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Those who have not yet read Richard
S. Baldwin's translation of the Astrologia
Gallica, Book Twenty-One, which is on Determinations, and my own
translation of Book Twenty-Two, which is on Primary Directions, should do
so before reading the present work. In particular, my preface to the
translation of Book Twenty-Two contains information about Morin, his
masterwork the Astrologia Gallica,
and my methods of translation. It would be superfluous to repeat all of
that here. I will simply say here that Jean-Baptiste Morin, M.D.
(1583-1656) was perhaps the greatest French astrologer of all time. He
specialized in what is now called "event-oriented" astrology,
i.e. the prediction of definite events at specific times in a person's
life, rather than the vague psychological pronouncements and mystical
maunderings that are characteristic of much of today's astrology. His main
tools were Primary Directions, Solar Returns, and Lunar Returns. He takes
some note of Transits, but he considers them to be subsidiary influences.
And he does not mention Secondary Directions, which were invented by his
younger contemporary Placidus (1603-1668) and had not yet come into general
use (and would not do so until the twentieth century).
The present book begins with a
philosophical discussion of planetary influences with special reference to
what we today call "solar returns," but which Morin calls, in the
language of his day, "revolutions." This discussion may seem
tedious and unrewarding to the modern astrologer who is mainly intent on
learning the fine details of the Morin method of interpreting solar
returns, but if he will have the patience to read these early chapters, he
will gain a valuable insight into the theory behind solar returns. After
explaining the theory, Morin goes into his method of calculating solar
returns and finally, into what is of most interest today -- his method of
interpreting them. He draws many examples from his own life, and some from
the lives of others, among them Gustavus Adolphus (1594-1632), King of
Sweden; Albert of Wallenstein (1583-1634), the Duke of Friedland; the
famous Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642), and a popular preacher of his day,
Father Charles de Condren (1588-1641). He gives a considerable number of
solar and lunar return charts, and discusses each chart in light of the
events that occurred in the life of the person in the year or month for
which it was set, thereby illustrating his method of interpretation by many
actual examples. This is followed by a chapter on primary directions of the
solar return charts, again with numerous examples.
Finally, in Chapters 18 to 20 at the
end of the book, Morin gives condensed rules for the judgment of
revolutions. These three chapters were translated previously and were
included as an appendix to my translation of Book 22 (published by the
A.F.A. at Tempe, Arizona, in 1994); they are repeated
here with only a few slight changes.
The translation is fairly literal. I
have avoided paraphrase where possible. The original text is complicated,
so the translation is also complicated. In it I have retained some obsolete
or now seldom used technical terms, such as "revolutions" (for
'returns'), "figure" (for 'chart'), "geniture" (for
'horoscope'), "genethliacal" ('relating to the natal chart'),
"apheta" (now more often called "hyleg"), and
"anaereta" (less accurately spelled "anareta" – the
point in the chart that indicates death when the apheta moves to it by
direction). I have also kept the useful terms "constitution" and
"virtue": "constitution" refers to the overall makeup
of a chart -- the sign and house positions of the planets;
"virtue" refers to the active force of a celestial factor -- its
strength or ability to act in a characteristic manner. Those who have read
the translations of Books 21 and 22 will already be familiar with the terms
peculiar to Morin -- "determinations," "celestial
state," and "terrestrial state." I have also decided to
translate the Latin word morbus as 'illness' rather than
'sickness', as I translated it in Book 22, since Morin usually refers to
serious and prolonged maladies rather than short-term and less severe ones.
Here and there I have added a few needful words in square brackets and
footnotes to clarify some obscure points. I have also written out the names
of planets, signs, aspects, etc., although in the Astrologia Gallica
they are usually indicated by symbols.
Those astrologers who favor Solar
and Lunar Returns and Primary Directions as predictive tools will find that
a careful reading of this treatise of Morin's will provide an outstanding
guide to their interpretation. However, they should always bear in mind
Morin's oft repeated dictum that the birth chart forecasts the native's
entire life, while the solar and lunar returns, considered in relation to
the primary directions, are useful to indicate the approximate time when
events signified by the nativity will happen and to add some precision to
the exact nature of the events, while transits can indicate the very day of
their occurrence. But, and Morin stresses this point repeatedly, the
returns, the primary directions, and the transits are all subordinate to
the birth chart -- they must be interpreted within the framework set at
birth; they cannot overrule it! He also points out that some events can
occur that are not indicated in the birth chart, and he explains the reasons
for this.
I have chosen to reproduce the
horoscopes and the solar and lunar return charts directly from Book 23
rather than redraw them in the modern round form. Thus, the reader will see
them exactly as Morin drew them. They may look odd at first, but the reader
will soon become accustomed to the square form. The chart data is given in
the center of each chart in Latin and a translation is given underneath the
chart. The times are LAT (counted from the previous noon, in the center of
the chart). If the reader wishes to recalculate a chart, he should apply
the Equation of Time from the table in Appendix 1to the time shown in order
to convert it from LAT to LMT. The result of the recalculation can then be
checked by comparing the calculated RAMC with the RAMC of the original
chart; it should be within half a degree or less. There are numerous small
errors in these charts, most of them insignificant. Where I have noticed an
error in a chart, I have mentioned it in a footnote, but I have not checked
each chart in detail.
However, in the case of the lunar
revolutions, there are frequent errors in the time of the chart. The reason
is two-fold: (1) the longitude of the Moon in the natal chart may be in
error by as much as half a degree; and (2) the calculated longitude of the
Moon at the time of the lunar return may also be in error by as much as
half a degree. These errors are due to the inherent inadequacy of the lunar
theory of the Rudolphine Tables with which they were
calculated. The average error will therefore be a half degree in the Moon's
longitude at the time of the return, which will cause an average error of
nearly 1 hour in the calculated time of the revolution. In a worst case,
the error could be as much as two hours.
Morin was evidently unaware of this possibility of error, since he assumed
that the lunar longitudes calculated from the tables were correct. I have
recalculated the true time of each lunar revolution (with an accuracy of
plus or minus 2 or 3 minutes) and given it in a footnote. The reader may
wish to recalculate those lunar revolutions whose true times produce
significant changes in the corresponding charts. This would be a good
exercise for the student astrologer.
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