From
astrology’s beginnings, it is evident from virtually all sources
(e.g. Persian, Greek, Hindu and Egyptian) that quantum-like
divisions of time and space were given to the planets and signs.
Since time is nothing more than a counting system, why can we
not use arc allotments or the years allotted to signs and
planets to count time or vice versa? What could be more natural
than to create some kind of scheme for relating them? Something
like this sort of reasoning must have given rise to
chronocrators and directions, as we know them. Thus, in primary
directions a degree of the celestial equator equates to a year;
in profections a sign (30 degrees of longitude of the ecliptic)
equates to a year, a month a day, or group of days. Like the
Indian Dasas, or Valens chronocrators based on the ascensional
times of the signs, or the decennials of Firmicus, and the "Ages
of Man": the Firdar are a certain number of years ruled by the
planets in a certain order depending on the sect of the chart,
i.e. whether the chart is a diurnal or nocturnal birth.
There were chronocrators, i.e. general time lords where a
specific length of time was allotted to a sign or planet based
on the ascensional time of the sign or the planetary period
ruled by the planet. And then there were lords of a specific
time indicated by some arc measurement, whether of the ecliptic
or the celestial equator. The Firdar are of the first category,
that of chronocrator.
The Firdar
are introduced by Abu Ma'shar. There is no reference to them
prior to him. There is nothing in the historical record that
either confirms or denies their existence prior to Abu Ma’shar.
They are one technique of assigning chronocrators (time
lords) amongst many techniques taught throughout the Hellenistic
and Arabic Era. There is no written record of the astrology
practiced by the middle Persian era (the Sassanian) but we find
certain doctrines introduced in the Arabic era by astrologers
with a foot in both schools. These astrologers were Kankah
al-Hindi, Masha'allah, 'Umar ibn al-Farruhan at-Tabari and of
course Abu Ma'shar who came from Persia (Balh). E.S Kennedy in
his book “The Sassanian Astronomical Handbook",
quotes Al Biruni as saying that Masha'allah and 'Umar are
"half-way between the Persians and Abu Ma'shar"
It is
supposedly in Abu Ma’shar’s book, “The Thousands”
that the Firdar are discussed in much detail; both concerning
their origins and use. However, that Book is no longer extant
except in extracts in the writings of others. Abu Ma'shar
mentions the Firdar in his “Great Introduction",
however the specific use and guidelines for their use is most
clearly presented in his work “On Solar Revolutions"
It will be useful for us to
examine this teaching at the source, Abu Ma’shar,
“Each of
the seven stars, and the Ascending and Descending Nodes, has
certain determinate times, and each star administers to the
native in accordance with its proper firdar. The firdar of the
Sun, then, is 10 years; of Aphrodite, 8; of Hermes, 13; of the
Moon, 9; of Kronos, 11; of Zeus, 12; of Ares, 7; of the
Ascending Node, 3; of the Descending Node, 2 – altogether, they
are 75.
In the
case of a diurnal nativity, then, the Sun takes the governorship
of the
first firdar, whether it should be present, then Aphrodite, then
Hermes, then the Moon, then Kronos, in accordance with the order
of their zones.
In the case of nocturnal nativities, the Moon
takes the first firdar, then Kronos, then Zeus, then Ares, in
accordance with the prior order.
Except that when one of the stars is
governor, it itself manages
a seventh of its proper years; then
the remaining stars participate with it in a signification for
good or bad things in accordance with a seventh of its own
firdar. And the beginning will be from the star that has the
firdar, while the star lying next under it will participate
first, then the star following that one. ---
the reason for the
participation of the remaining stars with the one star is that
the years of the firdar of each star has been extracted from
those that have a relation to the twelve zoidia; but in a
peculiar manner, the Ascending and Descending Nodes, since they
do not further participate with any star, assume the management
only after the completion of the years of the seven stars and
after the native has completed seventy years, because they do
not have domiciles.”
At the end
of this Treatise in Section 7, Abu Ma’shar continues his
instruction in their proper distributions by adding;
“And in
the case of diurnal nativities, the nodes distribute after Ares;
but in the case of nocturnal nativities, after Hermes. When the
seventy-five years are finished, the division of the firdar
returns to the light from which it began at the beginning of the
nativity, in accordance with the order of which we spoke
earlier. In the second period [of life], the effects will issue
forth just as we explained before for the first period. But
whether the native’s life should go beyond seventy-five years or
should be less than seventy-five years, his death will be in the
firdar of the star at which [the distribution] arrived according
to the method set out before.
And the significations of the stars in their
firdars are both peculiar to themselves and in partnerships with
others. In addition to these matters, it is necessary to examine
whether the significations of these stars at the fixing of the
nativity were either bonified or corrupted, and to also give an
opinion concerning the particular effects in relation to the
disposition of the stars in the inception.”
Firdaria according to Abu Ma'shar -
Click
here
When these
techniques are introduced into Europe in the 13th century, they
come via Abu Ma'shar's “Greater Introduction"
and
Alchabitius' “Introduction to Astrology" which was
first translated into Latin by two translators in medieval Spain
in the 12th century. It is via these translations
that Bonatti explains the Firdar in his “Liber Astronomiae".
“On Solar Revolutions" was not translated until
later in the 15th century.
The reason I'm explaining this is because there are two schools
of thought that exist concerning the order of the nocturnal
series of Firdar. There exists some ambiguity in Bonatti's
explanation of the nocturnal order of the Firdar. Bonatti, in
paraphrasing Abu Ma’shar explains the Firdar in this fashion;
“The
ancient wise men considered certain years in nativities which
are not called major or middle or even minor,
but they called them the years of the
Firdaria, that is, disposed years. For each planet disposes its
own part of the life of the native according to its part of the
years of the Firdaria in this method.
