated by  transits and directions.  See how your Mars/Venus is being tickled by his Jupiter.  That's the key.  Use the graphic ephemerides. See the "knots" of plants forming, breaking up, backtracking, sitting and pounding away on some natal combination until it pulses like a tooth ache. Not just the headliners but the whole supporting cast.  That's what harmonics are all about.  The whole picture, the bit players.  Not just the Trines and squares, but the septiles and noviles that are part of the action too.

--Mary Downing.

Date sent:       Sat, 16 Jan 1999 17:16:24 -0700
From:            Roberta Ashby
Subject:         Re: ## Jen: basic harmonics question.

Hello!

Jen:

In the box where it says 'No Harmonic', clear, then write whatever harmonic you desire.  WinStar does not limit you to just 12.  Have fun!

Roberta

From:            "KENNETH DAVID COOPER"
Subject:         Re: ## Jen: basic harmonics question.
Date sent:       Sun, 17 Jan 1999 12:30:54 +1030

    I am a new member of the 101/Uranian groups, and just finding my way round the mass of detail that has been sent to me from Steve.

    My first response deals with an area in which I have spent some years coming to conclusions - the interpretation of the wide range of harmonic relationships caused by the midpoint structure of a chart.  The harmonics I am using at the moment are based on the 1-5 and 7th (and their multiples). No doubt someone will say: well why not 11, 13 &c. Indeed why not, but my brain can't cope with it. The text I use as the basis, but not the be-all-and-end-all, for the interpretation of these harmonics is largely that of Michael Harding & Charles Harvey "Working with Astrology - the Psychology of Harmonics, Midpoints and Astro*Carto*Graphy. The results, generally have been very satisfactory and produce a more rounded chart than one that concentrates on the Ebertin 90 degree system.  The problem is that it takes me a year and day, minimum, to complete my charts, which sometimes reach 100 pages.

If anyone has grounds for saying I'm mad, you are welcome.

David Cooper
 



Date sent:       Sun, 17 Jan 1999 17:17:14 +0500 (GMT+0500)
From:            Rajeev Upadhye
Subject:         Re: %% Jen: basic harmonics question.

To best of my knowledge houses and signs in a harmonic chart don't carry any meaning. Only if there are any conjunctions in a given harmonic chart then they are of importance.

Rajeev Upadhye


From:                   barlea
Date sent:              Sun, 17 Jan 1999 20:21:12 +0200 (IST)
Subject:                Re: ## Harmonic Answers

Try the following articles:

THEORETICAL INTRODUCTION AND PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE HARMONICS
      by Grazia Bordoni
http://www.teknet.rgn.it/astrologica/arming.htm

LESSON TWO (BEGINNERS/INTERMEDIATE): ASPECTS
http://www.magitech.com/pub/astrology/info/lesson.asp

Worlds within Worlds An Introduction to Fractal Scaling in Astrology
http://www.astrologer.com/chaology/worlds.html

A complete website about Harmonic astrology, including articles and a freeware:
"Welcome to the Universal Rhythms Harmonic Astrology Site"
http://www.ohio.net/~ksquared/rhythms/index.html

THE FRACTAL WORLD OF TIME  AND SPACE By Roxana Muise
http://www.oz.net/~roxanam/Fracworld.htm
_________________________
http://www.myway.it/astrolog/index_en.htm


From:                   "Edward  Gillam"
Subject:                Re: ## Reply to Penny - Harmonics and Midpoints
Date sent:              Sat, 23 Jan 1999 19:15:02 -0000

Hi Steve, Penny and Uranians

    Thanks for your mail.  I have found it very useful to carry on this dialogue - it has really helped me clarify my thoughts.  I hope that it has been of use to other group members.

    I think that there are is one essential difference between harmonic astrology and Uranian/Cosmobiological astrology. It is that harmonic astrology relies on interpreting the chart through aspect patterns; so information that is derived from the chart comes from looking at formations using squares, conjunctions, oppositions etc..  A lot of emphasis is put on aspect formations - so I will look for T-squares, grand crosses etc., much in the same way that an astrologer would use this information in a natal chart.

    The beauty of Uranian/Cosmo astrology is the use and application of the pointer for describing planetary pictures.  This is information that cannot be gleaned (easily or accurately) from a harmonic chart without further use of midpoints.  What I am tending to do now is use the 8th harmonic chart - which lays out the planets and sensitive points exactly in same relationship that is shown in the 45 degree dial - and then combining this chart with close midpoint information.

