Arhat Publications from Robert Hand

Robert Zoller is a modern medieval astrologer. As long as I can remember he's been trying to get us all interested, but until the early 1990's, without much success. In 1993, he found Robert Schmidt & Robert Hand & the three Bobs formed the now-famous Hindsight. They began translations of various ancient astrological texts.

Hindsight in its original form lasted about three years. Zoller himself was the first to depart. About a year later Rob Hand left, but, curiosity piqued, he set up his own version of Hindsight: ARHAT: The Archive for the Retrieval of Historical Astrological Texts.

Arhat/Hindsight translations are easily the most important astrological texts of the last 50 years, with the sole exception of Clive Kavan's/Olivia Barclay's republication of William Lilly's Christian Astrology, which was the inspiration behind Hindsight/Arhat.

Here are the current Arhat texts. Some of these are translations, some are new books using traditional techniques. There will be more of both to come:

Indicates a book on our Top Ten list. If you would like to find more books like it, click on the star.

	ON THE JUDGMENTS OF NATIVITIES (book 1) - Johannes Schoener. Translated from the Latin by Robert Hand, $49.95 Contents: Translators's introduction; The style of the three books, The life & chart of Maximiliam I of Hapsburg, The life & historical importance of Maximilian I, the Chart The three books on the Judgment of Nativities: Dedicatory epistle, The preface of Philip Melanththon, doctor 1. Concerning the significators & their accidents: Certain general matters which must be considered before the judgment of a nativity; The method of investigating the true degree of the ascendant by means of the Antimodar; A second method of searching out the true ascendant by means of the Trutine of Hermes; A third & more certain method of finding the same, by the accidents to the native; Concerning the projection of the nativity's Parts; To find the dodecatemorion of any planet; To extract the novenaries of the planets; Determining the antiscias; Concerning the fortitudes or fortune, and the debility or infortune of the planets; Concerning the hyleg & alcochoden according to Ptolemy; The teaching of others on the hyleg; Likewise, the teaching of others concerning the alcochoden; Extracting the victor or lord of the geniture; Exploring the significators of the intellective power of the spirit; The taking of the almuten fo the significators of any matter; How the seven planets govern the foetus which has then been conceived from the day of conception up to the time of birth; A general method: Things that must be observed in judgments; Whether in general the native will be fortunate or not 2. Concerning the parents & their state of being: Concerning the life of the father according to the geniture of the child, and concerning the quality of his death; Concerning the life of the mother; Prognosticating other particulars of the parents; Teachings & aphorisms of others & of the Arabs 3. Concerning the native's brothers & sisters: Sentences & aphorisms of others; Concerning male & female nativities; Concerning twins; The teachings & aphorisms of others; Concerning monsters; The teachings & aphorisms of others 4. Concerning those who have not grown: The teachings & aphorisms of others; Concerning natives who are born dead; Concerning natives who do live but are not reared; Concerning those who born & reared but who do not attain to old age; Concerning those who live, are reared & who attain old age 5. Concerning the form, figure & constitution of the body: The teachings & aphorisms of others; Concerning the forms of the 12 signs; Concerning the forms of the 7 planets; Examining the tallness, smallness or shortness of the body; Distinguishing stoutness & thinness & the quantity of the body; To whom is the native made more alike, namely to the father or the mother? 6. Concerning the impediments & infirmities of the body of the native: We will know particularly the manner of injuries to the human body coming from four causes; You will recgonize infirmities inherent in the entire body from the four following rules; The teachings & aphorisms of others; Concerning serving men & women; Concerning animals & beasts 7. Concerning the qualities of the soul of the native: The teachings & aphorisms of others; The dodecatemoria of the planets; Now concerning the images of heaven: and first concerning those in the zodiac; On the northern images; On the southern images 8. Concerning the impediments of the soul: The teachings & aphorisms of others 9. Concerning the fortune & wealth of the native: Exploring by what means the native should aquire wealth; Whether riches will come to the native licitly or illicitly; Infering the time of gaining riches 10. Concerning the honor & dignity of the native: The teachings & aphorisms of others 11. Concerning the native's magistry & his work: The teachings & aphorisms of others; Concerning boldness & fear 12. Concerning sexual unions: The teachings & aphorisms of others 13. Concerning children & their relationship toward the parents: The teachings & aphorisms of others; Whether or not the native is the child of its father 14. Concerning the native's friends & enemies: In which time they will be in concord or discord; The teachings & aphorisms of others; The teachings & aphorisms of others concerning enemies; Exemplification of a native concerning hidden enemies 15. Concerning the native's foreign travels & journeys: The teachings & aphorisms of others; On the sciences 16. Concerning the qualities of the native's death: The teachings & aphorisms of others Appendices: 1. Computing the antiscia according to the Opusculum 2. The computation of the hyleg according to Alchabitius 3. The periods of the planets 4. The four differentiae of life expectancy: The first category, the second category, the third category, the fourth category 5. Tables of special degrees from the Opusculum 6. Similitude from the Opusculum 7. The table of essential dignities as given in the Opusculum 8. Dustoria or ductoria, as described in the Opusculum. Comment: This is medieval astrology with hair on it, the book abounds in the twiddely bits that make all the difference. Written in 1545, this is the summation of astrology, as known to the finest German astrologers of the day. Schoener was one of those who urged Copernicus to publish his famous work on heliocentric astronomy. Unique to this book, a vast list of aphorisms (eg, this planet plus that planet under these conditions produce this or that specific effect), covering all areas of life: health, wealth, parents, longevity, career, relationships, travel, children, brothers & sisters, etc. Also, the "true" ascendant, conception charts, dodecatemorion, 32 Arabic parts, hyleg & more. Robert Hand has made an excellent, readable translation in modern English, with copious footnotes & appendices. ARHAT, comb bound, oversize, 247 pages. December, 2007: This book is being reprinted at the moment, I hope to see it back by UAC in May, 2008. (This is a delay. I had hoped it would be back by the end of 2007.) I am happy to take orders in the meanwhile, I will ship as soon as the book becomes available. In order not to delay your order, please do not include any other books with your order for this one. Please accept my apologies. David R. Roell

