Antiscia - The Origin and History of an Ancient Technique Re-discovered

by Tania Daniels

In astrology, there are many points in a horoscope which are given particular importance and which connect planets and their significations even if a classical aspect between them is lacking.

Among these points are the antiscia.

The antiscia, in the plural, or antiscium in the singular in its Latin expression, or antiscion in its Greek expression, were already known in Hellenistic times. The earliest authors mentioning them are Marcus Manilius (1. Century CE) in his poem Astronomica (1)and Dorotheus of Sidon (1. Century CE) in his Carmen Astrologicum. Both authors describe the antiscia, but not yet under this technical term. Instead, they know them as commanding and obeying signs, which I will go into later in this article.

Firmicus Maternus (4. Century CE) is usually believed to be the first author who refers to the antiscia under this name. He is also the only traditional author who dedicates the antiscia an entire chapter, including an example chart that he discusses in full length. In his Matheseos Libri VIII, he makes clear that even at his time there were different school of thoughts and that the antiscia played a part in them: (2):

The Babylonians attribute all the forecast to the duodecatemorion, but Ptolemy to the antiscia, and we do both.

He makes clear that the antiscia have been used by many earlier astrologers and that he was building upon their tradition accordingly: (3)

The antiscia of the Greeks have been handed down by tradition. I do not wish anybody to think that this topic has not been discussed by the Greeks. For even Ptolemy followed no other theory, but that of the antiscia. Antiochus, when he said that indeed Libra did not see Aries because the earth was in the middle as if through a mirror reached the theory of the antiscia. Dorotheus of Sidon, on the other hand, a very wise man who wrote about forecasting by the stars in very accurate and learned verses, explained the calculation on the antiscia in clear terms in his fourth book.

However, Vettius Valens, a 1st century astrologer from Alexandria, already used the term antiskioi moira (4) in three different (but equally phrased) passages in his Anthology, yet unfortunately without going into detail (5).

Generally, the antiscia were considered as placeholders of the specific planet from which they were calculated as Firmicus explains: (6)

Thus, if in computing the chart, some of the planets are not in aspect, it must be asked whether they are connected to each other through the relationship of the antiscia.

This means that a planet can aspect another celestial body through conjunction, sextile, square or opposition or by its antiscium.
In order to understand the signification of the antiscia in a horary or natal chart, we first need to deal with:

• the concept of ascending and declining zodiacal signs from the solstice line
• the difference between straight and crooked/oblique rising signs
• commanding and obeying signs

Definition of antiscia

Antiscia are mirror points from the solstice line: this is the two points on the ecliptic on which the Sun reaches its maximum declination from the equatorial plane of 23°4’ either in a northern direction (0° Cancer) or southern direction (0° Capricorn). A planet (P) and its antiscium (A) are in signs of which P is at the same distance to the solstice line along the ascending half of the ecliptic as A is on the descending half of the ecliptic. (7) The following figure shows this. Planet 1 is at the ascending half of the ecliptic and its antiscium exactly in front of it at the descending half of the ecliptic. The same is true for planet 2 and planet 3: both of them are on the descending half of the ecliptic and their antiscia are thus along the ascending half of the ecliptic, in front of them.

Fig. 1: Ascending/descending ecliptic	Fig. 2 shows the ascending and descending signs in a wheel chart.

Etymology

In Greek exists an adjective with two endings: antiski-os and antiski-on, where antiskios is used for both male and female while antiskion is neutral. This adjective can be traced back to the Greek words ‘anti’ = against, in front of, like and ‘skia’ = shadow and means ‘that what makes equally shadow’. The word ‘antiskia’ in ancient Greek does not exist. The word ‘antiscia’ is an Italian version with a female ending that in Greek does not exist: when the adjective is used to accompany female words such as ‘moira’ it retains the term ‘οι’, which is used for both male and female (it is an adjective with two endings). The noun skios neither exists, there is instead the noun skia (shadow) used alone and not in compound with ‘anti’. (8)

However, even though antiscia is not the etymological correct form of antiskios, it has since been long established in its use, which is why I will continue to use the Latinised words antiscium (singular) and antiscia (plural).

As we know, the solstices represent the longest day of the year (21 June, Sun at 0°Cancer) or the longest night of the year (21 December, Sun at 0° Capricorn). Therefore, the connection planet (antiscium) describes a relationship between light and shadow in the horoscope: how much (day-) light corresponds to how much (night-) shadow. Except for both solstices, each day lacks a little daylight/night shadow in order to be in perfect equilibrium. Consequently, both complete each other.

Since the sunlight plays a particularly important role in traditional astrology, it is obvious that the signs are assigned a different strength depending on whether their light is increasing or waning. Those signs in which the light increases operate differently than those in which the shadow prevails. Light is like an engine pushing forward: things are visible and the work can be done. By night, in the darkness, we are more insecure and need to pay attention to where we go, our senses might be well awake, but they are rather set on retreat.

