Five Pillars of Fate: Ancient Greek Astrology

Claire-France Perez and The Five Hidden PillarsGarth, astrologers
Antoine of Fate, ©2008 Antoine Garth,powered by astrology
AncientSky.com: Answers
Claire-France Perez
AncientSky.com, present:

Antoine Garth
Astrologer
scholar of Vettius Valens, Second Century Astrologer

1 edited, designed and produced by Claire-France-Perez

AncientSky.com: Answers powered by astrology
The Five Hidden Pillars of Fate, ©2008 Antoine Garth, Claire-France Perez

Each Lot provides a kind of script, a lens through which an important
feature of fate can be perceived. How do we gain wealth? Fame?
Happiness? Love and devotion? These are the questions of fate, and each
horoscope details its inexorable inner workings, providing a summary of
fate if we could only but read what is written.
–Antoine Garth

INTR0DUCTION:

quot;The Five Hidden Pillars of Fatequot;

Fate? or Destiny?

There are two types of charts: 1) those
which portray a Destiny, exalted or
otherwise, and 2) those that force the native
to pursue a Fortune.

An imaginative way to describe the
difference is taken from the fairy tale of the
The circle is divided into 360 quot;lots.quot;
king and his three sons, one of whom is
invariably a “dunce.” Each young man
must each leave the castle “To seek my
fortune.” To their surprise, the least of them, the quot;fool,quot; returns with a Destiny. It could be said
that a fortune is pursued, but a destiny is imposed, or at least given.

A world leader or celebrity is born with a destiny. Although he also “pursues a fortune,” (gets a
job, pays his expenses, somehow pursues self-sufficiency) his chart presents indicators for
exalted status, life in the public eye, and possibly power over life and death. Proof that such a
destiny may be indicated in a chart is provided by planetary time cycles which must support the
natal indicators. These time cycles introduce the auspicious planetary period, for the timing of



events which manifest from the natal indicators and come to full fruition. (This discussion of
cycles goes beyond the current scope, and will be developed more thoroughly in later chapters.)

Such destined personalities are among the minority in a population. The majority of us are not
dogged--though we may wish it otherwise--by destiny.

The more common situation belonging to you or I, is a pursuit of fortune. By this, we must
create the means of our existence, and beat the pavement as required to maintain the roof over
our heads. We all have a destiny as well, but a larger, publicly recognized destiny is not what
defines our lives. An exalted destiny is not bestowed upon us.
We may or may not be happy with that, but it's what we’ve been
given--that's our lot. Take great care to avoid judging those who
attain to wealth and fame; it is not our place to judge. Obviously
some larger pattern sets about and “decides” who gets what.

We mortals obviously have no control over the allotment of fate.
We may impotently stare injustice in the face, observing the
noble ones who are extinguished like flies, while lesser or more
evil, even twisted ones, advance. If we've lived long enough,
we've had plenty of opportunity to observe such distortions of
justice. Some of us are on the receiving end of the same
Michael Jackson's life can injustices. We must pursue our fortunes to rectify these paltry
be divided into three distinct
cycles, or periods: child circumstances, and raise ourselves as best we can in spite of
performer, quot;Thriller,quot; and
lawsuits what fate has apportioned. That is our fortune.

When dealing with this Second Century experience of astrology
and absorbing these concepts and techniques we must also discuss determinism: Is Fate or is
Free Will determining the turns in life? Are we humans living within a deterministic system, or
a quot;Free Willquot; system?

This second century style of astrology is completely deterministic, only recognizing the wheels
which turn our situations, and reconfirms fate’s binding aspect of apportionment. In our modern



era, this is rejected out of hand, so no one is really watching, except astrologers and
playwrights, so play along for the while of this inquiry into a deeper insight.

How are we to balance determinism and Free Will? Modern astrology has plenty of experience
with Free Will systems. Most astrology as it is practiced right now is all about Free Will belief;
but this modern style still doesn't produce accuracy in the way the Mediterranean World View
finds satisfying. But in this technique, we have visceral, sometimes shattering results.

Disappointingly, modern astrological practice has developed progressively more complex
techniques without yielding greater accuracy of delineation, for all the trouble. In a contrast of
simplicity, the whole-sign style of understanding the Zoidia--the Zodiac--when coupled with
Valen’s interpretive tools, our Five Pillars, go directly to the heart of the native’s fate and can
describe what is known as their Fortune.

Vettius Valens, like others of his era, confidently predicted fame, fortune and riches. Now,
modern astrologers may attempt the same and succeed using his techniques. Indeed, the karmic
record may be knowable, and a fortune may be told.