    I have been looking at Tony Blair's chart a bit recently, following the resignation of his 'spin doctor' Peter Mandelson.  I will give you an example.  If you set up Blair's 8H chart you will be able to pick up (Venus conjunct Uranus) square (Mercury conjunct MC) easily.  What is not easy to pick up is the midpoint combination
SA/MC=NE/MC=ME/NE=MO/PL
- it's there in the chart, it's just that the focus in harmonic work is the trad. aspect formations.

    I believe, using a dial, this combination would easy to identify because the pointer axis would immediately pick out the midpoint relationship between these elements.

    I use the 8H chart a lot in synastry.  Using Blair as an example, the comparison of the chart for the moment of Mandelson's resignation, with Blair's natal chart, throws up
tr. PL= tr. SO = n. (SA/MC=NE/MC=ME/NE=MO/PL).
With the two charts laid out as bi-wheels, and using a report of tr. positions to Blair's midpoints, this picture emerges very clearly.  I am sure if you did the same with a 45 deg. dial, you would end up with the same conclusion.

    (For the harmonic work I am still using orbs max. 0.5 degree in the natal chart - this translates to max. 2 degrees in 8H.)

    Uranian/cosmo dial techniques are really a significant refinement of harmonic work because they use this marvellous dial/pointer machine to identify planetary pictures.  If you like, harmonic work will give you a broad picture via aspect patterns; however, dial/midpoint work gives you the profoundly important, and subtle, planetary pictures.  I believe I can derive the essential planetary pictures using my midpoint/8H chart technique.  However, I may not pick out all the details that a dial user might get from their pointer. (My method is also quite time consuming!! but it does show very clearly the mechanics of the relationships between harmonic and midpoint descriptions of the horoscope.)

    It might be worth doing a comparison of the planetary pictures thrown up by a 45 degree dial and the ones I have derived using my homespun technique.

Chart details:

Peter Mandelson's resignation: 23.12.98, 10.00 GMT, London, 51 N 31, 00 W 07.

Tony Blair: 06.05.53, 06:10 BST, (-01.00), Edinburgh, 55 N 57, 03 W 12.

The key pictures for me are:

tr. PL= tr. SO = tr. (VE/AS) = n. (SA/MC=NE/MC=ME/NE=MO/PL);

tr. MC = n. MO = n. MA = n. (SO/NO=VE/SA=VE/NE=JU/SA=SA/UR=UR/NE)

    N.B. This picture (tr. MC) picks out the most powerful midpoint axis in Blair's chart suggesting that it is a particularly 'vulnerable' point for the PM. [Calculated using Michael Munkasey's Midpoint Weighted Analysis.]

tr. AS = tr. SO/MC= n. (SO/AS=VE/PL=JU/PL=UR/PL)

    Harmonic analysis would immediately give the importance of n. (JU, VE, UR - 90 - ME, MC,  -180 - NO) and (MA - 180 - MO). However, it would not give the depth of analysis described above or suggest the level of integration between the two charts.  There is simply no framework within harmonic astrology for picking up the information. In fact, on first glance, the synastry between the two natal charts looks disappointingly uninformative.

    You may feel uneasy about the width of orbs I have allowed in the 8H chart. If I am right, dial work generally recommends 0.5-1.0 degree max. My argument here is that the actual orbs, in the natal chart, are still only 0.5 degree, and this is in agreement with Ebertin's Cosmobiology. The 8H chart is really only a mathematical construct to allow easy visualisation of hard aspects.  I would certainly go no further than 0.5 degree in the natal chart because this would move the analysis away from the central and defining features of the moment.

    In fact, for midpoints I am now working down to max 20 minutes and usually no more than 12 minutes.  (That's in the natal chart of course.)

    (People get hung up on orbs - I just see them as a technique for managing the amount of information that one generates.  Time, energy and mental power prohibits looking at more than 0.5 degree orbs.  It is also not sensible from a logical point of view to use wide orbs; this just increases the chances of spurious information.)

Re: Signs and Houses

    My opinion is that they are not relevant in a chart analysis using harmonics.  If the Sun is in Aries in the natal chart then it is still in Aries in the 8H.  I know that a lot of programs show signs and houses in the harmonic charts; however, the only relevant information is the aspect relationships.  It is so important to remember with harmonic work that we are only looking at the natal chart in a slightly different way.  The harmonic chart is only a re-presentation of the information in the natal chart using the particular emphasis described by the harmonic factor.

    Re. Other harmonic charts.  Some harmonic charts for individuals are more important than others.  For instance, some individuals have powerful 7H charts, others have powerful 5H charts, etc..  I haven't experimented a lot with detailed analysis of them - I just don't have time to go in depth.  The reason I focus on the 8H and 16H is that the analysis is frequently most rewarding - the evidence for the astrology is out there in the world. (I think Witte and Ebertin are definitely right about the manifesting and materialising power of the 8H etc..)

