Zodiacal Releasing according to Robert Schmidt

Exploring the ideas of the man who named astrology's master technique

(Note: for your convenience, I have created a no-frills-no-extra-formatting version of this very long post as a PDF in case you’d like to take it with you.)

I consider Zodiacal Releasing to be the master technique of astrology. Our only known source for zodiacal releasing is from Anthology, the 2nd century astrology text written by nomad, author, and astrologer Vettius Valens. This technique was popularized by Chris Brennan and Leisa Schaim, and now there are many articles available and a few full-fledged courses online. However, one author's conceptual approach to zodiacal releasing is now available to learn about online for the first time. It just happens to be that of the person who originally translated Vettius Valens' anthology and even coined the term zodiacal releasing in the first place: the late Robert Schmidt.

We now have access to the archive of Schmidt's lecture recordings, as well as original Greek translations, thanks to the hard work of Schmidt's wife Ellen Black in creating the Robert Schmidt Astrology site and archive. It's full of fascinating astrological lectures with rich, deep thinking on the cultural, intellectual, and metaphysical context of the ancient Hellenists' philosophy and astrology. But most relevant is Schmidt's Zodiacal Releasing from Spirit course, an 11-hour series of lectures covering the lives of Einstein and Hitler in deep detail, alongside many others and a discussion of technique and theory.

Within this and his other lectures, I began to encounter hints of the rich astrological perspective that Schmidt called "The System of Hermes" which showed itself richly through his application of zodiacal releasing from spirit. There I found:

• A Hellenistic-Platonic philosophical rationale and justification for the lots

• Means of examining the narrative story of any planet

• The "turning point" technique, a very reliable way to determine when "life purpose" events will tend to occur

• The "what", or the thematic topics in the life likely to be occurring

• Implications of the vital nature of astrology beneath what is often pedagogical technique

• A way to understand the fractal rhythms and patterns of life

I want to dig into Schmidt's rationale, work, and ideas and give an enticing peek into what can be found in his lectures.

Caveats

It's worth saying that this post is a reflection on an exploration in process. The modern world has only been acquainted with zodiacal releasing for a couple decades, and much less in popular astrological consciousness. There are many outstanding questions about zodiacal releasing, so much of what I share here is doubtlessly filtered in from my own experience and perspective, though I try to be clear about which ideas are Schmidt's and which are mine.

Additionally, Schmidt was a notoriously loquacious and wandering speaker, prone to valuable but complex tangents. He was a scholar of Ancient Greek before ever becoming an astrologer, and he was only convinced after applying the techniques he was translating. It's clear from listening to a number of his archives that he was deeply engaged not just with the technique but also the entire field of Hellenistic philosophy and thought. I feel that zodiacal releasing according to Schmidt (and everything the background implies) is such a vital way to think about astrology that it can bring entirely new dimensions to interpretation.

It must also be said that it seems Ellen Black has worked hard alongside Robert Schmidt their entire marriage, producing much of the Project Hindsight work and lectures together. I hope she does not mind that I am discussing Robert Schmidt's work in this form, a man who was so passionate about the keeping the integrity of the System of Hermes as he was developing it that he insisted in one of his lectures that no one put it on the internet! My assumption is that Ms. Black and perhaps the spirit of Mr. Schmidt have decided that now is the time to begin sharing his ideas. My writing here only just skims the surface of those ideas.

I'll also say that my knowledge--of both Schmidt's 100+ hours of lectures and all extant knowledge of astrology--is incomplete. I will not be overly fixated on sources or convincing rhetoric so much as trying to deliver the gist of all of it, and allow you to evaluate it in your own practice. My perspective on astrology has changed significantly since undertaking this study, and I feel that my actual astrological skill--and ability to map astrological correlations to lived experience--has increased vastly. So that's my personal testimony!

A final caveat is that this turned out to be quite long. I do think that much of the background is important to understand Robert Schmidt's style in depth, but if you'd like to skip to the technical nuts and bolts, you can jump to "Implications on Technique", or if you'd like to see the application, you can skip to "Zodiacally Releasing the Life of Catherine de Medici".

A Lot on the Lots

In case you are not at all familiar with zodiacal releasing, here's a great summary by Kira Ryberg (@kirastrology), who I have been exchanging notes with on Schmidt's work, the lots, and zodiacal releasing in general. This is not a primer on zodiacal releasing but more of a conceptual treatise and demonstration. However, I'll discuss some of the basics and revisit core concepts. For extended instruction on zodiacal releasing, I have included links to free and paid resources at the end. Also, just in case you have somehow stumbled here with little or no astrology knowledge, I wrote a free guide to catch you up to speed, my Guide to Reading Your Own Natal Chart.

First we have to talk about the lots, named after the sort of lots you might pull or cast to determine your fate. In the natal chart, lots are invisible, derived points calculated by utilizing the difference in longitudinal position between various placements including planets, the ascendant, house cusps, and other lots. There are many different lots, but two of prime importance.

The first is the Lot of Fortune and is, according to Valens, the "archetypal" lot. This is calculated by taking the distance from the Sun to the Moon and projecting it from the ascendant in day charts, or in night charts flipping it by taking the distance from the Moon to the Sun (sometimes with modifications available).

The second lot is the Lot of Spirit, which Valens literally called "the second lot". Schmidt's translation of Introductory Matters of Paulus of Alexandria (available via the archive) describes five more "Hermetic" lots, one from each of the traditional planets. These are produced by taking the distance from the Lot of Spirit to Venus/Jupiter for Eros and Victory, or the distance from the Lot of Fortune to Mercury/Mars/Saturn for Necessity, Courage, and Nemesis.

Here are excerpts describing all of this (emphasis Schmidt's, Z notes presumably Robert Zoller's):

23. Concerning Seven of the Lots in the Panaretos

First is the Lot of Fortune, which it will be necessary to count from the portion of Hēlios up to the portion of Selēnē for those born by day, and it is necessary to cast out the totaled number from the portion-count of the Hour-marker (Ascendant), giving 30 portions to each image, and wherever the totaled number ceases, say that the Lot of Fortune is there. For those born by night, it is the reverse—that is, from the portion of Selēnē up to the portion of Hēlios. And it is necessary to cast out the rest similarly from the portion of the Hour-marker.

Second is the Lot of Spirit, which you will count from the portion of Selēnē to the portion of Hēlios in the case of a diurnal nativity, and it is necessary to cast out the totaled number from the portion of the Hour-marker, again similarly distributing at 30 portions per image[omitted in Z]. And wherever the number ceases, there will be the Lot of Spirit. Thus for the day, but the reverse for the night.

Third is the Lot of Eros, which you will count from a Lot of Spirit to a portion of Aphroditē for those born in the day, and an equal amount from the Hour-marker. But for those born at night, the reverse.

Fourth is the Lot of Necessity, which itself you will now calculate from a portion of Hermēs to a Lot of Fortune for those born in the day, and an equal amount [Z:and backwards/again similarly] from the Hour-marker. But for those born at night, the reverse.

Fifth is the Lot of Courage, which you will treat from the portion of Arēs to the Lot of Fortune for those born in the day, and an equal amount [Z: and similarly] from the Hour-marker.

But for those born at night, the reverse. Sixth is the Lot of Victory, which you will count from the Lot of Spirit to the portion of Zeus for those born in the day, and an equal amount from the Hour-marker.

But for those born at night, the reverse. Seventh is the Lot of Nemesis, which you will count [Z: which is counted] from Kronos to the Lot of Fortune for diurnal births, and an equal amount from the Hour-marker. But for night births, the reverse.

It is fitting that the lots have such an origin, since by nature Selēnē comes to be Fortune; Hēlios, Spirit; Aphroditē, Eros; the star of Hermēs, Necessity; that of Arēs, Courage; that of Zeus, Victory; that of Saturn, Nemesis. And the Hour-marker acts as a mediating judge of these, becoming the basis of the entire cosmos.

Paulus describes each of the lots' functions and significations as well:

And Fortune signifies everything that concerns the body, and what one does owing to livelihood; and it becomes indicative of acquisition/success and reputation and privilege.

Spirit happens to be lord of soul and character and mindfulness and every [mental] faculty; and sometimes it also cooperates in the subject of action.

Eros signifies the appetites and the desires that arise by deliberate choice; and it becomes a contributing cause of friendship and favor.

Necessity makes/causes constraints and submissions and struggles and wars, as well as enmities and hatreds and condemnations and all the other things befalling men that are violent/compulsory in origin.

Courage becomes a contributing cause of boldness and treachery and might and every villainy.

Victory becomes a contributing cause of trust/faith and good expectation and contest and every association; and furthermore of penalties/initiatives and rewards/successes.

Nemesis becomes a contributing cause of subterranean deific powers and the revealing of everything which is hidden, and of impotence and flight/exile and destruction/loss and grief and quality of death.

Basis, which is the Hour-marker, becomes a contributing cause of life and breath, since at the time of being born everything that is born tears away the breath of life from the living air in the turning point of the water-clock’s hour, which is set at the birth. This is indicative of one’s all.

You'll notice that there are emphases and notes added here. Translation is a critically difficult task, especially in a language as wily as Ancient Greek. Across his decades of lectures, Schmidt bemoans the ambiguous diction and slippery meanings of the works he translated. He notes that Ancient Greek was sometimes called a language for liars, because many words have multiple meanings where one could say they meant something different than what they originally said. He thought that many of the ancient texts he was reading were specifically written to imply (and perhaps simultaneously occlude) key ideas from the intellectual milieu of the time which would be obvious only to the initiated. Schmidt joked that he occasionally felt like the Hellenistic astrologers themselves were haunting him by playing games with him through their text from beyond the grave. Nonetheless, he persevered and so do we.

Fate and Fortune

For Schmidt, the lots pointed very strongly to the Hellenistic ideas of fate and fortune. Ideas of fate and free will in the modern era tend to be a one-dimensional spectrum between A) complete Big-Bang-billiards-ball-molecules-deterministically-arranging themselves from the Big Bang materialistic determinism and B) absolute unfettered free will (and the implication of uncaring randomness). But in Greek mythology we encounter the idea/goddess called Heimarmene, who contained the various modalities of fate. The Greeks thought there were multiple kinds of causes and effects, all interacting and sharing responsibilities for the fate of the universe and humans themselves.

At the end of Plato's Republic is the Myth of Er, a scene depicting souls choosing a life to reincarnate into. The order the souls get to choose in is based on lottery tokens. This choice is also made on partial information. They don't get to see the full end of the lives they will live--only brief, often tantalizing fragments. Other both good and bad things will inevitably befall them that they don't have the time to perceive, or the individual insight to predict and expect.

This idea is encapsulated in the Greek tuche, whose original meaning meant any kind of action but then came to refer to the acts of a god or deity of some kind, and then to an event or something which befell you beyond your control. This tuche is notably an impersonal sort of occurrence, one which we must encounter and live through regardless of our feelings about it. But it's not just singular events: really, everything we experience is our fortune expressing itself in the material world. This materiality and our condition within it is assigned to the Lot of Fortune, the archetypal lot derived from the Moon, whose own nature is ever-changing and flowing, collecting and distributing light into the material world.

Another type of destiny is the daimon, or spirit. This is the daimon that was known to suddenly and unexpectedly possess humans to accomplish some task, for better or for worse. In modern times we might call this inspiration, the sudden move to act and create something, to envision some idea and bring it into existence. This motivating quality is assigned to the Lot of Spirit, which is the second lot, derived from the Sun, and whose nature is fittingly solar.

Thus in the natal chart we have two placements which describe two interrelating forces in our lives: first, the material conditions of what we experience and our body's operation; and second, the impelling motivation to accomplish things and bring one's self or world into a certain state of being. With these two lots you have the core of the metaphysical requirements for existence: the material and the motion, the matter and its animation. But there are 5 more Hermetic lots, all of which express the metaphysical functions of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Their calculation formulas also depend on one of our first two lots, Fortune or Spirit. So what are they, precisely?

The Cosmic Animal AKA the Thema Mundi

Schmidt has a unique position on the nature of the lots which I think has much value but requires us to dig deeper into our conceptual model of astrology and the universe. He feels that the lots are powers of each of the planets. We must understand this idea in a deeper, metaphysical way, too. In his lecture Image and Original Schmidt discusses a dialogue from Plato's Timaeus, which had "an almost hypnotic effect over the entire Platonic tradition". In this dialogue, the Demiurge (a second-order creator being tasked with creating the material universe) crafts the soul of the cosmic animal. This cosmic animal is essentially a divine template of the world from which all reality arises as a holographic imitation. It does this with complex sacred geometry, numerical ratios, arithmetic harmonies, and so on, uniting the substance of the material, sensible world (that which we can see and sense directly) and the substance of the abstract, intelligible world (that which we can rationalize, reason, and form concepts about). This is a fundamentally discomfiting union, since the material and the conceptual substances don't go very well together by nature.

Our master craftsman the Demiurge has (perhaps forcefully) joined these two substances together, and divides it into two parts and smooths them out into two circles. He joins them in a way that Plato writes is like the Greek letter chi (X). Plato describes how these two circles intersect at the vernal point, the intersection of the equatorial plane with the plane of the ecliptic. Schmidt speculates that the founders of Hellenistic astrology were deeply fascinated by this description and would have spent much time considering the implications of the shape and construction of the cosmic animal as it relates to astrology. Next, he draws a connection to the Thema Mundi, a hypothetical chart for the creation of the universe. Firmicus Maternus says it's not supposed to be a real chart, but it's a very important teaching tool which shows how all of the basic concepts of Hellenistic astrology can be used. But Schmidt says that just because it's hypothetical doesn't necessarily mean it's fictional.

The hypothetical thema mundi chart. (source: wikipedia)

Some astrologers call this the archetypal chart, since it has all planets in their domiciles and is considered the one "ideal" chart. Directly from Schmidt in Image and Original, 03. Friday PM:

"These are all the kinds of things that belong to the intelligible world in Platonic thinking. So already we have here with this archetypal chart something that is meant to give intelligibility to other astrological charts. It is their paradigm. More perfect than the other charts, the authors always say. No one can ever have a chart in which these planets all come back into their own domiciles in those places. Such a chart would be the chart of a divinity and that can't happen for mortal man. Other traditions say that this could be a representation of what Plato meant in the Timaeus when he said that the cosmic animal is for all intents and purposes eternal, which doesn't mean will live forever but means lives for a long, long time and the cosmos will remain until all of those planets make a grand catastasis, a recurrence, and they all come back to that same place whereupon the cosmos will be dissolved and then rebuilt again."

This concept of a perfect, Platonic form representing an unattainable hypothetical idea (which can only be ascertained by the conceptual, intelligible mind) then being instantiated in the material world in some less-than-perfect manner (which can experienced by the senses in tangible externality) is important. It seems to show up in many places across astrology, as does the general idea of duality or mirroring.

For instance:

• Tropical and sidereal zodiacs, one earth-centric and one star-centric

• Symbolic vs physical timing, i.e. idealized 360 day years vs. actual years lasting 365.24219 days

• Planets being paired with each of their own Hermetic lots

• 12th parts (and all divisional/harmonic charts) as mirrored/holographic perspectives on placements and the chart

• Primary rotational motion of the earth and secondary motion of the planets through the zodiac

• The ecliptic and equator with implied planetary declination as well as latitude

• The Sun and Moon as the key luminaries

• Day and night sect

• Solar and lunar eclipses

• The lunar nodes (also, all planets have their own nodes)

• Dexter and sinister (aspects going respectively behind and ahead a planet in zodiacal order) aspects

• Antiscia and contra-antiscia, two mirrors across two axes

I'm sure you can think of some more. There are multiple levels at which this happens throughout astrology, and you find it over and over again. It's beautiful, and a little strange. In fact, Schmidt expresses that he feels the system he was finding in all of the Greek Hellenistic texts had to have been divinely transmitted somehow, or derived from some sort of greater philosophical system by a small group of people, or perhaps one person. He says there's no way that the ancient astrologers studied the sky and somehow realized through observation that a hypothetical point moving one degree roughly every four minutes correlated to identifiable patterns in someone's life.

Nor with the twelfth parts or dodecatemoria, which are also invisible lot-like points derived from every planet taken by projecting them forward into any one of the other twelve signs. Jyotish astrology also has twelfth parts as the dwadasamsa derived charts, and the lore of their astrological system directly credits the divine inspiration as a boon to ancient masters. Even the Babylonians used twelfth parts with the ancient implements they had. Regardless of arguments of transmission between continents or possibility of divine revelation (something I consider at this point to be perfectly plausible), the point remains that we have evidence of a highly esoteric yet prized technique which is unlikely to have been developed through observation no matter how rigorous, and is therefore worth exploring in its full implications.

