Primary Directions: Astrology's Old Master Technique

by Martin Gansten

The technique known today as primary directions is one of the most ancient and renowned methods of astrological forecasting, and also one of the most powerful. From classical antiquity throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and even into the twentieth century, all the great names of western astrology have worked with primary directions. It was the predictive technique of Dorotheus and Ptolemy, of Masha'allah and Abu Ma'shar, of Regiomontanus and Placidus, of Morin de Villefranche and William Lilly. To understand the Old Masters of astrology, we must understand primary directions. Students of traditional astrology have often been deterred by overly mathematical presentations from approaching the important subject of directions. This comprehensive study explains the principles of primary directions in an accessible form, illustrating them by practical examples. It also draws on many original source texts to outline the historical origins and development of the technique, and shows how it has been reinterpreted and occasionally misunderstood. A full glossary and appendices with software reviews as well as formulae for manual calculations complement the text. The craft of the Old Masters can still be learnt.

Genres: Astrology, Occult

193 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2009

Reviews

[Paris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impressive! One of the best astrology books that I have read ever. It is not a cookbook nor an interpretations guide. You can clearly learn the theoretic fundamentals on primary directions, their historical development and different methods used to calculate them. There are a lot of interesting information and references throughout the whole book. I strongly recommend it.