Regulus Astrology- World Class Research in Medieval Predictive Astrology

Review of America is Born: America is Born: Introducing the Regulus USA National Horoscope

Reviewed by Mary Plumb

The Mountain Astrologer, August/September 2011, pp. 85-86.
Digital Edition now available online http://mountainastrologer.com/tma/

This is the second volume by Regulus Astrology, the anonymous author (aka Doctor H) who has enormous skill and passion for medieval astrological technique. The first book, A Rectification Manual: The American Presidency (2007), offered computations for rectified birth times – to within 30 seconds – for all presidents of the United States.

The current book is an equally impressive account of the author’s rectification of the U.S. Sibly chart. After a very informative discussion of the historical context for the Sibly chart, the author engagingly describes the process whereby he arrives at 6:17:37 p.m. LMT (on July 4, 1776 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) for what is herein called the Regulus USA National Horoscope. (This gives an Ascendant of 26º54’ Sagittarius; the Sibly Ascendant has 12 º 21’ Sagittarius.) The author then supports the rectified time with more than 200 very specific events from U.S. history, including their concurrent solar arc and primary directions.

An intrepid researcher, Doctor H is practical and creative. The book discusses medieval astrological methods for mundane analysis and then demonstrates his unique “hybrid version.” Medieval methods primarily rely on ingress horoscopes (most commonly the spring equinox chart); the Full or New Moon prior to the Aries ingress; Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions; eclipses, and sky omens (such as comets); however, the author uses the modern national chart with medieval techniques: “while medieval astrologers did not use National Horoscopes, it does not necessarily mean they are irrelevant. What is required is testing of these figures to see if they can stand up to the rigors of medieval delineation and predictive methods.”

The essential components of the method demonstrated in this book are primary directions of planets and their aspects to the angles, along with “the specialized primary directions tool known as Directing through the Bounds.” (This may be familiar to some readers; the author demonstrated Directing through the Bounds in the first book.) Doctor H supports the rectification using primary directions to the Ascendant only. A complete treatment of the method, which the author has named “Abu Ma’shar’s System of Distributors and Participators,” is suggested for further research. This would entail applying the rules utilized herein to each of the other significators, e.g., the Midheaven, Moon, Sun, Part of Fortune, and Prenatal Lunation (Syzygy Ante Navitatem).

In treating the often-vexing question of latitude, the author uses the primary directions sequence introduced in the first book. Specifically, this means that “two directions are computed for each planet-Ascendant direction; the first with the planet’s full latitude, the second with zero latitude.” This gives two dates; the author shows events on those dates and during the period of time between them, which correspond to the nature of the directed planet.

In Chapter 3, “Divination and Rectification,” the author subtly contrasts his experience with that of Geoffrey Cornelius, as described in his seminal work, The Moment of Astrology (1994). This is a fascinating part of the book. Doctor H proposes that the individual astrologer engaging in the rectification process is biased by his or her own natal Mercury (significator of astrology) and Moon (significator of divination). There is also a description of the process the author refers to as “divination assist.”

After Doctor H has described the process of arriving at the rectified time, he gets into the exacting details of the methods employed. There is an ongoing discovery and evaluation of the efficacy of different time lord methods in predictive work, and this book makes a case for the method mentioned above: Abu Ma’shar’s System of Distributors and Participators.

To clarify some basic terms, the bounds are unequal (from two to 12 degrees) five-fold divisions of each zodiacal sign. They are of mysterious origin but are generally understood to have some as yet incompletely understood formula. (Ptolemy offered a set of bounds in Tetrabiblos; the Regulus book demonstrates the Egyptian bounds.) The terms Distributor and Participator were added to the vocabulary of primary directions by Abu Ma’shar. As I understand it, the active bound is named the Distributor, and the Participator is the planet or aspect being directed.

The author explains the theory and the mathematical calculations of these terms. The chapter on calculations is a bit daunting – but cheerfully (Welcome, beginners!) and impeccably explained. Doctor H presents “the barest bones of spherical geometry in order to facilitate learning Ascendant primary directions.” Using the Ascendant as significator, you will see examples (for both direct and converse motion) of “directing the Ascendant through the bounds and directing a planet or its aspect to the Ascendant with and without latitude.”

The Mundane-Natal Horoscope Connection is another of the author’s innovations. There are many demonstrations of “how individuals can be raised to national prominence.” The death of John F. Kennedy, Jr. is one of many examples of prominent people (born 1776-1999) “whose own natal chart recapitulated the same natal planet/sign combination as the Distributor” under consideration.

One important result of the research is the “Ability to Delineate and Predict the National Consciousness.” Major social movements in American history can be “delineated by the planet/sign combination for each Egyptian bound and timed by primary directions of the Ascendant through the bounds.” Lest these examples of “social movements” sound too dry, the author records a wide range of them, from July 4, 1776: “Fight for Religious Freedom,” to November 19, 1990: “Microsoft, Windows, and the Internet” and September 24, 1999: “Poker Craze, The Sopranos, and Makeovers.” Another key summary point is the author’s findings that solar arc and primary directions are both valid methods for directions.

This remarkable book is densely packed with astrological delineations and methods. (Although these are focused on mundane astrology, much can be applied to natal work.) There is a very comprehensive justification with historical data for a rectified horoscope for the U.S. This volume is not only “the most comprehensive empirical test of Directing through the Bounds ever attempted, it provides evidence which supports Egyptian over Ptolemaic bounds in most cases.”

The Appendices are extensive. They include an Event Catalog of dates (from July 4, 1776 to September 11, 2001) used in the initial rectification; many more horoscopes demonstrating the Mundane-Natal Horoscope Connection of individuals who influenced the national consciousness; supplementary work of the Egyptian versus Ptolemaic bounds; and solar arc directions for all planet-Ascendant permutations using Ptolemaic aspects. The book also has thorough chapter Notes.

Although this book is targeted for the more advanced astrologer, it will reward readers who are seriously interested in both research and medieval astrology.