	NIGHT & DAY: Planetary Sect in Astrology - Robert Hand, $10.95 To an astrologer of the late classical period one of the most important considerations in natal chart interpretation was very simple & yet very fundamental: Was the native born by day or by night? This simple criterion affected the computation of life expectancy, the calculation of most of the lots (eg, Arabic Parts), the succession of planetary rulerships in time (eg, dasas), and the rulers of triplicities. More important than any of these was that every planet, every aspect & every house position was interpreted one way with a daytime birth, another way with a night-time birth. This monograph deals with the changes that occur in planetary symbolism in day vs: night charts, and is intended to provide the reader with the basics for applying this to modern interpretations. (Notes adapted from the introduction, pg. 2.) Arhat, 68 pages, comb-bound.

	ON RECEPTION - Masha'allah, translated & edited by Robert Hand, $10.75 This book (known in Latin as de Receptione) is one of the earliest surviving Arabic astrological texts. It is also one of the few old texts that contain fully worked out sample charts, something this book shares with William Lilly's Christian Astrology. This book, along with Lilly's, are invaluable resources in reconstructing ancient horary techniques. To assist the reader, Hand gives an outline of Masha'allah's techniques in the introduction, and again in the appendix. In between is the full text of the original. It repays close study. (Notes adapted from the introduction, page ii.) Arhat, 89 pages, comb-bound.

	CHRONOLOGY OF THE ASTROLOGY OF THE MIDDLE EAST & WEST BY PERIOD - Robert Hand, $4.95 This short monograph is intended to give a rough idea of the times & order of the major developments in the history of astrology, a list of major astrologers, and some historical background. The basic astrological impulse, the desire to correlate celestial & terrestrial events was nearly universal among ancient peoples. A distinguishing mark of modern astrology is that celestial phenomena can be computed in advance so that events may be anticipated in advance. In order to do this it was necessary to observe heavenly movements for a long time so they could, eventually, be calculated in advance. As far as we can tell, only one group of ancient peoples actually did this, the various people who lived in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), among them, the Babylonians, Chaldeans, Assyrians & Sumerians. These people were the most likely to have invented astrology as we know it. The chronology runs starts at 4000 BC & ends in 1770 AD. Following that is the essay, On the Early Roots of Horoscopic Astrology. Hand himself says that he has not considered the early history of Hindu astrology. (Notes adapted from the preamble, pgs 1-2.) Arhat, 35 pages, small stapled book.