Ananke: Tying It All Together

So there are a few things happening with what Robert Schmidt is saying about the lots.

• The system of Hellenistic astrology was either invented whole cloth by one person or small group of people, or perhaps divinely inspired

• The astrologers of that time saw connections between Platonic thought and astrology perhaps were even Pythagoreans themselves

• The dominant worldview was distinctly religiously polytheistic, and so their astrology would likely deal with the metaphysics of the time

I believe there is also a dual application Schmidt is showing with the lots. One, is that the lots can be thought of as signifiers (or perhaps even literal manifestations) of the various forms of fate. There's tuche with Fortune, the impartial archetypal lot of all that we can experience with our incarnate existence. There's daimon with Spirit, the lot of inspiration, passion, and vision which impels us to make something of our lives. Then there's Eros with Venus, which we might say relates to both the power of love and desire within our lives and the attraction between people. I feel this can also include base desires such as sex, food, distraction, etc.

Mercury is a special case, as usual. Their Lot is called the Lot of Necessity, which comes from the name Ananke (force, necessity). Schmidt points out that ananke means to constrain, compel, or confine. As a force of fate, it compels things to come to fruition the way they must, such that an oak seed does not become a lemon tree, so it comes to its proper end. Among the swirling forces of fate within the heimarmene, ananke ensures that things proceed and conclude correctly. This is interesting, because there is also Valens' Lot of Necessity, which is found by taking Spirit to Fortune by day (reversed by night) projected from the ascendant.

If ananke manages the contents of heimarmene, then equating ananke with Valens' Necessity makes sense to me. Ananke binds together both your material Fortune existence and your daimon Spirit soul nature. It's also suggested in the formula: by moving from Spirit to Fortune, we move from the intangible world to the tangible, a process of organizing and materializing the abstract and spiritual into the material and concrete. (It's interesting to note that at exactly dawn, the transiting Lot of Spirit passes the Moon and changes to Fortune. Then, at sunset, the Lot of Fortune is exactly opposing the Moon, and then changes to Spirit. I like to think that this suggests a sort of mechanism of Spirit "brewing" overnight and subsequently transforming into the manifestations of the day, and vice versa. See a gif here.)

Anyway, Mercury also has a very important part to play in the scheme of planetary joys at the helm in the planetary joys scheme, whose importance ancient astrology scholar and author of Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune, Chris Brennan (@chrisbrennan7) explored in his paper The Planetary Joys and the Origins of the Significations of the Houses and Triplicities (pdf on Brennan's site).

The Joys of the Planets from The Planetary Joys and the Origins of the Significations of the Houses and Triplicities by Chris Brennan.

Take a moment to note the duality showing up here as well. There are the houses of good and bad spirit, good and bad fortune, god and goddess. The third house of goddess is the house of local environment, what is directly around us, the sensory and sensible world. It contains the Moon, the default associated planet or "natural ruler" of the Lot of Fortune. The ninth of god is the house of divine inspiration holding the Sun, provider of light and conceptualization, and the natural lord of the Lot of Spirit.

When we come to Mercury, it makes sense that they are at the helm, being a natural pathfinder and navigator and sense-management-orienter. I think it's also interesting to consider the Moirai, the three goddesses of fate who assigned every person their fate according to the proper scheme of things. They are said to be the daughters of ananke/necessity, and are "independent, at the helm of necessity, direct fate, and watch that the fate assigned to every being by eternal laws may take its course without obstruction". While the Moirai are not particularly Mercurial characters, their archetypal parallels to Mercury's role as a navigator for the helm of the body of a soul throughout its life are there.

Schmidt also provides an interesting metaphor relating the first house to a literal helm you put on your head. The earliest usage of the idea of lots in literary texts is found in Homer when soldiers have to decide who must go on a dangerous mission. They put numbers on shards of pottery, throw them into a helmet, and shake the helmet until one pops out, and whoever's number it is must face fortune. A motion which emulates this shaking is the perpetual wobbling rotation of the earth about its axis, like a helmet rotating and shaking lots. It's interesting that the term used for this casting out of lots is ekballō (ἐκβάλλω). It's also interesting that this same term is actually used to mean "count", as described in the Paulus text above for the lots of Fortune, Spirit, and Eros: "Third is the Lot of Eros, which you will count from a Lot of Spirit to a portion of a portion of Aphroditē..." Count here is the same ekballō, as in casting out stones or numbers to extend a line forward. It's even more interesting that in Ancient Greek the degrees were called moirai, or portions, so you have 360 moirai in the zodiac. Schmidt points out that the etymology of the moira (singular) is really about the portion you receive in life. (Schmidt also wants to make sure you know that it does not mean step.)

The implication is that as morai steering at the helm distribute our lots in life, so too are the lots distributed from the horoskopos, helm, or ascendant as well according to the nature of the forces of fate which are revolving about the heimarmene. An individual's natal chart is a picture of these dynamics.

However, we now have two Necessities. What's the difference? I feel that since Mercury's lot is derived from Fortune, Paulus' Lot of Necessity, is descriptive of an inferior version of ananke which operates on a lower, human level of experience. Valens' Lot of Necessity is actually derived by taking both Fortune and Spirit, which is suggestive of the metaphysically binding nature of joining sensible and the intelligible. However, Mercury does still sit at the helm in Cancer while their lot is named after the same ananke, mother holding the fates together as a sacred container or womb. I think this is suggestive of Mercury's fundamental nature as the flexible connector, they who joins things together. As far as I know there are not solid any conclusions about how to interpret zodiacal releasing from Valens' Lot of Necessity, but I will share some of my own guesses at the end.

Tangent: Hekatean-Thema Mundi Rhymes and Mythological Correspondences

As a small tangent, there is some reinforcement by parallel from Hekate Soteira, which suggests that Hekate is deeply involved in divination and may in fact be the god that is the "cosmic animal". (I'm not sure what this means precisely, metaphysically speaking.) I learned about this synchronistically just as I was digging into Schmidt's work. Hekate has a feminine, doubly singular/triple (moira/moirai) nature as well as a reputation for showing herself at crossroads (a la Mercury). Apparently, in the ancient Greek mythology Hekate was sort of just shoved in there syncretically. "There's all of these incredible Olympian gods, oh and also there's Hekate who is very very old and somehow bigger than all of them" is the vibe. As I read this, I instantly made the connection to her as perhaps being the zodiacal cosmic animal itself, the thema mundi. What but a lunar being would have a Cancer rising? Anyway.

I have a less defined sense of the nature of the other fates that may be mapped onto the planets. They may not necessarily be fates, and not all planets' lots may have associated fates in this system. But if I were to guess at mythical associations, Venus would naturally be Eros. Going off of the fates mentioned in the heimarmene, Saturn would be Adrasteia (later identified with Nemesis) whose myth is centered around "the inescapability of punishment". Mars might be "'hateful' personified spirit of impending doom" Moros. I'm unsure precisely who matches Jupiter best. Perhaps Elpis, or hope, who was put into a jar by Zeus (Jupiter). In any case, this doesn't affect anything, I just felt the itch to fill in some empty boxes, and my approach here is not particularly scholarly.

Moving Into Fortune's Home, Unknown Terrain

Schmidt extends the idea of the helm to a nautical helm on a ship. In the ancient Greek world the helm was actually the back of the ship, making the seventh house the prow. The traditional iconography which illustrates tuche (or Fortuna) on coins and other artifacts depicts her in a few different forms, such as striding the prow of a ship, holding a wheel, a rudder, or a blindfold pointing to her impartiality. The helm--the horoskopos, the most sensitive moment of one's birth, a sort of "landing pad" of self--is at the back of the ship, steering and trying to look out ahead. Fortuna is at the front of the ship, the descendant, the end, the unknowable Out There Other.

From this, we enter interesting territory. Schmidt says that the usage of fortune houses was considered very important by the Hellenistic astrologers, particularly in the context of lots. Fortune houses are a secondary house system based on the Lot of Fortune being used as the first house. So if your lot of fortune is in the 6th house, then your 9th house is your fourth fortune house, and so on. (I use the shorthand #F, so 9H/4F.) He suggests that as one ages, the power of the lots are consistently applied by the planets relative to the archetypal lot, which makes the topical assignments of the fortune houses ever more important. It suggests that over time, you live out the significations and fateful encounters the various planets' lots bring you, which pulls you further into the fortune house system.

In zodiacal releasing, I find fortune houses to work extremely well. They connect houses by theme and show surprising relationships that resound very well with my lived experience. Fortune houses are particularly important when it comes to zodiacal releasing which, operates primarily on the lots and logically would incorporate fortune houses. I've also been finding value in delineating charts with fortune houses in mind in general. You'll note this is another example of this mirrored duality, with a solar-defined house system (the ascendant and timing based on the time of day, the Sun) versus a lunar-defined house system (the Moon's lot). As far as I have found, only Manilius has provided alternate meanings for the fortune houses in his Circle of Athla, though they are rather different. I have found simply thinking about the original meanings of the houses in the context of blending and moving from the natal house to the fortune house to work well.

One very particular part of how Schmidt conceptualizes the lots is that they might be or signify the powers of planets, but they are not strictly bound to their natural rulers. After all, the Lot of Spirit is not confined to Leo. A Lot of Spirit in Aries ruled by Mars makes perfect sense in the charts of people like athletes, leaders, visionaries, who receive Martian-flavored inspiration. Perhaps putting that Mars in Cancer leads to a competitive eater. The Lot of Spirit and its lord together can be delineated as descriptive of the native's overall life path or goal. The Lot of Fortune is a little harder to pin down with its lunar nature, but it may point to the actual material, physical, and sensorial circumstances we gravitate toward in life. It has traditionally also been described as where we grow to find our material fortune and careers in life.

There's one problem. The lots, being located around the zodiac the same as the planets, are also subject to the same rules of vision and sight that the Hellenists used for the planets. For instance, what if the Lot of Spirit is in Libra but its lord Venus is averse in Virgo? This turns out to be quite a complicated problem, which involves the concept of testimony and the structure of space.

Testimony

Here's the problem with deciding on the ruler of the Lot of Spirit (or any lot). Now that we have an entire other set of 7 placements who are also bound to specific planets, we also have a new additional layer of rulership and agency suggested within the natal chart. There are natural rulers--Spirit to Sun, Fortune to Moon, (Paulus') Necessity to Mercury, and so on. But then there are also domicile lords. Regardless of lot, they answer to the lord of their sign. Additionally, the Hellenistic aspect system based on ancient Greek conceptions of sight was at play, meaning that the domicile or natural ruler could be averse in a sign where it couldn't perceive the lot (in signs which are 30° or 150° away each other). What does it mean that there's both a natural ruler and a domicile ruler? What does it mean if neither ruler can see the lot? Also, while we're at it, what do we do if the lot is closely conjunct a planet that isn't its domicile lord? Surely that has an impact? What about a close aspect from another house?

Robert Schmidt answers these questions through the lens of testimony. He emphasized this idea very heavily, pointing out that the Ancient Greek word used for legal testimony is the same as the word used for "aspect"--the rhetoric usage of martyrium, which means to refer to one's own experience, like a witness providing testimony. At one point Schmidt had an almost complete metaphor of the sky as a Hellenistic legal court with all of its philosophical trappings, but he felt that this was an overapplication of the concept. He eventually encountered what he felt was the only actual surviving technical definition of testimony according to Valens. This idea is very important.

The strict definition of testimony according to Schmidt according to Valens is: when an aspect perfects between two planets and they have formed a geometrically exact figure. Schmidt's preferred translations for the aspects were hexagonal (sextile), tetragonal (square), trigonal (trine), or diametrical (opposition) planetary configurations, because he felt that this emphasized the geometrical importance that the Hellenists emphasized with their language. When this precise geometrical figure happens, the Greek word that generally describes this figure is schematizo, as in schema, figure, shape, or even posture or attitude, as in "adopting a certain stance relative to something else" which could be friendly or hostile. If two planets come close to making an exact aspect, but do not (such as one planet chasing another through a sign or a planet retrograding away from another before the aspect perfects), then there is no testimony, and the two planets never actually meet and contribute to one another. This testimony could occur at any degree within the sign(s) the two planets are in, but if they do not perfect within that sign, the two planets do not provide testimony. This has very interesting implications in interpretation, because any planets which do not make testimony could be considered to be something akin to averse, or perhaps "ignoring" each other despite being able to see each other by whole sign aspect and not collaborating in matters, like two people dutifully trying to work in the same space while pretending the other doesn't exist.

Now, there is a broader, more general sense of testimony, too. Valens uses the terms testimony and providing witness all over the place in line with how modern astrologers often loosely describe witnessing and testimony, and Schmidt uses this language too. In the contemporary astrology scene we often mean either evidence of a signification - i.e. Moon in Cancer is testimony for emotional sensitivity, or an actual aspect line from a planet to a house or another planet - i.e. Jupiter in Aries provides testimony to Sagittarius about the matters going on there. We are generally familiar with the idea of testimony, and use it as a metaphor to describe mechanisms of action. However, my takeaway from Schmidt's work around testimony is that we should take testimony and all that it implies even more seriously. A general rule might be: anything that can give testimony, does give testimony. Anthropomorphizing the planets into polytheistic god-characters on a stage can bring us to a closer visceral understanding of the many layers of testimony and interrelationship which underly astrology and sometimes get abstracted away under a pile of pedagogical frames and technique-focused thinking.

Relations in the Sky

Consider that every sign is a home to one of the traditional planets. Some signs are also welcoming hosts to an exalted guest planet, and their opposing signs are places of fallen planets who receive little hospitality and must make their own due. How does Mars feel about being in Scorpio versus Aries? Capricorn versus Cancer? What is his opinion of the goings-ons and types of things that happen in those signs? Is Mars comfortable in Gemini? How's he acting? Don't just try to crunch the dignity or strength: think about what sort of person Mars in Gemini would be and how they tend to perform in the world and how they might deal with the energies implied by say, the sign of Leo. It's also notable that the planets' disposition or stances toward these places change as their position moves through the zodiac. Mars in Gemini will look more favorably upon Leo as a place for fun and excitement, but from hard-working Taurus he casts a furious overcoming square on Leo's arrogance.

People's opinions change based on their context, and the fickle Hellenistic god-planets are similar. Still, the places which these planets occupy might be more or less visible, or more or less attractive based on the planets' positions, but they don't disappear. All planets have perpetual opinions about the place they're in, the places they can see, the planets they can give testimony to, and so on. The prominence and impact of those opinions will vary depending on the planet's strength or prominence, and all of them get their time to shine according to timelord systems--which also tend to highlight the domiciles of those planets (or vice versa).

We can add a layer of complexity by simultaneously considering a planet's opinion of both a domicile and that domicile's lord. For instance, Mars in Gemini might be predisposed to be favorable toward Aquarius by trine, but what if Mars is perfectly square Saturn in Virgo? Perhaps this is a scenario where Mars might generally like the goings-on in Aquarius, but since Mars makes an overcoming square to Saturn, he sows chaos because he does not like or approve of Saturn's agenda. On the other hand, if Saturn is in Libra, Mars is in an overcoming trine to Libra. Perhaps this suggests that Mars has the upper hand in delivering his Martian significations to Aquarius, but looks favorably upon the very strong Saturn, and tries to collaborate with Saturn on Aquarius matters even if Mars is pushy about it from his Mars in Gemini perspective. However, it is Libra, Mars' detriment, so perhaps this complicates the matter even more.

We can even add another layer of contention/collaboration here by looking at this idea of inherent like/dislike by considering sect. For example, previously we mentioned Saturn and Mars. Even in harmonious aspect, we'd expect the dynamic between Mars and Saturn to be a little tenser because they are in opposite sects, but who has the upper hand will also depend on whether the chart is a night chart or day chart. At this time I am not weighting this too strongly in my interpretations, but sect often shows up as a dynamic in these delineations. (There's also a question of whether this shifts the balance of the "higher ground" in terms of Mars being in overcoming position to Saturn in Libra in the instance of a harmonious trine--further complicated by Saturn's exaltation in Libra.)

There is one last important testimony concept, which is that if a domicile lord cannot see the domicile it rules--it can receive testimony about that house from another planet which can see both the domicile and the domicile lord. For instance, if the Sun is in Cancer and averse to his domicile Leo, but the Moon is in Libra, then the Moon actually connects the Sun to Leo via the Moon's square to the Sun in Cancer and her sextile to Libra. Since the Moon is in the middle of the Sun's perception of Leo, the way in which it will tend to manage that house's affairs will be through the Moon in Libra, and solar Leonine experiences will often be filtered through a Moon-in-Libra emotional harmonizing impulse. In fact, because the Sun and Moon are square, this is more likely to be a discordant and disagreeable relationship between the two with the Moon running the show, being the ruler of the Sun. I refer to this configuration (regardless of the concrete positions) as second-hand testimony from the Moon to the Sun, or the Sun receiving second-hand testimony from the Moon about Leo.

