Conversations_2(2).pdf

8/14/2019 Conversations_2(2).pdf

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Chapter 2:

Whats next, then, uncle? Is it time to start looking at charts yet?Youre so impatient, my boy! Theyll be plenty of time for that. First, lets follow in

the footsteps of our illustrious forebears. When they had discussed rectification, they would usually proceed to defining three important technical terms: hyleg , anareta , andalcohoden . The use of these things is in assessing the length of life, either generally, as in whether the life will be long or short, or precisely, in predicting the time of death. Theresnothing at all psychological about them: we would never look at a chart and think Ohdear, his anareta is Saturn, what a dreadful fellow! Were not going to use them for sometime, but well do as our ancestors did and establish them right at the beginning.

Hyleg The hyleg is the indicator of life. This is at a basic level: as I said, it tells us nothing aboutthe persons nature. Its like the little red light on the back of the kettle that shows whether it is switched on or not. In theory, we progress the hyleg and the anareta untilone of them bumps into the natal placement of the other, on which the native dies.

That sounds very simple.Yes, it is very simple. Doesnt work, mind you, but its certainly simple. The

practice is much more complex. The hyleg and the anareta play particularly importantroles in it, but they dont dominate proceedings in the way the theory suggests.

So how do I find out what the hyleg is?This bit really is simple. To be hyleg a planet must be in one of the hylegal houses :

the 1st, 7th, 9th, 10th, or 11th. As always in traditional astrology, a planet in the 5 or sodegrees before the cusp is counted as being in that house, provided it is in the same signas the house cusp.

So if the 11th cusp is at 18 Taurus, a planet at 13 Taurus would be in the 11th, notthe 10th?

Thats right. As you can see, to be in a hylegal house, the planet must be above theEarth or just about to rise, and not in one of the nasty houses, the 8th or the 12th. Do yousmell a rat here? You should do.

It seems a bit odd, uncle. Why should those two nasty houses be excluded? Whycant a planet be hyleg in any of the houses that are above the horizon? Indeed, why doesits house placement matter at all?

Well, the particular rat we can smell here is ye royal astrologer. You remember the warnings I gave you? We must always be alert for this fellow sticking his nose in.

So this selection of houses is to avoid upsetting the king?Exactly. Weve avoided anything under the Earth, because if were choosing a

planet to signify Life wed much rather have something bright and shiny up in the sky. Weve avoided the 8th house which is not nice. Weve avoided the 12th house which isnot nice. Its possible that this is part of a method designed to ensure that the hyleg is inat least some sort of tolerable condition. Because if the king comes to you cradling hisnewborn, all joy and glee, the astrologer who looks at the chart and predicts a very short


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John FrawleyConversations on Natal Astrology, 2

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life for the little chap is likely to have a life-span thats even shorter.

So this isnt valid, uncle?Theres an argument for ignoring it, and for taking the light of the time as hyleg, wherever it happens to be. But theres also a good argument for sticking with thesehylegal houses, which Ill tell you about in a minute. After weighing it up, I stick withthem.

The light of the time, uncle - is that the Sun in a day chart and the Moon in a nightchart?

Thats right. Do you know how to tell if its a day chart or a night chart?Thats easy, uncle. The Ascendant/Descendant axis represents the horizon. If the

Sun is above the horizon, its day; if its below it, its night. For example, if the Sun is inthe 12th house its daytime; if its in the 3rd its night-time.

Good. We can allow a few degrees of leeway in favour of day at either end, just before sunrise and just after sunset, because it is light before the Sun rises and after thesun sets. There is no precise definition for the number of degrees we can allow: a few isas accurate as we can be. Thats because the exact number of degrees varies according tolatitude, to the time of year - and also according to the weather at the time. We can findout the latitude and time of year, but it is unrealistic to think of checking if it was a bitgloomy that day.

So if the Sun is a couple of degrees below the Ascendant or a couple of degrees below the Descendant, I should still count that as a daytime chart.

Thats right.But what if Im not sure. How many degrees is a few?In the great majority of charts the problem doesnt arise. When it does, listen to the

chart. Always work on the assumption that the chart wants to tell you something: that isits role in life. In cases of doubt, it will make it clear enough which it is.

