Introduction to Natal Astrology – 4:
Sepharial on Travel, Physical Features, Accidents, Death
– Written and compiled by Philip Graves – 16 Jan 2004
– Reformatted for WordPress, June 8th, 2016
Travel prospects
Benefics or well-aspected luminaries in the ninth house favour success in foreign states. Malefics or ill-aspected luminaries here bring losses and dangers abroad. Malefics here afflicting a luminary bring danger on voyages in accordance with the indications of the element of the sign tenanted by the malefic. Fire signs incline to bits, burns, cuts, fevers, fire, kicks from animals, stabs, and sunstroke. Earth signs dispose to avalanches, falls, famine, material privation, and running aground during sea travel. Air signs produce danger from falls from high places, lightning and storms. Water signs threaten with dampness, drowning and floods.
Malefics in either the third or the ninth house, or afflicting the Lords of either of these houses or the luminaries, bode ill from travel.
Benefics or well-aspected luminaries in the first house portend success whether at home or abroad. If in the ninth, tenth or twelfth house, success abroad is favoured. If in the third or fourth house, success in the native country is indicated and moving abroad is ill-advised regardless of any other indications favouring travel. Malefics or afflicted luminaries in the third or fourth house favour leaving the home country.
Travel destination
The recommended directions for travel are traditionally judged from the houses tenanted by Jupiter, Venus or a well-aspected luminary, in descending order of priority, according to the following table, with the proviso that if the significator concerned is almost exactly conjunct an angle the direction of travel should accordingly be nearly exactly East (if the Ascendant), North (IC), West (DC) or South (MC).
| House | Direction |
|---|---|
| 1st | ENE |
| 2nd | NE |
| 3rd | NNE |
| 4th | NNW |
| 5th | NW |
| 6th | WNW |
| 7th | WSW |
| 8th | SW |
| 9th | SSW |
| 10th | SSE |
| 11th | SE |
| 12th | ESE |
The recommended distance of travel is sometimes inferred from the house placements, in accordance with the natural distance of the house from the IC, representing home. Thus, the third and fourth houses show places close to the birthplace; the second and sixth anywhere within the native country; the first and seventh adjoining countries; the 12th and 8th somewhat countries beyond those immediately adjoining; the ninth and 11th far-distant countries; and the tenth the far side of the globe. When the house placement of a significator is used to show distance in this manner, the direction is instead determined from its sign placement, using the same table above but substituting the sign of equivalent number in place of the house shown for each direction: thus, Aries in place of the first house, etc..
Where Jupiter afflicts a luminary, the direction of travel indicated by Jupiter placement is ill-advised, as it is likely to indicate loss; then the next significator in the order of priority (Venus) should be taken instead. If Venus also is ill-placed, and the luminaries are afflicted, a planet in harmonious aspect to the Sun or Moon and strongly placed can be adopted as as last-recourse significator.
Relocation Influences
The destiny of an individual who changes location must be referred to the co-ordinates of the new location. All the house cusps should be recalculated according to the new longitude and latitude, but maintaining the original GMT-corrected time of birth. If enough distance has been travelled, this will alter aspects to the angles and their orbs, sign and decanate placements of some or all house cusps, and natal house placements of some or all luminaries and planets. It will also change transits of planets to the natal angles, aspects involving the progressed house cusps, and progressed house placements of the natal Moon and planets.
Locality of residence
The IC sign traditionally indicates the direction in which the home of the individual should face, according to the same table shown above, with the signs substituted for the equivalent natural houses. So, for example, at 0º Aries it should face due east; while at 12º Gemini it should face North-North-East.
The constitution of the Ascendant sign traditionally shows the best-suited elevation of the locality of residence, with cardinal signs favouring prominent, high places, fixed signs favouring valleys, and mutable signs favouring an inconspicuous situation close to sea level.
Physical disabilities and features
Blindness at birth is associated with the Moon or Sun being conjunct the Pleiades, the Asselli or Antares, and either afflicted by Mars in an angular house, or conjunct or opposite the other luminary. Poor eyesight results when either luminary is conjunct one of these points and afflicted by any other planet. Blindness also ensues from the Sun in Aquarius being afflicted by (especially conjunct or opposite) Saturn.
Weak vision or sore eyes results from the luminaries being in mutual opposition in Aries and Libra, or from the Sun or Moon in Aries being afflicted by Saturn. Pluto in the first house square both the Sun and the Moon brings the same result, and inclines to blindness if the fixed signs are involved.
Afflictions to the Sun are more likely to be permanent than those to the Moon, in matters governing the eyesight.
Deafness occurs if Mercury is Lord of the 12th house or in the 12th house, and conjunct the Sun or afflicted by Mars, Saturn or Uranus.
Stammers occur if Mercury is in a Water sign and afflicted by Saturn; and any aspect received from Mars will compound the problem with rapid speech, lisping or poor pronunciation. Stammers or lisps may also occur if Mercury is Lord of the sixth house, posited in a Water sign, and afflicted by Mars or Saturn.
Speech impediments occur if Mercury is in the first six degrees of Scorpio and opposite the Moon; or if Saturn is in the First house in Aries, Leo, Capricorn or a Water sign; or if Mercury is in the sixth house and either conjunct the Sun or afflicted by Mars or Saturn.
Red hair results from Mars exactly conjunct the Ascendant. Black hair is caused by Saturn in the First house. Premature baldness results from Mars afflicting Venus and being elevated above Venus, or if not elevated above it, being posited in Aquarius, Gemini or Sagittarius. It also results from Jupiter or Saturn being Lord of the Ascendant and in one of the occidental house quadrants.
