Calculating Significant Days
by Dr A Agnihotri
So much has been said about good and bad days that many students think it is a difficult and unique set of calculations to arrive at that answer. Here is a rationale approach that every student of astrology should know. It not only weighs the probable texture of any given day, but also describes the various types that may be expected; thus giving a fuller picture than just a singular judgment of good or bad.
I have to say this at the start so you'd know where I stand in this good or bad day thing. Based on my acceptance of a very balanced Cosmic Intelligence, I do not subscribe to the idea of good or bad days. However, this ancient notion has led to a major self-defeating attitude that has become the bane of good astrology even if the earlier masters knew what they were doing. I believe there could have been more education on the progressive use of astrology that could contribute to its greater use. If this aspect of the wise application of astrology was included in its education process, astrology would have been more widely accepted today. The idea of certain thithis or lunar days being good or bad didn't help the issue.
Aside from comparing the current lunar day against your personal lunar day, there is another way to look at the texture of any given day. Nevertheless, I have observed how the main catalyst is the famous Moon again. But in this instance, the relationship of the Moon with other planets by aspect dictate the nature or relevance of the event, while a coinciding ascendant releases it into fruition. This is especially so for those individuals whose natal planetary configurations connect with the significant lunar transits of the current day. Let's do an example.
Here's what I would refer to as a significant day. On any given morning before you start your day, check your ephemeris. The planetary positions would be set for your country's Standard Time. If your zone is 8.00 hours ahead of Greenwich and you are using a Greenwich-Midnight based ephemeris, then all the positions in your ephemeris would be based on your equivalent 8 AM your country's Standard Time.
The first thing you want to do is to take a look at the Moon's position. The next thing you want to do is to determine the Moon's longitudinal relationship with the rest of the planets for that day. This is called the Lunar Aspectarian. This will essentially set the texture and pace for that day; whether for the internal or even the external weather of the people, and even the natural currents of their surrounding environment. Applying our focus on the general measure of the day, and without digressing into finer arguments of different aspects, this article will reveal the easiest method of applying the fundamentals of this rule.
Place all planetary positions into the degrees of their respective signs. It is easiest to view this way. For instance, illustration 1 is a sidereal (with the issue at hand, the student may apply either sidereal or tropical to arrive at different results for subsequent argument) picture of the zodiac at 8 AM, Malaysian Standard Time , Malaysia . If the astrology student resides in Kuala Lumpur , and the coordinates of that city is 1 hour 13 minutes away from the meridian used to determine the Malaysian Standard Time, then that difference should be factored to determine the impact of the exact aspect for the Kuala Lumpur locality. And since the city by longitude is behind the meridian, then that difference should be corrected for by subtracting it from the timings below. So take a look at the positions below. These were lifted off the daily ephemeris and placed in the zodiac, in the appropriate signs. The sidereal planetary positions at 8 AM, on 26 August 2004 in Malaysia are as follows:
• Sun is in Leo 8 degrees
• Moon is in Sagittarius 22 degrees
• Mars is in Leo 15 degrees
• Mercury is Retrograde in Leo 3 degrees
• Jupiter is Leo 28 degrees
• Venus is in Gemini 23 degrees
• Saturn is in Gemini 28 degrees
• Rahu is in Aries 9 degrees
• Kethu is in Libra 9 degrees
Not forgetting that each sign is made of 30 degrees, one is able to mentally calculate the longitudinal distances between these planets. Please understand that all these heavenly bodies continue to move endlessly throughout time. And during their journeys, when they reach certain distances of arc from each other, they produce certain types of relationships. There are minor and major relationships, each depicting its own texture of experience that is impacted upon the individual and groups of people. However, our primary interest at this point is of Lunar relationships; the distance that the Moon makes from the different transiting planets.
In this case, Moon is at 22 degrees, Sagittarius. Be particular of that 22 degrees. Next is to see which other planets are closely "in front" of that degree; doesn't matter which sign. I used to worry about the aspects that moon would make or not, and whether it would be a minor or major aspect. However, I preferred to focus on the "strikes" rather than any established knowledge about the relationships between the planets. This way, I remain open and keep on discovering new probabilities each time I look at the transits. Take a look at Venus. It's at 23 degrees in Gemini. Between Moon's 22 degrees and Venus 23 degrees, that's 1 degree ahead. Well actually, it's 180 degrees apart. But this is the point I'm driving at: this is a simple method of determining relationships without worrying so much about the established "aspects". Material on aspects are profuse in typical astrology books. Check out one of your astrology books, and you can find almost a whole chapter on it inside.
