1 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
Heliacal Phenomena and the Origin of the Exaltations or Hypsomata
[HELIACAL] Cyril Fagan. On Heliacal Phenomena ("First Light"
Appearances and Disappearances of Planets) in ancient Babylon & Egypt,
especially with regard to the First Crescent Moon, its primary
importance, & how to calculate it. Never before published FLIGHT OF
THE PHOENIX Tables for dating Distant Eras (revised Egyptian
Chronology); excerpts from 9/1958 "Solunars," A.A. On Heliacal
Phenomena and the Origin of the Exaltations or Hypsomata; excerpts from
6/1969 "Solunars." On the Origin of the Horoscope Form from the
Heliacal Rising of Sirius at Heliopolis in 2767 B.C., the inauguration
of Sothic Era as the earliest known horoscope; excerpts from 12/1961
"Solunars" and letter of 5/1966.
Cyril Fagan, "Solunars," A.A. (9/1958)
[HELIACAL PHENOMENA]
Babylonian Accuracy
If reference is made to the Egyptian Sothic Calendar for 2767 B.C,
it will be found that the Greek name for the first month of the season
Shemu was Kaphon (Copic=Pachons). This was because the festival of Pa
Chons or Chronsu ("The New Moon") was celebrated during this month,
which tallied with the Julian year commencing March 13th. Pa Chons was
the god of the New Moon and in the monuments he was represented as
either a falcon-headed man wearing the solar disc and lunar crescent on
his head, or as a naked boy similarly crowned. This seems to prove
convincingly that the Egyptians celebrated the Neomenia or 1st New Moon
of the lunar year, which tallied with the Babylonian 1st Nisan, long
before the institution of their calendar of 360 days, plus 5 epagomenal
days, especially as their ideogram for a month was a representation of
a crescent moon!
2 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
Many hundreds of Babylonian cuneiform tablets of baked clay have
been excavated, which gave the dates of the first appearance of the
lunar crescent. Referring to these, Dr. J. K. Fotheringham of Oxford
University says "...Elaborate computations of the date of this
appearance have come down to us, and we are able to check Babylonian
lunar dates for predicted phenomena with sufficient frequency to know
the high accuracy with which the late Babylonians were able to predict
this phenomena. The late Babylonian ephemerides must in the nature of
the case have been regulated by predicted appearances..." And Karl
Schock declares "...I can say of the Babylonians, who were persistent
observers of the crescent during 3000 years, that not only their
observations but their computations for ephemerides are admirable...."
But while the Babylonians were able to predict with such marvelous
accuracy the dates on which the crescent moon would first become
visible in Babylon, the problem, even to this day, is one of the most
intricate exercises of positional astronomy, notwithstanding our
advanced mathematical technique. It is first essential to know the
precise time of the syzygies and in the Venus Tablets of Ammizaduga
(Oxford University Press, 1928) Schoch has published simple tables for
the computation, accurate to within five minutes of time, from 3508
B.C. to 1992 A.D. Before his lamentable death in 1929, Schock issued
privately even more accurate elements of the luminaries, and with these
James Hynes of Dublin has compiled more precise tables, permitting the
accurate calculation of the longitude and time of the conjunctions and
oppositions of the Sun and Moon for any date between 4000 B.C. and 2000
A.D.
Sighting Problems
To ascertain the date on which the crescent will become visible to
the sharp-sighted observer (weather permitting), it is necessary to
know the Altitude of the Moon over the western horizon at the moment of
sunset, for the 2nd day after the syzygy. This is dependent on the
season of year, the age of the Moon, and the azimuth difference between
the Sun and Moon. In the latitude of Babylon (N 32.30') if the azimuth
difference is zero, the Moon will need to have an altitude of 10.7
3 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
degrees before it can be spotted, but should the azimuth difference
amount to 19 degrees it can be seen when it is only 6.3 degrees above
the western horizon. But these values will differ for every degree of
geographical latitude. If the altitude is less than tabular
requirements, the Moon will not be seen until after sunset of the 3rd
day after the syzygy.
Given a set of heliacal table for the required latitude and a Sun-
date table, such as those compiled by Hynes, it is a very simple matter
to ascertain the date of the heliacal rising or setting of a planet or
fixed star, or the date of its acronychal rising or cosmic setting,
provided the arcus visionis is known. Or vice versa, if the date is
known to determine the value of the gamma. Since the time when Ptolemy
penned his famous ALMAGEST or "Great Work" it has been customary to
regard the visibility of a planet or fixed star as dependent on the
angular distance of the Sun below the horizon at the time of the rising
or setting of that planet or fixed star, and this angular distance is
known among astronomers by the Greek letter gamma. The minimum value
of gamma which will render a star visible is known as the arcus
visionis ("arc of vision").
The value of the 'arcus visionis' is in the first instance
determined empirically, that is, through direct observation by a team
of trained observers, for it is not only dependent on the magnitude of
the star or planet, the season, the azimuth difference of the Sun and
star, but on such local conditions as the terrain--whether hilly or
flat country, whether inland or on the coast, conditions of visibility
and the like. It may happen that two places may be situated on the
same parallel of geographical latitude but while the prevailing
conditions in respect of visibility in one may be excellent, in the
other they may be very poor indeed, and the values of the 'arcus
visionis' for both will be affected accordingly.
