Minderwiz
I restarted Valens too.
..... This sign is calm, Its first 3° are worthless and destructive; from 3° to 7° it is well-watered; good weather from 7° to 15°. The southern parts are wellwatered. The last degrees are a combination of traits."
I am not sure what any of these means, or how it is useful in interpretation.
But, ok, I'll just move on.
Valens wrote at a watershed in the way that the signs, and especially the trigons (triplicities) were viewed. Up to Valens and indeed for some time afterwards, the Trigons were linked to the cosmic winds (analagous to the winds on Earth}. In Schmidt's nautical metaphor, the blew the ship on which we sail the seas of life, either for good or ill. Life is a voyage, a metaphor which still survives. Thus the Trigon, Aries/Leo/Sagittarius was associated with the East Wind.
Valens is generally credited with introducing an explicit link betwee the Trigons and the four elements. But the geographica/meterological analogies survived for a long time in parallel. You'll find remnants in Lilly.
I wouldn't try to incorporate them into interpretations in a modern context. Metaphors and analogies only work if they are widely recognised.
RohanMenon said:Descriptions for (people born under) every term of every sign follows (whoa).
e.g: "The first 6° of Gemini belong to Mercury: temperate, with fine weather,
intelligent, versatile, skilled, active, poetic, prolific. The next 6° belong to
Jupiter: competitive, temperate, with fine weather, prolific, luxuriant,
beneficent. The third term, 5°, belongs to Venus: blossoming, artistic,
addicted to plays and mimes, poetic, a contest winner, popular, cheerful,
prolific. The fourth term, 7° belong to Mars: much-burdened, with no
brothers, having few children, a wanderer, with a good income, destructive,
bloody, inquisitive. The last 6° belong to Saturn: temperate, a procurator,
having possessions, intellectual, with a wide knowledge, distinguished, noted
for intelligence, an arranger of great matters, most famous."
I assume Valens means that people with their ascendants in these terms show these characteristics.
That's correct
RohanMenon said:I have to say I've never seen such 'term descripitons' before, but I'm not sure what to do with this information. Memorizing would take too long. Make short notes? Hopefully future chapters/book will teach how to *use* this information.
If you're going to use it, remember that the planet ruling the Terms (or Bounds or Confines) modifies the overall interpretation of the Sign. Though I suspect that there's an older underlying interpretation.
Valens speaking about the combination of Saturn and Mars (Book 1, Chapter 21)
"However, if these stars are not in their own or in
operative signs, and if they have benefics in aspect, they produce
distinguished and noble nativities, "
Operative signs can be seen in two ways. Firstly that they occupy the operative places, that's everything but the Second, Sixth, Eighth and Twelfth places (houses in modern speak). Saturn and Mars are malefic, so having them in a place that does not aspect the Ascendant keeps them out of the way of doing harm (or at least reduces it). The sixth place is the Joy of Mars, the Twelfth is the Joy of Saturn. If they are well aspected by benefics, then so much the better.
The second way is Signs (Places) activated by a Time Lord. Thus if Mercury is Lord of a year (Month, week, etc) then Gemini and Virgo are active and the Places they take are activated, as are any planets placed in them. In such an active or operative place, transits from Mars or Saturn or aspects into or out of the sign by those two will take effect (which they would not do if the place was not activated).