For this work, let's relax our Egos and experiment with some
very different points of view, and not only examine the
deterministic system, but inhabit it. To best teach this, I will
embody it without equivocating. There will be no claiming
either, quot;We all have Free Will,quot; or, quot;This is absolutely
destined.quot;

The second century point of view provides another way to
perceive a person's destiny and observe that which is quot;fatedquot;
for that person. Thus, determinism is the “binding legislation”
Slot Machine: Slots, Lots, that governs this astrological work.
Lottery and Plot share an
etymological root.



Vettius Valens, Second Century Astrologer

Much of this material originates from and liberally borrows from, Robert Schmidt's article,
Facets of Fate, which along with The Anthology by Vettius Valens, informs this work.

I've always been attracted to Vedic astrology where I was introduced to whole sign systems.
While reading the Valens Anthology, I discovered astrology’s distant past was also rooted in
the whole-sign style. It was through the practice of this system that some unusual and
previously hidden patterns were revealed. This forgotten style of astrology produced a far more
visceral connection between the symbol and the narrative of each client.

The second century world-view of the ancient Greek or
Egyptian practitioner was an astrology based upon the A fortune, ruled by Venus, as
denoted by the rose.
concept of Fate. The ancient astrologer was interested in
excavating the native’s Fate: the narrative or path upon
which a person's life unfolds.

This approach as represented by Vettius Valens leads
initially to various charts in search of money, fame, position
and power. However, the attainment of these things is just
the beginning.

Fate

Hellenistic astrology revolves around the concept of fate. Moira, which means fate, is the name
of the goddess that later became the Moirae; The Three Fates. Robert Schmidt defines fate as
“The cosmic principle of ‘binding apportionment.’quot; (fate is the root of quot;fatality,quot; and quot;femme
fatale.quot;)

The Three Fates are in charge of our allotment. Robert Schmidt calls the planets quot;Instruments of
fate.quot; In this work we are assigning the same instruments as the“Hidden Pillars” of fate or
destiny. Thus, even the Olympian gods work to carry out the edict of the Moirae. The Three
Fates represent the personification of the quot;inescapable destiny of man.quot;



Within the word quot;apportionmentquot; is contained the word quot;portion,quot; meaning: quot;lot.quot; quot;Binding” is
defined as that to which we are tied, bound, or committed. Governmental laws provide an
example of this, as we have binding and non-binding contracts or legislation. If the legislation
is binding, citizens must follow the mandate. If it is not binding, there is no mandate, and it can
mostly be ignored. Yet, fate presents a mandate in which there is no wiggle room: All contracts

with fate are binding.

A typical example of binding apportionment
is found in the experience of someone born
with a congenital health disorder, inherited
as part of their family's genetic history. This
part of the native’s fate included being born
with this specific health disorder, the image
par excellence of fate’s “binding-
legislation,” partly for the ancestral lineage, Charlie Chaplin on the lots of the wheel.
but more specifically for the native's birth.
That health issue is this person's fate.

The role of the Three Fates

The first of these fates is “Clotho,” the etymological root of quot;cloth.quot; She's the Spinner. The
spinning wheel is the central motif in the mythology of The Three Fates. Each of the them has a
specific relationship and portrays Youth, Middle Age and Elderly life.The thread of life is spun
by Clotho. Atropos, “The Inevitable,” winds the thread on the spindle. When something
atrophies it diminishes, slowly loses its vitality. Lachesis is quot;The Apportioner,quot; measures the
thread of life, and cuts it. Her name may be the modern language root of “lachryma,” the tear
drop, present at the tomb, the plot or final resting place.

Within the Greek pantheon, the Fates are spoken of mostly in reference to length of life and
how the Fates determine it. However, the Fates threefold operation is a metaphor for all of the
regions of life, or all 12 astrological houses. As an example, we can look at marriage. As the



Fates work within the area of life that represents marriage, a marriage thread is spun out by
Clothos, portioned out, wound down by Atropos, and then terminated by Lachesis. Each life has
a specific and individual marriage or relationship narrative. In every area of life each person’s
story has spun a different thread or outcome. Take the “money region” of life, and there we
find everyone has a different money narrative, spun out, apportioned, and finally cut off.

In the case of Donald Trump we find many instances of the fates cutting off his financial
prosperity as his destiny unfolded from quot;failurequot; to fantastic wealth and then back to financial
loss and back again to fantastic wealth. He started out with very little, made lots and lots (lots!)
of money, and then lost almost everything, only to start over from scratch. We can examine
these quot;cut offsquot; and wonder, quot;Is this part of Trump’s financial apportionment?” This is how the
fated money narrative plays out for The Donald.