From the dates of heliacal risings, given on ancient monumental and
cuneiform inscriptions, Schock found that the mean gamma for Sirius at
heliacal rising at Babylon was 7.7 degrees and at Memphis in Egypt 8.8
degrees. At heliacal setting it was one degree less. This means that
the Sun must be approximately 44 degrees separated from the conjunction
4 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
of Sirius for the latter to be seen on the horizon at Babylon
immediately before sunrise. But once the 'arcus visionis' of a star is
known, magnitude and azimuth distance from the Sun is determined
empirically for any given place, then the 'arcus visionis' of all other
fixed stars and planets can be determined form the appropriate
trigonometical formulae.
Most of the great epochs and eras of antiquity were dated from the
heliacal rising of one or other of the fixed stars. The Harakhte era
began with the heliacal rising of Spica at Heliopolis on September 15,
3130 B.C. and the Sothic era with the heliacal rising of Sirius at
Heliopolis on July 16, 2767 B.C. The rainy season was ushered in at
the heliacal rising of the Hyades and the vine harvest at that of Tsha
Nefre, the "beautiful boy" or Bacchus, identified with Vindemiatrix in
Virgo 15 degrees 12'. The zodiacal exaltation degrees o the planets
(except Venus were the degrees of the zodiac in which they heliacally
rose or set during the lunar year 786-785 B.C. Thus, in that year
Jupiter set heliacally on June 22, 786 B.C. in Cancer 15d. Mercury set
heliacally in the east in Virgo 15d on September 13, 786 B.C., Saturn
set heliacally in the west on September 23, 786 B.C. in Libra 21d and
Mars rose heliacally in the east on January 30, 785 B.C. in Capricorn
28d. On New Year's Day of that year (1st Nisan) April 3, 786 B.C. at
midnight (because the Babylonian ephemerides were always computed for
this time) the Sun was in Aries 19d, the Moon in Taurus 3d and Venus in
Pisces 27d, which are their traditional exaltation degrees. This alone
demonstrates the immense importance that the ancient astrologers gave
to heliacal phenomena. All these longitudes are, of course, in terms
of the sidereal zodiac computed from Spica in Virgo 29d06'.
Dating Distant Eras
The omission of any reference to heliacal phenomena in any
astrological textbook suggests that it is of modern vintage. it is
true that Ptolemy does not specifically refer to such in his
TETRABIBLOS, although he dilates at length upon the subject in his
ALMAGEST. But Schock has demonstrated that Ptolemy's values for the
'arcus visionis' are impossible, even for Alexandria where visibility
5 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
is said to be very poor. Unfortunately these values appear to have
been translated to India and will be found in the Surya-Siddhanta, but
they are equally inapplicable to that continent....
To determine the 'arcus visionis' for a fixed star for any other
place it is necessary to have a team of sharp-eyed observers, capable
of recognizing the star, watching the unobstructed eastern horizon and
a locality where the darkness of the night sky is not destroyed by the
glow of neon lights or the like. From about a week or so before the
calculated time of heliacal rising at Babylon, the vigil should
commence, and the date noted on which the star is seen for a fleeting
moment in the early morning skies on the eastern horizon before
sunrise. Knowing the star's right ascension and declination, the
geographical latitude of the place and the longitude of the Sun, it is
a simple matter to compute the value of the gamma. This should be
repeated with other fixed stars of known magnitude, and from the data
so obtained the value of the 'arcus visionis' for a given magnitude and
azimuth distance, in respect of that locality, can be determined. As
conditions of visibility vary from day to day, these determinations
should be checked in the following year or two.
Knowing the Egyptian date for the heliacal rising of Sothis (Sirius)
the approximate Julian year can be determined almost at sight from the
following table, which has never been published before in any magazine
or textbook, academic or otherwise.
FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX
The approximate Julian years (1st of the tetraeteris) for the 1st
of each Egyptian month when Sirius rose heliacally at Heliopolis.
Season Month Coptic Name Cycles
1 Achet 1 Thoth 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
2 Achet 2 Phaophi -4224 -2768 -1312 + 144
3 Achet 3 Athyr -4104 -2648 -1192 + 264
6 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
4 Achet 4 Khoiak -3984 -2528 -1072 + 384
5 Pert 1 Tybi -3864 -2408 - 952 + 504
6 Pert 2 Mekhir -3748 -2288 - 832 + 620
7 Pert 3 Phamenoth -3628 -2168 - 712 + 740
8 Pert 4 Pharmouthi -3508 -2048 - 592 + 860
9 Shemu 1 Pachons -3388 -1932 - 476 + 980
10 Shemu 2 Payni -3268 -1812 - 354 +1096
11 Shemu 3 Epiphi -3148 -1692 - 236 +1216
12 Shemu 4 Mesore -3028 -1572 - 116 +1336
1st Epapomenal Day -2908 -1452 + 4 +1456
2nd Epagomenal Day -2788 -1332 + 124 +1576
3rd Epagomenal Day -2784 -1328 + 128 +1580
4th Epagomenal Day -2780 -1324 + 132 +1584
5th Epagomenal Day -2776 -1320 + 136 +1588
-2772 -1316 + 140 +1592
In the Ebers Papyrus it is recorded that in the 9th year of
Amenophis (Amenhotep) I, the "Festival of New Year's Day" was
celebrated in the 3rd month of Shemu, day 9, with the rising of Sirius.