Implications on Technique

If we go through this process of considering all of the deep and rich interrelationships between the planets and the sky, it can shake up our default, tidy single-ruler paradigm but also help explain certain dynamics in interpretation, and as Robert Schmidt believes, helps zodiacal releasing make more sense as well.

Time Lords and Functional Lot Lords

In jyotish astrology a core concept is that time itself has an experiential tone or quality, driven by the time lord of that period. This plain view helped me understand the concept of time lords much better in general. As a technique, we rationalize using time lords to help us narrow down when to pay the most attention to which planets. But in terms of imagining the metaphysics of it all, time has to keep going and there has to be a time lord ensuring that things are progressing at a steady rate.

If we consider the lots in zodiacal releasing to be signifiers of different forces of fate which altogether represent the passage of time and experience, then the matter of who is the actual lord of a lot becomes critically important, as the interpretation of any given zodiacal releasing period depends on who is available to give testimony to the lot. In zodiacal releasing we examine each whole sign house and its lord in sequence, which means we must also identify the "functional" lord of each house in the natal chart. (This is a term I'm making up here.) Thankfully we only have to do this work once, although the constantly evolving relationships between the various lords as we move through the different signs will keep us on our toes and require us to understand the entire natal chart deeply.

The way we pragmatically determine the functional lord is by evaluating who is the "best fit" available to rule a lot, considering the various factors of their relationship to that lot's domicile. Martien Hermes has done excellent work exploring Schmidt's work and produced a few videos demoing his technique and approach, which helped structure my thinking around choosing a functional lord.

Here is a list of potential ruler candidates for any sign which only hopes to approximate the messy reality of planets giving testimony in the sky. You would evaluate these as being the primary lords which provide the loudest testimony in this rough order. For instance, for the sign Cancer:

• The domicile lord - ex: Moon of Cancer

• The exaltation lord - ex: Jupiter of Cancer

• Second-hand testimony from another planet to the averse domicile lord - ex: Moon cannot see Cancer from Aquarius and receives information about it from the Sun, who can see Cancer from Scorpio

• "Elemental sect mate" - The lord of the sign whose lord matches the sect of the domicile lord in the same element - ex: Mars of Scorpio, because Mars is in the night sect with the ruler of Cancer, the Moon, and Scorpio is also a water sign.

  • This one is admittedly unusual and I am unsure if this is a Martien Hermes suggestion or Robert Schmidt suggestion, but I do feel that it works. The rationale is that the sect teammate concerned with the domicile of the same sect is most likely available to help.

  • Note that when it comes to judging whether Mercury is day or night sect, I use their morning/evening star status.

  • I made up the term "elemental sect mate". Please suggest something better.

• The third lord of the signs matching the domicile lord in the same element - ex: Jupiter of Cancer (this is redundant with exaltation lord here but just as an example--whoever is left over of the triplicity)

• A planet actually within that domicile - ex: Mercury happens to be in Cancer

Again, this can seem weird, but we only go down this list if there is no one else available to provide testimony. I do feel that if you have an afflicted or compromised domicile lord, another lord may try to take over, give conflicting testimony, etc. It's really about asking: who has the LOUDEST voice, given their natural or incidental rulership of a house and the lot within it?

This is also likely not a complete list. Perhaps a well-positioned triplicity ruler, or a planet making an exact conjunction with a lot, if there's no one else to do the job? Even if there is someone else around to do the job, such as Mercury in Cancer ruling a Lot of Spirit in Virgo, if you had Mars exactly conjunct that Lot of Spirit in Virgo you'd surely want to incorporate it into the delineation somehow.

I'm giving you as much as I know for completeness. The ways in which this works is usually fairly straightforward, and it's only in the edge cases that you really have to think or feel through, and can usually figure out by analyzing events in people's lives. Much more exploration and experimentation is required!

Learning about this possible system of functional lords led me to a question: if we do this for determining rulership in zodiacal releasing, then what about the natal in general? Is there a way to understand this outside the context of timelords, and perhaps just in a way of relating to my experience in general? I cannot say I've worked with this idea enough to incorporate it fully into my natal readings and predictive work, but I occasionally check alternate delineations with clients and always work with it in the actual zodiacal releasing chart. Conceptually, it does make sense to me, and it seems to work well.

If we use an as-above-so-below metaphor, the zodiac is like 12 houses in a circular cul de sac. Just because you're next door and can't see your own house doesn't mean you don't own your house anymore, or that it doesn't have all your stuff in it. You might like your neighbor's house a lot better (especially if you are an exalted guest). This is the domicile ruler, averse or not--it's their house. Meanwhile there might be a friend there, a burglar, a thief, a repairman, whatever, in your home while you're not there, and they can do whatever they want with that house and its resources and decide what needs to happen. Or someone with an angle onto your house can give you better or worse information to act on, depending on their own agenda. That's the functional ruler who might have a better angle than the domicile ruler, or the planet you have to rely on for second-hand testimony. The natal chart is a picture of these dynamics which happen over and over in an unfolding manner as we experience our natal potential.

Houses and Planets, Life Story, Transitions

To actually do zodiacal releasing, we take our chosen lot and profect/release it forward by one sign. Of course, just releasing forward is not very useful at the L1 level, as the shortest period is 8 years long! While I have found casting zodiacal releasing omen charts (charts for the exact time a new period commences) to be informative of the overall period, we really want to release down, into subperiods. Our four ZR subperiods (which can theoretically go even lower) presents a new level of complexity in interpretation. What does it mean when Venus is ruling the L1 but Mercury is ruling the L2? What if Saturn is on the L3? Does it mean something for one of the lords to take back over on the L4, say during Taurus/Gemini/Aquarius/Libra period?

This is how I would summarize my understanding of zodiacal releasing as a system comprising all lots, both from my own work with the lots as well as Schmidt's lectures.

• Every house shows a specific concern or domain in the native's life. Fortune houses are important to pay attention to.

• Every lot released with zodiacal releasing shows the progression of a planetary power's involvement in the native's life, which affects the houses which the functional lord(s) of the released lot rules.

• Because planets have their own motivations and desires, when they are activated by profection their story will tend to "kick in", sometimes even "across" lots whereby you'll see the same planet activated in two or more separate lot releasings

• Since the timelords subdivide time within each others' periods, the relationship between the lord on the L1 and L2 affects how the L2 period is experienced, and so on down the chain. This likely also applies from L1 to L3 and L4, L2 to L4, etc.

• Both the lot itself and the lord of the lot can receive testimony from other planets, but in zodiacal releasing the condition of the lord of the lot is most important. The lot receiving testimony is like planets getting involved directly in the character and nature of the lot's significations which can be read more generally in the natal chart, but the functional lord of the lot must actually manage the distribution of the lot's fortune throughout the released period. Because of this I mostly pay attention to the condition of the lord and any additional close testimony it receives which may affect how it delivers its significations.

• Broadly speaking, malefic-ruled periods are tough and benefic-ruled periods are easier. However, depending on testimony between planets and whether they rule "fortunate" or "unfortunate" houses, the benefics can become functional malefics and malefics can become functional benefics, and this can also vary between activated houses. It's important to understand the nature and experience each planet and house tends to bring for the native in zodiacal releasing periods before making predictions.

• There appears to be a principle of what I want to call "zodiacal level enclosure" (just "enclosure" for short), borrowing from benefic/malefic enclosure. This is when a time lord is reactivated on the L3 or lower, with one or more levels between the L1 and L3 levels. For instance, during an Aquarius/Aries/Sagittarius/Aquarius period, Saturn is enclosing the L2 and L3, and can deliver his own significations according to his goals on the L1 in the first place. Depending on the testimony between Saturn and Mars/Jupiter (assuming all can see their respective domiciles), Saturn may either integrate Mars and Jupiter's work or may simply discard it as a divergence on Saturn's grand L1 plan.

• The angular fortune triads can be important too, with cadent fortune houses being supportive or preparatory to the purposes of angular fortune houses, while succedent fortune houses often carry on the themes or consequences from the actions taken in the angular period.

Schmidt explicitly provides some key rules for evaluating certain situations that arise regularly in zodiacal releasing from Spirit.

First is a rule for identifying the topics of that period. The activated house shows the motivation for an action, while the functional lord(s) which provide testimony to the house (or house lord) show where that motivation gets expressed. For instance, second house (2H) Libra ruled by Venus in the 7H Pisces can indicate times when the native may be moved to make partnerships with others which involve resources or money to assuage security, survival, or sustenance concerns. I find Fortune houses to work much in the same way, though I am still teasing apart how best to conceptually interrelate the two sets of houses in terms of when one seems to show its significations most strongly versus another.

Next is the idea of "turning points" as Robert Schmidt described them, moments when the native's life story is about to develop in a significant way. The primary lifetime turning points occur when the sign containing the lord of the Lot of Spirit is activated. This applies on all levels from 1 to 4, but the higher up this occurs, the more prominent this effect is. It is especially prominent when these activations happen on multiple levels. I personally feel the same mechanism can occur not just with the natal Spirit ruler but also with any lord who is ruling from an upper period, such as a chart with Jupiter as the lord of Spirit but in a Sagittarius/Scorpio/Taurus/Scorpio period where Mars is activated again, pulling back to his themes from the L2. This may not feel quite like a "turning point" in the overall life of the native if their conscious experience tends to emphasize Jupiter over Mars, but the Mars story is nonetheless continuing. It's unclear whether this effect applies in the same way if, say, you have Mars in Sagittarius during a Libra/Sagittarius/Aries/Scorpio period. I do think Mars is triply activated, but is it all with the same strength of activation, or is it more important because Mars is activated in Sagittarius, constituting a turning point? The quality of the house probably matters (angular/succedent/cadent), as does the fact that Mars in this scenario would be averse to Scorpio.

When a house is released, it receives all testimony in regards to its matters but the most important placements are the planet which rules the house, any planets in the same house as the ruler, and any planets within the house that the domicile lord rules. A way to think about this is that when a house is activated, it's like shining a light on all of the people who live there. The energy within that house will be expressed and the planets there will testify their wants and desires, coloring the matters of that house. The lord of that domicile is the time lord of that period and also receives the closest testimony from any planets it happens to be in the same house, also "activating" that house which is language I like to use as nerdy shorthand--but really, we are talking about testimony to time lords. It's also notable when the activated house is angular from the lot of fortune (regardless of which lot you release from, as it is the archetypal lot), especially the 10th place from fortune, or fortune's house itself, and especially so when multiple levels of subperiods have activated angular fortune houses.

Schmidt also suggests that the aspects between the planets is indicative of the feeling of the transition period between profected houses. If the functional lords between one sign or another are conjunct, generally there will be a seamless, perhaps unnoticeable transition between the activity of those two lords. If they are square, one can expect a harsh and conflicting transition into the new mode of being. If trine, a very harmonious and flowing transition. Aversion is interesting, because one thing suddenly stops and another begins almost independently, as if you suddenly got bored and switched to something totally different. The way in which different parts of our lives become a central focus can also be described by the ways that various clusters of the chart are able to give their testimony based on which houses or planets are activated. In fact, just by looking at the natal chart and keeping these principles in mind, you can identify the rough sequence of patterns that people are likely to go through in their lives. I intend to memorize the L1 and L2 time periods for each planet so that I can do the first two levels of ZR in my head, the same way you can roughly eye secondary progressions from a natal chart if you know how quickly the secondary progressed chart moves.

Finally, there's the loosing of the bond, a sometimes literal release from bondage of some kind after releasing through all 12 houses in any of the Sun, Moon, Mercury, or Saturn's signs. The rationale is that after a full round through the zodiac, the lord of the upper period is done and exhausted and needs to be loosed from their bond. They throw the responsibility across the zodiac to the opposing sign, so a loosing of the bond under Leo goes: Gemini, Cancer... Aquarius! Schmidt says two things here. The first is when the loosing of the bond occurs, the new time lord takes increased emphasis for the rest of the period, although the original lord does not simply disappear. Kira Ryberg and myself have likened this to a relay race, where the planets hand off a baton between signs. In the case of the loosing of the bond, perhaps they throw the baton--but the players still stay in their lanes at the race until the race is done. The second idea is that while the loosing of the bond period itself may contain a notable event, it is often the period after the loosing of the bond where the new situation settles and the native experiences the new form of their life.

With all of this covered, I think we are finally ready to actually practice, utilizing all of these concepts.

Zodiacally Releasing the Life of Catherine de Medici

Now, everything we've said is fine and good, but let's see how it actually shakes out against a chart. Thanks to a mutual's suggestion I've selected the fascinating life of Catherine de Medici, 16th century Queen of France. I wanted to do more, but good zodiacal releasing requires a deep understanding of the person's life and the themes within it. Unfortunately, we have to apply zodiacal releasing somewhat loosely to historical figures when we don't have precise dates for events. I've tried my best to properly document and understand the chronological ordering of events in Catherine's life based on her Wikipedia, but there may a few mistakes. Also, I will not be using any techniques which require drawing up extra charts or tables, such as transits, primary directions, secondary progressions, solar returns, or annual profections to keep this as a pure demonstration of zodiacal releasing.

For this work, I often have three windows open: the chronological order of events in the life, a zodiacal releasing tool, and a picture of the chart. If you have the window space, you might want to pull up the chart image in a separate tab too. I have listed the chronology separately, but also resummarized it under each period interpretation for context. A link to the zodiacal releasing table used is provided below, from astro-seek.com thanks to the incredible work of Petr (@astroseekcom).

Let's release this zodiac.

Who Was Catherine de Medici?

Catherine de' Medici wears the black cap and veil of widow, after 1559, Workshop of François Clouet

Links: Astrodatabank / Wikipedia

Summarizing Wikipedia, Catherine de Medici was a Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family, the Queen of France from 1547-1559 by marriage to King Henry II, and mother to three more French kings. She had extensive and varying influence in the political life of France, to the point where her sons' reign were referred to as "the age of Catherine de' Medici". Her sons reigned in a turbulent period of civil and religious war in France, facing complex and daunting problems. During Henry's reign he excluded Catherine from state affairs and showered favours on his chief mistress. He showed no interest in her as a wife, and they would not have children for ten years. Catherine maintained the monarchy and state institutions' functioning amongst dire circumstances, even if at a minimum. She was an avid patron of the arts. "Catherine believed in the humanist ideal of the learned Renaissance prince whose authority depended on letters as well as arms." She made concessions to rebelling Huguenots, failing to understand the theology behind their movement, and later acted out in anger with hardline polices against them. She was blamed for the persecutions carried out by her sons' rules, particularly the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of 1572, during which thousands of Huguenots were killed in France. Her letters reveal a personal ruthlessness, though her authority and impact was limited at the time and was sometimes considered favorably by history as a queen whose policies were trying to keep her family on the throne and whose patronage of the art was an attempt to glorify a flagging monarchy. Catherine has been called the most important woman in Europe of the 16th century, and without Catherine it is unlikely that her sons would have remained in power. I should note that she had Mars in Cancer and she was not a competitive eater.

Examining Catherine de Medici's Lot of Spirit, we find that it is in the 8th house of burdens, taxes, debt, and generally burdens implicating others. Optimistic Jupiter rules her Spirit by sextile from the 6th house, which I consider to besides the traditional significations of health and servants/servitude, it is also a house of maintenance, constant repair, and upkeep. We might read this as a general life inspiration to take care of others, especially a kingdom (Jupiterian lot and lord). Jupiter and the Moon are ruled by Venus on the ascendant in the fixed sign of Taurus. However, take note that Venus does not have sight to Libra from Taurus! They're averse. Venus instead receives testimony from both Saturn and Mars about what's happening in the 6th house, this motivator of the soul. This suggests some amount of interception or obstacle to Venus' primary goal of surrounding herself with love and beauty. Saturn sits in the 9th of religion, higher education, policy, the arts, and rules the 10th of legacy, vision, and mission. Mars sits in the third of clan, neighbors, the environment, focused on engaging those closest to her, cajoling and soothing and helping with the occasional sudden violent pincer, and he rules the 12th house of isolation, loneliness, death, and also rules the 7th house of partnership and committed relationship. While we need to get deeper into her biography, it seems reasonably evident that her desire to continue helping and maintaining the world around her (6H Libra concerns) inevitably forced her to encounter all of those themes on the way to expressing herself as an art patron. Next to Venus is the Sun, and the Sun rules her fourth house of home, family, roots. Her family is who she is.