OK, uncle, we have our hylegal houses. Now what?If its a day chart, we start with the Sun. Is the Sun in one of the hylegal houses: the

1st, 7th, 9th, 10th, or 11th? If it is, the Sun is hyleg. Some of the old books say it has to be within 25 degrees of the house cusp. Ignore this: it is a hangover from the whole-signhouse systems. It has no place in a quadrant system, such as Placidus, which we areusing. Whenever you see this reservation about being only in the first 25 degrees of thehouse, you can ignore it.

And if the Sun isnt in one of those houses?If it isnt, we move on to the Moon. Is the Moon in one of the hylegal houses? If it is,

the Moon is hyleg.Suppose theyre both in hylegal houses?So what? There is a strict order here: Sun first; Moon only if Sun isnt used. There

is never a question of our having to choose between them.And what if neither the Sun nor the Moon is in a hylegal house?Between the two of them, the Sun and Moon will provide us with a hyleg in

something over half of all charts. If neither of them work, all we can do is to give up.Give up judging the chart?He gasped, and took a restorative sip from his brandy before replying. No, you


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young... I sensed that he was struggling to find something polite to call me, ... scallywag.

No: give up looking for a hyleg. WE DO NOT NEED A HYLEG

But dont we need a hyleg?Not at all. The ancient masters of our craft list various specious alternatives, but

none of these are more than a desperate scratching around to produce something onto which we can stick the label Hyleg. They dont work, so there is no need to bother withthem. And dont ask, my boy: Ill not fill your head with a lot of stuff that doesnt work.

But if the hyleg is the indicator of life, how can we get along without it?Very well indeed. I said it was like the little red light on the back of a kettle. Have

you never seen a kettle that doesnt have such a light?Of course I have, uncle. We have one at home.It still works, I take it. The error is in thinking that these technical terms - hyleg

and anareta, for instance - are exclusive. That is what leads to this desperate scratchingaround to find something that can be pressed into service. But these terms are notexclusive. We can select one planet and give it the official badge saying I am hyleg, butthere are other planets which will be significant as representatives of the life-force when we start predicting the length of life. The light of the time, whether it is hyleg or not, willalways be important. The other light will always be important. The Ascendant will always be important. To a slightly lesser extent, the Lord of the Ascendant will always beimportant.

Or we can select a planet and give it the official badge saying I am anareta - thatsthe killing planet - but were never short of options for killing somebody. There areplenty of things in the chart that will do it just as well as the anareta.

If there is a hyleg or an anareta it has a particular importance when it comes topredicting death, but that is all. They are each first among equals, you might say. Thetheory is that once weve selected our hyleg and our anareta, we progress the chart untilhyleg and anareta meet, on which the person promptly dies. This is a great theory. Itdoesnt work, but its a very nice theory. The reality is nowhere near as neat as that - nor,if you think for a moment, my boy, could it ever be so.

What do you mean, uncle?Consider: a much higher proportion of people born at night will have the Moon as

hyleg. By progression the Moon will conjunct or oppose everything in your natal chart within 15 years. If it were really as simple as hyleg meets anareta, goodbye, we wouldexpect far more people born at night to head for an early grave. If this were so, we mighthave expected folk wisdom to notice. Every time somebody had a baby at night, the local wise-woman would be shaking her head, saying, Oh, he wont be here for long, dearie.Its a far more sophisticated system then that. And people with the Moon as hyleg dontdie younger!

I confess I still felt unsure about proceeding without a hyleg, but my uncle promisedit would all become clear later on, when he told me about predicting. He continued: Ifthe Sun is our first choice as hyleg by day, what do you think will be our first choice for


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hyleg in a night chart?

The Moon?Yes, my boy. If the Moon is in one of the hylegal houses, it will be hyleg.And if it isnt?The Sun.I wondered if he was pulling my leg. I was about to ask him how the Sun could be in

the 10th house in a night chart, when I realised, That can only be shortly before dawn,cant it, uncle?

Thats right: Sun in the 1st house. As before, if neither Sun nor Moon is hyleg, giveup.

So rather fewer night charts will have an official hyleg?Yes. But that makes no difference. Like those born by day, people born at night live

until they die and then stop, hyleg or no.

