THE AGE POINT SYSTEM - Part 2 copyright, Andrew J.Bevan, 2000 THE TECHNIQUE Getting to the Point In
the Age Point System the birth diagram is simply held
up front and compared with a conventional clock. The
clock dial has 12 hours, just like the zodiac shows 12 signs. However,
on the clock one revolution round the dial equals a chronical hour,
which consists of 60 minutes in time. In the Age Point System the
60-minute dial is converted to 60 years of age. To read the 'minutes',
or rather 'years', of the chart, just direct the ascendant CLOCKWISE.
This is your Age Point. Because
you are counting clockwise this means that you are directing the Age
Point against the flow of the signs. If the Ascendant
is in Scorpio, the Age Point will move from Scorpio to Libra and then
to Virgo, etc., and in that direction. The Age Point is
directed at a rate of one degree for every two months, six degrees for
every year, and every sign takes five years. An
entire tour of the birthchart takes 60 years. During this time the Age
Point will have been directed through all the signs and made contact
with every planet and configuration by conjunction or aspect. As the
Age Point progresses through the chart, judgement may be
passed on every accident or significant turning point in the life of
the native. On the 60th birthday the Age Point returns to the
natal Ascendant and this marks the beginning of the second lap. FRAGMENTS FROM ANTIQUITY M. Manilius (48 B.C.- 20 A.D.)
outlined the cornerstone of the Age Point System in his Five Books on
Astrology (Book Two). According to Manilius the horoscope may be
divided into four quarters which represent the four ages of Man.
Starting from the Ascendant and moving clockwise, the first quadrant
from the Ascendant to the Midheaven represents the years of Infancy;
the second quadrant from the Midheaven to the Descendant is for Youth;
from the Descendant to the Nadir is for Manhood; and last of all, from
Nadir to the Ascendant is for Old Age. William Lilly (1602 - 1681 A.D.)
provides a more detailed, but still approximate version of the Age
Point technique on pages 134138 of his Christian Astrology. "
-The quarter of the heaven containing the fortunes does show which
part of life will be best, bringing the most of happiness and content
into the life of the native. Contrary, that quarter containing the
infortunes shows which part of the life will bring the most hardship.
At this time the native will have little comfort, but encounter much
labour and trouble, and there will be calamities and misfortune."
Then he gets more specific: "- Usually we give each house five
years, but sometimes more or less, according as you see the
significators promising life or death". Lilly
used the technique in his practice of horary astrology.
According to his explanation, the time of life when accidents come to
pass was determined by the house position of the planet, but he also
shows that he needed to vary his yardstick. It seems quite plausible
that Lilly, this Grand Master of Horary Astrology, would correctly
adjust his time measure according to the nature of his business.
However, it could also be that the old style charting, where the
houses provided the fixed reference grid, was inappropriate for Age
Point measurement; i.e. a wide house stretching over large number of
degrees may have lasted 7 or 8 years and not five. Correct
application of the Age Point System implies departing from mundane,
house calculated directions and adopting the ecliptic as the proper
circle of reference. The Age Point System directs from the Ascendant
through the SIGNS, at an EVEN PACE CLOCKWISE.
Each sign lasts five years and you DO NOT CHANGE!
This might look like using an equal house system, but that is not what
you are doing. You are directing BACKWARDS through
the zodiac. You may still use the house system of your choice. AGE POINT CYCLES Remember how the Grandfather Clock chimes once every quarter hour.
The Age Point System works in a similar manner. Every 15 years
a topic is repeated. There is no direct repetition, as
experience always moves on towards a new level. However, the
reconstruction comes close enough and whatever the chart signified at
the age of 11 will come to surface again at the age of 26 and at 41
years old. The Age Point directions give the native the chance
to get on top of what is going on in his life. Character
and personality is a derivation of the psychological structure
indicated by the planets in sign, house and aspect. The framework is
set, however, the outfall might still seem to be a question of
uncertainty. For the natal chart indicates the seed potential and raw
material which according to an unknown measure of personal development
and conscious effort, may be positively integrated, disposed and
utilized through the composition of the personality. The contribution
of astrology is therefore that of a navigation tool,
to help the native become aware and
acquainted with the relatedness of his environment, to
encourage and promote both personal development and conscious efforts. With
the Age Point the native gets to understand the flow of events,
and how these reside in his personal make-up. The progression
through time and space spells out what lessons have to be learnt,
which conflicts need to be resolved on a personal level. Up-coming
challenges can be recognized in advance by tracing them in the past
and through their placement in the psyche. This gives the individual
an opportunity to evaluate his or her psychological composition,
improve the personal assessment and also lift the experiential quality
of future reconstructions. It is seen how even complicated circumstances
of childhood may be transformed and lifted to the
most purposeful expression and meaningful event at a later point of
life. (Squares converted to trines or sextiles through the signs of
long or short ascension, are most effective in this!) Age Point directions cause themes or topics to be repeated every 15 years.
