Advanced Techniques:
Part Three
In the previous articles of this series the story of the development
of the Uranian System of Astrology and of Cosmobiology was told.
Both are outgrowths of the pioneer work of Alfred Witte and the
Hamburg School. Emphasis in the prior article was directed toward
Cosmobiology with a brief discussion of its high points. Let us
focus now on the Uranian System.
To repeat some material from prior articles, recall that Hans Niggemann,
a student and friend of Witte, emigrated to the USA and, among other
jobs, he taught and practiced astrology. He kept in touch with the
continuing work of the Hamburg School and he published several books
about the new system. He named the new system "The Uranian
System of Astrology" (sometimes referred to as Uranian Astrology
or the Uranian System.)
The major distinguishing features of the Uranian System are the
use of Planetary Pictures, the use of the 90 degree dial, the use
of the 360 degree dial, and the use of the eight TransNeptunian
"Planets."
In Cosmobiology, a midpoint is usually looked upon as significant
when some other planet (natally, by solar arc, or by transit) occupies
that midpoint. What if the midpoint of A and B were not, by any
means, occupied by C? Cosmobiology ignores this condition. Not so
with the Uranian System. Unique to the Uranian System is the investigation
of a midpoint location (axis) when there is no planet occupying
the midpoint. Here is born the concept of the "planetary picture."
A planetary picture is a combination of three or more zodiacal
elements around a common axis. For example, if the midpoint of A+B
is the same as the midpoint of C+D, we would have a planetary picture.
Another way that you may see this situation written is A/B=C/D.
The Uranian Astrologer extrapolates from this equation the formula
A+B-C=D or A+B-D=C. There are many combinations developed when planets
are substituted for A, B, C, and D (such as MA+JU-SU=MO). All of
the possible combinations have been assigned meanings by the originators
of the Uranian System. Most of those meanings were developed to
reflect the technology, views, and interests of the World War I
era. I have found it necessary to augment these definitions to reflect
modern times.
One important use of Planetary Pictures is to find the natal promise
or potential in a person's horoscope. Another important use is to
find the time when a solar arc direction will complete a planetary
picture. So, when you ask a question of the chart, you can know
if it will occur, or when it will occur. The planet that completes
the planetary picture, by its nature and definition, describes the
answer.
The original work of Witte employed a 360 degree dial, and some
Uranian Astrologers still use the 360 degree dial. However, this
type dial was speedily augmented by the 90 degree dial. I prefer
to use the 90 degree dial, and have created my own version, called
the Star*Dial System.
The use of the 90 degree dial permits us to investigate any axis
for natal meanings with a view of the horoscope that shows all the
hard aspects at once. Some dials show not only the conjunction,
square, and opposition, but also the semi-square, sesquiquadrate,
and semi-octile at a glance. With a dial like this, you are reading
the horoscope in the second, fourth, eighth, and sixteenth harmonics.
It is somewhat like clicking the lens on your microscope to enlarge
and clarify what you are looking at.
I have previously mentioned the eight TransNeptunian "planets"
of the Uranian System. They are so named because they were postulated
when Neptune was thought to be our outermost planet. We have more
than seventy years' experience using them in horoscopes. There is
not enough space available in this article to describe these eight
planets in detail. They may be the topic of a future article.
The preceding description of the Uranian System may appear complicated.
But in truth the system is logical and straightforward. Any competent
astrologer can learn the system and reap the rich rewards that it
offers.
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