Anareta

Now we come to choosing the anareta: the killing planet. Our first choice for anareta isany planet in the 8th house.

Not the lord of the 8th?No, not the Lord of the 8th. A planet in the 8th. Anywhere in the 8th, even if not in

the same sign as the 8th cusp. Why do you think this is our first choice, not Lord 8?If we go for a planet in the 8th, this automatically excludes the hyleg.Exactly. This is the argument for retaining the hylegal houses in our system for

selecting the hyleg. Maybe it isnt just the royal astrologer trying to save his neck; maybethere is a valid reason for it. As youll see, using a planet in the 8th as anareta does seemto work. Remember:THE HYLEG CANNOT ALSO BE ANARETA.

Even if the Sun is in the 8th house, the Sun will be anareta, the killing planet, despite thefact that the Sun is light of the time; despite that fact that it is naturally the Lord of Life.

What if theres more than one planet in the 8th?The one closest to the cusp is the one that gets to wear the official badge, I am

anareta. But any of the other planets in the 8th can do the job as well, so when you cometo progressing the chart youll need to keep an eye on them too.

That would be a particularly horrible chart, one with four or five planets in the 8th.Not necessarily. Lots of planets in the 8th doesnt mean that the person will die

more than once, any more than an empty 8th house means he wont die at all.And this includes the 5 degrees before the house cusp?Always, my boy, for any house, so long as they are in the same sign as the cusp.

This is always so, in all circumstances, in any form of astrology that were doing. It is notin any way a kind of fuzzy area, or no mans land, between the houses: the planet is verydefinitely in the one house and it is very definitely not in the other. Just as if I amstanding in someones front garden. I may not be in their living-room, but I am definitelyon their property, and I am definitely not in the house next door.


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I see. What if there are no planets in the 8th?

Then we take Lord 8. Provided Lord 8 is not hyleg, it will be anareta.So this gives us an anareta for every chart, except those that have an empty 8thhouse and Lord 8 as hyleg.

Yes: almost all charts. For those few awkward ones, again the best we can do is togive up. Lilly and the others cite various options for selecting an anareta in these cases, but what this comes down to is any planet you dont like the look of. Better to do without an anareta than to give out the badge for no sounder reason than that. Werenever short of ways to kill someone! The Lord of the 8th can always do it, even if its notthe official anareta. Even, indeed, if it is hyleg. It can play both roles at different times when we progress the chart. Saturn can kill; Mars, at a pinch; any number of fixed stars.

What does the anareta tell us about the person?Nothing at all. As with the hyleg, theres nothing psychological about it. It doesnt

even tell us anything about the persons death. Having Jupiter as anareta doesnt mean youll die laughing. Whether Murder Incorporated send out the fat guy to shoot you orthe thin guy to shoot you, it doesnt really matter: either way you end up shot. The onlyuse of the anatera is in predicting when the native will die. I think youll agree, my boy,that this is quite an important matter. If we cant predIct that, which is the mostsignifIcant event in the entire life, what else can we predict?

Can we predict it, though, uncle? I had heard so many claiming that we cannot.There is so much nonsense talked about this. The great and the good of

Astro-world solemnly assure us that it is no longer possible to predict death from thechart, because advances in medical science have increased our life-span. Its difficult tocredit it, but they apparently say this in all seriousness.

Consider, my boy: if this were so, it would mean that at some point in our life wemove beyond our fate. Im looking forward to that day... his voice dropped to aconspiratorial whisper as he tapped me on the knee, ... because thats when I get tomarry Lauren Bacall. My aunt, who has ears as sensitive as a cats whiskers, shot him aglance. And I get to win the lottery every week. Desirable, but, alas, unlikely.

It also carries the arrogant implication that medicine in the past never prolongedanyones life. Even the most basic medical intervention, like staunching a wound, didntprolong that persons life by even a day. It makes you wonder why they bothered.

Alchohoden

Nodding at my aunt for her to fetch him a mince-pie, he continued. She had evidentlyforgiven him his comment about Lauren Bacall, as it came heaped with cream and brandy butter. One for me too, I was delighted to see.