    It's important to remember that we all have a 7H and a 5H relationships in the natal chart; they may become active during particularly powerful sets of transits. (Using a graphic emphemeris helps to track transits to 5H and 7H charts.)

    (Sorry about the lack of TNPS; I don't have any easy way of generating this information at the moment although I am working on it.)

    This is a little bit delayed I'm afraid.  I hope the information is still of interest to people.  It would be great to have feedback from dial workers re. the planetary pictures above.  I am interested to see what the similarities are in the 'output' of the two techniques.

Best wishes

Ed


Date sent:              Sun, 24 Jan 1999 06:07:30 -0500
From:                   Penelope Publications
Subject:                Re: ## Ed: re: Penny - Harmonics and Midpoints

Hello Ed,

    Yes, thank you for taking the time to clarify what harmonics are and how one might put them to use astrologically. Many astrologers have difficulty understanding just what harmonics are, when actually they are aspect interpretation.

    To be sure Uranian astrology and Harmonics astrology converge. However, the Uranian astrologer who incorporates dial analysis (other than the 360) drops the focus on aspects and houses as a main approach to the horoscope. The Uranian astrologer studies the symmetry and midpoint structure for the main source of information.

Penny

Subject: harmonic article
Date:    Sun, 31 Jan 1999 23:00:31 +0200
From:   zivit

A NOVICE TAKES ON HARMONICS
comment - this actually was never sent to the list, but was written as a stand alone article for the site. Still, I thought it could belong in this page, since it is about the same subject.
Note:  The author of this article is not an expert in harmonics, but has kindly assembled the following explanation of what harmonics are all about, as seen from an astrologer who is beginning to investigate this important
branch of astrology.  Your comments are welcome.
   -  Steve Lee,   creator of this web site
-----------------------------------------------------------

    If you asked me to define harmonic charts, I'd go back to the way the 90 chart is explained in the Dial Detective (not quoting, my take of it).

    The best way to show relationship between points or bodies in the sky, is to have them grouped together. If you had the points and  bodies of your chart drown on a circle without any other information and you wanted to see which points are exactly opposite, the easiest way would be to cut
the circle in two and overlap the two halves. If you had that circle on a transparency  (I'm a big fan of them, as you know), you could see through and find exact oppositions easily. Cut the transparency to quarters and you can see squares, and so on.

    Another such image is a rubber band. Suppose you had your chart written on a rubber band. Now you take the rubber band and wind it on something in two loops (or more). You now have the points that correspond to the aspect you want grouped together along the rubber band.

    So, if I had to define harmonics I would use the definition of arranging the chart in a way that groups aspecting objects together, by the kind of aspect you are interested in.

    The most extensive site for harmonics I encountered is :
HTTP://www.ohio.net/~ksquared/rhythms/articles
I am not too sure it would be right for me as a novice to summarize the ideas expressed there. Better surf there and read to your heart content.

What could harmonic charts be good for

    One of the things I noticed as I started studying Astrology years ago, was how many details there are to pay attention to - and how, when it comes to explaining meaning, most cookbooks focus on 2-3 parts of the puzzle only. You have tables that give you the meaning of planets in signs Then you have tables for planets in houses Then you may even find tables of sign in houses - as if having the Asc in one sign does not restrict the possibility of finding the rest of the houses starting at only a few signs (same sign,
next sign, perhaps the one after). And, when you look at aspects - the tables never give a thought for anything but the planets involved and the arc between them - where are the signs? the houses? the elements? the sign or house qualities? You are left with a great deal of details you need to synthesize yourself into a meaningful message.

    Harmonics is an attempt to show patterns. what may not be too obvious in the chart, may be viewed much more clearly in a chart that groups things together.

    We are used to certain major aspects from the first days of studying astrology. the division to 12 signs makes any aspects that are multiplication of 30 rather easy to notice - the pattern comes from seeing they fall in the same (or close) degree, each in it's own sign. When we advance to less easy to notice aspects - 45 and 135 first, then fifths, sevenths ninths and so on - we find the need for different systems to present your data that will make the aspects clear to see.

    One big question is why do we need so many aspects - Is the "regular" set not enough? Apparently not.

    One way to look at aspects is as a way to connect points/bodies. these connections vary from one chart to another, and the overall pattern is one of the characteristics that make each one different from others.

    Another view is that all points/bodies are connected one way or another. You can find that connection by widening your orbs - until the orb of one aspect reaches that of another, or you could just add more and more aspects and keep orbs tight.

    Harmonics goes the second route. If you can find a mathematical connection between the point - an angle that is some kind of division of the 360 degrees - you can see some meaning in it.