Fate & Fortune
Lachesis: Greek, to apportion by
lot; one of the three deities, the
other being Clotho and Atropos. The distinction between fate and fortune are intertwined,
The three fatal goddesses who, often sharing the same definition. If fate represents
according to the poets, reside in
the palace of Pluto; or the “binding apportionment,” then fate could be the binding
Destinies, who did appoint to
every one the several adventures aspect and fortune, the portion received. A person's fortune
of his life; what they had
decreed, according to the is dictated by fate. Robert Schmidt confirms this by saying
judgement of the gods, could not
be altered: They were more that the planets are the instruments of Moira. Even the
especially occupied in handing vastly powerful Olympian gods fear the Three Fates. Even
the thread of man's life; the
youngest held the distaff and did the gods!
draw the thread; the next in age
wound it about the spindle or
reel, and the third being old and Our modern astrological focus has traveled along the
decrepit, cut it off; and this is
followed by the immediate death trajectory of Marc Edmund Jones, in which “character is
of the person living. destiny” and possibly one of the wisest things Jones ever
The universal etymological
English dictionary, by Nathan wrote. Through this particular technique, we can show how
Bailey, 1733
character is destiny. Jones was trying to step away from the
deterministic view, and taking astrology into a more
psychological direction, by using astrology to reveal inner motivations.



Yet, at this point, we astrologers have as resources, the required psychological knowledge and
foundations. We have Freud and Jung to provide the insights from the point of view of analysis.
But, we haven't really been looking at how the chart can show us the fate, or the portion that we
must bear in each part of our life, which may then beg the question:

quot;Who is fortunate?quot;

I once worked in an upscale gym where membership dues were a monthly $1200. It was high
class. All the paying members received an evaluation and were set up with a special trainer. It
was their questionnaire that was memorable. One of the questions was: quot;How would you rate
your support system? Would you say you have a strong support system?quot;

When taking the questionnaire I answered without hesitation, quot;Absolutely yes, I have a fantastic
support system.quot; I couldn't even believe that it was a question. And then I asked the resident
expert, quot;Does anyone ever say no?quot; She responded by explaining that a majority of the clients

declared for themselves a sorry support system. So then
followed the question again:

quot;Who is fortunate?quot;

Was it I, the poor, struggling artist working there at the front
desk for eleven dollars an hour handing out towels, at these
people's disposal for eight hours, then going home to a fabulous
Is money the only quot;fortune?quot;
support system? Or, was it the wealthy, influential people who
could use their power, wealth and influence at their whim and
disposal but without a support system and nobody upon whom they could depend or consider an
ally?

I clearly felt that I was the more fortunate in that comparison. They were more fortunate than I
for their disposable wealth, but I was more fortunate in the quot;good will towards menquot; department
of life. That was an instructive moment.

It can also be instructive therefore, to partition life into regions of Fortune. Good health is



clearly another type of Fortune.

One of my best friends is a woman whose husband had cancer and battled it long and hard.
They had been wealthy and lived very comfortably in the Los Angeles hills, but moved to
Thailand (where I met her) so that their savings could stretch further. Upon his death six years
later, she was an impoverished widow, completely penniless. She had had a very fortunate,
loving, wonderful marriage and then all of a sudden, had to fend for herself. So, here we have
another example of the twists and turns of fate.

We all know from stories such as these how the wheel of Fortune can turn on us: It can turn and
bring us a stunning and fruitful harvest, or it can turn again and abandon us to deserted
barrenness. This is the crucial concept. With this technique we can pick apart some of these
story lines. With the examination of these charts from the deterministic point of view, we can
readily say, quot;Oh yes, here we can see that the person is going to be very famous but have no
money.quot; As astrologers we can point to the destiny to say quot;This person is going to have lots of
money and influence but never be president.quot;

So, what is good Fortune? Who is a person that is fortunate, and can astrology predict it?

The answer: Yes, it can.

THE WHOLE SIGN CHART

Recently, when I was reading a Vedic astrology book, I
realized for the first time that there were three Vedic
astrology chart types. I knew about the North and South
Indian chart types, they're very different from each other, but
I didn't know there was such a thing as an East Indian chart.
It was the chart that I had been using for the past eight or ten
Coin of the realm: a priest bestows the
years without knowing its name. (See the comparison of the
crown to the Caesar.
two styles of charts on page 23)



The East Indian chart looks like a tic-tac-toe board, with diagonals cut through the corners to
create the twelve houses. With Vedic astrology, there are certain chart types where the houses
move and certain chart types where the zodiac signs move. There's been discussions about
whether Vedic astrology originated from the Greek, and in talking to a good friend who lives in

India, I learned that there were Greeks who
lived in India during the Alexandrian time
period which of course would be right around
the time that we're talking about, the second
century, so here was a way that these
astrological traditions might have blended.

