Dualistic nature of whole creation has always been the main inspiration of a thinking man. On every step, in everything we perceive or feel, we notice diametrically opposed polarities which constitute a whole. Night and day, male and female, warm and cold are the basic concepts which depict the initial necessity of godly self-compression in order to provide the “space” for creation. That initial act in which, according to hermetic mysticism, God partitioned his own self, initiated forever the emanation of duality of all the creation. By this act, the whole world is torn apart in its own existence. Dualistic characteristics of whole existence manifest themselves on every level of hierarchy, cosmological as well as natural, that is, human. According to hermetic beliefs, the main purpose of man is to bring back the initial godly unity to the world by means of deification or individuation, as expressed in the terms of contemporary psychology. This purpose is realized in numerous variety of ways, most often spontaneously and accidentally, in all the spaces lying between the poles of existence. The overcoming of the duality pitfall is considered as the ultimate achievement of human spirit. The way toward this wholeness in astrology, that is, natal chart, is perceived through the part of fortune which symbolizes the connection between primary and secondary light, the Sun and the Moon. The part of fortune is nothing more than the Moon phase’s arc cast from the ascending degree, and as such, it represents the force of duality in a personality. In Hermetic tradition, happiness is defined as a harmony of opposing principles, the relationship between ratio and emotions, mind and body and that is why this part, at the basic level, symbolizes the capacity for the attainment of personal happiness. The relationship between the Sun and the Moon constitutes the central theme of man, the essence of his personality, the distance between them designates the point which enables the connection with the ethereal realm of Hermetic, that is, quintessence (the fifth element) of the alchemists. The part of fortune, alpha and omega of this world within the microcosmic framework of man, represents a tenuous connection between him and the heavenly spaces, that narrow gate which “opens him up” toward godly realms. For some thinkers, the part of fortune and the part of spirit are the symbols of the philosophic “stone of immortality” and the aim of alchemist transformation. Traditional astrology perceives the symbolism of lights in a somewhat different manner than the popular does because it transcends the symbolic frames of male-female, that is, conscious-unconscious polarity. In tradition, the Sun is, first and foremost, the symbol of primary strength of spirit and highest hierarchy which imparts its power to planetary principles by distributing its own light to the six planetary levels, thus repeating and reenacting the primary act of creation and the unity which was lost thereby in order for the world to be created. In that sense, the Sun is the essence of existence, the only true purpose and motif. In a natal chart, the Sun represents a symbol not only of ego, not only of conscious part of personality, but, above all, the center of immortal realm from which all the worldly ambitions and motivations originate. The quality of its zodiacal, mundane and almuten strength will indicate the potential for individuation, and its relationship with the Moon the power and quality of personality as well as degree of balance between rational and instinctual, that is, the capacity of accepting personal boundaries and dictates of fate. Natal charts in which the lights aren’t well connected, in the sense of a negative reception, bad aspect or the absence of one depicts a badly integrated, unhappy personality which doesn’t accept objective restrictions and this is the case even when most of the planets are mundanely and zodiacally well disposed. Since the Sun and the Moon represent central influx which provides for the manifestation of planetary energies, their mutual relationship and the parts pertaining to them are the origin of all the motifs and longings in life. The division of the world into two basic principles is also imparted on human personality so it imposes itself above all the other divisions (divisions according to the four elements – the four temperaments, according to dominant, i.e. almuten planet, according to sectors, etc.). To discern the frameworks of solar and lunar type of personality represents one of the greatest challenges for an astrologer because this task doesn’t concern only the determination of some specific properties; in its primary goal it is directed toward finding the essence of personal happiness which doesn’t have much in common with the objective circumstances of someone’s life. Whether someone will be more or less happy is very much indicated by the relationship between the luminaries, that is, the degree of subordination of the Moon to the Sun, because, as already explained, the Sun represents the symbol of eternal unity and golden thread of human immortality whereas the Moon represents, above all, a mortal human body, his embodied soul bonded to the earth and burdened by its longings and dictates of fate. Moon’s ontological sin is the sin of desire and gluttony, not only in physical, but in psychological sense as well. Since the Moon doesn’t radiate its own light, like all the other planets, it depends upon the Sun but its proximity to the Earth causes its passivity to have far greater astrological implications and hence its secondary role in relation to the Sun but primary in relation to the five planets.