Venus signifies the love life, and despite Venus' apparent strength being in her domicile and quite angular, Catherine was overlooked by her husband. One reason could be Venus being in Mercury's bound or term, the uneven subdivisions of five into each sign. Schmidt liked to translate them as confines, because they literally bound or limited the expression of a planet. Here, Venus is bound by Mercury's nature, who sits in the lonely 12th. He's not helpless, as he has mutual bound reception with Venus and participates in her rich social life from the shadows, but he is in Mars' lonely house. And Mars is in the 3rd, doing god knows what. Mercury rules the 5th of creativity, children, and pleasure. Mercury also rules the 2nd of possessions; being Gemini, possessions will tend to fluctuate, be more about social value or intellectual property, and ebb and flow. But Mercury's still in the 12th. It's hard to operate from there. He's in Mars' prison, and what is Mars again? The twelfth and the seventh house of partnerships (which can include non-romantic business and advisor partnerships with family members). So Catherine had to work through her family, her network, her political influence. What Mercury did have going for him was his mutual reception with Venus. They might not be able to connect their mutual interests directly, but they could talk, instead of leaving both Mercury and Venus completely alone with the malefics Mars and Saturn.

Chronology

Let's dig into the chronology and then plot out some ZR.

Early Life and Marriage

Catherine de Medici's parents die almost immediately after her birth and she is cared for by extended relatives until her uncle is elected Pope Clement VII, and she moves to live with him in Florence. The Medicis are overthrown and Catherine is taken hostage and placed in a series of convents. She is summoned away during a siege of Florence. She marries Prince Henry II at the age of 14, but she is ignored and they do not have children for 10 years. Catherine's standing is undermined by the death of her uncle. Finally, Catherine gives birth to a son and then has many more children.

• 1519-04-13 - Born in Florence as only child of Lorenzo de' Medici and Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne

• 1519-04-28 - Mother Madeleine dies of puerperal fever

• 1519-05-04 - Father Lorenzo dies

• 1520 - Catherine is cared for by her paternal grandmother Alfonsina Orsini until she dies in 1520, and is then raised by her aunt Clarice de' Medici

• 1521 - 1523-09-19 - Pope Leo dies in 1521, and Catherine's uncle Cardinal Giulio de' Medici is elected Pope Clement VII on 1523-09-19. Catherine moves to live in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence

• 1527 - The Medicis are overthrown in Florence by an opposition faction and Catherine is taken hostage and placed in a series of convents. The final convent, Santissima Annuziata delle Murate, was her home for three years and was described by biographer Mark Strage as "the happiest of her entire life"

• 1529-10 - Charles of Hapburg's troops lay siege to Florence. Voices called for Catherine to be killed and sexually assaulted.

• 1530-08-12 - Florence surrenders, and Clement summons Catherine from her convent to join him in Rome. Clement goes about finding Catherine a husband

• 1533-10-28 - Catherine marries Prince Henry II at the age of 14, a prize catch for Catherine who was of common birth despite her wealth Wedding takes place, a grand affair of extravagant display and gift-giving

• 1534-09-25 - Pope Clement dies, undermining Catherine's standing in French court

• 1534-10-13 - Alessandro Farnese is elected pope as Paul III. He felt no obligation to keep Clement's promises and broke alliance with Francis, refusing to pay Catherine's large dowry

• 1533 - 1543 - Prince Henry shows no interest in Catherine and takes mistresses; they produce no children for 10 years.

• 1536 - Henry's older brother Francis catches a fever and dies, leaving Henry the heir. Suspicions of poison abound including Catherine but Sebastiano de Montecuccoli confesses under torture to the poisoning

• ~1537 - 1544 - Pressure mounts on Catherine as dauphine to provide a future heir to the throne. In 1537, Prince Henry had an affair with Philippa Duci, producing a child and proving his fertility. Divorce was even discussed, and Catherine tries every known trick for getting pregnant

• 1544-01-19 - Catherine gives birth to a son, Francis II, named after King Francis. Unfortunately, Catherine's marriage does not improve and Henry would take mistress Diane de Poitiers for the rest of his life. Catherine has no further problems conceiving and has 8 more children after this point, including:

  • 1545-04-02 - Daughter Elisabeth

  • 1547-11-12 - Claude

  • 1550-06-26 - Charles IX

  • 1551-09-19 - Henry III

  • 1555-03-18 - Francis, Duke of Anjou

Queen of France

From Wikipedia: "Henry allowed Catherine almost no political influence as queen. Although she sometimes acted as regent during his absences from France, her powers were strictly nominal. Henry gave the Château of Chenonceau, which Catherine had wanted for herself, to Diane de Poitiers, who took her place at the centre of power, dispensing patronage and accepting favours. The imperial ambassador reported that in the presence of guests, Henry would sit on Diane's lap and play the guitar, chat about politics, or fondle her breasts. Diane never regarded Catherine as a threat. She even encouraged the king to spend more time with Catherine and sire more children."

• 1547-03-31 - King Francis I dies and Catherine becomes queen consort of France

• 1549-06-10 - Catherine is crowned in the Basilica of Saint-Denis

• 1556 - Catherine nearly dies giving birth to twin daughters Jeanne and Victoire, the former who dies in the womb and the latter dies seven weeks later. Because of the risk of the birth, the King's physician advises that there should be no more children. King Henry II stops visiting his wife's bedroom and Catherine has no more children from this point.

• 1559-06-22 - Catherine's 13-year-old daughter Elisabeth is betrothed to Philip II of Spain, sealing the Peace of Cateau-Cambresis treaty between the Holy Roman Empire and England. During the proxy wedding, King Henry jousts with Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, whose lance shatters in the king's face. Five splinters of wood are extracted from his head, and Henry slowly loses his sight, speech, reason with Catherine by his bedside until he passes away.

• 1559-07-10 - King Henry II dies. From that day, Catherine takes a broken lance as her emblem inscribed with the words "lacrymae hinc, hinc dolor" ("from this come my tears and my pain"), wearing black in memory of Henry. Catherine is thrust into the political arena as mother of frail King Francis II.

Francis II becomes king at 15. The Cardinal of Lorraine and Duke of Guise, whose niece Mary, Queen of Scots, had married Francis II the year before--seize power the day after Henry II's death and move themselves into the Louvre Palace with King Francis II and Mary. Catherine works with the Guises out of necessity, as she is not strictly entitled to a role in Francis' government as he was deemed old enough to rule for himself. Nonetheless, his official acts explicitly mention his mother's help and approval. One of her first acts was to force Diane de Poitiers to hand over the crown jewels and return the Château de Chenonceau to the crown.

During this time, the Guise brothers also set about persecuting the Protestants/Huguenots. Catherine adopts a moderate stance, speaking out about the Guise persecutions, though she has no sympathy for the Huguenots whose beliefs she never shared. The Huguenots look for leadership from Antoine de Bourbon and Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Conde, who backed a plot to overthrow the Guises by force leading to the Saint-Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572.

• 1560-08-20 - Michel de l'Hôpital was appointed Chancellor of France in 1560 June. On August 20th, Catherine and the chancellor advocate a policy to not punish Protestants who worshipped peacefully in private, and advocated this policy to an assembly of notables at Fontainebleau. This is considered an early example of her statesmanship.

• 1560 autumn - Conde raises an army and begins attacking towns in the south. Catherine orders him to court and imprisons him as soon as he arrives.

• 1560-11 - Conde is tried, found guilty of offences against the crown, and sentenced to death. He is spared by the impending death of the king. Catherine makes a deal with Antoine de Bourbon to renounce his right to the regency of the future king Charles IX in return for the release of his brother Conde.

• 1560-12-05 - King Francis II dies and Catherine becomes regent on behalf of 9-year-old son King Charles IX. Thanks to her dealmaking with Conde, the Privy Council appoints Catherine as governor of France and gains sweeping powers. She presides over his council, decides policy, and controls state business and patronage, but never is in a position to control the country on a whole, on the brink of civil war. Nobles held sway in many parts of france, rather than the crown. Catherine faced complex challenges, which were in some ways difficult to understand as a foreigner.

• 1561-09-09 - Catherine summons church leaders from both sides to try to work out their differences in the Colloquy of Poissy.

• 1561-10-13 - The Colloquy of Poissy fails, dissolving itself without her permission. Catherine is said to have failed because she saw the religious divide only in political terms, underestimating the religious conviction on both sides.

• 1562-01 - Catherine issues the tolerant Edict of Saint-German to build bridges with the Huguenots

• 1562-03-01 - The Duke of Guise and his men attach worshipping Huguenots in a barn at the Massacre of Vassy, killing 74 and wounding 104. Guise calls the massacre "a regrettable accident" and is cheered as a hero in the streets of Paris while the Huguenots call for revenge. This massacre lit the fuse sparking the French Wars of Religion, and France would find itself in a state of civil war or armed truce for the next 30 years.

• 1562-04? - Conde and Admiral Gaspard de Coligny have raised an army of 1800, form an alliance with England and seize town after town in France. Catherine met with Coligny but he refused to back down, so Catherine ordered the royal army to strike back and captured Huguenot-held Rouen.

• 1563-02-18 - A spy named Poltrot de Mere fires an arquebus into the back of Duke of Guise, triggering an aristocratic blood feud which complicated the French civil wars for years to come. Catherine, however, was delighted, and she even expressed the wish that Guise had perished sooner so that peace would have come sooner.

• 1563-03-19 - The Edict of Amboise ends the war.

• 1563-08-17 - Charles IX is declared of age but was never able to rule on his own and showed little interest in government.

• 1564-01 - 1565-05 - Catherine decides to enforce the Edict of Amboise and revive loyalty to the crown, and sets out with Charles on a precession around France. Catherine held talks with Jeanne d'Albret, Protestant queen regnant of Navarre and wife of Antoine de Bourbon. She met her daughter Elisabeth at bayonne near the Spanish border amidst lavish court festivities. Philip II of Spain excused himself from the occasion and sent the Duke of Alba to tell Catherine to scrap the Edict of Amboise and find punitive solutions to the problem of heresy.

• 1566 - Because of a long-standing Franco-Ottoman alliance, Charles and Catherine propose to the Ottoman Court a plan to resettle the French Huguenots in Ottoman-controlled Moldavia to create a military colony and buffer against the Habsburg (and remove the Huguenots from France), but the Ottomans are not interested.

• 1567-09-27 - Huguenot forces attempt to ambush the king in the Surprise of Meaux, triggering renewed civil wars. The court flees to Paris in disarray. The Surprise of Meaux marks a turning point in Catherine's policy toward the Huguenots, and abandons compromise for repression. She claimed that all one could expect from Huguenots was deceit, and she praised the Duke of Alba's reign of terror in the Netherlands.

• 1568-03-22 - The Peace of Longjumeau ends the war incited by the Surprise of Meaux. The Huguenots retreated to La Rochelle and Jeanne d'Albret emphasizes the Huguenots' determination to die rather than abandon their religion. Jeanne's rebel stance posed a dynastic threat to the Valois, and Catherine calls Jeanne "the most shameless woman in the world".

• 1570-08-08 - Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye is signed because the royal army runs out of funds, conceding wider toleration to the Huguenots than ever before.

• 1570 - Catherine looks to further Valois interests by grand dynastic marriages. Charles IX married Elisabeth of Austria, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maxiimilian II. She seeks a marriage between Margaret and Henry III of Navarre, Jeanne's son, with the aim of uniting Valois and Bourbon interests. Margaret however, was secretly involved with Henry of Guise.

St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre and End of Life

Catherine de Medici pressures Jeanne d'Albret to marry their children together. d'Albret dies and is suspected of being poisoned. Admiral Coligny may have been shot by Catherine. The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre occurs and the King of Navarre kneels as a Catholic to avoid execution; Catherine laughs to an ambassador, becoming known as the "wicked Italian queen". King Charles IX dies and Henry returns to reign, but gets caught up in war after war. Catherine tries to keep the peace but ultimately Henry descends into violence and wrath after humiliating defeats. Catherine passes away soon after.

• ~1570-1572 - During this time presses Jeanne d'Albret to attend court. When Jeanne does, Catherine pressures her hard, playing on her hopes for her beloved son. Jeanne finally agrees to the marriage between her son and Margaret, as long as Henry can remain a Huguenot.

• 1572-06-09 - When Jeanne arrives in Paris to buy clothes for the wedding, she is taken ill and dies at 43. Huguenot writers accuse Catherine of murdering her with poisoned gloves.

• 1572-08-18 - Margaret and Henry are married at Notre-Dame, Paris.

• 1572-08-21 - Admiral Coligny is shot in the hand and arm while walking back to his room. Catherine is said to have received the news without emotion, but made a tearful visit to Coligny and promises to punish his attacker. Many historians blame Catherine for the attack on Coligny, while others point to the Guise family or Spanish-papal plot.

• 1572-08-23 - The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre occurs. It is possible that Catherine was party to the decision when Charles IX ordered, "Then kill them all! Kill them all!" Catherine and her advisers may have expected a Huguenot uprising to avenge the attack on Coligny and chose to strike first. The slaughter in Paris lasted for almost a week, spreading to many parts of France.

• 1572-09-29 - Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre, kneels before the altar as a Roman Catholic, converting to avoid being killed. Catherine turns to the ambassadors present and laughed. This dates the beginning of the legend of the wicked Italian queen, whom Huguenot writers branded as a "scheming Italian" who had used Machiavelli's principles.

• 1574 - King Charles IX dies at 23. He named Catherine regent, as his brother and heir Henry the Duke of Anjou was in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as elected king. Three months after, Henry returns to France to become King of France.

  • Henry was Catherine's favorite son and came to the throne as a grown man. He was healthier than his brothers, but was not always interested in government work and relied on Catherine and her team, frequently hiding from state affairs and immersing himself in acts of piety like pilgrimages and flagellation.

• 1575-02 - Henry marries Louise de Lorraine-Vaudemont, throwing a wrench in Catherine's plans for a political marriage to a foreign princess. Rumors of Henry's infertility have traveled far by this time. Meanwhile, Catherine's youngest son Francis, Duke of Alencon, known as "Monsier", has played upon his role as heir to the throne exploiting the anarchy of the civil wars. Catherine did all she could to bring Francis back into the fold.

• 1576 - Francis allies with the Protestant princes against the crown, endangering Henry's throne.

• 1576-05-06 - Catherine gave in to almost all Huguenot demands in the Edict of Beaulieu. The treat became known as the Peace of Monsieur because it was thought Francis forced it on the crown. Following this, many leading Roman Catholics were apalled by Catherine's appeasements, and begin forming local leagues to protect their religion.

• 1578 - Catherine's role in King Henry's government was that of chief executive and roving diplomat. She traveled widely, enforcing his authority and trying to head off war. In 1578 she attempts to pacify the south, and embarks on an 18-month journey around the south of France to meet Huguenot leaders face to face, winning her new respect from the French people.

• 1578-03 - Catherine lectures Francis for six hours about his dangerously subversive behavior.

• 1579 - Catherine returns to Paris and is greeted outside the city by Parlement and crowds. Venetian ambassador Gerolamo Lipomanno wrote of her: "She is an indefatigable princess, born to tame and govern a people as unruly as the French: they now recognize her merits, her concern for unity and are sorry not to have appreciated her sooner."

• 1579-11-25 - Catherine does not have illusions--she writes to the king: "You are on the eve of a general revolt. Anyone who tells you differently is a liar."

• 1582 - Margaret had become almost as much of a trouble for Catherine as Francis. She returned to French court without a husband and Catherine was heard yelling at her for taking lovers. Catherine arranged for Margaret's return.

• 1584-06 - Francis died of consumption after a disastrous massacre of his armies in the Low Countries. The death of Catherine's youngest son was a calamity for her dynastic dreams.

• 1585 - Margaret flees Navarre again to her property at Agen and begs Catherine for money, who sends her only enough "to put food on the table". Margaret moves to the fortress of Carlat where she took a lover named d'Aubiac, and so Catherine asks Henry to act before Margaret brings shame on the throne again.

• 1586-10 - At Catherine's wishes, Henry has Margaret locked up in the Château d'Usson. D'Aubiac is executed, although despite Catherine's wishes, this occurs in front of Margaret. Catherine cuts Margaret out of her will and never sees her again.

• 1585 - By this point, both the Huguenots and the Catholics become contenders for King Henry III. He has no choice but to go to war against the Catholic league.

• 1585-07-07 - Henry is forced to give in to all of League's demands in the Treaty of Nemours. He goes into hiding to fast and pray, leaving Catherine to sort out of the mess. The monarchy loses control of the country and is in no position to assist England. Catholic backlash against Protestants have become a campaign across Europe. Philip II of Spain prepared to invade England, and the League took control of much of northern France to secure French ports for his armada.