What was the approximate year of rising, and the first year of
Amenophis I's reign? From general historical considerations it is
known that Amenophis I (18th dynasty) flourished during the 2nd
millennium B.C., so we enter the 2nd column of the above table and find
that Sirius rose heliacally in the tetraeteris (four-year period)
commencing -1572 (1573 B.C.) on the 1st of the 3rd Month of Shemu, (1st
Epiphi). Then:
Month Year
Shemu 3rd 1st day = -1572
Shemu 3rd 8x4 (tetraeteris) = + 32
-----
Shemu 3rd 9th day = -1540
Hence the rising of Sirius took place in one of the four years
commencing -1540 (1541 B.C.), so Amenophis I began his reign in one of
7 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
the four years beginning -1548 (1549 B.C.). To the Egyptologist and
historian this handy table should prove invaluable in accurately fixing
the chronology of Egypt. From it also can be obtained for any year
during the dynastic period, the Egyptian date on which Sirius rose.
In his chronology, Meyer gives Amenophis (or Amenhotep) I's first
year as 1557 B.C. Meyer based his well-known chronology of Egypt on
the recorded heliacal risings of Sirius. But at the time he compiled
it, the value of Sirius' 'arcus visionis' and the elements of the Sun
and Moon, in respect of ancient times, were inaccurate, so that his
chronology suffered in consequence. The following is Sewell's
amendment of Meyer's chronology which is now accepted as orthodox by
Egyptologists:
Dynasty Approx. year
Old Egyptian Archaic Period I 3188 B.C.
II "
Old Kingdom III 2815 "
(Pyramidic Period) IV 2690 "
V 2560 "
VI 2420 "
1st Intermediate Period VII 2394 "
VIII
IX 2240 "
X
Middle Kingdom XI 2132 "
XII 1990 "
2nd Intermediate Period XIII 1777 "
XIV 1740 "
XV
XVI
XVII
Late Egyptian New Kingdom XVIII 1573 "
XIX
XX 1220 "
8 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
Late Kingdom XXI 1090 "
XXII
XXIII
XXIV
XXV 715 "
Saite Period XXVI 663 "
Late Period XXVII 525 "
XXVIII
XXIX
XXX
XXXI
The accuracy of this and other Egyptian chronologies can now be
easily tested by the reader by means of "THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX'
TABLE, for all recorded Egyptian dates of the heliacal risings of
Sirius.
************
From DREIS' INDEX OF FAGAN'S "SOLUNARS," published 7/1953 to
3/1970 in
American Astrology, the following dates are given for discussion of
HELIACAL PHENOMENA. The pages listed are not the magazine pages,
but
the pages of the article itself. 8/1958, p3,4,5,6; 6/1961, p3;
2/1964, p4; 3/1964, p1 (rising); 9/1967, p4; 10/1968, p3;
6/1969, p1;
*************
Cyril Fagan's "SOLUNARS...
9 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
A STUDY OF THE SIDEREAL ZODIAC"
[HELIACAL PHENOMENA & HYPSOMATA,
THE EXALTATION ORIGINS]
Has the reader ever seen the ever-so-thin crescent of the Moon lying
close to the western horizon just after sunset? If so, he has
witnessed what was the most important celestial phenomenon in all
antiquity, namely the heliacal rising of the Moon in the west. The
chronology of Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, and other great nations of
remote antiquity were timed by such mensal recurring phenomena. What
modern calendars, almanacs and ephemerides style the New Moon is not
really such at all but is the syzygy or conjunction of the Sun and Moon
in the ecliptic, which always is invisible and usually occurs on the
penultimate day of the previous lunar month. Incidentally, this was
reckoned to be the most unlucky day of the month because on that day
eclipses of the Sun and Moon took place.
As the first day of the month began at sunset when the New Moon was
spotted, it was of the utmost importance that the phenomenon should not
be missed, so scribes would keep watch from the hilltops, the roofs of
temples and similar points of vantage, and would signal when the
crescent was seen. When the weather was adverse the date was
estimated. The lunar year began when the crescent was seen during the
month of Pakhon (Egyptian) or Nissanu (Babylonian).
To calculate the date of the true New Moon was at one time
considered quite a difficult feat. Very precise and accurate tables of
the syzygies are required, and up to the time of Karl Schoch (1873-
1929) of the Heidelberg University the existing table were only
accurate to the nearest hour. Tackling the problem Schoch produced
syzygy tables that were accurate to less than five minutes of time even
in remote antiquity. Then by auxiliary tables also produced by Schoch
it was possible to determine the date of the true New Moon for any date
in antiquity provided the 'Arcus Visionis' of the crescent was first
10 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
determined empirically because this differs according to the visibility
and other factors of the locality. Schoch's syzygy and auxiliary
tables for the latitude and climate of Babylon first appeared in The
Venus Tablets of Ammizaduga (Oxford University Press, 1928). Since
then they have been very much refined by means of Schoch's own
corrections by James Hynes of Dublin, Ireland. By means of Schoch's
tables it was possible to restore precisely much of the chronology of
the great nations of antiquity.