Whatever
kind of nativity it is, the disposition of the years of the
Firdaria begin from the luminary whose authority it is
and that luminary disposes the life of the native according to
the authority of its years of the Firdaria, however not without
the participation of the other planets.
For if the
nativity was diurnal, it will begin from the Sun, which is the
diurnal luminary, which disposes the life of the native
according to the quantity of the years of the Firdaria, which
are 10, with the participation of all the other planets, but he
himself will obtain the authority and especially in the first
seventh part of those years.”
Bonatti
then gives the order of the disposition of the planets exactly
as Abu Ma’shar does for the diurnal series of Firdar. I will not
repeat them. When it comes to the nocturnal series, Bonatti
continues,
“But if
the nativity is nocturnal the disposition will begin from the
Moon which is the nocturnal luminary and will be in all respects
as was explained when it began from the
Sun both
regarding the participation of the planets with the Moon and
regarding the succession of them in the order of the circle.
And all of
the aforesaid significators or dispositors dispose accordingly
as they are well disposed by increasing the good and by
decreasing the evil.
And if
they are evilly disposed by increasing evil and degreasing the
good. And this is a laborious matter, although, it ought to be
well observed because some astrologers, avoiding the labour, do
not ever consider this [the Firdaria] in their judgments whence
they fall into deception.”
I would
direct the readers attention particularly to these words by
Bonatti, “But if the nativity is nocturnal the disposition
will begin from the Moon which is the nocturnal luminary and
will be in all respects as was explained when it
began from the Sun both regarding the participation of the
planets with the Moon and regarding the succession of them in
the order of the circle.”
The
ambiguity of this statement is that the firdar of the Moon
should follow “in all respects” the order of the Sun’s firdar.
Although Bonatti qualifies that by saying “regarding the
succession of them in the order of the circle”, in which he
is clearly referring to planetary succession of the Chaldean
order. However, the vague ambiguity led some modern contemporary
medieval astrologers, to place the Moon's nodes following Mars
Firdar in the nocturnal series; exactly as the order of the
diurnal sequence. According to this understanding of Bonatti,
one must put the nodes in the same place in both the diurnal and
nocturnal series, after Mars' Firdar.
It must be
said that this same ambiguity does exist in Abu Ma’shar’s short
introduction when he says, “In the case of nocturnal
nativities, the Moon takes the first firdar, then Kronos, then
Zeus, then Ares, in accordance with the prior order.”
If all one had was this statement to work from it raises many
questions and much ambiguity as to just what Abu Ma’shar is
saying.
Firdaria as understood from Bonatti: Tail and the Head after
Mars in nocturnal series -
Click here
However,
in “On Solar Revolutions”, Abu Ma’shar does not
limit his explanation to this brief and ambiguous statement.
Instead, he clearly says, “…but in a peculiar manner, the
Ascending and Descending Nodes, since they do not further
participate with any star, assume the management only
after the completion of the years of the seven stars and after
the native has completed seventy years, because they do not have
domiciles… And in the
case of diurnal nativities, the nodes distribute
after Ares; but in the case of nocturnal
nativities, after Hermes.”
Whether
Bonatti meant the nocturnal firdar should in all respects follow
the diurnal except that they start from the Moon instead of the
Sun is in itself questionable. It is not with Abu Ma’shar who is
the one introducing the firdar into medieval practice. If
Bonatti is erring here because there could exist some ambiguity
in Abu Ma’shar’s words, it can be forgiven him since he was not
around when “On the Solar Revolutions” was
translated after his death. Montulmo most likely did have Abu
Ma’shar’s latter work for in the 15th century he does
reiterate Abu Ma’shar’s correct order.
Those
following this ambiguous understanding from Bonatti’s words have
found some justification since many nocturnal nativities have
suffered things in this age from 42 years old that could easily
be attributed to the South Nodal period. However, recent
investigation also reveals other possible causes of this period
which most relate to the “middle age crisis”. Robert Zoller for
example has suggested a relationship of this period to “the
Critical Years” such as is explained in the Liber Hermetis.
Of course there is the fact that 42 is half of 84 (Uranus'
cycle) and also 3.5 Jupiter cycles. It is the seventh house
Profection of the Ascendant and relates to the Saturn-Mars
conjunction cycle and the nominal 2 year cycle of Mars
oppositions. Abu Ma’shar suggests that the harshness and trials
of these years are the result of Mars assuming the natural rule
of this period starting at 41. These were called “the Ages of
Man” where each planet had a natural signification to a certain
number of years in the development of a native.
The point
is, that while this ambiguity in Bonatti’s text could be an
“accidental” fortune and correct, it could just as likely be
“not” since there are equally interesting indicators which can
explain this period even better than the nodal period misplaced
in the nocturnal series.
When
working with the Firdar, it is perhaps wise not to cast anything
in stone yet, but to use both series of nocturnal Firdar,
maintain an open mind and test them both. We need to approach
these ancient predictive techniques, whether Firdar, profections,
primary directions, the Solar Return etc. with humility and
leave ourselves open to the possibility that our understanding
may at times be faulty or even lack full council on the subject.
We are still in the process of learning and recovering a good
many things from the past and it is therefore very dangerous to
cast something into stone.
Slowly we
learn,
Steven
Birchfield