• 1588-05-12 - Henry hired Swiss troops to defend himself in Paris, but the Parisians claimed the right to defend the city themselves and set up barricades, refusing to take orders from anyone but the Duke of Guise. Catherine goes to Mass, finds her way barred, but is allowed to pass through the barricades, and she cries throughout her lunch that day. She wrote: "Never have I seen myself in such trouble or with so little light by which to escape." She advised Henry, who fled the city, to compromise and live to fight another day.

• 1588-05-15 - Henry signs the Act of Union, giving in to all of the League's latest demands.

• 1588-09-08 - At Blois where the court had assembled for a meeting of the Estates, Henry dismisses all of his ministers without warning. Catherine is in bed with a lung infection, and had been kept in the dark. Henry's actions effectively end her days in power.

• 1588-12-23 - Henry asks the Duke of Guise to call on him at the Château de Blois, where Guise is murdered by the king's guard at the foot of his bed. Simultaneously eight members of the Guise were rounded up (including Louis II) and murdered. Immediately after, Henry says to Catherine: "Please forgive me. Monsieur de Guise is dead. He will not be spoken of again. I have had him killed. I have done to him what he was going to do to me." Catherine's immediate reaction is not known; but on Christmas Day, she told a friar, "Oh, wretched man! What has he done? ... Pray for him ... I see him rushing towards his ruin."

• 1589-01-01 - Catherine visits an old friend Cardinal de Bourbon to tell him she is sure he would soon be freed. He shouts at her, "Your words, Madam, have led us all to this butchery." She leaves in tears.

• 1589-01-05 - Catherine passes away at the age of 69, likely from pleurisy. Those closest to her attributed her death to her displeasure at Henry's actions. No sooner than she had died, she was discarded. Paris was still held by enemies of the crown, so Catherine's body had to be buried provisionally at Blois, eventually being reinterred in the Saint-Denis basilica in Paris, until a revolutionary mob in 1793 would toss her bones into a mass grave along with those of other kings and queens.

Zodiacal Releasing

Now that we have the chronology, we can begin to break down Catherine de Medici's life according to Zodiacal Releasing. I like to begin by breaking down each of the 12 houses to see what the rulers and themes are likely to be. It's worth noting that for royalty, the houses of their nativity also represents the houses of the country they rule and the major events which occur around them. This is further emphasized in Catherine de Medici's chart, because she has an 8H Lot of Spirit which will make much of her life story and therefore the significations of her planets very frequently about the actions of other people.

Catherine's House Delineations

• 1H / 8th Fortune house (8F) Taurus, ruled by Venus conjunction - Self, body, identity, mission, but also love, romance, beauty, and art are all topics with the Sun and Venus in Taurus in the 1st. This being 8F, 8th from fortune could suggest that a core theme of selfhood that becomes increasingly relevant is 8H matters of other people's problems and possessions. In terms of testimony, this house and ruler receives a trine from the malefic of sect Saturn and a sextile from the malefic out of sext, Cancer, adding some level of malefic testimony that is nonetheless productive. When this house is activated, the Sun's topics will also be activated (4H Leo--home, location, history, and family), as will Venus' other house Libra (6H of work, health, service, maintenance).

• 2H / 9F Gemini, ruled by Mercury by sextile - Physical possessions, social connections, money, ruled by Mercury in a tough spot in the 12th. Mercury's general condition is worsened by whole-sign squares from Saturn and Mars, but Gemini itself is averse to Saturn and Mars. Mercury also receives testimony from Jupiter and the Moon, who trine Gemini. This is a bit of mixed testimony, suggesting that in general, house matters or circumstances may turn out well or have preexisting support, but the actual experience of managing that house is found to be troublesome or difficult due to the malefic involvement to the actual ruler of the house. The 9F fortune house of religion and higher power/authority is interesting to consider as an overlay on the second house as abstract, conceptual possessions.

• 3H / 10F Cancer, ruled by Moon by square - Siblings, extended family life, the neighborhood and immediate environment, writing, thinking, and traveling to support the family. The Moon being in a difficult house and square its home makes matters here stressful to deal with, though the Moon receives support from Jupiter. Fallen Mars here out of sect can cause a fair amount of trouble, especially opposed by Saturn who both opposes this house and squares the Moon. The Sun and Venus also sextile Cancer, and Mercury squares it. Thus the third is a house of much contention and many opinions, which reflects well the political and religious environment that Catherine experienced throughout her life. 10F could be read as 3H matters being her eventual concrete calling, as much of her life work was through political and social influence in her extended family and royal court. As the 10th house from fortune, activations of Cancer will tend to be especially important.

• 4H / 11F Leo, ruled by the Sun by square - Home, history, country, foundations, the intimate family unit. The Sun is in the 1st, pointing to the identification of the family with the self. The Sun casts a square to Leo, suggesting something of a difficult tension between self and family. In terms of additional testimony, Venus' square suggests a similar tension between one's love life, personal experience of beauty/art, and familial 4H needs, but Venus' conjunction with the Sun likely ameliorates the nature of the square, and Venus is still a benefic, even if she is out of sect. Jupiter and the Moon provide general support to the 4H by sextile. Saturn trines the Sun by sign as does Mars by sextile, except unlike Venus, the Sun does not make testimony with Mars. When Mars enters Leo, the Sun is only at 22° Taurus, never making a perfect square within the natal signs of Taurus and Cancer. Like Gemini, both Mars and Saturn cannot see the 4H itself. 11F could be read as identifying the monarchal family with the people and the many.

• 5H / 12F Virgo, ruled by Mercury via Saturn's second-hand testimony - Children, recreational sex, hobbies, personal pursuits, and creativity. Mercury cannot see Virgo, his home, from averse Aries. Here Mercury is a morning star, rising before the Sun, and therefore on day sect. No planet exalts in Virgo, so we look for a lord of the same sect which rules a sign of the same element. Here, Taurus is ruled by Venus who is night sect and also averse to Mercury and unable to provide testimony. That leaves day sect Saturn, who sees Virgo by trine and Mercury by square. 12F adds an extra layer to Catherine's 5H as the 12th is the house of loneliness, and the lord is in the natal 12H, while receiving in-between testimony from the lonely planet Saturn. 5H periods are likely to be difficult for Catherine, with interdictions from those around her, especially involving religious or political power structures (9H Saturn). The 5H does receive testimonial from the Sun and Venus, pushing the purpose of the 5H more toward self-defintion through art patronage (and also architecture, with Saturn's trine).

• 6H / 1H Libra, ruled by Venus via Saturn's second-hand testimony - Health, servitude and servants, maintenance, and organization. Jupiter is here as the ruler of Spirit, and the Moon is as well. This house receives oppositional testimony from Mercury and testimony by square from Saturn and Mars. If we take the 6H as the place representing Catherine inspired desire to defend the monarchy from threats, we can see those threats represented as powerful political and religious foes (9H Saturn), treacherous hidden enemies which may even be one's own children (12H Mercury's natural rulership of 5H), and distractible lovers and contentious family members (3H Mars ruling 7H and 12H). Nonetheless, Jupiter being in his own term in this house is highly protective, and generally, helps Catherine survive these ordeals, and Venus' rulership is very strong in tandem with (mostly) supportive Saturn. As the first fortune house, activations of Libra will tend to be important. Aside on functional rulership: this is a tricky house to determine the rulership of, with 3 potential candidates:

  • First is Mercury outright, who can see Libra directly, is ruler of Gemini in the same air triplicity as Libra, and has some connection to Venus via mutual term reception (though I would not consider this functional enough to allow Venus to manage the house). Mercury is day sect in this chart, though, and if Venus can receive second-hand testimony, then I think we would always prefer that.

  • Saturn is not night sect but is the exaltation ruler of Libra, so I chose Saturn as being the planet the most personally invested in Libra's outcomes besides Venus, and having a trine aspect to Venus.

  • Finally the last candidate would be Mars, who is of night sect but weak in fall in the 3rd, and also not in the triplicity--but if Saturn were not available, I think we might still prefer Mars to Mercury, since Mars has direct sight between both Venus and Libra.

• 7H / 2F Scorpio, ruled by Mars by trine - Partnerships, marriages, business deals, and open enemies. Mars trines this house, but is quite weak in the cadent house and opposed by Saturn. The seventh also receives testimony by sextile from Saturn and opposition from the Sun and Venus, which makes for an illustrious and powerful partner in description but with which one cannot do much with, given the domicile lord's cadency. 2F points to how Catherine's primary resources came to her through marriage and partnerships of various kinds, which can also include her advisorship to her children.

• 8H / 3F Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter by sextile - Other people's business and possessions, taxes, burdens, aftercare of death. Jupiter being in the 6H points to the continual balancing and harmonizing act required on behalf of a country and family whose affairs Catherine must deal with. Mercury's trine testimony often points to the "behind the scenes" work involved here, and the Moon's sextile ruling the third points to the familial orientation to this work. 3F can point to the significant amount of networking and travel that she has to do, or that the possessions of others she ends up dealing with come from 3H matters. However, Jupiter is assaulted in Libra by both malefics and Mercury, which is likely to make experiences in this house difficult.

• 9H / 4F Capricorn, ruled by Saturn by presence - Religious and governmental authority, engagements with other nations and cultures, diplomacy, higher learning, the arts. Saturn here, extremely angular on the midheaven, points to the overwhelming influence these topics have in Catherine's life, especially in direct aspect to every single one of Catherine's placements. Saturn is the only traditional planet in the entire chart which can see every other planet, and powerfully angular, domiciled, and in his own term. Saturn here wants to control, build, structure, fortify. 4F points to the emphasis on this being power from the past, the family, an inherited duty.

• 10H / 5F Aquarius, ruled by Saturn via Mercury's second-hand testimony - Legacy, work, what one is known for, although with Catherine's MC in her 9th we might read this as her "most visible job", which was highly Aquarian and concerned with the structure of religion and society but rooted from 9H concerns. Saturn is averse, so as his air triplicity sect mate, Mercury can see Aquarius and report back to Saturn, even if they have a contentious relationship. I think this reflects the background political wheeling and dealing that Catherine did. (I'm also open to arguments that it should be Venus' second-hand testimony to Saturn instead of Mercury given her strength, even if she disagrees by sect.) Aquarius receives a trine from Jupiter and the Moon and receives testimony from the Sun and Venus by square, and is averse to the malefic out of sect, so I would expect Aquarius to be a time when many productive things happen for Catherine, though they are bound by the matters which Saturn and Mercury contend with. The 5F could be a symbolic indicator of the importance of her children in her life and her joy helping them.

• 11H / 6F Pisces, ruled by Jupiter via Mars - Friends and friendship, supporters, benefactors, ambitions, political ideals, and mundanely friends and allies of the nation, hopes of the nation, and resources of the party in power. Catherine's friends were incumbent royalty constantly dealing with civil war, which I find matches fairly well with Mars in Cancer in the 3rd, who gives testimony to the sustaining Jupiter in the 6th. You could also read this as dealing largely with her own children, or the hopes of the nation centering around the royal family. The meaning of 6F here I am less sure about, but perhaps something like servant leadership to one's national friends and allies, or the need for constant maintenance of the topics of this house.

• 12H / 7F Aries, ruled by Mars by square - The house of loneliness, loss, mourning, and hidden enemies. Mars rules it by square, and it also receives testimony from Saturn by overcoming square. Jupiter and the Moon add some stabilizing support and Mercury at home will tend to make it a time of communication, travel, or trickery. These are likely to be difficult times, without support from strong benefics and receiving a direct square from both malefics. Saturn may be especially troublesome, as he "hates" both Mars and Aries, opposing and squaring them.

Whew! That's a lot, but it will help us ground our reading of the zodiacal releasing in a rich way, and is especially important as we will be returning to these houses and their themes over and over again. You will also find that zodiacal releasing teaches you what the houses are about or which planets are truly activated in the native's chart based on what occurs within which activated periods. In that spirit, I have started from birth and looked at Catherine de Medici's life until death, noting my own thoughts on open questions and trickier delineations myself. I have only covered most of the details in her chronology, but have largely omitted Catherine de Medici's considerable art patronage work as there were not as many clear dates. There's plenty enough in Catherine de Medici's life to look at as it is!

Sagittarius and Capricorn L1 Periods, 1519 - 1557

Catherine de Medici's Zodiacal Releasing from Spirit on astro-seek.com.

Note that astro-seek seems not to be able to handle dates as far back as 1519 and is misplacing the Lot of Fortune, so this uses a slightly modified birth time to get the Lot of Fortune correctly in Libra, and manually selects Sagittarius to release from the Lot of Spirit. I also tried zodiacalreleasing.net but their date picker seems not able to go back that far.

Early on in life, we read Catherine's zodiacal releasing mostly through the events which happen around her, though we can guess at reasonable emotional themes and reactions at various points in her life. Here, we'll begin to descend into denser technical language.

• 1519-04-13 - L1 Sagittarius 8H / 3F - In this initial 8H period, both of Catherine's parents die very young within the Sagittarius period down to L3, meaning a triple emphasis on lord Jupiter's placement in the 6H of illness. The third fortune house suggests movement and being taken care of by close family members.

  • Madeleine dies on April 28th during a Sagittarius/Sagittarius/Sagittarius/Pisces period, where we see an activation of Jupiter, the lord of Catherine's Lot of Spirit. Libra is under assault by Saturn and Mars by square. Jupiter being reactivated as a lord again while being lord on the previous three levels brings his significations and agenda loudly to bear but also his condition. Pisces also happens to be the sixth fortune house.

  • I'm not completely sure of Catherine's father Lorenzo's death but if it is indeed on May 4th, this occurs during a Gemini period, activating Mercury in the 12th house of grief. Catherine is cared for by her paternal grandmother, Alfonsina. Alfonsina passes away that year, and she is raised by her aunt thereafter.

• 1522-06-26 - L2 Aquarius 10H / 5F - We are now within a Sagittarius/Aquarius period. Saturn (with Mercury) is in control, and both are against Jupiter by square and opposition respectively. (There is likely some subtlety to be read in to the relationships of the planets as trigon lords to the various signs, but we won't tackle that today.) This suggests opposition and combat with Jupiter's so-far sad agenda as 6H lord (6L) to instead Saturn and Mercury's agenda with the tenth house.

  • On 1523-09-19 Catherine's uncle Cardinal Giulio de' Medici is elected Pope Clement VII. This occurs during a Sagittarius/Aquarius/Sagittarius period, and we see another activated-Jupiter-in-6H signification: her paternal uncle, as the 3rd house (siblings) from her 4th house (father). It's likely Saturn's powerful involvement from the ninth house which delivers this signification. The way I think about it is that once Jupiter reasserts his control from the L3, since he is also the lord of the L1, he can boss Saturn around a bit in terms of the significations since he's still the time lord of the entire L1. So the papacy gets granted by Saturn to the subject of Jupiter's agenda, Catherine's uncle in her 6H.

  • We don't have precise dates for Catherine's move to live in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence. However, there is an L3 loosing of the bond which occurs into Leo, the 4th house of family and physical location which would kick in a month and a half later. It's also fitting that Aquarius is the 10th house of success and accomplishment, with a subsequent loosing of the bond of the 4th house.

• 1527-03-02 - L2 Aries 12H / 7F, Taurus 1H / 8F, Gemini 2H / 9F - In 1527 the Medicis are overthrown in Florence and Catherine is taken hostage and placed in a series of convents. The final convent was her home for three years and was described by a biographer as "the happiest of her entire life". The specific date of when she was taken hostage isn't given, but given the facts, we can take a reasonable guess. Here's the timeline of what I think could have happened:

  • 1526-11-27 - Sagittarius/Aries/Capricorn - Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn are all activated across 3H/12H/9H. Sagittarius/Aries, activating 8H and 12H with weak Jupiter and Mars, will be a time of loss and suffering. Aries being the 12th points to hidden enemies and imprisonment, while the fortune indications of 7F point to open enemies and war. Capricorn activates Saturn in the 9H, who opposes Mars closely and also squares Saturn. Both Aries and Capricorn are angular from fortune, indicating major events.

  • 1527-02-02 - Sagittarius/Aries/Aquarius - Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn are still activated, except Aquarius is ruled by Saturn with Mercury's help. Where is Mercury? In the 12th of isolation. Perhaps this is the time during which Catherine was taken hostage, a deeply impacting experience which also threatened the stability of her dynasty (10H).

