Part of Spirit (in Aries)

TAROT SUCKS!

As the main (and perhaps only) Traditional Astrologer here, I'd suggest you have a look at the thread:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=190689&page=2 and

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=174867

Plus some of the threads on horary.

There's also an entire thread on Traditional Approaches if you dig for it.

The Part or more properly Lot of Spirit (It's a Hellenistic invention not an Arab one) really gives some indication about how you are able to influence your life through your own actions, whereas it's mirror image the Lot of Fortune says something about what befalls you during your life - that is things largely beyond your control like your health).

Modern takes on the Lot of Spirit by present day Traditional Astrologers tend to look at it more in terms of career, as that is the way that most of us express ourselves. However it is actually wider, as the tenth House used to be linked to 'actions' - how we impress ourselves on the world - so the Lot would apply to your hobbies or voluntary work if that was the main way you chose to express yourself.

Not the only one! Here are a couple of articles on the parts:
http://www.skyscript.co.uk/parts.html
http://www.skyscript.co.uk/fortune.html
I couldn't resist plugging my old article!

Since Part of Spirit also represents how one views spiritual matters, how do Aries tend to view religion?

I don't think Part of Spirit has anything to do with spiritual matters in the sense of divination, religion, etc. "Spirit" as the willpower, yes, the vitality of one's existential abilities. Which is why it was taken as the person's ability to influence his life, to change it, to even improve what's been given at birth. May be today it's often taken like ambition or perservation. In Aries it shows a person who has the drive to forge ahead, to pursue, to take risks but also to not think everything carefully and to rush where slow and careful motion would be more appropriate. I'd also take it as a sign for entrepreneurial gift but on its own it wouldn't be enough to tell anyone "start your own business".

TAROT SUCKS!

I'm not sure what you're quoting. Even if I take this as Part of Spirit, it speaks of faith (which is namely the power of your own will to move mountains believing it's possible, aka the Bible) and not of any religions, divinations, etc. There is a big difference between faith and all spiritual exercises people love to pursue. As the quote rightly points out, the inner health is also a result of the existential power and quite well known by modern medicine - by the will and its power. It also speaks of intentions which is namely what I tried to translate as willpower and ambition before, probably not so successfully. What to comment here?

I'm also quite careful when quoting stuff or commenting on quotes. I've read a couple of works on ancient astrology, very few indeed, in order to get an idea and to develop my own understanding. From there on, I don't read web articles with the exceptions of probably two or three websites, like Skyscript, Astrologyweekly and sometimes the forums there. So, if you want to comment on various quotes, I'll step aside, there is everything out there on the net. But in this particular case, the quote seems just translated from more complicated ancient texts and still holds the initial meaning.

Barkey Foreman said:

Since Part of Spirit also represents how one views spiritual matters, how do Aries tend to view religion?

Click to expand...

I don't want to repeat the points I made in your other thread but I do need to draw on them to answer that.

Firstly it depends what you mean by 'spiritual matters' - I take it you are using the term in a modern context of a belief in the human spirit and its aspirations to a higher goal (religious or otherwise).

The Lot of Spirit was never used to describe such an aspiration - though modern writers may try and layer it with that interpretation. It is Spirit, in the sense of a conscious thinking desire to act and indeed to put those desires for action into effective operation. It's 'spirit' in the sense of a football team putting up a spirited defence to their opponents in a football match. It shows the ability to exert influence on the environment and those in the environment. It does show something in terms of self actualisation (in modern terms) but it's not spiritual in a religious sense.

Secondly, no traditional Astrologer would think in terms of an Aries view on religion. The concept of signs as personality types did not exist till the end of the nineteenth century and was not widespread till the 1930s.

I'm off for the next couple of days but should be back late Saturday or Sunday