How many astrologers of today can precisely determine the date of
the true New Moon at their home towns? Have they ever tried. Have
they every attempted to determine, say, when Jupiter will first be seen
in the skies just before sunrise or when Venus will last be visible
just after sunset at their places of residence? is there an astrologer
living other than James Hynes, an authority on such subjects, who is
prepared to deliver a well informed lecture on heliacal phenomena? Any
astrologer who is not familiar with heliacal and acronychal phenomena
is completely ignorant of astrology in remove antiquity which consisted
of nothing else. The most important annual events were linked with
heliacal phenomena. For instance, the Greeks saw in the heliacal
rising of the Hyades the beginning of the rainy season; the acronychal
rising of the Pleiades was synchronized with the Deluge and the true
All Soul's Day; the heliacal rising of Vindemiatrix ushered in the
grape harvest, while most important of all, the heliacal rising of
Sirius synchronized with the commencement of the Inundation.
RESOLUTION OF THE HYPSOMATA
Every student of astrology is familiar with the exaltation degrees
of the planets. They are given in almost every textbook and they
represent the oldest traditions in astrology. For the benefit of newer
readers they are herewith given once more and are as follows: Sun in
Aries 19 degrees; Moon in Taurus 3 degrees; Mercury in Virgo 15
degrees; Venus in Pisces 27 degrees; Mars in Capricorn 28 degrees;
Jupiter in Cancer 15 degrees; Saturn in Libra 21 degrees. The Greeks
11 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
called an exaltation degree 'hypsoma,' plural 'hypsomata.
'
In the British Museum, London, there is a fragment from a large
cuneiform tablet written about the time of Nebuchadnezzar (747-434
B.C.). Here the legends of the twelve lunar months are rehearsed. The
commentary on the month Tammuz gives the valuable information that
Perseus and the Pleiades were the hypsoma of the Moon, Aries of the
Sun, Capricorn of Mars and Cancer of Jupiter. (Babylonian Menologies:
S. Langdon, London 1935). How did these exaltation degrees originate?
What do they represent? As Mercury's elongation from the Sun cannot
exceed 28 degrees (here it is 146 degrees) they cannot be longitudes of
the planets in any horoscope, or the like. The mystery of the origin
of the hypsomata has intrigued philosophers from the earliest times and
classical writers have not refrained from penning their speculation as
to their origin. Plutarch (Moralia I, 149a) refers to the Egyptians
saying the planets grow better or worse according to their Hypsomata
kai tapeinomata; while Pliny the Elder in his Historia Naturalis II,
13, seems to think the hypsomata were a 'suo centro apsides
altissimae.'
Down the long corridors of time, from the Greek period through the
Italian Renaissance to modern times, the problem of the hypsomata has
agitated many philosophical minds but evaded solution. Boll-Bezold-
Gundel (Sternglaube und Sterndeutung) and Bouche-Leclercq (L'Astrologie
Greque) agree that they are not apogees or perigees and as Dr. Herbert
Chatley adds, "no one seems to know what they are." However, the
problem was finally solved on May 14, 1949 when it was discovered by
the present writer that the 'hypsomata were the heliacal longitudes of
the planets for the lunar year commencing 1st Nissanu, April 4, Julian,
786 B.C.' On this date the tropical longitudes of the Sun, Moon, and
Venus were Aries 5 degrees, Aries 15.6 degrees, and Pisces 12.9
degrees. On Sivan 21 (June 22) Jupiter set in the west heliacally in
Cancer 1.5 degrees; on Elul 15 (September 13) Mercury set in the east
heliacally in Libra 7.1 degrees; and on Shebat 6 (January 30, 785 B.C.)
Mars rose heliacally in Capricorn 13.5 degrees. Here it will be
12 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
noticed that the phenomenon alternates between the east and west
horizons.
The difference between the tropical longitudes and the traditional
hypsomatic degrees gives the sidereal longitude of the vernal point
(VP) for the epoch 786 B.C. thus:
Tropical Hypsoma VP
Sun 5.0 d. 19.0 d. 14.0
Moon 15.6 33.0 17.4
Mercury 150.8 165.0 14.2
Venus 342.9 357.0 14.1
Mars 283.5 298.0 14.5
Jupiter 91.5 105.0 13.5
Saturn 187.1 201.0 13.9
Mean value of VP for 786 B.C. 14.5
These amended values which differ slightly from those given in
Zodiacs Old and New (Llewellyn Publications 1950) are the result of
finer figuring and more critical translations of cuneiform records.
