The two directions of the symbol

Italian version

Deducing celestial movements by observing people is theoretically conceivable. However, such an approach wouldn’t be to an astronomical level of precision and yield questionable reliability results. To assess the soundness of this idea, we must explain the fundamentals of astrological reasoning.

A document attributed to the semi-mythical figure of Hermes Trismegistus, originating, it is said, from ancient Egypt, includes the following quote:

Tis true without lying, certain and most true. That which is below is like that which is above and that which is above is like that which is below to do the miracle of one only thing.

— Tabula Smaragdina, 1-2 – Nuremberg Version, 1541

The Emerald Tablet succinctly explains the foundational principles of astrological and magical-esoteric thoughts. In modern terms, it posits a close relationship, if not a resemblance, between the observer (the “below”) and the phenomenon (the “above”). The “one thing” notion stems from recognising that reality is not purely an objective external entity apprehended by humans through their senses and processed solely at a cerebral level, as stated, for example, by naive realism1. Instead, the observer’s consciousness becomes an intrinsic component of the reality they interpret and actively co-create, engendering a unified process wherein the objective manifestation reflects their internal subjective experience.

Humanity, Nature, and the Cosmos are thus closely intertwined. Astrology focuses on the planets as they symbolise the organisational principle underlying organic life through their reciprocal motion and positioning. This principle culminates in the emergence of self-awareness, whereby humans, while unique, reflect the broader cosmos. The natal horoscope, or birth chart, represents the microcosm within the macrocosm, individualised by the specific space-time coordinates of the birthplace relating to the unborn child.

For the astronomical depiction of the celestial sphere at the time of birth to hold significance, the planets should be regarded as symbols, devoid of their physical attributes. They should transition into pure observers of the union or hierogamy between the celestial and terrestrial realms. What is distant thus becomes the non-causal principle, which, on the terrestrial plane, manifests as an individualised and conscious form, similar to droplets of water from the ocean.

When examining the correlation between celestial bodies’ movement and the planets’ positions in the natal chart deemed as fixed, we interpret this relationship through a symbolic arrow. Upon reaching its intended target, this arrow occurs in the individual’s physical realm. Simplifying the interpretative technique for clarity of exposition, let us consider the scenario of an individual with Saturn positioned in a house or sector of the natal chart associated with travel (the third house) who elects to journey overseas (the ninth house). During their vacation, the individual decides to embark on a bicycling expedition, experiences a fall, and sustains a fracture; at that time, Mars was transiting in opposition to their natal Saturn.

From an astrological perspective, the described scenario presents a classic case. Now let’s imagine witnessing the scene and, as devoted followers of Urania’s art, contemplating potential planetary transits that may have influenced the outcome. It involves reversing the symbolic arrow to trace the possible celestial influences back to their origin. However, our attempt was futile due to insufficient data delineating the investigative framework. With knowledge of the position of the natal Saturn, it would be conceivable to speculate its potential involvement.

Nevertheless, even with this information, we cannot definitively guarantee Mars’s position in the sky at the time of the incident. It is essential to recognise that astrological interpretation needs to consider numerous factors, which demand a certain level of expertise for synthesis. Theoretically, there are no prohibitive factors to reversing the symbolic arrow. However, this approach is generally untenable in practice as astrology was not designed to operate in reverse.

However, specific predictive methodologies prioritise “inversion” as their central focus. For instance, a system utilising the trigrams of the I Ching enables the transformation of any particular occurrence into a sequence of trigrams, providing insights into the event’s nature. For example, upon hearing three knocks on the wooden door of our apartment on a late summer afternoon, the trigrams can reveal pertinent information about the identity of the visitor and the purpose of their visit. Another illustration is onomantic astrology, which determines individual destiny by decoding a name’s numerological and astrological aspects. In this process, ancestral data is leveraged to derive a set of planetary symbols indicative of personal fate.

  1. In perception philosophy, naive realism, also known as perceptual realism, posits that our senses provide us with direct knowledge of objects as they exist in reality. Consequently, the objects perceived are not mere representations of external entities but are, in fact, the external entities themselves. ↩︎