This means that the 15th, 30th, 45th, 60th or 75th year etc., measured
from any degree is crucial to any experience occurring or registering
along the Age Point scale. This is when the Age Point forms any
HARD ASPECT viz.
conjunction, square or opposition, to the
same point of the chart. The hard aspects can be seen at a glance and
are your main working tools. The conjunction is most important of all.
This is where the seed experience is located. YOU DO also note the SOFT ASPECTS that the Age Point makes to the natal planets. These
are useful in annual work. Sextiles and trines are mostly benefic,
however not equally dynamic. Soft aspects do not reoccur with the same
cyclic significance. I
have registered significant events in the lives of clients which
should have occurred on the hard aspect, but which appeared on the
semi square or sesquiquadrate instead. This does suggest a 7
1/2 year cycle to be in effect. The arc is definitely be
worth noting, but mostly I have found it of a lesser or secondary
order. When the Age Point connects to
a configuration, or to two planets that are
connected, the orb between those two planets indicates the
time span from when the event or project is initiated
till when it is completed. THE AGE POINT THROUGH THE SIGNS The
first consideration is to examine the motion of the Age Point as it
passes through each of the signs and from one sign to another. It
takes for the Age Point 5 years to pass through one sign, from end to
beginning. Thus, every 5 years brings the native to a
junction where there is a major shift, change of path or circumstance.
The sign shift is just like corporally moving from one room to
another. Upon entering a new location the native re-orientates
to a new environment. A new room provides a new setting. The
sign sets the scene for the 5-year period to come. When working with a
chart it is often helpful to note those years when
the Age Point changes sign round the outside
of the chart wheel. If, for instance, the natal ascendant is
located in the 18th degree of a sign, this means that the sign shifts
occur at age 3, 8, 13, 18, 23 etc. Your notes around the chart wheel
provide an important reference grid. So in the first place it is
important to consider the natural significations of the sign through
which the Age Point is accidentally directed. ARIES - self-assertion, pioneering activities, cutting,
breaking through, making introductions, starting from scratch, a new
job, personal drive, leadership, competition, combat, aggression,
conflict, heated situations, inflammations, pushing, speeding,
accident prone, the need to communicate in an ordered and systematic
manner, working with young people, school teacher, midwife, helping
people get established. TAURUS - an easy going period, usually providing a steady
income, becoming attached, a period of making investments and getting
established, but there could be a lack of motivation or drive,
difficulty in getting going, friendships and circumstances are stable
and enduring, interest in finance, construction and building branch,
art, culture or gardening. GEMINI - new interests, mental stimulation, schooling,
socializing, contact with young people, writers, journalists and the
like, easy communication, understanding, agreement, meeting people of
a same kind, fortunate for partnership, the feeling of having been
brethren in a previous life, duality, life offering itself in double
portions, nervous, dealing with controversy. CANCER - close encounters with other people, nourishing
relationships, attachment to the home and family, security,
sensitivity, fruitfulness, generally fortunate for pregnancy and
giving birth to children, belonging to groups, clubs, trusts, an
important period of personal recognition, recognising self,
experiencing changes of a personal nature. LEO - personal promotion, creativity, magnitude, fame,
public exposure, success, leadership, the advancement of the father,
involved in drama, entertainment, confidence, meeting important
people, self centring, personal application, vitality, fortitude. VIRGO - work, study, personal development, discrimination,
discussion & debate, business and thrift, controversy, practically
involved with young people, schooling & instruction, traffic,
communication, service, business before pleasure, acquiring skill,
logic, attention to detail. LIBRA - partnership, marriage, uniting, co-operation,
crossing bridges, travelling, social possibilities, making friends,
requirements of justice, a more balanced approach to life, looking for
peace, interest into music and arts, need for honesty regarding self,
sometimes caution regarding capsizing situations or falls. SCORPIO - confrontation with problems at a deep level, going
through the fire for causes you believe in, events make strong impact,
profound changes, separations, sometimes reorganizing home or family,
contact with doctors, psychologists, expects, meeting with sharp
tools, surgery, making repairs, tactical behaviour, manipulation,
secrets, examinations of private parts, sexual activity, research. SAGITTARIUS - travel, education, philosophy, writing, promotion,
publication, new possibilities, expansions, joy, freedom, sporting,