  • 1527-03-02 - Sagittarius/Taurus - Being a 1H/8F house, this may have been a period of political negotiation and being released from an active hostage situation into the convent, or some other agreement of armistice which required others to intervene on Catherine's behalf for her bodily safety (8F + 1F). Venus' strength in the 1st house is protective here, and Saturn's trine provides a relatively beneficent form 9H imprisonment in the convent.

  • 1527-10-28 - Sagittarius/Gemini - It's entirely possible that all of this simply transpires in this period altogether, since Gemini's lord is that 12H Aries Mercury. 2H Gemini can point to undertaking the accumulation of knowledge, especially spiritual in nature in a convent. It's also notable that Gemini is the 9F of religion. In any case, Catherine experiences her happiness in the convent under Jupiter and Mercury who make an uneasy alliance, supporting each other's 2H/8H goals by mutual trine.

  • 1529-10 - This happy period continues until roughly October 1529 when Florence is sieged, likely under a Sagittarius/Cancer/Virgo period, or by rulership Jupiter/Moon/Mercury + Saturn. Cancer contains Mars which signifies the violence occurring around her, and the emphasized grand cross between Jupiter/Moon, Mercury, Saturn, and Mars highlights the tension of the moment well

  • 1530-08-12 - Sagittarius 8H/Cancer 3H/Pisces 11H - Florence surrenders under Jupiter/Moon/Jupiter + Saturn. We see a repeated pattern of suffering but survival for Catherine involving Pisces/Sagittarius activations, where she is rescued from a situation but in a way that involves control from a greater authority than herself (9H Saturn). The very next day, she enters a Sagittarius/Cancer/Aries period, activating her 12H Aries containing Mercury as well as her 3H Cancer again which has Mars. This suggests movement (Mercury/3H) which results in isolation (12H), yet ironically is also connected to marriage (Mars as Scorpio 7L) as Clement immediately sets about finding Catherine someone to marry.

Marrying into Power

• 1533-04-29 - L1 Capricorn 9H/4F / L2 Aquarius 10H/5F - In 1533, Catherine enters a new L1 into Capricorn lasting 27 years, with her extremely dignified Saturn as domiciled time lord. We see her marry Prince Henry II, ostensibly marrying up and resulting in a lavish wedding and display. This occurs on 1533-10-28 during a Capricorn/Aquarius/Gemini (Saturn/Saturn + Mercury/Mercury) (9H/4F / 10H/5F / 2H/9F) period, where we see the combination of both the L5 and L10, 9H/10H/2H/5H. Religion, orthodoxy, politics, power, dynasty, possessions, money, children, and personal ambition are all at play here.

  • 1534-09-25 - Capricorn/Aquarius/Capricorn (prior to LB) - Catherine's uncle Pope Clement dies while Saturn is triply activated. Catherine's standing in French court is significantly undermined.

  • 1534-10-08 - Capricorn/Aquarius/Leo (LB) - The new Pope Paul III feels no obligation to keep Clement's promises and breaks alliance with Francis, refusing to pay Catherine's dowry. Here we see a loosing of the bond from both a promise but also the 11F of Catherine's 4H, which can be social standing and reputation. The Sun in general takes over, putting a spotlight on one's reputation.

  • 1537 - Capricorn/Aries - Pressure mounts on Catherine to provide an heir to the throne. In 1537 Prince Henry has an affair with Philippa Duci, producing a child and proving his fertility. All of 1537 is contained by the 12H/7F Aries L2, emphasizing Catherine's loneliness (12H Aries) while her husband (L7 Mars) has a child-bearing affair (Mars in 3H Cancer).

• 1533 - 1556 - Childbearth years - During this time, Prince Henry ignores Catherine and they do not produce children for 10 years. It's notable that this is a Saturn period, who squares Mercury in Aries, blockading Mercury's access to delivering his 5th house significations of children. It is not until 1544-01-19 that Catherine has Francis II, within the Virgo L2 period on 1543-12-03 which Mercury rules with Saturn's second-hand testimony. Saturn does trine Virgo, so it appears that Saturn's sympathy to 5H matters overcame his indifference to Mercury once the Virgo period took over.

  • As a tangent: why didn't Catherine have a child within an earlier period, such as Capricorn/Aquarius/Virgo on 1534-03-17 when Saturn and Mercury worked together on Aquarius matters? It could be as simply as the fact that Virgo L3s do not provide enough time for the 9-month process of bearing a child, with Virgo L3s lasting about 2 months. It could also be (which may be the same thing said differently) that L3s are not "powerful" enough to yield the significations of a child out of all the possible manifestations of the 5H. There is some signification for childhood within the Aquarius period as her 10H is also her 5F, though there may be a fortune house subtlety we have yet to discover. However, this may be emphasizing Catherine's failure to produce a child under Saturn's gaze, as Saturn is not amenable to working with Mercury even if Mercury gives Saturn testimony about Aquarius. We might also find the answer by consulting another predictive technique as a further timelord overlay.

  • 1544-01-19 - Francis II is born during the Capricorn (9H/4F)/Virgo (5H/12F) period.

  • 1545-04-02 - Daughter Elisabeth is born within the same Virgo period, in a Capricorn/Virgo/Leo/Virgo period on the L4, a 5-day range Catherine gave birth within when Mercury is again lord of 5H Virgo. (The Sun supports Virgo by trine and one might argue that 4H can represent family matters as an addition to the family, wrapped up in Virgo's agenda of children. We could also read Leo as a period of time when Catherine's own family came around her to appreciate her motherhood, expecting her birth--Sun ruling 4H from the 1st.)

  • 1547-11-12 - Claude is born - Capricorn/Sagittarius/Aquarius/Libra - From this point on, we do not see such a direct emphasis on Virgo. However, we see the same four planets show up again and again: Saturn as Capricorn 9L/4F and exaltation lord of Libra/1F, Venus as lord of Libra from 1H/8F Taurus, Mercury as 5L being activated via Virgo or Gemini, and the Sun as 4L from the first house. It's almost as if Saturn and Mercury have resolved their issues at this point. This is a departure from Schmidt's turning point theory of activated houses holding the planet, but perhaps the activation of Saturn's second-hand testimony during the Capricorn/Virgo period allowed him to build some further sympathy with Mercury, resolving the tension of their square so they could work on 5H matters together.

  • 1550-06-26 - Charles IX is born - Capricorn/Cancer/Taurus (post LB)/Cancer - Here we see Saturn, the Moon (signifying childhood), Venus, and the Moon again, and a child is born. Venus in general can signify children though less often specifically childbirth. However, she has a sympathetic trine to both Saturn and the 5H, and mutual term reception with Mercury, so when she is activated she likely contributes to outcomes relating to children. This is especially the case since this Taurus period follows a loosing of the bond from Cancer back into Capricorn, further activating Saturn.

  • 1551-09-19 - Henry III is born - Capricorn/Leo/Gemini/Aquarius - Catherine's favorite son. Here we see Saturn, the Sun, Mercury, and Saturn + Mercury again. While the signs do not perfectly match, one way we might guess at their meaning here is that Catherine's relationship to the process and experience of childbirth--and the context surrounding her in the rest of her life--is changing. These periods read as: 9H/4F / 4H/11F / 2H/9F / 10H/5F. It's a bit scattered, but we might read this as a new blessing/addition to the family (11F/4H), a new physical body (2H/9F), and 10H/5F being our traditional significators of a new dynastic child. Complete conjecture, but Henry III was notably devout, which may reflect the 9F here. These themes tend to show up in both literal and symbolic ways.

  • 1555-03-18 - Francis, Duke of Anjou is born - Capricorn/Scorpio/Gemini/Virgo - Here we have Saturn, Mars, and Mercury and Saturn twice. It's interesting to note that Francis would grow up to cause significant problems for the family, reflecting his birth under the tense activated Saturn-Mars-Mercury T-square configuration. 7H Scorpio is the only new sign here, perhaps suggesting a deeper involvement with King Henry for this child--or signifying Francis' status as a future enemy.

  • After 1557, the Capricorn L1 ends. At the very end in 1556, Catherine nearly dies giving birth to twins who both pass. Her physician recommends that she no longer birth. Here it appears that Saturn encapsulates the period of childbearing from the 9H/4F, suggesting how Mercury is truly just in service to Saturn, producing children for the good of the family. After Saturn's beneficent Capricorn period ends, there are no more children.

• 1547-06-16 - Capricorn/Sagittarius - A restricted queenhood. A difficult period with mixed results, reflecting Jupiter's weak 6H position square a very strong Saturn. On 1547-03-31, King Francis I dies and Catherine becomes queen consort of France, but Henry allows her very nominal powers. This is likely a period of adjustment and grieving for Catherine.

  • 1548-06-09 - Capricorn/Cancer (LB) - Catherine is crowned in the Basilica of Saint-Denis on 1549-06-10 within a Capricorn/Cancer period. This activates the Moon who is with Jupiter in the 6th, and shows emphasized power for the Moon in her 6H/1F, while Cancer 3H/10F is activated, emphasizing her royal yet marginalized status. This may have been a loosing of an old bond (the environment, family context, and ruler suggested by 3H/10F), but the Moon's still weak condition in the 6H leaves Catherine's life mostly stuck under Saturn for this period.

Aquarius and Pisces L1 Periods, 1557-1589

In the next two phases of Catherine becomes queen after King Henry II dies, is routed by the Guises and relegated to a background support role, but shows her hand in policy. The Valois family becomes entangled in the war with the Huguenots, and Catherine does everything she can to support her children, some of whom fight her actively. She becomes implicated in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre and tries to hold together a crumbling monarchy, traveling far and wide enforcing the king's policies. War comes to France, until a humiliated Henry has the Guise family murdered. Staggered, Catherine passes away at 69, likely from pleurisy. During these periods, Catherine's crafty but difficult Saturn + Mercury time lords of Aquarius emphasize her policy-making skill and conflicts in direct opposition to Mars in the 3rd, which shows itself to be an increasingly problematic Mars.

Shattered Beginnings

• 1557-09-20 - Aquarius L1 - On 1559-06-22 Catherine's 13-year-old daughter Elisabeth is betrothed to Philip II, creating peace between the Holy Roman Empire and England. This occurs during a Aquarius/Aquarius/Leo/Leo period (on the day the new L3 begins), or 10H/5F x2 / 4H/11F x2, emphasizing powerful connections created via children, and uniting the family with international community. This is also the wedding where King Henry II has a lance shattered in his face, marking his decline for the next month and likely emphasizing Catherine's role both as a queen and a mother (10H/5F).

  • 1559-07-10 - King Henry II dies in a Aquarius/Aquarius/Scorpio (post LB)/Aquarius period. Here again we see this apparent idea of enfoldment: Scorpio is Catherine's L7, her partner, and when Saturn takes over the L4 again, Saturn fully encloses Mars in zodiacal releasing levels and also opposes it, and Catherine's husband passes. Despite how poorly he may have treated her, Catherine grieves this deeply. Her Saturn sees Aquarius via Mercury, and Mercury is in the 12H/7F of grieving partners. Catherine adopts the broken lance as her emblem with the words "From this come my tears and pain".

  • Francis II becomes king. Immediately, the Guise family effectively performs a coup d'etat against the Valois family, and Catherine is forced to cooperate with them. Even during her ostensible period of power, Saturn sees 10H Aquarius via Mercury's testimony, who sits in the 12H of hidden enemies and isolation. Catherine still helps Francis II from behind the scenes, which is Mercury's 5L agenda between Saturn in the 9H and 10H Aquarius.

  • Even still, this point marks a moment of profound power for her, and here her 10H/5F Aquarius significations emphasize her own personal power and ambitions.

• 1560-08-20 - Aquarius/Pisces/Cancer/Aquarius - Catherine and new chancellor Michel de l'Hôpital advocate a policy not to persecute peaceful Protestants, which was considered an early example of her statesmanship. It happens in houses 10H/5F / 11H/6F / 3H/10F / 10H/5F, emphasizing maintaining peace and regularity amongst the people (11H/6F), dealing with local contentions as a representative of the monarchy (3H/10F), and Catherine finding her own place in the world, assuming she took this initiative on as her own personal creation (10H/5F). On the precise date, this was a Saturn/Jupiter + Mars/Moon w/ Mars activation/Saturn period. It seems that in Catherine's chart, we can rely on Saturn reactivations on lower levels to exercise Saturn's power in the 9H of governmental policy. Also within this period is the Pisces L2, which is technically a Lot of Spirit, Robert Schmidt-style Turning Point, which seems historically accurate. For the rest of this Aquarius/Pisces period, Catherine will experience the setup to the explosion of 30 years of war in France.

• 1560, Autumn - Aquarius/Pisces/Leo and Virgo - Conde raises an army and attacks towns in the south. Catherine imprisons and sentences him to death in autumn. We know that Conde is saved from death by the death of King Francis II on 1560-12-05, so the L3 period must have been Leo through Virgo, which ends December 30th.

  • The Leo period is perhaps when home and land (4H) becomes a pressing issue for her, wounding her pride. It's likely the Virgo period is when Conde is imprisoned and sentenced, especially since all of Saturn, Jupiter + Saturn, and Mercury + Jupiter are in a tense T-square configuration by activated periods, but all of them receive testimony from Mars and Mercury, the L3 lord, is in Mars' place of Aries. To me, this reads almost as if Mars continually being involved in the testimony of Aquarius/Pisces via square to Jupiter and opposition to Mars, and now that Mercury is finally activated and in Mars' house, Mars can say: yes! Punish him! With death! That's what I've been saying this whooole time! Even Jupiter's involvement from Pisces is intercepted by harsh Saturn, and we might suggest that Mercury is in cahoots with (or perhaps dominated by) Saturn from the L1, opposing any beneficence Jupiter might bring.

  • It's instructive to contrast this with the previous Capricorn (9H/4F)/Virgo (5H/12F) period when Catherine gives birth to Francis II. Why didn't she imprison and sentence someone then? My thought is perhaps 9H Saturn matters are not focused on war, but 10H matters are as actions of the state. It could also be that Mercury's testimony from the 12H in Aries at the L1, helping Saturn see Aquarius, is in fact quite spiteful all on its own and reasserts itself in the Virgo period. Or perhaps Jupiter's involvement as being lord of Pisces may put a stronger emphasis on 11H/6F - litigation aka sentencing of others? There are many things we could point to, and perhaps all of them. One last thing to consider is that Conde is spared, so we would expect that on a lower level, a sparing planet (perhaps benefic of sect Jupiter) creates peace and resolution with Conde.

  • Of course, if Mercury and Jupiter are more responsible from the L1 and L2, then perhaps this occurred during the Leo period, potentially taking the 4L Sun in 1H/8F, the fortune theme being imprisonment and death associated with the 8th. Feels like more of a reach than the 12H resident, but we don't have the historical data, so we have to explore possible justifications and keep our rationale loose in the absence of concrete information.

• 1560-12-05 - Aquarius/Pisces/Pisces/Virgo - King Francis dies and the Privy Council appoints Catherine as governor of France with sweeping powers. This happens during the Pisces period prior to the loosing of the bond into Pisces under the Virgo L4 on Christmas Eve 6 days before the beginning of a Libra L3, ruled by Venus via powerful Saturn, also containing Jupiter, benefic of sect. I couldn't find specific historical information for this time period, but it's interesting to note the eerie timing of the planetary themes. And again, once the loosing of the bond occurs this will be a Turning Point on three levels. Speculation: perhaps the fact that Jupiter rules Catherine's 8H of other people, and Jupiter experiences a loosing of the bond, suggests that the bond that is loosed is in fact, Conde as the 8H? In general, it does seem aligned with Jupiter's nature and role in her chart.

• 1561-01-19 - Aquarius/Aries - Mediation, massacres, and war. During this Aries L2, Catherine's life is marked by attempts at reconciliation and conflicts, eventually breaking down into all out war. The tense relationship between Saturn trying to rule and contain the monarchy and irascible Mars causing trouble amongst the people (6H and the Moon being a signification of the common people in mundane charts, who is 3L to Mars).

  • 1561-09-09 - Aquarius/Aries/Leo/Capricorn - Catherine brings together leaders from the Catholics and the Huguenots at the Colloquy of Poissy, with Charles IX in attendance. Catherine is said to have failed to appreciate the religious conviction on each side and saw it only in political terms which led to its failure. The Sun takes on an advantageous position with respect to both Saturn and Mars, and for once these two collaborate to help out the Sun's agenda. Neither of them can see the 4H, which may be helpful to the Sun's agenda, but it's possible that the Sun, operating egoically as well as Saturn who is most interested in preserving order and power under the 10H, point to this perception of this time. The 9H of religion is emphasized in the L4 when Saturn takes over to deliver his significations, but it's in service to his 10H Aquarius goals (which the Sun also squares, perhaps suggesting trouble).