Don't forget that all the planets just don't stop moving. However, the Moon moving the fastest, it tends to catch up with the other planets before they can get away from her. For the Moon, this is what you want to know: 1 degree of movement for the Moon is about 2 hours of clock time. So, for the Moon to move up to 23 degrees in Sagittarius, when it would "strike" that Venus with what we call an "opposition" aspect relationship, it would take 2 hours! So if the above horoscope is clocked at 8 AM, then this Moon-Venus relationship will "strike" about 10 AM soon. Suffice for us to speak of this day as a significant Moon-Venus as it should appeal to the general populace, assuming that we're living on our local time meridian itself, in which case we're not. You can get deeper and more personal if you wish. Each city has its own local mean time depending on its longitude. Kuala Lumpur for instance, based on its longitude, is 6 hours 47 minutes from Greenwich , but we are using the 8 hour time zone ahead of Greenwich . That's a 1 hour 13 minutes difference behind our time meridian. So when we say 10 AM as above, what we really mean is the "strike" will happen "for Kuala Lumpur " residents at 8.57 AM.
What I would generally do is to "view" the relationships between Moon and the other planets for any day I might be interested in, and particularly for my waking hours; doesn't matter for work or play. That should give me a good idea to prepare for the general texture of the day I would be facing based on the kinds of "relationships" the Moon would be having with the other planets.
In the above case, I "see" 26th August as an astrological day offering the following relationships in transit:
• 10 am: Moon opposition Venus
• 10 pm: Moon opposition Saturn; trine Jupiter
While I pay attention to the texture of the relationship between these planets as determined by the "aspects", I also remain open. In Jyotisha for instance, relationships between planets are generally treated differently even though there may be similarities in some areas. Therefore, my personal preference is to remain focused on the planets involved, and consider what likely results may ensue out of their occurring relationship. For this case, this is what I see:
• 10 am: Moon - Venus. It's going to be a feeling event. Emotions revved, relationship issues surfacing. Generally, a heart thing. How you feel about things, events, people. And to bring in the opposition aspect, then not too good. There can be lovers' quarrels, arguments because of love, intimacy threatened, and things of the heart or close to the heart challenged. Not a good time to build relationships.
• 10 pm: Moon - Saturn. Despondency rules. Joy is something to be worked at. Overconfidence can be wrecking. Likelihood of incoming disappointments. Ideal for self-containment, planning, strategic development. Not suitable for optimizing networking.
Moon - Jupiter. Out of the chaos, opportunity arises. A door opens to vertical or horizontal development. Greater feeling of joy mixes in. Especially for night-active individuals, this can present the much needed breathing space. For example, you might not tolerate some of the kind of people you might dine with, but those very people might present an unexpected opportunity for you.
While I typically pay attention to the probabilities that the nature of aspects have in connecting the various planets in the configuration, I suggest students should always first focus on the nature of the planet being triggered and observe how their correspondences or properties will surface. You will almost always find the issue of the planet (even if you don't focus on the connecting aspect) triggered by the Moon almost unfailing. You practice this, and you will find yourself predicting general events more and more reliably.
Looks like the Moon-Venus event is the one that will fill the first part of the day. That is when I will be most engaged with my work life and other people. So if this is the greater part of my waking life, then I should focus on this part of the analysis as being more significant in measuring the type of typical experience I would have for the day. Should there be significant astrological events at night, I would first relate it to my more personal life where the people I deal with at that time would probably be more of my personal circle of people. However, this can also be the reverse depending on a person's lifestyle and the way they work.
Then there is the issue of the Ascendant. If during any time the Moon strikes a planet, and at that same time, the Ascendant (doesn't matter which sign) also hits the same degree, then the relationship between the Moon, the planet, and the Ascendant are so real, I have never found it to be insignificant. And it almost always pinpoints some surfacing of the issue at that precise moment. It's like an easy and absolute prediction that I cannot neglect. But that's only if you're playing the timing game. Otherwise, to be able to determine the texture of the day as above is more than sufficient for yourself, or people at large.
Then there are those days when the Moon makes no relationships with any other planet. On such days you should not expect anything major to occur. What you should know instead, is that the moon will carry the remnants of the planet with whom she had the last relationship. That is the texture of the incoming Moon. But as it gets closer into building a new relationship with the next planet coming up, the incoming vibes will first mix, and then overcome the vibes of the last relationship. Then you should relate the Moon's recent past with what is coming in, and that should give you a better picture of the trends rather than just to make a statement on one specific and unrelated event. There are still issues to resolve here such as Moon's recent malignant relationship with Mars and now moving in for a benign meet with Saturn. What should concern the student at this point is to get comfortable with his forecasting of the day, to do a good "reading" of the general texture of the day in an easily replicable manner. It's a matter of erudite practice and keen observation.
To excite yourself a bit more, this aspect of the work is so simple. You can make a practice of predicting the forthcoming days as part of an astrological game. Devote your Sundays to calculating the planetary relationships with the Moon for the coming Monday to Saturday. Write down what you think you should expect, and record them down. Document your experiments. Do it as an on-going hobby, and see how many hits you make with your "transit analysis". Ask friends and other people how that day had been for them in general, and record the feedback. Check on your own daily experiences and see what you have to say for yourself. Of course, you might be biased to your own forecasts, which is why it is superior doing it for other people and getting their feedback.
The next thing you want to do is to see how the Moon also relates to your own natal positions in your personal horoscope. That will be an issue for another article. Don't miss this next exciting article that will show you how to do your own Lunar Tracking.