Solar and lunar types of personality are easily recognized in all the natal charts in which there’s a great disproportion between lunar and solar factors, but not in a sense in which it is usually done by mere adding up of factors from a natal chart according to the signs of the Sun and the Moon. A planetary principle is recognized not only through a planet, but also through related zodiacal and mundane background, relevant part, almuten sequence, the hour of birth ruler and a whole array of various combinations of all the factors within a chart. Predominantly lunar type of personality will be indicated by the following: ascendant in a cardinal or mutable sign along with the Moon posited in ether of them; stellium in the 3rd house because it represents mundane position of Moon’s exaltation; the Moon in cadent houses; stelliumin the 7th house without any connection to the Sun, Saturn or Jupiter because the 7th belongs to the Moon according to the Chaldean order of planets; then, part of fortune aspected Mars; Mars in the 1st house or in connection with the Moon in cadent houses in a cardinal or mutable sign. Mars’s role in this is very important because, although a masculine and active planet, Mars shares mundane affiliation with the Moon. Mars rules the 3rd in which the Moon joys. Mars in the 7th, as well, can be one of the indicators for lunar psychology; the Moon in the 9th, just like the Sun in the 3rd because the 9th belongs to the Sun, and the 3rd to the Moon according to mundane exaltations. The position of the ruler of the ascendant, the ruler of hour of birth or the almuten of the chart in the 7th or the 3rd. Inactive and cadent part of spirit; weakly accentuated mundane angles and fixed signs. The solar type presupposes an entirely different natal chart structure: the ascending degree in a fixed sign; the Moon in a fixed sign; stellium in the 9th, 10th or the 1st house; the ruler of the ascendant, hour or almuten sequence in these houses; the Sun on the ascendant, MC, IC, or in the 9th house; Saturn in the 1st ,on the MC, in relationship with the Sun, the ruler of the ascendant or the almuten; stellium in the signs of the Sun’s dignities (Leo, Aries, Sagittarius in diurnal charts); male planets on the ascendant; stellium in the fixed signs or angular houses; the part of fortune in succeedent houses aspected by a planet from a fixed sign; strong and prominent part of spirit aspected by its ruler, the Sun or the Moon; fixed sign position of the pre-natal syzygy ruler or a masculine planet as a ruler of the degree. The position of the part of fortune on the ascendant is a symbol of a solar character too, because in such cases the Moon is very close to the Sun, in its dark phase, meaning it’s powerless.
The lunar type of personality is easily recognized even without knowledge of astrology. He is oversensitive regarding to its surroundings, very restless and longs for changes. He is extrovert and dependant upon the opinion of other people, the impression he leaves is very important for him, searches for attention, travels often and changes his personal style, prone to follow trends and depends upon them, pliable, often spends more than he has. His relationship are usually “promising”, he enters them with great enthusiasm and expectations, but they rarely last long. The others are blamed because they don’t recognize the “depth of his sensitivity”, he readily occupies himself with superficialities and popular sensations, often doesn’t recognize the essence, cannot differentiate between important and unimportant and has learning difficulties. Possibly his worst characteristic is envy which symbolically depicts the fact that the Moon is the one depending on the Sun, and not the other way around. Contrary to the widespread belief that the Moon has nothing to do with carnal and material in tradition, this is not true. The Moon is first and foremost the symbol of a carnal man, his bodily and earthly needs so the exaggerated lunar principle can manifest through big material ambitions or through accentuated need for collecting specific things. The lunar type isn’t happy even when there’s no objective reason for such unhappiness. He doesn’t have steady focus, he is open for many interests which frequently change, he is sensitive to weather and weather conditions, very flexible and collective. Typical professions of a prominently lunar type are: tabloid journalism, artistic professions and interests, poetry, drama, all the professions related to traveling, fashion related professions, etc.
The solar type is, naturally, diametrically different. He is of a sedentary nature, hard to ‘move’, doesn’t long for travelling, rarely changes his addresses. Steady, stable, almost never changing his personal style, pretty insensitive to the opinion of others, doesn’t follow trends, self-confident, rational with developed logic, appreciates content far more than form, prone to deep cogitation, accomplishes stable social and personal relationships, conventional, traditional, the lover of order and hierarchy, immune to trends and intimately steady. Often very intolerant to differences, this is an individualist, very skeptical and often very stiff and averse to trends and “unverified” ideas. The professions of the Sun are: analytical journalism, all the social and natural sciences, philosophy and, concerning art, only the prose.
Finally, there are also the people which don’t belong to either of these two types, that is, they belong to both of them. Their natal chars have equally potent solar and lunar factors, their luminaries are in harmonious aspect with each other or in reception and they are often born with the ascendant in solar sign, term or face and lunar hour or vice versa. Charts like these are the most integrated ones and hold “the code” for potentially “great alchemist work.” The people with such charts are conspicuous for their unusual serenity and tranquility in every sense (facial expression, clothes, mimic, voice). The harmony between lunar and solar components relieves them of any marked manifestation which occurs as a consequence of some intimate psychological inadequacy. These people speak plainly, don’t have great pretensions toward anything, they are modest and tractable, maturing earlier than others. They are often without any ambitions and unusually self-complacent. Such natal charts are rare because they presuppose not only a formal harmony between the lights, but also their connection to the rest of the chart factors, especially with the parts of fortune and spirit. Such chars hold the key for the overcoming of duality pitfalls and what we term today as a complete individuation or deification.
Author: Natasa Karalic Koprivica
www.natasakaralic.com
astro.natasakaralic@gmail.com
