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The Judgments of Nativities
by Abu 'Ali al-Khayyat, trans. James H. Holden Judgment: A must-have for students of medieval and traditional astrology. This short but informative book is a must-have for students of medieval astrology. It is a translation of a famous text by Abu 'Ali al-Khayyat (Abu 'Ali or Aboaly), the famous student of Masha'allah, one of the most famous and important writers in the medieval Arabic tradition in astrology. James Holden is one of the important modern English translators of Latin texts (see reviews of his translations of Morinus, as well as his history of practical horoscopy on this site), and he has prefaced this translation of John of Seville's Latin version of Abu 'Ali with a historical and critical introduction. One of the more important points Holden makes is that Ptolemy's fame as a reporter of ancient techniques is not as well-deserved as one is often led to believe -- indeed, Ptolemy was not even a practicing astrologer. Instead, books like Abu 'Ali's represent the authentic Greek tradition as it was handed down from antiquity to the Arab and Persian astrologers. Holden's introduction and the introductory letter addressed to Philip Melancthon (himself an astrologer and friend of Luther's) provide two key pieces of information for the astrologer. First, handy textbooks like Abu 'Ali's do not give every possible interpretation of planet-sign-house combinations (indeed, what book does?). Instead, Abu 'Ali provides the maximum effects that may be expected from a certain configuration. It is up to the astrologer's training and experience to tailor these ideal delineations to the middling effects that are so often seen in an individual chart. Second, the introductory letter provides a basic outline for house delineation as it was practiced by the Arabic writers. This description of such crucial points of method will show the reader how differently the traditional astrologers approached a chart, as opposed to the intuitive and non-methodical treatments usually found in modern astrology. Abu 'Ali repeats the information in a longer form later in the book. Abu 'Ali covers the full range of the main areas of practical chart delineation: longevity, quality of mind, finances, siblings, family, career, and so on. In so doing, he reproduces several charts from Dorotheus as illustrations of his longevity techniques. His organization is thorough and easy to follow, and he includes handy tables that cover what each planet means in each of the houses (including the Moon's nodes) and in the signs ruled by another planet. This last point is interesting. For instance, Abu 'Ali says that when Saturn is in a sign ruled by Mercury (Gemini, Virgo), the native will investigate the secrets in hidden books and will suffer harm because of it. Of course this is not universally true. It is really an example of how to combine domicile rulerships with the universal natures of planets, something not dealt with well in modern astrology. Mercury rules the sign, so Mercury will have dominion over Saturn's activity: in this case, since Mercury rules books, the native's dealings with books will have a Saturnian cast: hard work, study, secrets. By the same token, malefic Saturn's presence in the sign makes it difficult for Mercury's activity to turn out well: hence the native suffers on account of his study of books. No astrologer would simply say this to a client all by itself -- much depends on the other features of the chart. But it is Abu 'Ali's way of illustrating certain principles to the knowledgeable student. The book is inexpensive. It was written in an old printer typeface from the 1980's and so not that pleasant to read. The AFA's cheap bookbinding also makes the book wear out quickly if mishandled. But its size and shape make it an aesthetically pleasant book to have, and the richness of its contents far outweigh its material disadvantages.
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