An Introduction to Daimonic Astrology
There are many astrological methods of calculating the ruler of a nativity, or natal chart. In modern astrology, the Lord of the Ascendant is considered the overall chart ruler. In the Hellenistic era, the Oikodespotes and Kyrios Geneseos fulfilled this role. In medieval/Perso-Arabic astrology, the Almuten Figuris, or “Winner of the Figure” was determined by an elaborate system of dignities on a weighted point scale. Each of these methods yield a planet that is said to be the planetary affiliation of the native’s daimōn, or tutelary, guardian spirit. This spirit guides the soul into incarnation on the terrestrial plane… and it could guide the soul back on the path of Cosmic Return.
According to Plato’s “Myth of Er” (Republic. Book X), the preincarnate human soul stands outside the cosmos where it is coupled with a daimōn (Δαίμων). The daimōn, in the role of chthonic psychopomp, guides the soul through the sphere of the fixed stars and zodiac and the seven planetary spheres on its way into incarnation in the sublunary sphere of the elements. The daimōn accompanies the native (the subject of the nativity) throughout their life, fulfilling the role of a conscience or a higher genius, guiding them, as a personal mystagogue, through the mysteries of birth, life and death.
But when, to conclude, all the souls had chosen their lives in the order of their lots, they were marshalled and went before Lachesis. And she sent with each, as the guardian of his life and the fulfiller of his choice, the genius that he had chosen, and this divinity led the soul first to Clotho, under her hand and her turning of the spindle to ratify the destiny of his lot and choice; and after contact with her the genius again led the soul to the spinning of Atropos to make the web of its destiny irreversible, and then without a backward look it passed beneath the throne of Necessity.
Plato. The Republic. Book X. 620d-e
A Cosmic Descent.
Upon the descent through each planetary sphere (on the way down: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury and, finally, the Moon), the soul takes on characteristics corresponding to that particular sphere. The condition of the planet (each assessed per their essential and accidental dignity) at the time of the descent into incarnation dictates whether the planetary significations bestowed upon the prenatal soul will be positive, neutral or negative. A fortunately placed Mars, for example, will manifest in positive significations such as ‘bravery’, ‘courage’ or ‘valor’; a middling placement might manifest in neutral significations such as ‘energy’ or ‘separation’; and an unfortunately placed Mars may bestow negative qualities such as ‘violence’, ‘aggression’ or ‘anger.’ All of these are martial characteristics spanning the qualitative range of the planet’s influence on the soul.
The Nativity.
At the prenatal syzygy (the new or full Moon, immediately preceding birth), the soul is yoked to the material body. And, at the exact moment when the native is born – being an independent entity, separate from the mother and breathing on their own and, thereby, participating in the pneuma (πνεῦμα; ‘breath’ or ‘spirit’) – a cosmic cycle is engaged. According to astrological doctrine, the native is inextricably bound to this particular cycle, which is represented by the nativity, or natal chart. The nativity depicts the position of the planets in signs at the time of birth as well as pertinent points such as the ascendant (ASC) and the midheaven (MC), which dictate the configuration of the houses (sectors of space-time corresponding to topics in the native’s life). The nativity is a unique cosmic thumbprint and contains information relative to the causal cycle engaged. The native’s character may be assessed by delineating the chart and future events and prospects may be predicted by applying ‘time lord’ techniques (profections, zodiacal releasing, progressions, transits, etc.)
Kairos.
The ancient Greeks had (at least) two words for time: chronos, which is regular, quantitative ‘clock time’ and kairos, which is qualitative, meaningful time – the ‘right’ time, one might say. The kairos is sometimes explained using an analogy from archery: when the archer’s sights are locked on the object and he feels the appropriate amount of tension in the bowstring (among other metrics), it is the kairos – the decisive, critical moment of engagement. In this sense, the nativity represents a kaironic rather than a merely chronic species of time, since the nativity carries meaning and portents relative to the life of the native. The particular kairos of the nativity is pregnant with significance regarding the causal cycle engaged at birth.