Now for the third and last of these technical terms - and the one that is mostmisunderstood. The alcohoden is the giver of years. There are those who makeinordinate claims about its powers, saying we can exactly predict the length of life from italone. Dont believe a word of it, my boy! In fact, dont believe any such claims for instantaccuracy from any one single technique: they are invariably spurious, and


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misunderstand the nature of astrology. I resolved to be circumspect, between mouthfuls

of mince pie.We find the alcohoden by looking at the hyleg, he continued. Of course, if there isno hyleg there is no alcohoden either. This doesnt mean the person is underprivileged.Many people have no alcohodens and live quite happily without ever even suspecting it.It is a convenience for the astrologer; it makes no difference to the person.

But if there is a hyleg, how do we get from that to the alcohoden?Good question. We are often told to take the almuten of the hyleg. Do you know

what an almuten is?Its the strongest planet in a particular place, I answered, proudly.No. Its an Arabic word meaning utter nonsense. The best thing you can do is to

forget all about it. What was he saying? Esteemed authorities set great store by it, I knew. He read my

mind. Esteemed authorities set great store by all kinds of unthought-out ideas. Youknow what dear Nicky said.

Yes, I knew. How could I not? My uncle had been drilling these words into my headsince my earliest memories of conversing with him. Even when reading me fairy-storieshe would often interject Nicholas Culpepers dictum: _

LET EVERYONE THAT DESIRES TO BE CALLED BY THE NAME OF ARTIST HAVEHIS WITS IN HIS HEAD (FOR THATS THE PLACE ORDAINED FOR THEM) ANDNOT IN HIS BOOKS

Let us then replace our wits in our heads and examine the idea of almuten. Theidea is that every degree in the zodiac has one of the planets as its almuten, and thereforeanything that falls in that same degree has that same planet as its almuten. The almutenof 3 Libra is Saturn, so the almuten of anything at 3 Libra is Saturn. I nodded. Theproblem lies in the way we work out what is the almuten of any degree.

To find the almuten, we are told to add up the essential dignities in that degree,giving 5 points to the sign-ruler, 4 to the exaltation-ruler if there is one, 3 to thetriplicity-ruler, 2 to the term-ruler, and 1 to the face-ruler. For example, at 3 degrees ofLibra, Venus will score 5 points because it is sign-ruler. Saturn will score 4 points because it is exaltation-ruler. Lets say its a daytime chart, so Saturn will score another 3points because it rules the triplicity. Saturn scores another 2 points because it rules thefirst term in Libra. The first face of Libra is ruled by the Moon, so the Moon would score 1point.

Wow, uncle - you know all those minor dignities by heart! I was impressed.Dear me, no! I have better things to fill my head with. The reason I chose 3 Libra as

my example is because that is one of the few places in the zodiac where the minorrulerships have for some reason stuck in my brain. You should know the major dignitiesand the debilities, but theres no need to memorise the rest. Anyway - if we add thesenumbers up, we see that even though Venus is the sign-ruler, Saturn scores higher. With4 points for exaltation, 3 for triplicity, and 2 for term, it gets 9 points, while Venus hasonly 5.


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So Saturn is almuten of 3 Libra, and of anything at 3 Libra.

So the theory goes. There are some places in the zodiac - many places, indeed - where two or even three planets score equally on this method. For instance, in much ofGemini Mercury and Saturn score the same. When you have a choice like this, you wouldtake the one that is stronger in that particular chart. So you would favour Mercury on theMidheaven over Saturn in the twelfth house.

So whats the problem with almuten, then, uncle?The theory sounds plausible enough. But talk it over with Nicky Culpepers friend,

Dr Reason, and he will soon show you it makes no sense at all. I trust you have made thegood doctors acquaintance? I had to admit I spent less time in his company than Imight, for all I knew how my dear uncle valued his conversation.

My uncle looked disappointed at my bashful silence, but continued, As Dr Reason would tell you, if only you asked him, the first problem with this neat little theory is that we cannot add these dignities. We can add things that differ in quantity, like a 2 kilo weight and a 5 kilo weight. Together they make 7 kilos. We cannot add things that differin their quality - things that are essentially different. 2 dogs + 2 dogs = 4 dogs. 2 dogs + 2tables = 2 dogs + 2 tables. We cannot add dogs and tables.

1 boy + 1 mince-pie = 1 boy, my aunt interrupted, smiling as she refilled my plate.

