The Logic of Geomantic Houses

[sdi]

In The Art and Practice of Geomancy, Greer writes that the houses follow a subtle but definite logic; true though this is, I've spent a lot of time trying to puzzle out what, exactly, that logic is.

Here is my best guess so far:

1. Me
2. Closely held things (possessions, money, self-esteem, close advisors, secrets you keep from everyone else, etc.)
3. Nearby things (the local environment, neighbors, communication, common knowledge, etc.)
4. Things beneath (things relating to the earth (agriculture, real estate, etc.), one's roots, the past, etc.)
5. Nearby benefits (pleasures, made things, etc.)
6. Nearby limitations (the body, diseases, hired help, etc.)
7. You (partners, opponents, "the other party", etc.)
8. Things let go of (death, wills, legacies, magic, etc.)
9. Distant things (faraway places, dreams, specialized knowledge, religion, etc.)
10. Things above (things related to the sky (weather, astrological forces, etc.), authority, gods, one's ambitions, the future, etc.)
11. Distant benefits (friends, benefactors, hopes and wishes, etc.)
12. Distant limitations (societal hindrances, things hidden from you, the unknown, fears, etc.)

Obviously, the opposite houses have complementary meanings. But there's also relationships to the four triplicities of the shield chart here (I+II=IX, III+IV=X, V+VI=XI, VII+VIII=XII). I am still grappling with these for the moment.

Comments

[barefootwisdom]

This is still an un-worked-out hunch, but one place to look for connecting houses and triplicities might be in the oktatropos, a system of houses used in Hellenistic astrology, where only the first eight houses (still of 30 degrees each) had inherent meanings; meanings for all twelve houses could be derived by compounding houses that were already present, in much the same way that we "rotate the chart" to get derived houses in geomancy.

I don't know offhand all the Hellenistic authors who discuss the technique. I know Firmicus Maternus has a section on it, although in the translation by Jean Rhys Bram, the translator gets seriously confused, and tries to turn the eight houses into 45° segments which would then cover the entire zodiac. This is a mistake, as Chris Brennan clearly shows in his Hellenistic Astrology textbook. (The Rhys Bram translation of Firmicus is riddled with errors; if you can find an alternative, I'd recommend doing so.)

More generally, I recall Brennan having a nice discussion of the oktatropos in his book, and so beginning there, and proceeding on to the sources he cites, might be a worthwhile approach.

[sdi]

Thank you! This is fascinating, it sounds like I should take a look at Brennan's book.

[sdi]

I found a copy of Hellenistic Astrology at a nearby used bookstore. (This struck me as lucky, but then I've had nearly a dozen "lucky" finds at the bookstores around here in as many days, so perhaps it's more accurate to simply say that the bookstores here are so much better than the ones in New York that it's ridiculous.)

I'm starting to read it now—it's introduction is lengthy, but I have a fascination with history so I expect it to be a while before I get into the meat of the practical sections—but I ran across this chart detailing the oktatropos which certainly feels like a relation to the scheme I'm working on, where the IX through XII are "derived houses" without an inherent meaning.

Thanks for the pointer!

[emmanuelg]

I think we already discussed the axes of the house chart;
Generally Houses I thru VI are nearby, and Houses VII thru XII are distant.
Pairing the houses;
I Me VII You
II Closely held stuff/Money VIII Things let go of/Death
III Local/Neighborhood/At Home IX Far Journeys; Geographical, Philosophical or Religious
IV Things beneath/roots/earth/Mother X Things above/Sky/Built Reputation/Father
V Fun/Sexuality/Crops/Reference Sources XI Hopes/Wishes/Dreams/Friends/Promises/Unmentionable
VI Professions/Diseases/Hired Help XII Government/Limitations/Quarantines/Rulers.

I wonder if assessing the Axis-pair of significant figures, such as figures that pass to other locations, would give additional information.

[sdi]

I wonder if assessing the Axis-pair of significant figures, such as figures that pass to other locations, would give additional information.

Ah, as if assessing company? That's a good question. I've noticed Puer/Puella oppositions with significance before...

[emmanuelg]

Yes--
Also, just meditating about the opposite houses gives me a better characterization of both houses. Like VI vs XII
Opposite of Professionals? Politicians
Opposite of Employees? Rulers
Opposite of Disease? --That's worth pondering... Cures perhaps?

or V vs XI

Good crops, fun, accurate references, rain--All things that could be unfulfilled wishes in XI...

[sdi]

When I think of the VI/XII, I think the house logic is more about opposites in scale:

What is the opposite of an acute disease? A chronic disease!
What is the opposite of a person working for you? A person working against you!
What is the opposite of my body? Society as a whole!

So the VI is kinda about impediments one has in the immediate sense—things you need to work with or around to accomplish your goals, while the XII is about one's overall limits—things you're stuck with and need to work within the bounds of.

That is, another way to put this, I think, it's that it's an "in/out" sort of opposite, rather than a "left/right" sort of opposite. A point vs everything outside it, rather than two directions opposed on a line.

[tunesmyth]

Have you fleshed it out any more at this point?

One thing I love about this setup is that there is a natural feeling division between 6-7, moving from ME stuff to YOU stuff exactly where the house chart horizon is crossed; but there is also a natural feeling division at 8-9, between near things and far things, exactly where the shield chart runs out of daughters and shifts to nieces.

[sdi]

I refined the list a little bit—not really enough to be worth posting an update, though—but then, a month ago, you mentioned some thoughts on how to interpret the triplicities which seems pregnant with possibility, but with all the craziness of the last month, I haven't had enough time to re-evaluate.