Ethos Anthropos Daimon.
At the kaironic moment of birth, the position of the planets and angles is fixed in the nativity, which is a snapshot of the cosmos at that crucial time. Since the placement of the planets dictate the quality of the characteristics bestowed on the native – positive, neutral or negative, according to each planetary sphere – we can view the nativity as a ‘schematic of character.’ The Presocratic philosopher, Heraclitus, famously said ‘ethos anthropos daimōn’ (Fragment 119), which is commonly translated as ‘character is destiny.’ The implication is that people tend to act within the confines of their character, which is a logical proposition. For example, if we see a poorly placed Mercury in the nativity, we might expect less-than-desirable mercurial characteristics such as deceptiveness and thievery. If we look at each planet in the nativity and assess its condition and dignity, then we can assemble a composite character profile, corresponding to one’s likely actions and reactions in a given situation – hence, natal astrology’s predictivity.
Such are the effects produced by the several planets, each by itself and in command of its own nature. Associated, however, now with one, now with another, in the different aspects, by the exchange of signs and by their phases with reference to the sun, and experiencing a corresponding tempering of their powers, each produces a character, in its effect, which is the result of the mixture of the natures that have participated, and is complicated. It is of course a hopeless and impossible task to mention the proper outcome of every combination and enumerate absolutely all the aspects of whatever kind since we can conceive of such a variety of them. Consequently questions of this kind are best left to the enterprise and ingenuity of the astrologer, in order to make the distinctions.
Ptolemy. Tetrabiblos. II.8. Robbins (trans.)
Daimonic Astrology.
According to the Egyptians every one received his proper dæmon at the hour of his birth; nor did they ascend any higher, in order to obtain a knowledge of it. For they alone considered the horoscope.
Thomas Taylor, Annotation on Book IX, Ch. 5 of Iamblichus' On The Mysteries of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Assyrians.
There are several methods by which one may calculate the personal daimōn from the natal chart. Porphyry focused on this project probably more than any other Hellenistic astrologer, due to his Neoplatonic and theurgical leanings (for more on this subject, please see my blog post from 2020 here). Later, medieval astrologers such as Masha’Allah and Ibn Ezra outlined methods of calculating the Almuten Figuris (‘victor of the figure’), which corresponds to the Hellenistic Kyrios (‘Lord’ of the nativity). Astrologically, the Almuten Figuris and the Kyrios directly correspond to the daimōn. Once the planetary sphere to which the individual daimōn belongs is identified, its name may be derived by using a technique found in Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa’s Occult Philosophy (Book III, Ch. 26). Armed with this information, the native can then focus and direct his theurgic ritual to this entity specifically, as the daimōn is the peculiar cosmic intercessor, working on behalf of the native.
Theurgy.
This mystagogic daimōn, who guided the preincarnate soul down through the planetary spheres, can also guide the soul of the native back up, on its anagogic journey toward henosis (ἕνωσις); union with ‘the One’; the ultimate liberation from fate and causality. By propitiating the personal daimōn through what Iamblichus called ‘Sacred Theurgy’ (θεουργία), a sort of metaphysical ladder may be constructed. Theurgy, in the astrological sense, involves the utilization of synthemata and symbola corresponding to certain planetary spheres; these sympathetic signatures may be found all through the animal, mineral and vegetable kingdoms and used in a sort of ritualized micro-cosmogony.
[T]he invocation of him is effected through one God, who is the lord of dæmons; who from the first defined to every one his peculiar dæmon; and who, in sacred operations, unfolds to every one his proper dæmon, according to his own proper will. For always in the theurgic order secondary are invoked through primary natures. Among dæmons, therefore, one common leader of the cosmocrators about generation sends to each of us his peculiar dæmon. Hence, when the peculiar dæmon is present with each of us, he then unfolds the worship which is proper to be paid to him and his name, and likewise delivers the proper mode of invoking him.
Iamblichus, On The Mysteries of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Assyrians. Book IX, Ch. 9. Translation by Thomas Taylor, 1821