  • 1561-10-09/13 (multiple dates) - Aquarius/Aries/Virgo/Virgo through Scorpio. The Colloquy of Poissy dissolves without Catherine's permission. It is likely in the Scorpio period, because that highlights partnerships and open enemies in the 7H, and Mars has Mercury locked up in Virgo. Once Mars takes over during the Scorpio period, he can sever all the hard work Mercury got up to trying to create something new and helpful (5L), though Mercury's attempts alone as the L3 lord are not great in the first place.

  • 1562-01 - Aquarius/Aries/Sagittarius - Catherine issues the tolerant Edict of Saint-German to build bridges with the Huguenots. Technically the Sagittarius L3 occurs on January 22nd, making it possible for this occur during a Scorpio L3, but I think it's far more likely that Jupiter ruling Sagittarius from diplomatic Libra in the 6H was in charge of this action.

  • 1562-03-01 - Aquarius/Aries/Capricorn - The Duke of Guise and his men murder 74 and wound 104 Huguenots in a barn during the Massacre of Vassy. This massacre lit the fuse sparking the French Wars of Religion for the next 30 years. Here we see an enclosure of Aries-ruling Mars by Saturn ruling Aquarius and Capricorn via Mercury. It's interesting to note how important this Aries house is to the nature of the conflict. Catherine's relationship to the Guise was one of a contemptuous dependency, and she had to navigate the fraught relationships between the Guise family and the Huguenots. This is well-reflected by Aries being the 12H/7F, simultaneously the house of the Queen's hidden enemies as well as open enemies and partners, receiving testimony from both Saturn and Mars in close opposition.

  • 1562-04? - Aquarius/Aries/Aquarius - "Within a month" Conde and Admiral Gaspard de Coligny have raised an army 1800+, formed an alliance with England, and begin to seize town after town in France. Catherine meets Coligny, who refuses to back down. Catherine orders the royal army to strike back and capture Huguenot-held Rouen. Here again we see Saturn enclosing Mars' period, this time returning home to his L1 roost. This is when Catherine fully deploys her Saturn-Mercury power, declaring orders to actually march to war in opposition to the disruptive actions brought about under Aries' oversight.

Contrasting Mars and Saturn's relationship

There is one thing I ponder thinking about the Massacre of Vassy and Catherine's subsequent attempts at diplomacy then action against Conde and Admiral Coligny. It makes sense to consider both Catherine's 12H/7F and 7H as houses of enemies, as well as her 3rd having fallen Mars there. We see an eruption of war in Aquarius/Aries/Capricorn, during an "off-sign" enclosure by Saturn. As it so happens, under the last Aries/Capricorn pairing, Sagittarius/Aries/Capricorn in 1527, the Medicis are overthrown in Florence and Catherine is taken hostage. That was the War of the League of Cognac, by the way, and was driven by political and economic competition as well as religious tensions between the Catholic Empire and Protestants. So again we see these themes of conflict around religion and power occurring in connection to the 9H. But why was Catherine imprisoned in 1527, but triumphs in 1562? And why does war occur during Aries/Capricorn periods specifically, as opposed to Aries/Aquarius? After all, both of these are Mars/Saturn activations, triggering their opposition across the Cancer/Capricorn axis.

One important thing to note is that in both cases, Saturn is reacting to the agenda of 3H, 7L/12L Mars, who has his own agenda from the L2. It's also interesting that under both Sagittarius and Aquarius, Mars is not activated until an Aries L2 period. The L1 is controlled by either Jupiter or Saturn, who may give and receive testimony to and from Mars in their involvement in the other activated signs, but it's not until the actual activation of Aries as a time lord that majorly signified events occur. This points to the nature of active zodiacal releasing periods and time lords as being indicative of who and when, but testimony of the planets and the houses describing being the how and why. Indeed, we don't actually see the major conflicts occur until Saturn is officially reactivated in a Capricorn period at the very end of the Aries L2, although the Aries periods can in general be described as full of contention and conflict and problems to solve.

However, it's interesting that Saturn, in such a domineering position, seems to have to contend with Mars' antics with such difficulty. One reason could be the idea that debilitated malefics are in fact more malefic and more problematic. Robert Schmidt might have another suggestion, though. Schmidt suggests that planets within houses of other planet's exaltation makes the residint planet "exalt" the exaltation lord. It's as if you know someone who is very wealthy and powerful but in your own home (or anywhere else), you don't care. Once you spend the night in their abode on their 32,000 thread pure gold silk sheets, you might find yourself being at least a little more impressed by them even against your best efforts. With this rationale, Saturn might exalt Mars, indicating that he is receptive to Mars' aims and very impressed by him, being placed in a place ready to cater to Mars as exalted guest. Mars, however, being fallen and opposed, screams, shouts, break plates, and so on at Saturn, who suffers him. This might be a delineation for the general chaos experienced under Aries periods, made even more frenetic by the fact that Mercury is in Saturn's sign of fall Aries, suggesting he hates Saturn--which doesn't seem too far from the truth in Catherine's chart.

Anyway, once the Aries/Capricorn period kicks in, this is the first time that Saturn actually meets Aries, instead of being an upper L1 lord watching to see what Aries does. Once they meet in the Aries/Capricorn period, major conflict occurs, almost as if Saturn is inviting Mars right into Capricorn to war. However, once the Aquarius period kicks in, Saturn looks away from Mars and is no longer concerned with where he happens to be or who exalts in Capricorn; he has to pay attention to Aquarius and reign in the unruly Mercury in his fall. In 1527, Saturn was not the L1 (or, sorry... L1L), Jupiter was. Plus, Saturn was averse to Sagittarius and square Jupiter. Having little support from the top, Saturn receives a full beating from Mars and Catherine is banished to the convent (also a top-level Jupiterian agenda). In 1562, however, Saturn returns to Aquarius, reasserting his agenda and turning away from Mars and instead to maintaining the state. Generally in Catherine's chart I see an emerging pattern of Mercury representing her personal actions at large and the way she grew and preserved her political prestige (corresponding, writing, traveling Mercury as 2L/5L), being constantly compelled by duties of the monarchy (9H Saturn) or enemies, family members, neighbors, and monarchal frenemies (3H Mars as 7L/12L). Catherine's initial sympathies for the Huguenots may also be indicated by Mercury being in Mars' domicile. We might also invert the exalting/fallen relationship: if Saturn likes Mars more because Saturn is in Mars' exaltation, perhaps Saturn also hates Mercury for forcing him to encounter his lowest place in the zodiac.

Wars and treachery

• 1562-05-27 - Aquarius/Taurus period. I didn't find any facts for this time period, but ostensibly this is a period of time when Catherine was building her arts collection and working on architecture projects with Saturn looking on Venus in Taurus by trine.

• 1563-02-18 - Aquarius/Gemini/Gemini/Capricorn - Poltrot de Mere shoots the Duke of Guise, triggering an aristocratic blood feud. Catherine is delighted and expresses the wish that it had happened sooner. Given Mercury as the ruler of two 2H Gemini periods and in the 12H of loss, we might read this as gain through the death of another, an occurrence that happens relatively frequently for Catherine. Jupiter also gives testimony by trine to the 2H as the ruler of the 8H of death and inheritance. Finally, we have the enclosure of Saturn over Gemini from Capricorn, triggering Mars' testimony and resulting in a death.

  • How might we point at whose death? Remember Schmidt's rule: the house shows the motivation and the lord shows the expression. Perhaps we can stretch this to apply across period levels. As time lord of Aquarius, Saturn is motivated to protect the integrity of the monarchy (10H) and does so through policy deeply involved in religious power structures (9H). Under Saturn, Mercury is motivated to profit from this work (2H) by plotting and scheming behind the scenes or from a loss (12H). Twice! Whose loss precisely is pointed to by Mercury's dispositor, the one who provides for Mercury--Mars, who is a good fit for the violent Duke of Guise who seemed represented during the Aries period. Finally, upon hearing the news, Catherine is thrilled (success of L1L), and remarks to an ambassador (9H) that if Guise had died sooner, peace would have also come sooner (perhaps testimony of Jupiter in Libra in overcoming square to Saturn).

• 1563-03-19 - Aquarius/Gemini/Cancer/Leo - Peace does come--Catherine de Medici signs the Edict of Amboise, acting as regent for Charles IX. Here we have the Moon ruling Cancer from the 6H/1F, making peace from Libra and caring for the people. The 1H Sun is activated as lord of Leo, doubling up the 1F from the previous period. 4L 1H Sun: "I symbolize the kingdom."

• 1564-01 - 1565-05 - Aquarius/Gemini to Aquarius/Cancer/Capricorn - In 1563 Charles IX is declared of age but never rules on his own, showing little interest in government. From 1564 to May 1565 Catherine decides to travel to enforce the Edict of Amboise and revive loyalty to the crown by going on a precession of France culminating in lavish festivities. Philip II of Spain declines and demands that Catherine scrap the edict and punish heretics. This period begins in an Aquarius/Gemini/Capricorn or Aquarius Saturn enclosure period around Mercury disposed by 3H Mars, and Catherine travels about France to enforce the law of the land.

  • Catherine's period of enforcing the Edict of Amboise essentially lasts from the beginning of the Aquarius/Gemini/Capricorn-Aquarius period until the next Saturn enclosure of Cancer and the Moon which ends the agenda that Catherine's peaceable Libra Moon began in the previous Cancer period. In this way, we see the agendas and stories of planets intertwine not just downwards into subperiods but also across neighboring and "uncle/aunt" subperiods. Also note that there was technically another Saturn enclosure under Aquarius/Gemini/Capricorn (post LB) in 1564-08-01, but there was no major change to Catherine's plans. This may be because after the loosing of the bond into Sagittarius under the Gemini L2, Jupiter is the new L3 lord, having taken over from Saturn.

• 1567-09-27 - Aquarius/Leo/Aries - Right on schedule with an Aries period, violence occurs. Huguenot forces attempt to ambush the king in the Surprise of Meaux kicking off more further wars and leading to the court's flight to Paris. This marks a turning point in Catherine's approach to the Huguenots to full repression. It's noteworthy that when Mars causes chaos in his Aries period this time, he ejects Catherine from her home while being under the 4L 1H Sun. We might interpret this as Mars, being averse to 4H Leo and temperamental even by sextile, stirring up trouble against the nation (Mars' opposition to L1L 9H Saturn) subsequently leading to displacement.

• 1568-03-22 - Aquarius/Leo/Aquarius (LB)/Aries - The Peace of Longjumeau ends the war. The Huguenots retreat, but not without declarations of determination. This peace comes once find the L4 Aries under the loosing of the bond into Aquarius, under the Leo L2 where we saw the start of the war in L3 Aries. Interestingly, peace does not come under the L3 Gemini or L3 Cancer periods, both of which have Aries L4 subperiods. This suggests that as actors or forces signifying the war participants in Catherine's chart, Mars and Saturn had to meet again directly to resolve the next stage of this story. Under Gemini or Cancer, those Aries periods may have signified contact, evasion, or attempts at negotiation with the Huguenots until the Peace of Longjumeau was signed, although there was still more violence after that time, which is frankly more expected with Mars under Saturn again.

• 1570-08-08 - Aquarius/Libra/Pisces - The Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye is signed, conceding wider toleration to the Huguenots than ever before. This occurs with Saturn + Mercury/Venus + Saturn/Jupiter + Mars. Venus as ruler of Libra wants to make peace, and it's fitting that Jupiter gets testimony VIA Mars (whom Mars exalts, and also sends an overcoming square to), and Catherine gives greater concessions to the Huguenots than ever (Jupiter's benevolence to 7L Mars enemies). Another element is that this occurred because the royal army ran out of funds; with Venus being in the 1H/8F (debts), and Libra itself being the home of fortune (perhaps in the most literal sense). Jupiter + Mars are subservient to the reasons of Venus here: since we don't have money, make peace. This is also a double turning point, with Jupiter in Libra, and ruling Pisces.

Death, likely assassination, and the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre

• 1572-06-09 - Aquarius/Sagittarius/Aries - Jeanne d'Albret, whom Catherine has been trying to convince to marry Henry III with Margaret, arranges a visi to Paris to buy clothes for a wedding when she's taken ill and dies. Catherine is accused of poisoning her, but we don't know. This is Saturn + Mercury/Jupiter/Mars, completing a grand cross again amongst all of these planets. Sagittarius being 8H/2F suggests again gains from deaths. Aries contains Mercury, whom we also know is interested in gains from deaths as 12H 2L. Mars is lord of both open and hidden enemies, and if we consider Mars in Cancer here to be the fierce protective mother Jeanne d'Albret and exalting Jupiter, Mars may be more than willing to contribute to Jupiter's L2 demands. This of course may just signify being surrounded by death and incidentally gaining from it or enjoying it after Catherine's attitude toward the Huguenots turned. It's impossible to say for sure. Note that Sagittarius activates Jupiter, the lord of the Lot of Spirit, meaning that this entire L2 is a turning point.

• 1572-08-21 - Aquarius/Sagittarius/Gemini/Capricorn - Admiral Coligny is shot in the hand and arm while walking back to his room. Catherine is said to have received the news without emotion, but pledges to Coligny tearfully to punish his attacker. This occurs during two periods which imply reward from deaths as previously seen, Sagittarius and Gemini, and Capricorn, with Saturn enclosing those periods in service of the state. Given what we know about the events and how these signs seem to work for Catherine, it seems more plausible she was involved in the attack.

• 1572-08-23 - Aquarius/Sagittarius/Gemini/Aquarius - Merely two days after the attack on Coligny, the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre occurs, killing thousands of Huguenots. It is said Catherine was party to the decision, which seems affirmed by her Jupiter ruling 8H/2F, Gemini ruling the 2H from 12H, and Saturn's powerful enclosure.

• 1572-09-29 - Aquarius/Sagittarius/Cancer/Capricorn (LB) - As the King of Navarre kneels before the altar as a Roman Catholic, having converted to avoid being killed, Catherine laughs to the ambassadors present, marking the beginning of her legend as a wicked Italian queen. We can actually also note that the Moon ruling Cancer is with Jupiter, and activates him by conjunction, which we may consider part of the turning point story. Other testimony is the Moon as one's position in the public eye, and that Cancer is the F10, also pointing to renown and how one is known.

• 1574 - Aquarius/Capricorn - King Charles IX dies at 23, naming Catherine regent and granting her the power of her domiciled Saturn. Her favored son Henry returns to be king, who is a particularly devout man (Capricorn 9H). Catherine sets about trying to get Henry into a political marriage.

• 1575-02 - Aquarius/Leo (LB) - King Henry marries Louise de Lorraine-Vaudemont instead, throwing a wrench into Catherine's plans. This occurs just in the beginning of an Aquarius/Leo (LB)/Leo period. Given that the 1H Sun is ruled by Venus, is in the 1H/8H, and rules the 4H of family, we might consider a loosing of the bond into Leo to be a change in perspective and identity about love in some way--or perhaps simply being forced to drop all of the plans one was creating on the ground. However, the Sun itself can also represent her literal sons as the significator of children or kings, and both sons act out in this period, with Henry marrying the "wrong" woman and "Monsieur" (Francis) playing at the throne and exploiting the civil wars. The Sun is also square Aquarius, indicating a tension against what Saturn and Mercury are trying to achieve together.

• 1576-05-06 - Aquarius/Leo (LB)/Cancer/Leo - Catherine gives in to almost all of the Huguenots demands in the Edict of Beaulieu, becoming known as the Peace of Monsieur because it was thought that Francis forced it upon the throne. Other Catholics are apalled by Catherine's appeasements and begin forming local leagues to protect themselves. Here we can see the Sun, ostensibly representing Monsieur, enclosing the peace-oriented Cancer period which has the Libra Moon conjunct Jupiter making concessions to her guest Mars (the Huguenots).

• 1578-1579 - Aquarius/Virgo through Scorpio, post LB - In 1578 Catherine's role is primarily King Henry's chief executive and roving diplomat, and she enforces his authority, trying to head off war. She does this until she returns home in 1579. During this time, Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio make sense. Virgo is when she works for her son (5H) doing diplomatic policy (9H Saturn), Libra is when she is angling for peace with Venus and Saturn together, and Scorpio is when Saturn and Mars meet again, this time to make a peace deal under the auspices of the Sun as the new lord of Aquarius after the loosing of the bond. This period in general also focuses on her reputation, emphasizing the Sun's role. Upon her return to Paris she is greeted outside the city by Parlement and crowds, and lauded. Catherine is not swayed by this. She writes to the king: "You are on the eve of a general revolt. Anyone who tells you differently is a liar."

