Via Astrologica

or how ancient astrologers managed to calculate almost everything, from the Lot Of Barley to the Lot Of Bitter Purgatives.

In the world of astrology, Lots (also known as Arabic Parts) are like easter eggs hidden in a horoscope. These parts are not physical objects visible in the sky but mathematically calculated points in the horoscope. Depending on the type of horoscope, they provide various information useful for interpretation. Some of them are useful and easy to calculate, and some seem to be of little use. The most popular lot is the Lot Of Fortune, but that is just one of hundred lots. Astro-seek provides 513 Lot formulas¹ – that’s a lot! The abundance of Arabic Parts reflects the intensive development of astrological art in the past. The total number of parts is difficult to quantify. Astrologers are very creative and still create new formulas using various elements of the horoscope.

Lot Of Fortune

Signifies life, the body also, and its soul; strength and fortune and substance and success

G. Bonatti “Book of astronomy”²

The formula for calculation of this lot is

• ASC + Moon – Sun in diurnal horoscope

or

• ASC + Sun – Moon in nocturnal horoscope

or it is the angular distance between the Moon and the Sun, added to the ascendant in the case of diurnal horoscope, or subtracted from the ascendant in the case of nocturnal horoscope.

The first example shows the Lot Of Fortune in the diurnal horoscope. The angular distance between the Moon and the Sun, calculated clockwise, is 107°. This, added to the Ascendant in 19° of Gemini, gives us 6° Libra. In the nocturnal horoscope, the distance between the Sun and the Moon, calculated clockwise, is 243°. This, added to the Ascendant in 16° Capricorn, gives us 19° Virgo.

Predictive Astrology

In the past, people’s lives were strongly dependent on successful crops. People therefore used astrology, among other methods, to predict the quality of the harvest, whether it would be successful, and if it could be sold at a good price. Lot Of Corn in a good position in the chart means a good harvest and poor harvest if the lot is afflicted.

Purgatives

Al-Biruni³ lists, in his The Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology, among other lots related to prognostic astrology, Lot of Purgatives calculated by the following formulas:

• ASC + Saturn – Mercury in diurnal horoscope

or

• ASC + Mercury – Saturn in nocturnal horoscope

Moreover, Al-Biruni provides not only the Lot of Purgatives alone, but also mentions few alternatives.

Lot Of Bitter Purgatives

Calculated by the following formulas:

• ASC + Mars – Saturn in diurnal horoscope

or

• ASC + Saturn – Mars in nocturnal horoscope

Lot Of Acid Purgatives

Calculated by the following formulas:

• ASC + Jupiter – Saturn in diurnal horoscope

or

• ASC + Saturn – Jupiter in nocturnal horoscope

Lot Of Water Melons

There are at least a few lots referring to fruits or grains. The watermelon one seems the most interesting to me. It’s calculated by the following formulas:

• ASC + Mercury – Jupiter in diurnal horoscope

or

• ASC + Jupiter – Mercury in nocturnal horoscope

Pulses⁴

Another type of lot, in the work of Al-Biruni, is related to pulses. There are several different lots for various types of legumes. Nowadays, these lots seem rather fancy to me and, to be honest, I haven’t had a chance to use them, but they hold an honorary place in my collection of astrological curiosities.

The Lot Of Pulses is calculated by the following formulas:

• ASC + Mercury – Venus in diurnal horoscope

or

• ASC + Venus – Mercury in nocturnal horoscope

Lot Of Beans

Calculated by the following formulas:

• ASC + Mars – Saturn in diurnal horoscope

or

• ASC + Saturn – Mars in nocturnal horoscope

Lot Of Lentils

Calculated by the following formulas:

• ASC + Saturn – Mars in diurnal horoscope

or

• ASC + Mars – Saturn in nocturnal horoscope

Lot Of Chick Peas

Calculated by the following formulas:

• ASC + Sun – Venus in diurnal horoscope

or

• ASC + Venus – Sun in nocturnal horoscope

Horary Astrology

Horary astrology is one of my favourite method of predictive astrology. I value it for its simplicity, as there is no need to analyse many horoscopes, but it’s just a matter of a well-understood question to see the story in the chart. You get the question, and you have to give an answer – it’s simple. When I cast a horary chart, it is usually related to love and relationships. But occasionally, there are questions about rumours or strange dreams. I’m not enthusiastic about giving medical advice – that’s the domain of qualified doctors. Nevertheless, there are certain points that concern death or surgical operations.

Lot Of Surgery

Calculated by the following formulas:

• ASC + Saturn – Mars in diurnal horoscope

or

• ASC + Mars – Saturn in nocturnal horoscope

Lot Of Decapitation

Calculated by the following formula:

• Cusp of the eighth house + Mars – Moon

Lot Of Torture

Calculated by the following formula:

• Cusp of the ninth house + Saturn – Moon

Lot Of Information⁵

Whether it’s true or not. This lot is useful when it’s needed to assess whether some information is true or it’s just a rumour. It’s helpful in the era of fake news. It’s calculated by the following formulas:

• ASC + Moon – Mercury in diurnal horoscope

or

• ASC + Mercury – Moon in nocturnal horoscope

Other Lots

Lot Of Debt

Calculated by the following formulas:

• ASC + Mercury – Saturn in diurnal horoscope

or

• ASC + Saturn – Mercury in nocturnal horoscope

Lot Of Astrology

I found this lot in the book by Karl Brandler-Pracht⁶. Calculated by the following formulas:

• ASC + Mercury – Uranus in diurnal horoscope

or

• ASC + Uranus – Mercury in nocturnal horoscope

Lot Of Occultism

And another one found in Brandler-Pracht’s book. Calculated by the following formulas:

• ASC + Neptune – Uranus in diurnal horoscope

or

• ASC + Uranus – Neptune in nocturnal horoscope

Lot Of Travel By Sea

This one I found in Ysagoga Minor, written by Albumasar⁷. Calculated by the following formulas:

• ASC + 15° Cancer ⁸– Saturn in diurnal horoscope

or

• ASC + Saturn – 15° Cancer in nocturnal horoscope

Summary

Arabic Parts might seem odd at first, but they provide some truly strange and fascinating information in astrological analysis. For me, they’re a great addition to the story told by the planets. But it seems Arabic parts shouldn’t be the central or sole focus of an interpretation.

From secrets and rumours to surgery and sudden endings – there’s a part for almost everything. They add a nuance, and sometimes something amusing, to a chart. They prove that just when you think you’ve seen it all, astrology reminds you there’s always more beneath the surface.

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References:

1. horoscopes.astro-seek.com ↩︎
2. Bonatti, Guido. Book of Astronomy, Treatise 8.2: On Lots Translated by Benjamin N. Dykes. Minneapolis: Cazimi Press, 2007 ↩︎
3. Al-Biruni. Księga wiedzy astrologicznej (The Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology). Warszawa: Polskie Towarzystwo Astrologiczne, 2019 ↩︎
4. the edible seed from a legume plant ↩︎
5. Al-Biruni ↩︎
6. Karl Brandler-Pracht. Punkty arabskie (Die sensitiven Punkte in der Astrologie). Warszawa: Polskie Towarzystwo Astrologiczne, 2012 ↩︎
7. Konarska-Zimnicka, Sylwia, i Piotr Piotrowski. Albumasar i jego „Ysagoga minor”. Kielce: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jana Kochanowskiego, 2020  ↩︎
8. or Ascendant if Saturn is at 15° Cancer ↩︎

Charts generated with Urania PRO.