Working Paper on Astrological Physiognomy: History and Sources

<strong>Working</strong> <strong>Paper</strong> on Astrological Physiognomy: History and Sources
Ptolemy concludes with these observations for individual signs.
Sign Effect on Physiognomy
R U V Z X (1 st half) Harmonious of movement and well-proportioned.
T U X Large in size.
[ S Y Small in size.
P Q T Upper and fore parts more robust and the lower and hind parts weaker.
X W R Fore parts cause slenderness and hind parts robustness.
U V X Well-proportioned and graceful.
W [Q Awkwardness and disproportion.
Rules for Judgment
Like Dorotheus, Ptolemy is quite vague on rules for synthesizing his sign- & planet-based rules.
So it is with the rest, and it is fitting that we should observe and combine all these
things and make a conjecture as to the character which results from the mixture,
with regard both to the form and to the temperament of the body.
An attempt to systematize Ptolemy’s rules might look like this:
Create initial list of significators.
Narrow the list of significators to one (or more) planets. Focus on rulers.
Consider intrinsic nature of planets for selected significators.
Modify intrinsic planetary nature by the synodic position relative to the Sun.
Modify intrinsic planetary nature by the sign placement.
As a separate analysis input, add effects of the Sun’s season.
Combine the results of steps #1-5 and #6 and form a judgment.
f. Valens (2 nd Century AD)
Valens omits any physical description of the planets and signs in Book 1, Chapters 1 & 2, of
his Anthology. No other physiognomy references have been found in translations to date.
g. Paulus Alexandrinus (4 th Century AD) Introductory Matters, c. 378 CE
Late Classical Astrology: Paulus Alexandrinus and Olympiodorus, trans. Greenbaum, Reston,
VA.: Arhat, 2001.
No planet- or sign-based physiognomy rules are listed. But the following comments may be
relevant in judging the role of decans and dwads as model inputs by other authors. For decans,
Paulus says: “and in the forming of each decan a face of one of the seven stars is manifested in
which it rejoices as if it were in the whole zodiacal house itself” (p. 11). For dwads,
Olympiodorus states: “then after you find the dodekatemorion . . . examine which of the stars is
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