    I know this view may look strange to some of you - harmonics are built on divisions by whole numbers, and if you use tight orbs, it may be not apparent in the beginning, but if you keep adding divisions up to the division by 180, you will get to the point when each angle two bodies form will have a harmonic aspect that corresponds to it, in a tight 1 degree orb. I do not think that was ever done - but I did not see a point where you stop trying new divisions, so theoretically you can go on until amy angle is a certain harmonic aspect.

How to interpret harmonic relations:

    I did not find much on this, or know more then was written in the harmonics thread we had on the list. All I can say is that man tried to give meanings to numbers and divisions from early days, perhaps from the day the concept of numbers and divisions was introduced.

    Those meaning can vary a lot - you need to build a system that appeals to you for the meanings of different divisions. We are used to see the the 2 series (2,4,8,16) as either "hard" or "bad" or "challenging", and the 3 series (3,6,12) as "easy" or "good". You need to make your own decision whether this is correct, and then what qualities you assign the 5 series, the 7 series and so on.

    If you look at the aspect pattern between elements of the chart as something that signify one chart from another, that is not all points are connected to each other, Then just noting which planet form aspects to any point, is enough - you can just avoid placing qualities on the different sets of aspects derived from harmonic charts. Of course, that will mean you will limit yourself to harmonics up to a certain division.

    However, if you see all points/bodies as connected, and keep adding harmonics until all points are connected, you must build a conceptual structure of what each aspect group mean. Or - you can look around for such structures built by other people and accept them, if the "work" for you.

    I must say I am a skeptic. I do not adopt structures per se - I want "evidence" that they "work". I may put a long time to study techniques so I can collect data - but I need to see "proof" before I "believe". This may be an affliction you do not share, so your path into interpreting harmonics may be easier then mine.

--- / ---

    But there can be another way to look at harmonics, and here again, I am just a beginner, so can only try to explain things - the way they are used in the Hindu astrology - Jyotish.

    Why do I connect the two? They are not the same system, but the person who is best connected to harmonics, John M. Addey, has at least studied them, if not influenced by them.

    Although harmonics are rather a new concept in western Astrology, they are extensively used in Hindu astrology - with the most frequently used (as far as I could see) is the 9th harmonic. This comes out of dividing the sky (and so the chart) to 27 areas of equal portions, each containing 13:20 degrees. each of these can be seen as a sector that represents a star or a group of stars, perhaps a constellation, each with it's meaning and things associated with (like a God, a part in the body, and so on). these division, called
Nakshatras (I've seen them named "moon mansions", but am not sure is that is a good translation), are very important in Vedic astrology.

    The Nakshatras are further divided to 4 parts, so each sign has nine fourths of Nakshartas, of the total 27*4=108 parts. Now, that would make grouping them to 12 groups quite natural (at least to those versed with Jyotish), so that each sign will split into 9 consecutive "houses" in the new chart, and each "house"  will comprise of parts coming from 9 signs in the original chart.

    These divisional charts are not the same as harmonic charts. They are constructed differently, and they are not used to detect aspects - rather they are used to detect positions in the new house setup that emerges from this new division. They are not done the way dial charts are made, but there are rules for division, the way the 9th harmonic chart is explained above. I still do not know how you make most of the more common 16 divisions, but for one - the Hora chart, or the division by 2, your assign the first 15 degrees of odd signs and the last 15 degrees of even signs to one "house" and the rest you assign to the other "house".

    Yet, if you want a list of "things" you can do with them, here is a table I found on one site:
from: www.Jyoitish.com:

Conclusions

I am very new to the philosophy of harmonics, and may have caught only a part of this Theory. I found long ago that studying Astrology has in fact two paces: one is to learn techniques and general structure ideas, the other is using them to delineate a chart. I find the first part fascinating, but the second is what counts in the end. If a technique helps you to show effects you look for, and to make the right prediction - then it is "working". Until then, the technique is a great mind game, puzzle, but of little use in application.

This century has seen the development of a lot of new techniques. Some involve new bodies in the sky, others involve new mathematical relations between existing and new bodies. You find new ideas that were thought of years ago and are buried in old scripts, and these too are made known and used these days. All of these may comprise the Astrology of tomorrow. Some may not. This is the part that makes astrology more then either art or science, and the beauty of it in my eyes.



 
Just a reminder: 9th harmonic consciousness raising

You remember I was talking about a large number of 9th harmonic aspects occuring? It started yesterday and the two most intense dates are Oct 6 and 9.

If you're a market watcher, etc.  If you have a graphic ephemeris program set it for 40 degrees and you'll have a roadmap.
Mary Downing
 
 
 

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