The solsticeline

Fig. 3: Antiscia according to Marcus Manilius

The calculation of the antiscia evidences a problem in the literature. As James Herschel annotates in his Porphyry translation, early astrologers were still working with the calculation of the solstices at 15° Cancer/Capricorn. (9) Among them was the Sicily-based Marcus Manilius who mirrored a planet positioned in Capricorn at the right from the solstice line to the left of the solstice line in Capricorn.
This is why his antiscia pairs were:

• Capricorn- Capricorn
• Aquarius- Sagittarius
• Pisces-Scorpio
• Aries-Libra
• Taurus-Virgo
• Gemini-Leo
• Cancer-Cancer

There is evidence that also Porphyry (234 CE) and Paulus of Alexandria, (350 CE) used this system. (10)

Fig. 4: Antiscia according to Firmicus Maternus

 

Firmicus Maternus, who lived three centuries later, already worked with the solstices calculated for 0° Cancer/Capricorn and therefore based his calculations on more updated astronomical data, which took into account the backward rotating movement of Earth’s axis (precession). For this reason, he mirrored a planet in Capricorn along the 0° line, and thus its antiscium fell in the sign on the other side of the line, which was Sagittarius. For this reason, his antiscia pairs were:

• Capricorn -Sagittarius
• Aquarius -Scorpio
• Pisces-Libra
• Aries-Virgo
• Taurus-Leo
• Gemini-Cancer

These pairs are still in use today.

Straight and oblique rising signs

Fig. 5: Inclination of the Earth's axis

The signs from Capricorn to Gemini are located along the ascending half of the ecliptic. (11) From the day of the winter solstice on 21 December and the Sun’s ingress in Capricorn, the days become longer and the light increases. These signs rise oblique or crooked along the Eastern horizon, which is why they need less than two hours to fully rise. They slowly increase in light.

The signs from Cancer to Sagittarius rise relatively straight and therefore need more than two hours until their last degree has risen on the Eastern horizon. These signs are located along the descending half of the ecliptic and they slowly diminish in light.

In ancient textbooks, we often find references to “quick rising signs” and “slowly rising signs”. Only on the solstices do the signs exactly need two hours. This concept was so fundamental to classical astrology that the Persian astrologer Sahl Ibn Bishir (9th century) mentions it as soon as in the third paragraph of his introduction before he even distinguishes signs into moveable, fixed and common. (12)

And of them, six are signs ascending in straight fashion; that is, having straight ascension. And of them, six [signs] ascending crookedly, that is, having crooked ascension. And those ascending in a straight fashion are from the beginning of Cancer up to the end of Sagittarius, because the breadth of each one of them is greater than its length, and it ascends in more than two equal hours: because of this they are named ‘those ascending in a straight fashion’. And those ascending crookedly are from the beginning of Capricorn up to the end of Gemini, because the breadth of each of them is less than its length, and [each] ascends in less than two equal hours: from this they are named ‘those ascending crookedly’.

The difference between straight and oblique (crooked) rising signs can easily be visualised with a ruler and a table: If the ruler is guided straight upward along the border of the table, it needs more time than a ruler which is moved in an oblique fashion.

We can thus summarise that the antiscia put in relation a straight rising sign with an oblique rising sign, complementing mutually the lacking light in each of them.

Commanding and obeying signs

Since the ancient astrologers closely observed everything happening around them in nature, from which they extracted its inner astrological signification, they were also aware that the two different ways of zodiacal rising were to be considered of particular importance. Straight rising signs seemed to be stronger, straightforward, as a person in the prime of life, while the crooked signs looked more like a toddler.

Al Quabisi, also known as Alcabitius (10th CE), in referring to this balance of power, writes: (13)

And those ascending crookedly obey those ascending directly; that is, two signs which were of one longitude from the beginning of Cancer obey each other; as Gemini [obeys] Cancer, Taurus Leo, Aries Virgo, and Pisces Libra, Aquarius Scorpio and Capricorn Sagittarius.

Al Quabisi thus stresses an additional point: certain signs obey the others.

The later Persian author Al Biruni (973- 1048 n. Ch.) shares Al Quabisi’s point of view: (14)

The crooked signs are also called ‘obedient’; and this is due to accordance in course, because when you compare two signs on one parallel, the one belonging to the descending half comes first by the diurnal movement, and the one of the ascending half later; so the former commands the latter, which obeys the commanding sign and always follows.

Unfortunately, Al Qabisi‘s and Al Biruni’s statements are in conflict with the translations of Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos handed down to us. He makes the obeying/commanding sings not dependent on the solstices line but on the equinoxes (emphasis is mine). (15)

Similarly, the names ‘commanding’ and ‘obeying’ are applied to the divisions of the zodiac which are disposed at an equal distance from the same equinoctial sign, whichever it may be, because they ascend in equal periods of time and are on equal parallels. Of these, the ones in the summer hemisphere are called ‘commanding’ and those in the winter hemisphere ‘obedient’, because the sun makes the day longer than the night when he is in the summer hemisphere, and shorter in the winter.