The dignities, my uncle went on, all contribute towards essential strength, butthey are not mere gradations on one scale. They come from quite different places,deriving from quite different sets of ideas, and have been shoehorned in together tocreate this table. Its simply untrue to say that sign-rulership is stronger than exaltation.Its like comparing a great scientist to a great artist: which is the greater? We can say thatthe great scientist is greater than a workaday scientist, but how can we decide he isgreater than the great artist? There is no basis on which we can decide that the one is worth 5 points and the other only 4.

Even if we stretch a point and choose to add these things, the tidy 1 2 3 4 5 scale ofstrength is indefensible. Sign rulership and exaltation are hugely stronger than triplicityrulership, and triplicity rulership is hugely stronger than term and face. Consider this:suppose the general of the army - 5 points - has an argument with a sergeant - triplicityruler: 3 points - and a corporal, with his 2 points. Who is going to win the argument? Thegeneral, of course. There is no equality here, whatever the arithmetic might say.

The idea of almuten does not make sense, so dont use it. Ever.OK, uncle, so were not going to take the almuten of the hyleg to be our alcohoden.

What will we use?Take the dispositor of the hyleg. There is no need for any other options, because

there are none of the exclusions that we have when choosing the hyleg and the anareta.The dispositor of the hyleg will be alcohoden no matter where it is in the chart, and evenif it is the anareta or itself the hyleg.

So if the hyleg is in its own sign, the hyleg will also be alcohoden.Yes. Its that simple, so dont complicate it. If you read the old books, youll find all

sorts of limitations on these basic rules for choosing hyleg and alchoden. To be selected,for instance, the planet has to be aspected by its own dispositor. Ignore these extras! The


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authors throw them in just to make sure youre awake. It seems to be a particular

characteristic of the Arab writers - for whom I have the highest regard, so I mean this asno criticism - that they like giving sweeping theoretical statements, which have nopractical meaning whatsoever. I think its done from the love of intellectual architecture:we can build it, no matter if it has no function. Youll read all sorts: planets under theEarth have no power - in which case there is no such thing as an opposition. Planetsnot in their hayz have no power or those not aspected by their dispositors - in whichcase a fair proportion of people have utterly redundant birthcharts. Aspects mustperfect by latitude as well as longitude - palpably false. You need to develop a nose forsuch statements. They are not to be taken seriously.

So I cant believe all I read in those old books?Dear me, no! You must be on your guard all the time.Anyway, uncle, youve told me how to find the alcohoden. What do I do with it once

Ive found it?Each of the planets has three sets of years. These are called its lesser years, its

middle years, and its greater years. There is a fourth set, the greatest years, but these arenot for natal astrology. Suppose Mercury is alchohoden: his greater years are 76, hismiddle years are 48, and his lesser years are 20. The numbers are different with eachplanet.

The theory is that we look at the alcohoden, and decide on its general condition. Ifits strong, we start with the greater years; if weak, with the lesser years; if middling, withthe middle years. We then adjust that number up or down, depending on what else ishappening to the planet. If the alcohoden is trined by Jupiter, well add a few years on. Ifits near the South Node, well take some off.

So we consider all the accidental dignities and debilities?Yes. Then to fine-tune our calculation we go and ask next-doors cat for its opinion,

which is worth more than anything this calculation will give us.I was puzzled. You mean the calculation is worthless, uncle?Utterly. First, the books themselves tell us that this calculation gives us the time

when the person will die - unless they die at some other time.Hmm, I see what you mean. Maybe next-doors cat does know best.But lets remember dear Nickys advice, and put our wits back in our heads. We are

supposed to adjust the number of years according to what is happening to the planet. Buthow can we quantify these adjustments? How many years is a Jupiter trine? Is it at 2degrees of separation? 3 degrees of separation? Applying or separating? What sign isJupiter in? What houses does it rule in that chart? What else is happening to it - does ithave some accidental afflictions which limit its ability to act? And so on. These thingscannot be quantified, and, my boy, they are not meant to be quantified! Life cannot bereduced to arithmetic.