	A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO TRADITIONAL ASTROLOGY - Joseph Crane, $20.00 Contents: Introduction: What astrology gains by exploring its traditions, Differences between modern & traditional astrology, The background of traditional astrology 1. Traditional planetary dignity & disposition: Dignity & disposition, Domicile rulers, Planetary sect influence on domicile rulers, Planetary exaltation & fall, Triplicities & planetary rulers, Using triplicities for disposition, Using triplicity rulers for a planet's dignity, Terms or bounds & faces, Peregrine planets, Determining the main dispositor, Chart example: Thomas Merton 2. Angles & Houses: Ancient & modern uses of houses, Whole sign houses, Houses as indicators of planetary strength, Pivots, post-ascensions & declines, Aspects to the ascending sign, More on whole sign houses, Shall we try whole sign houses?, House definitions: ancient to modern, Postscript: Phil Gramm & his planetary periods 3. Aspects in Helenistic & Medieval astrology: Aspects & modern astrology, Traditional use of aspects, whole signs, entire degrees, The "Ptolemaic" aspects, The geometry of the circle, Meanings of aspects, None of the above - the Aversions, Exceptions to signs in Aversions, "Looking ahead" & "hurling rays", Other ways of aspecting, From the Hellenistic to the Medieval era, Orbs of planets, orbs of aspect, Joining & separating, Reception: combining joining & disposition 4. Planets as significators in ancient astrology: Planets: Meaning & use, Planets, intrinsically, A sample astrology lesson, Significators in the natal chart, Planets as natural significators: Love & marriage, Derived significators, Planetary lord of "soul" - Character or personality style, The planetary lord of action or career 5. Planetary sect: A brief history of sect, What is planetary sect?, Planets by sect: diurnal & nocturnal, Four qualities (dry, hot, wet, cold), Masculine & feminine, Determining chart & planetary sect, Planets & signs 6. The phases of the planets: Diurnal & zodiacal motion together, Heliacally rising & setting in east, Heliacally rising & setting in the west, Helical rising & setting as indicators of planetary strength, Oriental & occidental - the medieval tradition, Minor accidental dignities & debilities, Young & old, early & late, Temperament & complexion, Oriental & occidental quadrants: the Greek tradition, Ascendant & solar quadrants, Complete phases of planets with the sun, Qualities & phases, Oriental, occidental, retrograde, under the beams, Phases with the sun & significations for the soul. Comment: This book began as a series of articles published in The Mountain Astrologer in 1995-6. The author writes, In this book I explain to the modern astrologer some of the best ideas & techniques from the natal astrology of the past. You can apply this information to your natal chart & the charts of others to gain new insights & methods. I also hope thast you will use it to learn more about the origin of astrology, its history & potential (pg. i) Of this book, Robert Hand writes, Our first secondary source work, A Practical Guide to Traditional Astrology is a first must read for all astrologers. Crane is empowered with an understanding of both ancient & modern technique that is difficult to master, and for this he deserves much respect. An excellent book. See his equally impressive second book, Astrological Roots The Hellenistic Legacy. Arhat, 110 pages, paper.

	WHOLE SIGN HOUSES: THE OLDEST HOUSE SYSTEM - Robert Hand, $7.95 In the whole sign house system, the degree of the zodiac found on the ascendant is not the beginning of the first house, which extends before as well as after the cusp. The first house - and all the other houses in the chart - start with 0 degrees & end with 30 degrees of the sign in question. The degree on the cusp is the most intense point of the house. The degree on the other house cusps is generally taken to be the same as the ascending degree, eg, whole sign houses resemble equal houses, the difference is that equal houses start & end at the cusp, whole sign houses start at 0 degrees of the sign on the cusp & end 30 degrees later. This means the midheaven (MC) is unrelated to any house cusp, there are no intercepted signs nor intercepted houses. This small book is an expansion & revision of articles that originally appeared in The Mountain Astrologer in 1999. Arhat, 48 pages, comb-bound.

	Late Classical Astrology: PAULUS ALEXANDRINUS & OLYMPIODORUS, with the Scholia from later commentators - translated by Dorian Gieseler Greenbaum, $35.00 In the year 378, Paul of Alexandria (aka Paulus Alexandrinus) wrote an Introduction to astrology for his son, Cronamon. The second edition of this, along with various commentaries, is presented here. Chief among the commentaries are those of a man identified as Heliodorus, aka Olympiodorus, though his exact identity is unknown. In this book: Lots (eg, Parts): Paulus gives not only the theory behind Lots, but the underlying rationale as well. Greenbaum says, "If you have ever wondered about the reasoning behind the Lot or Part of Fortune (to say nothing about any of the other lots), this book will provide the answer." Dodekatemoria: This is similar to what we know as the 12th harmonic. This book tells you why it's important in a chart. Application & Separation: More than what you might expect: The closer an applying aspect, the sooner in life its effects appear, for good or ill. Applications & separations made by the moon are particularly important. It's also important what a planet separates from & what it applies to. Moon Phases: "The terminology used by these authors to describe the phases of the Moon is brilliantly instructive in learning more about how the Greeks perceived the Moon. Metaphors of birth & death abound in their descriptions. It is possible that until these writers we have not been able to understand or appreciate the importance the Greeks placed on the Moon & its phases." (Greenbaum) Doctrine of Sect: You know about sect already, but here's an excerpt: "If also Mars [in the 6th] is not figured by benefics, it does not thus increase great evils, if it should not be contrary to sect. (italics: Greenbaum) In his introduction, Rob Hand says, "We see in the combination of Paulus & Olympiodorus that late Greek Astrology was in fact much closer to early Arabic than has generally been recognized. While the Arabic tradition clearly picked up much from the Persian that was not to be found in the Greek tradition, some of the methods that achieved such prominence in the Arabic tradition are already found in the Paulus-Olympiodorus tradition. The two outstanding instances of this are the use of large numbers of Lots & at least the beginnings of the elaborate Persian-Arabic doctrine of Solar Revolutions. The Paulus-Olympiodorus material shows us much of the Greek tradition just before the Arabic invasions of the Byzantine empire carried Greek Astrology into the Middle Eastern world where it combined with Persian & Indian traditions, giving rise to the Arabic & later Latin medieval traditions of Astrology from which much of Western Astrology is descended." This book requires careful study, but will pay great dividends. Arhat, oversize format, 177 pages, comb-bound.

	THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM - Avraham Ibn-Ezra, translated & annotated by Meira Epstein, edited with additional annotations by Robert Hand, $18.95 From the front cover: "The beginning of Wisdom is fear of the Lord." The author lived from 1089-1164, in Spain. This book dates from 1148 & was intended as a basic text-book of astrology. Like all surviving books of the period, it is extraordinary in many ways. Among the highlights in the book (as summarized in Robert Hand's introduction): Chapter 2, description of the faces of the zodiac. This is the original source for many of the degree symbol sets (eg, Charabel's) & was last published by Raphael over a century ago. There is also an exhaustive description of the 12 signs. Chapter 3, the uses of triplicity rulers with house cusps. Chapter 5, a detailed account of accidental dignities of the planets as they relate to the sun & other planets. Chapter 6 gives practical applications of this data, in particular, phases of the planets. Chapter 7 covers aspects, including application, conjunction, co-mixture, separation, solitary (eg, void), feral, transfer/collection/return of light, etc. Chapter 8, a collection of 120 aphorisms. Chapter 10, rules for directing, also Persian mundane & historical astrology (Persian astrology is largely lost). Arhat intends to publish more of Ibn-Ezra's work. Lavish notes, more notes, in fact, than original text. Arhat, 158 pages, paper.

	THE NATIVITY OF LEWIS, THE 14TH KING OF FRANCE - John Gadbury, $5.50 Originally published in 1680, this is a digitally edited & enhanced facsimile, similar in appearance to the Regulus Christian Astrology. Gadbury did many short monographs on famous contemporaries. Each is a fascinating study of chart delineation as practiced 300 years ago. He first erects Louis XIV's chart, then proves its validity with directions, gives the natal reading & judgments for each house. He follows with delineation of notable revolutions (eg, years) in Louis XIV's life & concludes with a brief astrological description of Louis XV, who at that time was 19 years old. Arhat, 36 pages, small stapled paper.

	THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE RABBIS OF SOUTHERN FRANCE & MAIMONIDES ABOUT ASTROLOGY - Translated with annotations by Meira Epstein, $5.95 Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon, aka Maimonides, was born in Cordoba, Spain, in 1135. He eventually settled in Cairo, where he became the leading authority on religious matters, establishing the foundations of Jewish theology. He was famous far & wide. In 1194 he wrote a response to two letters sent to him by a group of rabbis in southern France. They wanted to know the validity of astrology as it related to the Jewish faith. Their letters contained many detailed questions. Maimonides ignored the first letter, replying only when prodded by the second. Maimonides's response ignored the details, going directly to a religious & philosophical discussion where he condemns astrology outright. These documents are an example of how astrology & religion differed in ancient times, and reminds us that the argument of fate vs: free will has never been resolved in the west. Arhat, 21 pages, small stapled paper.

	THE ABBREVIATION OF THE INTRODUCTION TO ASTROLOGY - Abu Ma'shar, edited & translated by Charles Burnett, $9.50 Known in the west as Albumasar, the author was born on August 10, 787 AD & died on March 9, 886. In his lifetime he was the leading astrologer in the Islamic world. The first chapter is on signs, the second on planets, the third on the 25 conditions of the planets, the fourth chapter is on the power & weakness of the planets & the corruption of the moon. Chapter five continues the discussion on planets, adding the lords of the days & hours. Chapter six is a brief description on the casting of Lots (eg, parts), giving both day & night rules. The final chapter is on the years of the planets. Extensive historical & technical notes by the author, G. Tobyn, G. Cornelius & V. Wells. Arhat, 58 pages, small stapled paper.

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