• 1582 - 1586 - Aquarius/Capricorn through Pisces, post LB - Margaret acts out and causes problems for Catherine, and Francis dies of consumption after a disastrous massacre of his armies. This is a calamity for Catherine's dynastic dreams. These periods emphasize the difficulty of having the Sun manage the rest of the Aquarius L1 by square, and also receiving overcoming pressure from Saturn on the L2. If we continue to read the Sun as Catherine's children, we see problems crop up under the Capricorn period, and truly worsen under the Aquarius period once Saturn and the Sun come into direct conflict over Aquarius.

  • 1584-06 - Aquarius/Aquarius (post LB)/Scorpio - Francis dies in June, under Sun/Saturn + Mercury/Mars. Mars activations make sense for a death resulting from war, and as the opposite of the 1H of life, some call the 7H the house of death. It's interesting to consider the new relationship established after the LB. Now, the Sun is averse to Mercury, who Saturn relies on to manage the affairs of the 10H. Add in the fact that Mercury is in Mars' domicile, and there may be a rationale something like this. The Sun is concerned with Catherine's children, synonymous with her own success and power, but has an uneasy relationship to both (square 4H Leo and 10H Aquarius). Saturn and Mercury collaborate in the realm of power and intrigue, except the Sun doesn't help Mercury because they are averse. Thus, Mercury receives no support as the L2 interlocutor for Saturn to the 10th, and the Sun may resent Saturn now that he is trying to push an Aquarian agenda. The unsupported Mercury, plus the tense relationship between the Sun and Saturn, finally topped off with violent Mars causing trouble as the domicile lord of Mercury (the 5L of children), also is not remotely concerned with the agenda of the Sun or Saturn, being averse to Aquarius. So when Mars takes malevolently, Catherine loses a part of her self and her dynastic opportunities (7H also being the 2F of possessions). This is a complex delineation, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's correct. We would want to analyze more in Catherine's chart on Aquarius LB sublevels, or across many other charts with similar setups.

  • 1586-10 - Aquarius/Pisces and Aries (post LB) - Catherine has Margaret imprisoned in the Château d'Usson, and has her lover D'Aubiac executed in front of her (albeit mistakenly). Catherine cuts Margaret out of her will and never sees her again. The period of October is covered by Aquarius/Pisces/Scorpio through Sag and Aquarius/Aries, again emphasizing violent Mars. When the Sun is the post-LB lord of Aquarius, he is averse to Aries (and its resident 5L Mercury), and Mars is averse to Aquarius, so we see a disconnect in the chart which correlates to an actual disconnection in real life, especially given that Mars rules the 12th of loss. Since there is no productive connection between the Sun and Mars by house topic, Mars runs awry as night malefic. It appears the Sun cannot manage Mars as well as Saturn can, which makes sense given their relative condition in the natal chart.

• 1585-07-07 - Aquarius/Aquarius (post LB)/Aquarius (post LB again!)/Taurus - At this point both the Huguenots and Catholics are contenders for King Henry III, who has been forced to go to war with the Catholic League. He is ultimately forced to give in to all of their demands in the Treaty of Nemours, and he goes into hiding to fast and pray, leaving Catherine to deal with the aftermath. This triple Aquarius period with the Sun ruling two of them, post-LB, throwing the spotlight on Catherine again as well as the problematic relationship between the Sun and Aquarius (also the Sun's detriment which may have testimonial force), especially when the Sun is activated within Taurus on the L4. However, this activation comes with Venus' peacemaking and diplomatic agenda, showing the manifestation of her solar role at this time.

Dismissal and death in the Pisces L1

The L1 Pisces period activates Jupiter via Mars' influence as the lord of the Lot of Spirit, marking a significant Turning Point, as well as the period in which Catherine de Medici passes away.

• 1588-05-12 - Pisces/Aries/Aries/Aries - Henry tries to defend himself in Paris, but the Parisians refused to take orders from anyone but the Duke of Guise. Catherine writes: "Never have I seen myself in such trouble or with so little light by which to escape." She advises Henry to compromise and live to fight another day.

  • In general, this is a period of great conflict and violence. This is indicated by the fact that Jupiter receives testimony about the 11H of hope, optimism, and the people from troublesome Mars. When the triple Aries period kicks in, Mars shows his significations of war in Catherine's home city (3H Cancer Mars). Mars is somewhat amenable to Jupiter being in his exaltation, and having a trine to Pisces and ruling Aries with 5L Mercury, he permits Catherine's child to flee to isolation and safety under Jupiter's purview.

  • 1588-05-15 - Pisces/Aries/Aries/Gemini - Shortly after this, Henry signs the Act of Union, giving in to all of the League's demands once Mercury is fully emphasized in the 12H of loss (as well as generally "letting things go") as lord of the 2H. Mercury under Mars and Jupiter together makes peace, but at a loss and to the enemy, which is well-described by the T-square formed between Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury.

• 1588-09-08 - Pisces/Aries/Cancer/Capricorn (LB) - At Blois for a meeting of the Estates, Henry dismisses all of his ministers suddenly. Catherine is in bed with a lung infection, kept in the dark. Henry's actions effectively end her days in power. This is a Jupiter + Mars/Mars/Moon -> Saturn (post LB) period. Saturn shows up powerfully during the loosing of the bond, taking over and applying his square to every weak and cadent planet activated. As a story, Jupiter represents Catherine's peacekeeping impulse, but is still aggrieved by Mars. Having both Jupiter and the Moon activated in the 6H taking a square from Saturn could signify Catherine's illness, but Saturn's loosing of the bond represents Henry's externalized action upending Catherine's power, especially opposing Cancer which is her 10th house from fortune.

• 1588-12-23 - Pisces/Aries/Virgo/Leo - Henry asks the Duke of Guise to meet him at Blois, where he is murdered by the king's guard at the same time eight other members of the Guise are rounded up and murdered. On Christmas day, Catherine expresses deep regret and fear about the future of her child.

  • This is a 11H/6F / 12H/7F / 5H/12F / 4H/11F period with Jupiter + Mars/Mars/Mercury + Saturn/Sun. Something interesting seems to have occurred in this period, where Henry appears to have gone through a transformation and now much of the violence under this Aries period stems from Henry's actions himself suggesting that he is now signified by Mars. In general I have noticed that there is some sort of change that seems to occur to planets and their roles and agenda. This might be because of the way planets make testimony to one another throughout ZR periods, or perhaps it is because of Mars' relative overcoming square relationship to Jupiter from the 3H/10F, although the way in which this is so is not clear and needs further research.

  • One thing we can always do is take a moment to look at the respective agendas of the involved planets. Jupiter ruling the 11H/6F from the 6H/1F is concerned with hopes and dreams (11H) but also work and matters (6H and 6F, also 1F as Catherine's body). However, Jupiter must receive testimony about the 11H/6F from Mars in the 3H/10F, who as lord of 12H/7F and 7H/2F, is concerned with loss, healing, hidden enemies, partnerships and advisorships as resources, and also death. This is Mars' default stance as the L1 provider of second-hand testimony. Once he takes over on the L2 Aries, he is especially concerned with loss and hidden, deceptive actions of war. The Virgo L3 is ruled by Mercury (with Saturn's help) who is sympathetic to Mars' agenda of loss, so both Mercury and Saturn (with his typical harshness) express themselves as the governmental force (Saturn 9L/10L) coming from children (Virgo 5L) to oppose the power of Jupiter (Mercury opposing and Saturn squaring Jupiter). Finally, the Leo L4 ruled by the 4L Sun in the 1H emphasizes Catherine's reflection on her Sun son and family legacy and shattered hopes and dreams (4H/11F), once again averse and uncomprehending of Mars and Mercury's actions being averse to the immediate upper lord Mercury, having little sympathy from malefic out of sect Mars, and little power being a lord of a small period on the L4.

• 1589-01-05 - Pisces/Aries/Libra/Scorpio - On this day, Catherine de Medici passes away, likely from pleurisy, at the age of 69. I don't believe we can predict death just from the ZR and diving into a death delineation is beyond the scope of this already rather lengthy writing, but though we might make reasonable guesses around key points at certain ages. We see the final activation of turning point of Catherine's life on the Libra L3 containing Jupiter, the lord of her Lot of Spirit. Mars follows up the L4 in his Scorpio 7H of death to reassert his Aries agenda of 12H loss, and 7F death.

So ends the contentious, dramatic, cruel, lonely, powerful life of Catherine de Medici. And so we conclude this delineation.

Reckoning with Zodiacal Releasing

What to make of this? In my estimation, we have a system that works profoundly well. There are still many questions to answer, but embracing zodiacal releasing as a navigation tool may in fact be what is required: allow ourselves to be the Mercurial moirai, picking up pieces of knowledge the more connections and comparisons we can make and ultimately tie them together into a coherent picture of fate. Within zodiacal releasing I sense the intimations of the life of the planets, moving and acting across the chart.

Zodiacal releasing is complicated. But so is life! And the way things transpire in the sky is the way they transpire in life: singular-seeming events trigger chain reactions, coalesce into new forms, create tensions in other parts of our lives, demanding resolution and learning and rest. As we saw in Catherine de Medici's zodiacal releasing, sometimes the chart can depict situations in painfully literal ways, repeating over and over again, in ways precisely specific to her natal chart. This suggests that we can learn to identify the major life rhythms and patterns within someone's life just by looking at the ways that the planets and houses are arranged, which allows us to build an understanding of the forces and dynamics within someone's life very quickly.

Paying very close attention to my experience and ZR periods as it relates to my transits, profections, and other timelord systems have been instructive. In the same way that a transiting planet reflects your experience of that planet in its movement through the sky, I have a sense that the actual condition of the planet at any moment in the sky does impact delineation which may throw a wrench into delineations occasionally. It is many layers to combine all at once, but as you do combine them you find that the zodiacal periods inexplicably line up very well with transits, annual profections, and other important astrological timing indicators. There is something deeply mysterious about all of it, another wink from the Solar-Lunar axis about the games we play between the symbolic and the material.

I have a few more thoughts on lots, and then some links to share.

A Little More on Lots: Lentils, Fate, and Fields

We've only released from Spirit here. There are 5 more Hermetic Lots, as well as Valens' Necessity. I've even successfully released from the Lot of Lentils, as upsetting as that may be. As I mentioned before, I consider zodiacal releasing a master technique because it seems to tie together almost every concept in astrology, providing a way to richly partition into any aspect of someone's life if you can identify where they live in the chart. I found zodiacal releasing teaching me more about astrology through its application, because it works so consistently well.

What of this big idea of Schmidt's, ananke holding together the heimarmene? Kira, Dan Waites (@danwastro), and I have all been poking at this one. My interpretation is that ananke is Valens' Necessity, found by going from Spirit to Fortune by day. While I still need to do more research on this lot, my metaphysical rationale is that Necessity/ananke is exactly the dynamic of binding the two forces of the Sun and Moon together, connecting the potential of our material world with the inspiration of spirit. After all, Spirit and Fortune can be separate. We may have the highest aspirations in the world but have no resources, or have extraordinary wealth and no sense of meaning. I have a hypothesis that you may be able tell whether or not someone would succeed in their goals by contrasting the strength of the active lords across and between other released lots, particularly Spirit and Fortune. However, Necessity may actually simply be able to point to us where these significant moments truly happen.

Because of the philosophical background I learned from Robert Schmidt, I find myself dissatisfied by the English word "Necessity". In my own head, I have been leaving that word to Paulus' lot of Mercury, and instead calling Valens' Necessity "Fate", as the binding of Spirit and Fortune into presumably fated moments. Perhaps even more preferable would simply be ananke, which comes with the metaphysical connotations that the modern word "necessity" can lack.

I have also spent a fair amount of time examining the lot microtiming by paying attention to the precise moment when omens and other happenings occur. During significant omens, without fail, I have found the Lot of Fortune and/or Lot of Spirit precisely configured to one of my placements. The Lot of Fortune (especially its bound or confine lord) defines the type of thing experienced during the omen, while the Lot of Spirit and its lord can be suggestive of the message of the omen. These lots are not necessarily abstract things: sometimes they point to the very literal world around us. In fact, one key point Robert Schmidt makes that I have understated is that the calculation of the lots is not incidental. The actual formulas and what symbols they point to relate to metaphysical truths or concrete manifestations in our lives. What does it mean precisely, esoterically speaking, to move from the power of the Sun to the power of the Moon or vice versa? What does it imply about the way that people born at day versus night live their lives, if the Fortune and Spirit formulas are flipped?

We spend a lot of time looking at lots on a computer screen as one glyph. But if a lot can point to a literal concrete signification, what is a lot? If we're talking about Fortune, It's the arc-distance between the Sun and Moon, projected forward or back from the horizon even as the earth spins. Throughout the day this arc-distance changes only from the relative motion of the luminaries, yet the lot stays (roughly) the same distance from the horizon. I imagine this almost like a laser pointer dragging through the zodiac as the earth rotates. Speaking of the zodiac, what of the ecliptic? Lots technically have declination and latitude, because the earth is tilted from the ecliptic and the Moon wavers north and south in latitude over time. So this lot at your location is not just an abstract longitude projected to the eclipse--it's a point you could theoretically point your telescope at in the sky (though obviously you would see nothing, and that nothing would whiz by in minutes). Your location is also not the only location. This lot calculation is true no matter where you are on the earth: the distance between the Sun and the Moon projected from your local horizon, whether that's a state away or six feet, or one inch next to you.

Midjourney-generated visualization as a rough artistic gesture at lot points surrounding the entire planet

This means that if we take the signification of a lot, and the idea of what it is seriously, there is a lot theoretically covering every inch of space around the earth at every moment, because every point on earth has a different lot position which can cover the entire sky. When I imagine the earth surrounded by these lots, I realize: lots are fields. Whether you want to take this as a literal field of spirit, fortune, manifestation, lentils, whatever, is up to you. I think it may in fact be literal but impossible to parse in the same manner as the question "why is gravity".

One last lot thought. When it comes to the Hermetic lots, why do we derive their formulas from Spirit for Eros and Victory, but Fortune for Mercury, Mars, and Saturn? There's both Fortune and Spirit. Why not both? One potential rationale is that we want to experience the spirits of Venus and Jupiter, and distinctly not the spirits of Mars, Saturn, and Mercury for some reason. My guess for Mercury is that in ancient times it was much easier to run afoul of mercurial thieves, tricksters, litigators, etc. and it was of prime importance for astrologers to foresee those events resulting in the loss of wealth or property, as well as any harm that might befall the body (Fortune) as a result of Mars and Saturn.

However, from my devotional gnosis work with the planets and their gods (see: A Reluctant Guide to Making Friends with Spirits), I have found indicators that these alternate Fortune of Venus/Jupiter and Spirit of Mercury/Mars/Saturn are in fact a thing, and there is precedent for this from Bonatti on Lots. There is also an accord here from theories in western occultism: the idea of the planetary intelligences and planetary daimons. The intelligence of a planet is like the incidental, automatic application of its nature rather like Fortune, whereas the daimon is like Spirit is to us, a nature that in turn also inspires the planet to act and move. In any case, this is not a suggestion to reach out to the daimon/Spirit of a malefic planet, but perhaps try observing where those hidden other five lots may land in your charts and if they seem to mean anything.

Further Resources and Thank You

Incredibly, I am finally out of things to say. Now, I'll share some more resources for you to continue learning. I'd like to emphasize just how much I've not included here. I've tried to share what seems to be the most impactful pieces of this technique, but urge you to look deeper into Robert Schmidt's work if any of this has enticed you. Naturally, I recommend you check out the site at Robert Schmidt Astrology which has tons of fascinating lectures.

• Robert Schmidt's Zodiacal Releasing from Spirit lecture

• Robert Schmidt's Image and Original lecture

• Robert Schmidt's Hermetic Lots Intensive

• Kira Ryberg's Zodiacal Releasing Lecture

• Kira Ryberg's Hermetic Lots Lecture

• Adam Elenbaas' Transits and Zodiacal Releasing: A Birth Chart Demonstration

• The Astrology Podcast - Zodiacal Releasing Episode

I'll also take the opportunity to link a few other pieces of mine you might like to read (they're shorter than this one):

• Astrology and the Sin of Knowledge

• Sadalsuud's Astrology Dice Guide

• Around Here We Take Our Phenomenology Seriously

• Exploring Reality with Both Hemispheres

And of course, if you’d like to subscribe to this newsletter in general, have a call to action:

Thank you so much for reading all of this or any portion of it. Time is all we have, and I'm grateful you spent some of it with me. If you'd like to chat, feel free to leave a comment, reach out to @sadalsvvd on Twitter, or email the gmail at the same handle.