investment, optimism, having fun, contact with lawyers, foreigners,
legitimacies, passports, gaining certificates, diplomas, an outgoing
and enjoyable period, but with the need to avoid excessive expenses,
superficiality and land with feet on ground at the end of the day. CAPRICORN - maturity, discipline, public responsibility, holding
office, formalities, career drive, manifestation of self, less
fruitful, no wish for children, having difficulty in getting children,
or having to accept responsibility for unwanted children, awareness of
age, contact with older people, sometimes illness or death in family,
emotional entanglements are due to complications, difficult
evaluations, navigational problems, the exercise of judgement, being
presented with poor options, an unpleasant notion of causing karma,
results and profits are delayed, the experience of stumbling through
life, the need to recognize the limits of personal responsibility and
make best effort. AQUARIUS - separations, divorces, the need for personal space
and freedom of speech, the urge for independence, breaking out of
outworn or inhibiting patterns, disconnecting, emigrations, an exit or
door of discovery, new acquaintances, membership in clubs and
organisations, humanitarian and social activities, interest in
technology, computers and the like, modernizing, a new car, great for
partnerships based upon friendship and clear thought. PISCES - a double sign providing multiple options, fruitful,
variation, a lot of loose ends, travel, contact with foreigners,
attracted to hospitals, institutions, idealism, interest in art and
religion, development sought on an inner level, confusion in practical
affairs, lack of direction, being on leave, unemployment, retirement,
complicated involvement in karmic relationships, being joined to
people by a strong inner bond, but practical interests going in
opposite directions, attempting to undo knots, helping other people
sort out imperfections, the pieces of the puzzle not matching. CUSPAL TRANSITIONS The
six months (i.e. 3 degrees) prior to the Age
Point moving from one sign to another,
is often experienced as a period of expectation. It is bit like the
quiet before the storm. The native goes through a preparatory stage or
a process of reorientation, but may feel confused as he or her is
responding ahead of time. The moment is not yet ripe and nothing in
the present is actually happening. If
a new project or relationship should be entered just prior to the
cuspal transition, then that involvement either appeared in the very
last moment and in the nick of time, or those circumstances engaged in
are due for change and adaptation and the native will often get
carried elsewhere than he or she anticipated. The Age Point transition from one sign and entering another, the actual
crossing of the cusp is a very potent time indeed.
There is a sudden change of pace, new introductions, new directions,
etc. Events upon the entry to a new sign are often indicative of what
is on the build up for the period ahead. Entering a new sign will
often release events signified by the planet or planets therein,
but often circumstances may initiate or premeditate those issues that
will come to a head when the Age Point reaches and connects to the
planets located in that sign. Example: If a sign contains one planet which is located in the
12th degree of that sign, and which is the significator of marriage,
then marriage may occur at the time as the Age Point connects
to that planet, although the partner may have been met 3 years
earlier, as the Age Point stepped into the sign containing
the significator. (It takes 18 degrees or 3 years for the Age Point to
move from the 30th degree to the 12th degree of any sign) Some particular observations People, partners and professions As
the Age Point passes through one sign,
the native have more dealings with those people and
with those occupations under the rulership of that
sign. Hence, while the Age Point is moving through Taurus, the natives
friends might cluster under Taurus. The native could move into an
important relationship with a Taurus, or is more potent to
give birth to a child under this sign. There could be
significant dealings with bankers, builders and artists. Days of the week The
Moon has her exaltation in Taurus, therefore Monday is the most potent,
fortunate or auspicious day of the week and tends to gather
the most significant events and happenings. Because Taurus is ruled by
Venus, who is exalted in Pisces, Fridays are also considered
auspicious and of special potential but second order in order to
Mondays. The most fortitude day of the week is first taken from the
planet who receives exaltation in the sign through which the Age Point
is directed, secondly by the exaltation of the ruler of that sign. Health However,
the sign containing the Age Point also indicates those bodily
parts, members or organs that are most liable to strain
during the period of direction. This makes way for a positive and
preventive line of action. The client can be warned against an
overload or situation of stress that could cause a serious or
permanent injury. |