There's always anxiety around with working
with house systems: which system is better, and
why I don't use that one, etc. However, you will
never see a Western astrologer dissemble more The East Indian Chart
quickly than when you ask them to use the
whole sign system in their practice. For reasons
of habit, they resist even trying it. But we are using the whole sign house system as the primary
underpinning of this technique. This might mean that our fabulous angular planets may now
become newly positioned in places of lesser strength, in cadent houses. Or, it could mean that
planets move into greater strength, possibly into an angular house. Example: let's say by using
Placidus cusps, you are blessed with this fabulous Venus in Pisces in the 11th house. However,
using whole signs, and an Aries rising chart, that Venus would remove from the 11th, shifting
into the 12th house. Here we will meet the resistance of our Ego's favorite chart positions, and
perhaps even rebel, stop reading and never learn how to use this system. Yet, this style of
astrology does not negate the Placidus arrangement of your planets or hope to usurp it, but
instead add another view which provides a sharp lens through which to understand its scripts.
The Pillars are scripted archetypes which actually suggest themselves in the narration of each
thread, each one's role, all necessary to understanding the second century fate and fortune [point
of view.



Arabic Parts? or Egyptian Lots?

The quot;Arabic Partsquot; are a misnomer. The Greeks
called these places quot;lots,quot; not parts. When, in the
Middle Ages the leading mathematicians of their day-
-the Arab and Persian astrologers--took over the helm
of astrology, the quot;lotsquot; were renamed quot;parts.quot; So
these places were conceived in terms of their
mathematical derivation, making them “parts” of the
Lot, lottery, slot or plot?
360 degree circle. For this work, it is more correct to O.E. hlot quot;object (anything from
dice to straw, but often a chip of
call these degrees or places the Egyptian Lots. wood with a name inscribed on
it) used to determine someone's
share,quot; also quot;what falls to a
As we enter the rigors of second century imagination,
person by lot,quot; from P.Gmc.
we may also adopt their consciousness, their values *khlutom (cf. O.N. hlutr quot;lot,
share,quot; O.H.G. hluz quot;share of
and methods of learning and perceiving, and gain a land,quot; O.E. hleotan quot;to cast lots, to foretellquot;), of
unknown origin. The object was placed with others
better insight.. in a receptacle, which was shaken, the winner being
the one that fell out first. Hence, to cast lots. In
some cases the lots were drawn by hand. The word
What is fate? Fate is the lot to which you are bound.
was adopted from Gmc. into the Romanic languages
We commonly hear, (cf. lottery, lotto). Meaning quot;choice resulting from
the lasting of lotsquot; first attested c.1205. Sense of
quot;plot of landquot; is first recorded 1633 (distribution of
quot;It's my lot in life.quot; or, the best property in new settlements often
determined by casting lot), that of quot;group,
collectionquot; is 1725, from notion of auction lots. The
quot;You know how it is, it's just my lot in life to be generalized sense of quot;great manyquot; is first attested in
single.quot; 1812. To cast (one's) lot with another is to agree to
share winnings.

or, quot;My lot in life is to be poor.quot; The On-Line Etymology Dictionary
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=lot
What is a lot?

The most common noun form of lot denotes an empty
space on which something can be built. The lot is empty, but not for long. It will hold
something soon. This makes it dynamic, not just a notch. We will look at these positions as lots,
not as parts. These places are not mere mathematical summations but spaces pregnant with
meaning and potential. The word “lottery” also comes from the word lot, and sheds more
interesting insight into how fate determines a person's fortune. Of course, you must buy the



correct ticket, meaning that you are “fated” to buy it. On winning, you receive a previously “al-
lot-ted” amount. So, we find that the concept of “portion” underlies the meaning of the word lot
as we examine it further.

THE FIVE INSTRUMENTS of Fate: The LOTS

Astrologers have long known about the Lot of Fortune. Its usage, however, has become more
and more truncated with the passing of the centuries. Valens quotes some of the earliest
available Egyptian sources regarding the importance of the Lot of Fortune, and now, aside from
the classical astrologers, you can’t find two astrologers who can agree on a concrete idea about
what it is or for what it is used. Most modern astrologers don’t even reverse the formula for
finding the Lot of Fortune at night, which is de riguer for this method.

Lots? or Places?

The first of the Five Pillars is the Lot of Fortune. The second is the Lot of Spirit. The third lot
is not technically a lot. In this system we deal with two kinds of zodiacal positions: lots and
places.

Lots are usually found by taking the distance between two planets, or between a planet and a
cusp. Places are the whole sign, usually found by counting sequentially from one to the next.
For instance the Place of Acquisition, which is 11 whole signs away from the Lot of Fortune.quot;
The fourth is called the Place of Exaltation. The fifth is called the Lot of Basis.