But here is must be stressed that they are derived from Schoch's
Heliacal Tables and his Arcus Visionis for Babylon on the tenatitive
assumption that the hypsomata were observed there. But such may not
have been the case. In the above named work, a plausible case was made
out that the phenomena was observed at Halakh, Assyria which is
disputed by Professor B. L. van der Waerden of the Mathematical
Institute of Zurich. They may have been observed in Egypt, Phoenicia,
or even in India. Being without positive historical records we simply
do not know. But if the phenomenon was not recorded in Babylon but in
some neighboring country then obviously the above values may differ by
a day or a degree either way. WHAT WE DO POSITIVELY KNOW IS
THAT THE HYPSOMATA RELATE TO THE YEAR 786 B.C. AND TO
NO OTHER YEAR IN THE WHOLE HISTORICAL PERIOD (4,000 B.C.
TO THE PRESENT DAY); THAT THE EXALTATIONS
13 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
RELATED ONLY TO THE SIDEREAL ZODIAC; AND AT THE TIME
OF THEIR OCCURRENCE THE SIDEREAL LONGITUDE OF THE
VERNAL POINT (AYANAMSHA) WAS
ABOUT 14 DEGREES.
In a letter to this writer, dated June 30, 1952, van der Waerden
advances cogent reasons for doubling that the longitude of the planets
at the date of the hypsomata were calculated by the Babylonians at that
time. He writes "The earliest known text in which entrances of the
planets into zodiacal signs are mentioned is VAT 4924 from the 5th year
of Darius II (420 B.C.) Degree are not mentioned; in fact they are
never mentioned in almanacs. Degrees are given only in computed lunar
and planetary tables from 100 to 300 of the Seleucid Era. The oldest
text comparable with NS (Normal Stars) almanacs is Strm. Kambys 400
(523 B.C.). It does not yet contain normal stars, but it gives
distances of planets to planets, and expressions like 'Saturn rose
heliacally east of Spica." In Sp II 901 (387 B.C.) the normal stars
appear for the first time. (Kugler: Sternkunde I, p. 71-81.) The
almanac CBS II 901 (425 B.C.) contains dates of heliacal risings and
settings. These five texts are all we have of the Persian time. All
in all, it seems extremely improbable that the Assyrians observed the
positions of the planets in 786 B.C. in signs and degrees. The only
possibility would be that Seleucid astronomers computed these positions
(retrospectively) and used them for their hypsoma theory. Besides,
whey should the Babylonian astrologers be interested in the
installation of Assyrian temples? The Babylonians were glad to get rid
of the Assyrian yoke in 612 B.C...."
But why should the Babylonians of the Seleucid period (312-64 B.C.)
want to compute the heliacal position of the planets for 786 B.C.? If
they did so, they must have been in possession of extraordinarily
accurate tables, or have been unusually competent mathematicians
comparable to the best we have today! The suggestion seems too far-
fetched and unconvincing. If, as van der Waerden contends, at the
period 786 B.C. the Babylonians did not think in degrees nor signs,
14 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
then it would appear that the hypsomata had their origin in Egypt. We
know that the Egyptians did think in signs and at least in pentades as
early as the 3rd millennium B.C. We also know that in Egypt in B.C.
786 the reign of Shashonk III, the last king of Dynasty XXII from
Bubastis, and that of Pedibaste, the first king of Dynasty XXIII from
Tanis overlapped, but for the rest history is silent. We simply lack
records.
The above reflections were stimulated by an excellent article in the
March '69 issue of our contemporary Horoscope, by our good friend LCDR
David Williams, entitled "The Constellations vs. the Zodiacal Signs."
Therein he states that there has been little agreement among
authorities as to when the first point of Aries actually coincided with
the beginning of the constellation Aries and in evidence he lists the
following tabulation:
Authority Date
Cheiro 388 B.C.
D. Davidson 317 B.C.
A. M. Harding 300 B.C.
Gerald Massey 255 B.C.
C. A. Jayne, Jr. 254 B.C.
Thierens 125 B.C.
Dane Rudhyar 97 B.C.
Paul Councel 0 A.D.
Cyril Fagan 220 A.D.
Sepharial 321 A.D.
Now let us note the following historical facts. In 1913, Weidner
found a cuneiform astronomical text which proved to be a Lunar
Computation Table after the system of the Babylonian astronomer
Naburiannu (epoch B.C. 500) for the New and Full Moons of B.C. 49-48.
In Naburiannu's system the sidereal longitude of the vernal point is
given as Aries 10 degrees. The German Jesuits Epping and Kugler
examined another Babylonian tablet of the year B.C. 103 bearing the
title Lunar Computation Table according to the System of Kidinnu (epoch
15 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
B.C. 373). In Kidinnu's system the sidereal longitude of the vernal
point is given as Aries 8 degrees (Kugler: Babylonische Mondrechung).
Van der Waerden defined the position of the origin of the Babylonian
zodiac by comparing it to the equinox of the year 101 B.C. (-100).
From several Babylonian lunar and planetary tables both Kugler and van
der Waerden obtained the following mean differences (VP).