Lameness results from either luminary in Capricorn, Aquarius or Pisces being afflicted; or from the Ascendant being in one of these signs and afflicted by a malefic. The part of the body governed by the natal sign placement of the afflicted Sun or Moon is affected. Paralysis of the limbs may result from Pluto in the 1st house afflicting a luminary and in conjunction or hard aspect to Saturn.
Any indicators of physical disabilities may be frustrated by conjunctions, parallels or harmonious aspects received from a benefic.
Accidents
A planet in the first house afflicted by Mars, Saturn or Uranus brings injuries to the part of the body suggested by the Ascendant sign or the sign placement of the afflicting planet. The risk is more serious if the signs involved are cardinal.
Either the Sun or Moon in the first house, afflicted by Mars or Uranus; or Pluto in the first house in a mutable sign, afflicting the Moon, Mars or Uranus, poses a risk of accidents through travel that result in breakages to limbs. A luminary in one of the oriental quadrants afflicted by Mars or Saturn inclines to accidents. A luminary that is afflicted by a malefic posited in Gemini, Sagittarius or Aquarius brings danger of wounds or being shot, if the malefic is Mars, or of bruises, falls or injury from falling objects, if the malefic is Saturn.
If Mars is conjunct or in opposition to either Saturn or Uranus, especially if in cardinal signs or angular houses, serious physical harm is portended. If Mars or Saturn is in the first house but in no aspect to the luminaries, it denotes accidents at the time when it forms a conjunction with the Ascendant by oblique ascension.
The sign and house placement of the afflicting malefic show the parts of the body at risk of damage from accidents. The first decanate of each sign indicates the upper part of the body portion governed by it; the second decanate denotes the middle part; and the third decanate describes the lower part. When either an afflicted luminary or its afflicting malefic is in the first decanate of Leo or Aquarius, the second of Virgo, or the last of Taurus or Scorpio, there is a risk of drowning.
Mars as an afflicting significator brings danger of accidents from bites, burns, cuts and scalds. Saturn indicates blows, contusions, dislocations and falls. Uranus produces unexpected, unusual accidents and damages caused by electricity or machinery.
Death
Accidental or violent deaths are indicated by the affliction of either the Sun or Moon by more than one malefic, or the affliction of both of them by one malefic, without relief by any aspect to a benefic. Where both are afflicted by one malefic, the indications are strengthened if one of the luminaries and one of the malefics are in violent signs (Aries, Scorpio or Capricorn).
Further contributing indications of such an outcome include (a) the affliction of the Sun or Moon by a malefic in the first, fourth, sixth, eighth or tenth house; (b) the affliction of both the Sun and Moon by Mars, or the affliction by either of them by Mars where Mars is elevated above it in the figure; (c) the affliction of either the Sun or Moon by a malefic in the first or eighth houses or conjunct the Descendant; (d) an opposition between two malefics, particularly when in angular houses; (e) the elevation of any malefic above the luminary it afflicts; (f) the affliction of the Lord of the Eighth house by a malefic.
If the afflicting malefics are in human signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius or Aquarius), death will occur by human agency. Violent planets (Mars, Saturn, Uranus or Neptune) in violent signs incline to a sudden, premature demise.
Relief to the afflicted luminary offered by a harmonious aspect to a benefic may avert the danger, often manifesting in close calls or escapes.
As significators or violent or accidental deaths, the malefics bring the following influences: Mars causes battle wounds, blood loss, burns, cuts, frenzy, ruptures and scalds; and it provides general testimony as to the cause of death with reference to the element and other such group belongings of the sign in which it is placed, but must be considered together with the sign and house placements of Saturn and Uranus. Saturn causes crushes, drowning, falls and fractures, in accordance with the indications of its sign and house placements. Uranus brings death by an unusual cause. As a significator of death by its affliction of a luminary, it often inclines to suicide, especially in combination with a weak and afflicted placement of Mercury in the figure, or the affliction of Venus by Saturn or Uranus. Neptune inclines to death by ambush, drowning, peculiar spiritual states, or treachery.
The Fourth and Eighth houses are primary significators of death. Their tenanting planets and aspects thrown to these will show the manner of death.
When posited in the Eighth house, the Sun and Mercury act according to the nature of the planet in closest aspect to them; the Moon inclines to death in a public place or presence; Venus indicates a peaceful, unpained death; Mars shows a rapid, painful death; Jupiter suggests a comfortable, orderly death; Saturn indicates a slow, tiresome death; Uranus suggests a sudden, unexpected end; Neptune indicates trances and comas en route to death, with a danger of drowning, poisoning, anaesthetic overdose, or incorrect drug administration; and Pluto sometimes shows involvement in a public tragedy connected with works, or an accident explosives.
Where the indications of violent death are not very strong, natural death may be presumed. In cases of natural death, the Sixth and Eighth houses and the sign placements of malefics receive attention as significators of causes.
Cardinal signs incline to illnesses of the head and brain (Aries), stomach (Cancer), kidneys and liver (Libra) or skin and bones (Capricorn). Fixed signs incline to disorders of the blood (Aquarius), throat (Taurus), heart (Leo) and reproductive system (Scorpio). Mutable signs incline to diseases and infections of the lungs (Gemini), digestive system (Virgo) and nervous system (Sagittarius or Pisces).
Return to Astrology Article Menu…