The Five Pillars of Fate

1. Lot of Fortune

2. Lot of Spirit

3. Place of Acquisition

4. Place of Exaltation



5. Lot of Basis

These are our instruments, our “Pillars,” but they are
essentially portals, markers to point the way on our
investigation as we attempt to exhume the
sarcophagus of the native’s fate and fortune.
However, to really “read the record,” so to speak, one
must take note of the rulers of these “Pillars” which
will tell the story of the native’s fate.

To illustrate, take Robert Schmidt’s quote, “the planets are the instruments of fate.” It is not the
zodiacal position of the five places that reveals the full information we seek. It is the position of
the rulers of those places. These degrees, once located, are entirely dependent on the ruler of
that lot or that place’s sign. This will become more evident when we discuss the Ten Rules.

The First Lot is Fortune

To calculate the Lot of Fortune we must proceed from the
Sun’s position by day to the Moon’s position, by night. The
distance between them is then projected from the ascendant.
(see Antoine's chart, page 23)

Note: a diurnal chart (daytime) is marked by the Sun's appearance above the horizon line. A
nocturnal birth (night) is marked by the Sun's appearance below the horizon. This will be
helpful to keep in mind for all the rest of the Pillars.

Given this understanding of the chart we come to a new purpose for the Lot of Fortune: It
becomes an alternate ascendant; a new East from which to orient the chart.

From Valens,

quot;In another manner, if you have come to know the place allotted for Fortune, also consider the
squares to it, and the remaining figures to be…. That is that the lot itself will possess the power



of the Ascendant, that of life itself. The tenth zoidia from this (they call them zoidia, not signs)
the power of the midheaven, that of reputation, the seventh, the power of the descendant, the
fourth of the subterranean zoidia, and the remaining places will possess the power of the twelve
regions.quot;

quot;For some have mystically established the universal ascendant and its squares to be the cosmic
pivot points, but the lot, and its squares to be the genethlialogical pivot points.quot;

Genethlialogy is defined by Nicholas Devore in his Encyclopedia of Astrology as quot;that
department of astrology which deals with the birth of individuals whereby one forms a
judgment of the characteristics of a person from a map of the heavens cast for his given birth
moment.quot;

The above is an important statement, because he says that the natal chart as you're looking at it
is not as specific as it might be until you view it with the Lot of Fortune as the ascendant. He is
saying our quot;every day ascendantquot; the usual cusp of the first house, which for me (see page 23)
would be Sagittarius, gives an excellent general picture of what is going to happen in the
native’s life. But if you want to get quot;genethlialogical,quot; i.e., with greater specificity to the birth,
and more specific to the genesis, the beginning: you will want to see the chart using the Lot of
Fortune as an Ascendant.

Vedic astrology and the Hellenistic system are obviously related
because Vedic astrology has been using alternative ascendants and
derivative houses since time immemorial, and we now realize so has
Western astrology. The next step, if we want to really understand what's
going on with a person's fate, is to become familiar with the concept of
derivative houses.
The Armillary enables a
visualization of the galaxy
As a medieval or renaissance-style astrologer, if you had a client who
wanted to know about their sibling, you would rotate the chart to the
third house, and its cusp would become the ascendant of the brother. You may then read the
chart as though it were your client’s brother’s natal chart. That's one aspect of derivative
houses. But here we intend to use derivative houses with our own chart.



Not only do we look at our own natal ascendant, but we also interpret our Lot of Fortune as an

ascendant and read the chart from that direction. Hindu
astrologers have long been practicing this technique. When
you look at a Vedic chart, you look at the natal chart three
ways: 1) taking the Ascendant as the first house, 2) taking
the house of the Sun as the First House, and 3) taking the
house of the moon as the First House. As a Vedic
astrologer, looking at the chart from these three ways
supports already noted chart indicators, reveals different
facets of interpretation and helps provide accurate
predictions.

For instance, In my Vedic (see page 23) chart I have
Sagittarius rising with the moon in the fifth. To use the
house of the Moon as the ascendant, we would use (in my case) the 5th house as the first house.
We would read the chart with Sagittarius (see page 23) rising with the moon in the 5th, and then
we would read the chart with the moon in the 5th as the first (Moon in this case is in Aries).

As Western astrologers we are invited to become flexible with the wheel, turning it like a
steering wheel, and judging it with the idea of derivative houses revealing something new, and
to the astrologer's great advantage: something accurate about the life being lived by the chart.

The Second Pillar: Lot of Spirit.