Tables Years Difference
Lunar table Nr 93, system II -174 to -154 3.7
Lunar table Nr 272, system I -103 to -101 3.3
Jupiter tables, 1st kind -180 to - 90 4.2
Jupiter tables, 2nd kind -120 to -100 4.2
Jupiter tables, 3rd kind -120 to - 80 4.3
Babylonian Almanacs -210 to -160 3.5
Babylonian Almanacs -110 to - 60 5.3
"These values," states van der Waerden, "range from 3.3 to 5.3 which
means that the vernal point of -100 lies near 4.3 of the Babylonian
zodiac and Spica near 29 degrees Virgo with a possible deviation of 1
degree to either side. This result obtained several years ago is
strikingly confirmed by a Babylonian star catalogue recently published
by A. Sachs. Restricting ourselves to 5 entries that can be identified
with certainly, we find in this list the following longitudes. I have
added to the list two Jupiter longitudes drawn from the planetary table
and probably observed in the year 108 and 158 Seleucid Era which
commenced in 312 B.C."
Bab. Kugler
Text Star Name Long. Long. Diff.
BM 46083 Beta Virginis 151 147.6 3.4
Gamma " 166 161.2 4.8
Alpha Virginis 178 174.7 3.3
16 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
Alpha Librae 200 195.9 4.1
AO 6476 Beta Librae 205 200.2 4.8
Sp li 889 Jupiter 151.75 148.05 3.7
Jupiter 230.17 226.20 4.0
The mean difference is 4.1, the standard error of the single
observation being 0.6 Sonderabdruk aus Archiv fur Orientforschung, Band
XVI, Sweiter Teil, 1954. For the year -100 the Egyptian Berlin papyrus
(years -16 to +10) gives the differences of VP as 4.6 while the
Egyptian Strobart Tablets (years +70 to +131) give the VP as 5.1.
Should the reader take a sheet of graph paper and enter all these
findings, including that of the hypsomata, and taking as his
coordinates the year of the epoch and the longitude of the derived VP,
he will discover that the resultant "curve" is a perfectly straight
line! This clearly establishing the authenticity and historicity of
the hypsomata, which implies that all the other dates tabulated by
Commander Williams are false as they have no historicity of any
consequence to confirm their validity. The graph reproduced here is
taken from Zodiacs Old and New. [Below graph could only be
approximated in ascii text format.]
17 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
DIAGONAL LINE = SIDEREAL LONGITUDE OF THE AUTUMNAL
EQUINOCTIAL POINT MEASURED FROM SPICA IN 29 VIRGO 00'
Babylonian Planetary Texts (V.P. reduced to ecliptic of-100
by Van Der Waerden)
YEARS B.C. YEARS A.D.
-800 -700 -600 -500 -400 -300 -200 -100 -0 +100 +200
| | | | | | | | | | |
LIB 15__________________________________________________________
\
14___\ __13.8 LIB _________________________________________
S * Hypsomata B.C. 786
I 13________\ _______________________________________________
D \
E 12____________\ ___________________________________________
R \
E 11________________\ _______________________________________
A Naburiannu
L 10___________ 10 LIB * B.C. 500 ___________________________
\
L 9______________________ \ _________________________________
O Kidinnu
N 8__________________ 8 LIB * B.C. 373 ____________________
G
I 7_____________________________ \ __________________________
T \
U 6_________________________________ \ 5.3 LIB ____________
D \ * B.C. 116-60
E 5____________________________________ ___________________
4 LIB
4_____________ 4.2 LIB B.C. 160-130 *\ *Berlin Demotic
3.5 LIB B.C. 210-160 * \ Papyrus P8279
3___________________________________________ B.C. 15 - A.D. 11
\
2_________________________ 2 LIB A.D. 71-132 * ________
Strobart Egyptian \
1__________________________ Tables (Demotic) ______ \ ____
\
LIB 0______________________________________________________ \ _
\
VIR 29__________________________________________________________
VIR 28__________________________________________________________
| | | | | | | | | | |
-800 -700 -600 -500 -400 -300 -200 -100 -0 +100 +200
YEARS B.C. YEARS A.D.
18 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
When I was engaged on the solution of the mystery of the hypsomata,
following modern Hindu traditions I assumed that the fiducial star was
Spica in Libra 0 degrees. But the solution quickly proved that the
sidereal longitude of Spica was nearer to Virgo 29 degrees than to
Libra 0 degrees; a most unlikely longitude for a fiducial star. Virgo
29 degrees also was confirmed by van de Waerden in his examination of
Babylonian records. Constant readers of this magazine know that in
1957, by purely statistical methods, Garth Allen established that the
sidereal longitude of Spica was Virgo 29 degrees 06' 05"; a still more
unlikely longitude for a fiducial star. In more recent years it was
discovered that when Garth Allen's determination was referred to the
hypsomata epoch 876 B.C. it put the Bull's Eye (Aldebaran) precisely in
the mathematical center of Taurus (15 degrees 00' 00') clearly
demonstrating that the true zodiac commenced with Taurus 0 degrees and
not with Aries 0 degrees. THIS HISTORICITY OF THE HYPSOMATA
ZERO YEAR,NAMELY A.D. 220 IS AN ALL IMPORTANT FACTOR IN
CONFIRMING THAT THE SOLUTION HERE GIVEN OF THE
HYPSOMATA IS THE CORRECT ONE.
