Calculating the Almuten of the soul with Morinus software

The new version of Morinus fixes a bug in the calculation of the Almuten, so this could be the opportunity to discuss how we can use this software in judging about the qualities of the soul.

The chapter about the qualities of the soul is surely the most important together with the one about the prorogation: it’s the only one in which Ptolemy gives a detailed list of meaning for the planets who assume the rulership of the soul, which is unfortunately the opposite policy of the rest of the book.

In another of his books- The Harmonics¹ Ptolemy lists the three faculties of the man: potentia vegetativa, potentia sensitiva, potentia intellectiva- the vegetative, sensitive and intellective soul, which as usually he takes from Aristotle.

In Tetrabiblos he  does not repeat this distinction but he lists as significators of the temperament the Ascendant and the Moon, while he mentions Moon and Mercury - in the chapter which is dedicated to the “qualities of the soul” as significators of the mind, and in particular way:

Of the spiritual qualities, however, all those which are rational and intellectual are contemplated by the situation of Mercury; while all others, which regard the mere sensitive faculties, and are independent of reason, are considered rather by  the other luminary  of a less subtle constitution and more ponderous body: ie  by the Moon and such stars as she may be configurated with, as well by separation,  as by application. ²
CLAUDIUS PTOLEMAUS

Some centuries after Lilly version will be:

Significations of the Wit and Intellect are taken especially from Mercury and his configuration with the Moon, for he governes the rational Soule and animall Spirits in the Braine, as the Moon doth the vegetative and strength of the Braine, more neer to the Senses. ³
WILLIAM LILLY

Significators of the mind should be taken:

- according the position in signs and houses and according their hairesis;

- searching the ruler or the rulers of the significators of the mind. This can be easily obtained according the general method Ptolemy describes for the Animodar:

it must be observed what planets have dominion over the said degree: and their dominion depends always on the five following prerogatives, viz. on triplicity, house, exaltation, terms, and phase or configuration that is to say, a planet, eligible to dominion, must be connected with the degree in question either by one, or more, or all of these prerogatives. ⁴
CLAUDIUS PTOLEMAUS

An alternative method - which we are going to illustrate with the help of  Morinus software is the one showed by Antonio da Monte Dell’Olmo ( better known as Montulmo - who was a lector of astrology and mathematics in Bologna university.

Montulmo repeats Aristotle classification of the three parts of the soul, assigning the following astrological significators.

As we see Montumo introduces the variant of the Ascendant- in every case already known for example in Al-Kayatt.⁵  This is quite obvious if we think a little because it’s impossible that temperament- which we take from Moon and Ascendant  is indifferent to the qualities of the soul.

This is the same method we found in the unknown astrologer we saw in the  post Divisors, chronocrators, almutens and more in a Renaissance geniture which the author lists in the first pages of his reading, so Montulmo method should be a widespread and well known method - at least in the area where Montulmo, Argoli, Arquato and many other famous Italian astrologers worked.

We can easily repeat the result with the modern software Morinus, in download here.

Let’s go to OPTIONS,  choose ALMUTENS, TOPICAL and open the EDITOR.

Let’s write “Soul Almuten” and then ADD.

Now let’s start to choose our significators, being careful that every time we want to add a row, we should choose “ADD A ROW” button and lastly don’t forget to push ADD.

Eventually we should get this:

Now let’s check the result comparing it with the Renaissance astrologer.

Scores are as usually 5 for domicile, 4 for exaltation, 3 for triplicity, 2 for term and 1 for facie.

The difference in calculation is due to the fact that Morinus can choose between using all three rulers of triplicity or just one; on the other hand our unknown astrologer takes both the triplicity of the nativity (in our case  a diurnal nativity) and the participating one, so in  order to have the same result we should subtract 6 points of night triplicity to Mars for both Mercury and Moon and we get 5 for Mars; in the same we should take away 3 points of night triplicity  to Jupiter and we have 9 for Jupiter.  Obviously we are free to consider both three triplicities or just one (I like this better).

In this way the Almuten of the soul is quickly computed.

Written by Margherita Fiorello, CIDA certified member, for heaven astrolabe blog @ year 2010. If you want to be notified the next time I write something, subscribe to my RSS feed.

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1. in Giuseppe Bezza, Arcana Mundi: Antologia Del Pensiero Astrologico Antico (Milano: Biblioteca Universale Rizzoli, 1995) [↩]
2. Tetrabiblos, III, 18 [↩]
3. William Lilly, Christian Astrology III [↩]
4. Tetrabiblos, III, 3 [↩]
5. Abu Al-Kayyat, The book of the judgement of nativities cura J. H. Holden (AFA, 1988).  [↩]