Fortune governs the forces over which we have no control.
Shakespeare refers to Lady Fortune throughout his plays,
“Lady Fortune has scratched me,” says one character. Common to all allusions regarding Lady
Fortune is the idea of being at the mercy of her whim. One can never quite declare, “I shall
bend Lady Fortune to my nefarious ends.” One must plot his course and fortune either supports
or destroys the result.

If the Lot of Fortune is used as an ascendant, and represents the body or vessel, then the Lot of



Spirit or the Daimon, represents a kind of cosmic substance. Thus, Spirit represents “that
vivifying force that arouses man towards action.” That inherent
thing within us is a spirit or soul which cannot be seen. The soul is
also called anima, root of quot;animate.quot; This impulse is something
not yet considered in modern astrology. Spirit represents the
“animating substance” of the native. The stuff of which he is made
and from which he will act. For example, The Right Stuff is a
quot;Wherein have you played the
movie which highlights the character of astronaut John Glenn, knave with fortune, that she
should scratch you, who of
listing his motivation of excellence, as he responds to something herself is a good lady, and would
not have knaves thrive long
inherent in his nature which contributes to his role as an American under her?quot;
All's Well That Ends Well,
hero.
Shakespeare

One of the things that is known about the Lots of Spirit and
Fortune is that the Lot of Fortune is the lot of the Moon, and considered the ascendant of the
Moon, while the lot of the Spirit is considered the Ascendant of the Sun, or the lot of the Sun.
To the Sun is attributed quot;the cause of action and motion.quot; The Sun, according to Valens,
quot;...arouses the souls of men for undertaking.quot;

We make the distinction here that the Spirit is that which animates the body and creates a sense
of personification and identification. So, we can identify the person by their Part of Spirit by
noting the nature of this person and his beingness.

We have the body, our vehicle, and know that it has its own specific inclinations. But then we
also have the spirit, which enlivens
this body and creates a sense of
personification or self-identification;
that which people looking at us from
the outside would probably call
The Fortune is derived from the Moon. A lunar quot;behaviorquot; or quot;intention.quot; This
quot;orientationquot; is to cause the Moon to face the East, or place
of quot;risingquot; and thus find its quot;intention,quot; which defines the Part of
genethlialogical pivot points, or origins.
Spirit, formulates the guiding image of



the self.

The Part of Spirit defines the internal cosmic substance which identifies us and which propels
us towards our decisions, choices and future actions. Valens says, quot;Whence the Lot of Fortune
and the Spirit will have much power over the imposing and turning back of actions. For one
shows matters concerning the body and handicrafts, The Spirit and its ruler (govern) matters
concerning the soul, intellect and actions through discourse and through giving and receiving.quot;

The Third Pillar: The Place of Acquisition

The Place of Acquisition is always found 11 houses away
from the lot of Fortune and provides another similarity
between Vedic astrology and second century Hellenistic
astrology: the 11th house in Vedic astrology is called the House of Gain. In Vedic astrology it is
also classified as an upachaya house, meaning, quot;improves over time.quot; The Place of Acquisition
deals with belongings and goods and the kind of things that can be acquired.

The Place Acquisition can be found by counting eleven houses from the lot of Fortune. Count
forward in the order of the zodiac eleven houses –or count backwards by two houses. If your
Lot of Fortune is in Virgo your Acquisition will be in Cancer. Traditionally, one can glean clues
from the Medieval or Renaissance era of Western astrology regarding the 11th house’s
connection to the concept of gain.

Indeed the 11th House represents the receiving of our wishes - our goals as they come to
fruition. It is called the House of Associations, Friends, hope and wishes. I have heard it
referred too as, “Dreams Come True.”

From Vettius Valens in the Anthology,

quot;We have also found the 11th place from Fortune to be an acquisitive place, a bestower of
belongings and goods and especially when the benefics are upon it or testifying.”

So, the 11th from the Lot of Fortune is a house of belongings or goods – of material gain. Here



is one way we can discern the difference between a person's fate - whether they have an exalted
fate-- and a person's financial or material status. The planet on the Place of Acquisition and the
lord of the Place of Acquisition are going to give us a greater assessment, and fill out the
picture. So, when we see charts that show an exalted fortune but indicate difficult financial
situations, we will see that the ruler of the Place of Acquisition may be in decrepit condition. It
may be badly positioned, even with other markers indicating fame and renown.

The Fourth Pillar: The Place of Exaltation

The Fourth Pillar is perhaps most useful for discerning the
future status of the person and whether that status will be
particularly high. Here we are first considering the
positions of the Sun and the Moon, and how far apart they are from their respective exaltations.
The Sun is exalted in Aries and the Moon is exalted in Taurus. To calculate the Fourth Pillar,
use the Sun for a diurnal chart, and the Moon for the nocturnal charts.