This was the most momentous discovery--if it can be called such--
ever made in the long history of astrology. Its implications are far
reaching and revolutionary in the extreme. Although the details of
this were made public some 20 years ago in Zodiacs Old and New, only
recently are the inferences beginning to percolate the astrological
consciousness of the more far seeing of astrologers. In all
seriousness, no amount of rationalization will succeed in explaining it
away. Of course, because of vested interests, or of heavy commitment,
there are those who ostrich-like prefer to hide their heads in the sand
and refuse to see. But ultimately the resolution of the hypsomata will
prove to be the open sesame that will restore astrology to its original
honorable place in the councils of the great nations.
* * * * *
19 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
CYRIL FAGAN'S "SOLUNARS" 12/61 American Astrology
ORIGIN OF HOROSCOPE FORM
[HELIACAL RISING OF SIRIUS;
OLDEST KNOWN HOROSCOPE 2767 B.C.]
Before beginning a delineation of an astrological chart we must
fully comprehend the meaning of the horoscope form itself and its
interpretation. The circular diagram is popular in the west today; but
strange to say, it is a comparative innovation, notwithstanding the
fact that the dome of the heavens is obviously circular. Up to the
19th century the square of rectangular shaped horoscope form was the
vogue, as it is still the vogue in India. In his letters to the
present writer, the Irish poet, W.B. Yeats, the Nobel prize winner for
literature (1923), always used the square-shaped horoscope form. Why
did the square-shaped form persist for so many centuries before it was
gradually supplanted by the circular design, and how did it originate?
The glib answer is, of course, that it was easier to draw. But is that
the only reason?
If the hieroglyphic inscriptions of ancient Egypt are examined it
will be found that from the most remote periods they invariably
inscribed in the form of square or rectangular patterns, and down the
corridors of time, there appears to be little or no deviation from this
rather rigid convention. The famous Egyptian star charts were all
square or rectangular in shape to conform to the general pattern of
hieroglyphic inscriptions. But these same celestial diagrams, as they
were termed by Egyptologists, were a source of puzzlement to them and
astronomers alike, because the orientation appeared to them to be all
wrong.
Referring to the Celestial Diagram found in the tomb of Senmut (cira
1500 B.C.) Professor Pogo writes: "...A characteristic feature of the
Senmut ceiling is the astronomically objectionable orientation of the
20 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
southern panel; it has to be inspected like the rest of the ceiling by
a person facing north, so that Orion appears east of Sirius. If
astronomical ceilings in sepulchral halls were originally an expansion
of the inside and outside decorations of sarcophagus lids, the reversed
orientation of the southern panel would be easy to account for.
Another explanation for the wrong orientation of the southern panel is
suggested by the possibility that it originated on a southern vertical
wall facing a northern vertical wall appropriately decorated with
representations of the "meridian cords" and the "mural dials" discussed
below; by moving such hypothetical mural panels to the ceiling, their
relative orientation could be preserved, as in the case of the Seti
monument, or else the orientation of the southern panel could be
sacrificed to "uniformity" as on the ceiling of Senmut and of the
Ramesseum..." (The astronomical ceiling decoration in the Tomb of
Senmut, --XVIIIth Dynasty: Isis 14, p.306).
Professor Pogo did not know, nor do Egyptologists in general know,
that these celestial diagrams, belonging to many different dynastic
periods, were nothing else than copies of the horoscope for the
inauguration of the Sothic Era at the heliacal rising of Sirius at
Heliopolis on July 16 (O.S.), 2767 B.C. (see January 1954 issue). This
was deemed to be a magical talisman insuring for the deceased longevity
in the Elysium Fields.
The orientation of these celestial diagrams was not wrong. It is
identical with the orientation of our modern horoscope forms, whether
square or circular; a fact which is a strong argument that it was the
Egyptians, and not the Babylonians, who invented astrology, as so
fondly argued by Assyriologists. The horoscope for the inauguration of
the Sothic Era is identical in form with that of the square horoscope
form. It antidates the first records of Babylonian astrology by over a
thousand years; and it is the oldest extant horoscope in the world.
South at Midheaven.
When a modern horoscope form is seen for the first time, the
21 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
beholder, like Professor Pogo, is apt to exclaim "The orientation is
all wrong." This is because he is accustomed to see north at the top,
the south at the bottom, the east at the right and the west at the left
in all modern geographical maps. But to orientate our geographical
maps in this way is only a convention. In truth, there is no top or
bottom to the earth or for that matter for any of the celestial bodies.
The Egyptians always considered the south as being the top or upper
region, the north as the bottom or lower region, the east as being the
left and the west and being the right. The Egyptian for east is
'i3bt,' while that for left-hand is 'i3bi;' the Egyptian for west is
'imnt' and for right-hand 'wnmy,' both words having the same root. The
Egyptian for north was 'mht,' the root of which is 'mh' meaning "a
whip."