It is also impossible that this technique might allow us to predict death withprecision, even were it not for these practical obstacles. It is philosophically unsound toexpect any single technique to work exactly. You will hear people claim the contrary of allsorts of techniques. Aficionados of primary directions, for example, are especially fond ofclaiming that primaries are all you need for long life and fresh breath confidence. But we


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live in a fallen universe. Because it is fallen, there is a slippage between what is down

here and what is up there. Because there is this slippage, any single technique will alwaysfall short; it will never give us exactitude. It cannot do.I know! I know, uncle! I chimed in. I remember youve told me before:

God = perfectCreation GodCreation perfect.

Thats right. We can predict, and we can predict with great accuracy, including thetime of death - remembering, of course, that all is subject to the will of God. But thisprecision is not achieved with one magic technique. It is achieved only by using severaltechniques in combination. Using several techniques, we find that each takes up theslack of the slippage between the mundane and the celestial.

Right, uncle. But what, then, do I do with an alcohoden?Using the alcohoden as a precise means of prediction is a complete misuse of it. Yet

its not totally valueless. There are two reasons for its being carried down in the tradition.One is for what we spoke of earlier: fairground astrology. It allows you to look at thechart and very quickly - of course, you can work out the alcohoden within seconds ofcasting the chart - come up with a prediction. And it sounds so good! Length of life? Well, govnor, I can do it - but Ill have to use your alcohoden . My uncle sucked his teethand shook his head slowly, with the air of a plumber informing a householder that whatseemed the simple repair of a dripping tap would require demolishing the whole houseand rebuilding with bricks of solid gold. And alcohodens ooh, they dont come cheap.Demand special knowledge, they do.

So the astrologer can make a quick prediction and it doesnt matter if its wrong.Of course. Youre going to live to be 72. Thatll be $20, please. Goodbye. If he dies

at 25, hes not going to come and ask for his money back. Thats one reason; but there is alegitimate reason too. It can save the astrologer a lot of work, and that is always a goodthing.

I like that, uncle. It wasnt the love of hard work that attracted me to astrology.So why do it, then? As I said, we can predict death, but casting all those

progressions, profections, solar and lunar returns: even with a computer, its a laborious business. If we can reduce the amount of labour, lets do so. The alcohoden is one part -and I stress that, my boy, which he did, by waving his brandy glass violently in thedirection of my head, one part of a quick assessment of roughly - very roughly - how longa life the native is going to have. Suppose we have a client, who is, say, 40. We want toknow how long he will live. If the chart looks robust, we can think, I can forget the next15 or 20 years: hes unlikely to die. Ill start checking the progressions for death at maybeage 55 or 60. Or we might think, Oh dear, it doesnt look like hes going to live long.Id better start doing the progressions from right now. And Id better get a move on. Thisassessment tells us at which point in the life we need to start doing the serious work.

If the alcohoden is one part of this assessment, what are the other parts, uncle?What we need to consider is:

* the Sun and the Moon, with particular emphasis on whichever is the hyleg, if there is


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one

* the alcohoden* the Ascendant* the Lord of the Ascendant.

If all these are in a really bad way - Im not talking about essential dignity here: people with the Sun in Aquarius dont die any younger than anybody else - but if all these points,including the Ascendant, are in the middle of the 12th house, and they are all conjunctthe South Node and various nasty stars, the native is unlikely to have a long life. Unless -and this is extremely important - unless there is a saving aspect from a benefic. A beneficis any planet with major essential dignity, but particularly, in this instance, Venus orJupiter. That will save, as we shall see when we look at William Lillys chart later.

On the other hand, if all these points are strong, all of them up on the Midheaven,conjunct the North Node and generally happier than an aging astrologer whos had someof your aunts excellent plum pudding... He paused like an old theatrical ham, and shetook the hint, ... you know the native will live to a full term.

I see. That makes sense, uncle. My aunt looked at me, her spoon laden with plumpudding, wondering if I had room for more. Why not? It was Christmas, and all thisthinking gives a boy a powerful appetite. As does the taste of my aunts cooking.

So that, you see, is what the alcohoden is for. He waved his spoon at me vehemently, What you must always remember is the underlying rule behind allastrology:God is not a Virgo.

1 REFERENCE!_ 2 Nicholas Culpeper, Astrological Judgment of Diseases from the Decumbiture of the Sick , p. 67; London, 1655, reprinted Nottingham, n.d._

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