There are two steps for calculation: to find the Place of Exaltation by day count forward the
number of signs separating the Sun from the sign of its exaltation, Aries.

Step One: by day, count from the Sun in Virgo to the sign of Aries. We want to count the
number of signs between Virgo and Aries. Aries is eight signs away from Virgo.

Step Two: count the same number of whole signs from the Ascendant. Let's say our Ascendant
is Leo. We have already established that Aries is eight signs away from Virgo. We now count
the same number, eight signs from Leo, which results in sign Pisces acting as the Place of
Exaltation.

By night, count the number of signs the moon is away from Taurus. My chart is nocturnal, and
my Moon is in Aries, so I would have to go forward one sign to get to Taurus. My ascendant is
Sagittarius (see page 23) and we count as many from the ascendant by night as we did the
Moon to her exaltation. The Moon is one sign away from her exaltation. Counting one sign
away from Sagittarius provides Capricorn is my Place of Exaltation.



The Exaltation is probably the most telling of all of the
tools or quot;Pillarsquot; that we'll use. It determines how
quot;exaltedquot; the status of the person will be. Example: If
you find the ruler of the Place of Exaltation ten whole
signs, culminating from the Lot of Fortune, it can
denote fame. If the ruler of the Place of Exaltation is
in its own house, it usually denotes an important life, a
life that makes an significant contribution. These are
The author's quot;place of exaltation,quot;
the first two out of ten rules to be developed in the
is in the sign of the Goat.

second chapter of this work. In the next chapter we
will explore a set of ten firm rules which determine
fame and Fortune, based on the Five Hidden Pillars.

The Fifth Pillar: The Place of Basis

This lot is found by taking the shortest arc between the Lot of
Fortune and the Lot of Spirit. That means that if a Lot of
Spirit is at 5 Virgo and the Lot of Fortune is at 5 Aries,
choose the smallest arc between them (in this case 150 degrees, Aries to Virgo), and then count
150 degrees from the Ascendant. Using the smallest arc means that the Lot of Basis, the hidden
root of motivations and actions, will always be below the horizon.

The Lot of Basis represents the native's ability to produce or sustain the apportionment of
Fortune allotted to the native. It is also the main motivational foundation of the Lot of Spirit,
and thus is the basis upon which the native chooses his/her path of action. Spirit and Basis must
always be used in conjunction, to best understand the workings of motivation and action.
Taken together, they can weave a story that rests somewhere between self-destruction and self-
preservation, as the Spirit may motivate, but the Lot of Basis must support that motivation. The
Lot of Spirit may describe someone bent on destructive behaviors but the Lot of Basis can
emphasize it or hide it by either allowing benefits to go to waste or providing damage control.



By comparing the two, a better test of motivations can be brought forward, informing the
astrologer of a someone who benefits others from a nature founded on good
will, or one who takes advantage of others for his own benefit.

How long can fortune hold? Many a millionaire made by the lottery have lost
their fortune and returned to or worsened their previous situation. Bonatti
described The Place of Basis as the fiduciae ascendantae, meaning roughly Judy Garland

quot;the faith in or confidence of the ascendant.quot; By naming it so, it begs the
important question: How much faith can one have in fortune? Any gambler will tell you,
“None.” How solid is the (emotional, physical or financial) vehicle? Does anything threaten the
well-being of the vehicle from within or without? Upon what basis shall the chart succeed?

For instance, astrologers must also face the quot;one-hit-wonderquot; in the music industry who must
usually wait at least 20 years for the nostalgia movement to once again provide him royalty
checks; but this may be a 20-year span he may not live to see. Of vital importance is the ability
to stay at the helm: to sustain fortune via good mental and physical health and a solid financial
foundation. For example, compare Judy Garland, who attained the very pinnacle of fame, yet
became financially destitute and drug-addled, and at age 47 died a squalid, premature death.
Contrast that with Mae West, who also attained the pinnacle of fame, yet sailed unharmed by
self-destruction into her autumn and winter years as one of the richest women in America,
resting on her laurels and contentedly concluding her life at age 89.

By observing how the Lot of Basis interacts as a foundation for all of the
other indicators, we can get a very clear picture of why Judy Garland's
actions in relation to her career were led by self-destruction, as contrasted by
the self-preservation evidenced in Mae West's chart. Garland did not have

Mae West the self-sustaining powers written in her chart that West had. How much we
wish that astrology could provide exactly that sort of imagination for a client,
the wisdom to counsel against their own self-destructive patterns.

The Place of Basis may be illusive, establishing whether or not the native can hold up under the
full weight of his fate. In the chart of Elizabeth II, the lot of Basis is in Gemini in the 6th place
of servants and servitude. The ruler, Mercury is in the 4th house of ancestral bearing. Her


ancestral heritage being the Basis of her position in life makes Elizabeth II a servant to the
Crown and to her ancestral obligation.

