Working Paper on Astrological Physiognomy: History and Sources

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<strong>Working</strong> <strong>Paper</strong> on Astrological Physiognomy: History and Sources II. Sample Judgments and Tools of the Trade To demonstrate the range of physical features judged by physiognomy, consider the following examples from both Greco-Roman and Medieval periods which form bookends to the development of what is considered traditional astrological technique: Example 1 – Greco-Roman: He came to be of good size and manly and gracious because the two lights were pivotal, especially upon the Hour, and because they were in a masculine image of human shape. 8 Example 2 – Renaissance: He will have the beauty of all limbs in proper proportion. He will have clarity, light, and a handsome color. He will be pale in body tending toward yellowness, with middling eyes, yet with small pupils; he will have moderate hair, not very curly or abundant, with a curly and elegant beard, high cheekbones, a middling body not too stout or too thin, with a proper height but somewhat taller. His body tends more toward stoutness and height. He has a round face and a venerable appearance with a certain majesty, and also abundant hair tending toward curliness and paleness. He is bald on the forward part of his head (when it will be time), has redness in the face, a mark on the left foot, and finally eyes going toward blackness. In going about he will make very great steps, and in movement he will be somewhat slower. His body will be without deforming marks, healthy and with a handsome composition. His limbs are robust and strong. The condition of his life will be more frequently turned toward health and rarely toward illness. His face corresponds more to the form of the mother than of the father. His constitution is composed of heat and temperate dryness which is called choleric. 9 Both Greco-Roman and Renaissance examples demonstrate the wide variety of physical features which physiognomy seeks to delineate. Culled from a variety of authors, Table 1 presents a representative checklist of physical features and corresponding traits used by various authors to describe them. 8 Nativity with Aquarius rising, Moon and Sun in Aquarius. Original delineation by Antigonus the Nicean with comments in this translation by Hephaistio. Robert Schmidt, translator and commentator, The Astrological Record of the Early Sages: Antiochus, with Porphyry, Rhetorius, Serapio, Thrasyllus, Antigonus et al., Vol 2. Cumberland, MD.: The Golden Hind Press, 2009, p. 353. 9 Johannes Schoener, On the Judgments of Nativities: Book I, translated by Robert Hand, Reston Va.: Arhat Publications, 2001, pp. 89-90. Nativity of Maximillian I, Holy Roman Emperor. I have edited the translation to remove discussion of astrological significators. This list represents a compilation of different aphorisms which are not entirely consistent (e.g., ‘marks’ or ‘no marks’ on the body). www.regulus-astrology.com 8
<strong>Working</strong> <strong>Paper</strong> on Astrological Physiognomy: History and Sources Table 1. Physiognomy: Sample Judgments. Feature Description Height tall, middling, short Weight fat, middling, thin Body overall impression (e.g., proportionality of limbs and head to torso), physical frame consistent with sex (e.g., strong/rugged ‘handsome’ bodies for males and soft/contoured bodies for females) Posture erect, slumping, powerful Chest proportion relative to overall body (wide) Lower body legs (thin, thick, bow-legged), hips (wide) Gait speed/style (walks side to side, fast, nimble) Face 10 size (large, small) shape (long, short, round, full, fat-cheeked, finely formed, sloping) Forehead size (broad, protruding, narrow) Eyes size (large, small, fish-eyed), gaze (beautiful, sharp, piercing) Nose shape (sharp, hooked), nostrils (large, short, drawn, open) Mouth/Lips shape (thin, thick, big, drawn) Teeth overall appearance (straight/crooked, thin-set) Hair quantity (bald, thin, thick, abounding) style (curly, shaggy, smooth), beard (long, lanky, thin) Color identified for eyes and hair by general complexion (dark, flushed, light, pale) and by specific colors (black, grey, red, yellow, blue) 10 Judgments for the face are often included with the neck, e.g., not just ‘long face’ but ‘long face and neck.’ ©Regulus Astrology LLC, 2010. All Rights Reserved. 9
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Working Paper on Astrological Physiognomy: History and Sources

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