The same root occurs in the word 'mhnyt' - "the coiled one," meaning
a snake or serpent, and it is rather curious to find in the argot of
the southern states of the U.S.A., before the emancipation of the
slaves, that the whip was often referred to as the "snake.' In
Egyptian symbolism the ideogram of a snake or serpent indicated the
"winds" and that of the "whip" is here identified with the icy winds
that blow from the north, which metaphorically speaking, "whip the
backs of the Egyptians" when they blow, as the viewer of a horoscope is
always supposed to be facing due south, with his back to the north. So
positioned the east will be at his left and the west at his right. The
Egyptian for south was 'r-swt' - "the sedge plant," and the Egyptian
for Upper (southern) Egypt was 'sm'w,' the phonetics of which
incorporate the ideogram of a "sedge planet," while that for Lower
(northern) Egypt, i.e., the Land of the Delta, was 'mhr,' the phonetics
of which include the ideogram of the "whip."
When looking at a circular horoscope form it must be remembered that
the astrologer is trying to express diagrammatically in two dimensions
a three dimensional view, this view being taken in "the plane of the
vertical." The circle that surrounds the diagram represents the prime
vertical, which is a great circle of the sphere that rises due east
22 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
(extreme left-hand point of the circle), cuts through the Zenith, which
is that point in the heavens that is immediately overhead (extreme top
point of the circle), sets due west (extreme right-hand point), passes
through the Nadir, which is that point immediately opposite to the
Zenith (bottom part of circle) and then rises again due east.
Cusps and Angles
The horizontal line that stretches across the diagram from east to
west is the great circle of the rational horizon viewed edge-on, thus
appearing as only a line. The vertical line is the great circle of the
meridian, also viewed edge on. It rises due north of the horizon, cuts
through the prime vertical at the Zenith, again intersects the horizon,
this time due south, and again intersects the prime vertical at the
Nadir, to rise again at the north point of the horizon. These are the
three great primary or fundamental circles of the mundane sphere. The
twelve lines, looking like spokes of a wheel, represent the cusps
(edges) of the twelve mundane houses. They are known as secondary
circles or just secondaries.
* * * *
From Cyril Fagan's letter in "Many Things" A.A. 5/66
[HELIACAL RISING OF SIRIUS & OLDEST HOROSCOPE 2767
B.C.]
...Senmut's astronomical ceiling is nothing else but a copy of a
horoscope (as the legends, indeed, state) for THE HELIACAL RISING OF
SIRIUS ON NEW YEAR'S DAY of the common Egyptian calendar: an
event which can only recur for a tetraeteris (4 year period) about 1456
years!
Additional copies of the same horoscope were found in the two
temples of Rameses II at Abydos and at Madinat Habu; in the tombs of
Rameses VI, VII, IX at Thebes (c. 1150 B.C.) in the sarcophagus of
23 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
Prince Nectanebo, and in the coffin of Hor-nef-tef of the Saite period
(663-420 B.C.) and in the two tombs at Alfih of the Ptolemaic period
(305-30 B.C.) where they acted as talismans promising longevity in the
Elysian Fields.
These copies show a very rare quadruple conjunction of Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn and Venus (as Mars was identified with the evil god
Seth, for superstitious reasons in a few copies it was omitted), with
Venus, under its Pyramidic name of the Benu-bird or Bird of the
Inundation, risen in the east just above the Ascendant. Retrospective
calculation discloses that such a conjunction actually took place on
July 16 (O.S.) 2767 B.C. which happened to be New Year's Day of the
common Egyptian calendar, and incidentally midsummer day. On this date
Sirius rose heliacally at Heliopolis the Greenwich of Egypt! Note the
accompanying chart which is a copy of the oldest extant horoscope in
existence!
Sidereal Campanus: OLDEST HOROSCOPE July 16 O.S., 2767 B.C.
M.C. 10ARI37, llth 9TAU00, 12th 18GEM41, ASC 28CAN52, 2nd
26LEO59,3rd 19VIR00, MARS 19CAN01, JUP 21CAN35, SAT
24CAN53, VEN 25CAN42, SUN 10LEO34, MER 28LEO54, MOON
19AQU02
Apart from the above, the 63rd Tablet of the great Babylonian Enuma
Anu Enlil series gives the heliacal rising and settings in Nin-se-an-na
(Venus) in terms of the Babylonian months (not the zodiac, which was
unknown to the Babylonians at this period, not yet being imported from
Egypt) during 22 successive years in the reign of Ammisaduqa of the
First Babylonian Dynasty. There can be no question that Nin-se-an-na
is identical with Venus for the periodicity of its heliacal risings and
settings are the same as those of Venus, and for no other planet.
On the 1st Nisan, the first day of the Hypsomatic lunar year,
commencing April 4, 786 B.C. the triad comprising the Sun, Moon and
Venus were found precisely in their traditional degrees of their
exaltation! Apart from such considerations it is known that Babylonian
24 | FAGAN -- HELIACAL
and Assyrian sanctuaries, dating from that of Enlil-Assur-Zikurrat in
2931 B.C. to Nabu's Temple in 606 B.C., whose foundation dates were
recorded, were oriented on the 1st Nisan of the foundation year, to the
Pedjeshes (an arc of a circle intersecting Benetnash and Spica), which
has been confirmed by the researches of Gunter-Martiny, P.V.
Neugebauer, Boker and others.
* * * *
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