Mae West had a long, circuitous journey to icon status.quot; She experienced equivocal success as a
Vaudevillian of the quot;low and raunchyquot; type and in Broadway during the 1910s. In the '20s
Mae's fortune started changing for the better shortly after she began writing and starring in her
own material, which led to scandal, notoriety and fame on the Broadway stage. The Lot of
Basis occupies the sign of Virgo in the 5th place of quot;Good Fortunequot; with Mercury present.
Mercury rules the tongue and Mercury is with Saturn a cold, dry planet in Virgo a cold dry sign,
indicative of her dry, understated delivery and her deliberate usage of languor in her movement,
in contrast to the other players.

Paulus Alexandrinas says of the Place of Basis, quot;It is like
Breath. It is a contributing cause to one's ALL, it has
governance over the Entirety.quot;

On what do you stand? The foundation of your life is found
with the Place of Basis.

The Gold Standard is the foundation of
a sound economy, representing the best
Lot of Basis.



Upcoming in future chapters:

The Ancients had a different view of the houses. The ten rules which determine fame, or
fortune or both. Comparing the charts of quot;historic twinsquot; persons living in the same era, but
having opposite fates. How to use the Pillars to detect your Fortune, find your Destiny. Also:
A discussion of the time cycles which bring forth an auspicious planetary period.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of
English Etymology | Date: 1996

lot object used in deciding a matter
by appeal to chance; what falls to a
person thus OE.; prize in a lottery
XVI; plot of land XVII; set of
articles XVIII; party or set XVI;
large number XIX. OE. hlot portion,
choice, decision, corr. to MLG. lot,
(M)Du. lot, ON. hlutr, hluti; f. Gmc.
*?lut- (also in OE. hl?t lot), rel. to
*?leut-, in OE. hle-otan, OS. hliotan,
OHG. liozan, ON. hljóta cast lots,
obtain by lot, and to *?laut-, in OE.
hlíet (:- *?lautiz). OS. hlo-t, OHG.
(h)lo-z (G. loos, los), Goth. hlauts
lot. The Gmc. word appears in F. lot,
It. lotto.

Request to read the second chapter free by reccomending friends to the site.
The authors look forward to your comments and questions which may be posted at the forums
http://AncientSky.com. Please register as a member on the site to post to the forum.

email:
Antoine Garth: agarth@ancientsky.com
Claire-France Perez: cf@ancientsky.com



Use this form for your own chart, and complete the rules for finding each lot.

1 2 M 3)
Consider the quot;situationquot; of the Lights: Locate the lots of Fortune and Spirit. Find the quot;Acquisitionquot; of the fortune by
If the Sun is above the horizon, it is a counting 11 signs from its location. (or,
diurnal chart, if below it is a nocturnal Fortune is found by determining the arc count backward from the fortune by two
chart. of difference between the Sun and Moon, signs)
Horoskopos = Ascendant and adding or subtracting that number of
Marking the Hour = on the Ascendant degrees from the ascendant, using their
or Fortune degrees of arc in the order of the signs.
Culmination = 10 places or signs from a
lot or place For day, add the degrees. For night,
subtract.

Pillar Glyph LOTS & PLACES page SIGN RULER

1 Lot of Fortune 13

M
2 Lot of Spirit 15

)
3 Place of 17
Acquisition

,
4 Place of 18
Exaltation

&
5 Place of 20
Basis
Place of previous
new or full moon

4, 5 & 6k
To find exaltation: Discern whether the Find the quot;Basisquot; by determining the Find the previous new or full moon
chart diurnal or nocturnal. number of degrees in the shortest arc
between the lots of Fortune and of
Take the shortest arc in both cases: Spirit, regardless of the direction of the
signs. Add that number to the ascendant.
If diurnal, count the numbers of houses
separating the Sun from his sign of
exaltation, Aries, in the same direction.

If nocturnal, count the numbers of houses
separating the Moon from her sign of
exaltation, Taurus.


Author, Antoine Garth
born January 1, 1966,
Washington DC, USA
6:32am

The (round chart) Placidus House Cusps are not
divided equally like the East Indian cusps.

When the chart is transposed to the (square)
East Indian chart, the actual degrees are not
terribly important.

This renders the chart a much different look, but
when used for the technique, works to tell a
missing story.

quot;Whole signquot; means the entire sign is contained
within the house. All 30 degrees of the sign are
in the corresponding house, no matter the cusp.
26 degrees may be my Sagittarius rising, but all
of Sagittarius is contained in the first house.


Five Pillars of Fate: Ancient Greek Astrology

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