This statement sounds somewhat odd, because the days in the signs from Aries to Libra are not all increasing in light, on the contrary, starting from Cancer, they become shorter!

On the other hand, Ptolemy considers the signs which are equally distant from the solstice line as beholding signs of equal strength. (16) I do believe, that the word equinox could be a scribal error and as such was copied wrongly by other authors since Ptolemy mentions elsewhere that Capricorn generates the winter (consequently, the signs Capricorn-Gemini are winter signs) whereas the signs Cancer-Sagittarius generate the summer. (17) Accordingly, the (crooked rising) winter signs obey the (straight rising) summer sings and Ptolemy’s statement would thus be identical with that of Dorotheus of Sidon (75 CE) who writes: (18)

At the beginning of every matter someone wants, look at those signs straight in arising as well as the crooked and the convertible and twin [ones] of them, and at the position of the star which is in the Ascendant at the beginning of every work [to see] whether its end will be suitable or bad.
“(…) the straight ones of them are Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius, because each one of these six arises in two hours and some [other] hour, of the hours of the civil day (…). And the crooked ones of them are Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, and Gemini because each one of these six arises in less than two hours, of the hours of the civil day.
“So look in every inception that comes to be, at the signs which arise in that hour, whether it is of those straight in arising or of the crooked ones. For if it was of those crooked in arising, then that work will be difficult, slow, with toil entering into it, along with trouble and burdens.

This means, that the straight ascending signs will have it easier than the oblique ascending signs, which will encounter more problems and toils.
Dorotheus also shows that the statements reported above only refer to the signs, while planets in them are able to change these statements: (19) These difficulties could be linked to the inclination of the ascending sign towards the earth, which is associated with the material world, responsibility, and burden, while the straight signs, which ascend in a rather right angle, do appear as climbing virtually into the sky.

Then, look at the positions of the seven in the places, because if he began in a work and the Ascendant was of the crooked signs, and in it anything of the fortunes and anything of them looked at the Ascendant, it will remove the burden and assist in the success of that work, by the permission of God.
And if the Ascendant was of the signs straight in arising, and anything of the infortunes fell into it or looked at it, delay will enter into that work, as well as unrest and toil.

If we consider, as Ptolemy did, the equinoxes as the division line for obeying/commanding signs, we get the groups Aries to Virgo and Libra to Pisces. However, by doing so, the straight and the oblique rising signs (for example Cancer and Aries) get mixed up and the differentiation between slowly and quick ascending signs or easy and difficult makes no sense anymore. Unfortunately, Ptolemy was not the only one to work with this principle. His contemporaneous Vettius Valens also did. (20)

Paulus of Alexandria (4. CE) has probably copied it from him and used it in his Introduction to Astrology. This is confusing because he stresses that oblique ascending signs (obeying signs) are particularly appropriate for fugitives, long distance travel or legal actions because they have a “separating nature”. (21)

Calculation of the antiscium

As we have seen in our times, the following signs are at an equal distance from the solstices:

• Cancer-Gemini
• Leo-Taurus
• Virgo-Aries
• Libra-Pisces
• Scorpio-Aquarius
• Sagittarius-Capricorn

The calculation of the antiscia is very easy. We subtract the degrees and the minutes of a planet from 30 and obtain the degree and the minutes of the antiscium.

Let us, for example, suppose a planet is at 12°28’ Taurus. If we subtract 12°28 from 30° we get 17°32. Since Taurus has its antiscium in Leo, the antiscium of this planet will be at 17°32 Leo.

A planet at 14° Libra has its antiscium at 16° Pisces. A planet at 2°47 Aries has its antiscium at 27°13 Virgo.

In calculating the antiscia it must be noticed, that authors like William Lilly did not accept any orb to the antiscium. He required the aspect to be partile. (22) Personally, I have seen in my client charts that applicative aspects of max. 3° work just fine.

Birth charts

Ceonius Albinus

Firmicus Maternus shows the use of antiscia in much detail in his example chart. (23) In doing so, it becomes evident, that not only does he consider antiscia in aspect to other planets (conjunction, trine, opposition or sextile) but also takes into account the house to which a planet sends its antiscia although there is no planet there. (24)

The father of the horoscope owner lived many years in exile, a circumstance which Firmicus explains as shown in particular by four antiscia:

• Antiscium of the Sun in Libra (12th house)

(…) Pisces sends an antiscium toward Libra and Libra again toward Pisces. And so the Sun and Jupiter, located together in Pisces, send an antiscium toward Libra, in this sign in which it is out of dignity and debilitated and in the twelfth house of the nativity, that is, the cacodaemon; this shows a humble origin of the father’s family and for the father himself a scandalous exile. But Jupiter, whose force and power the influence of the antiscium transferred from the sign of Pisces to the sign of Libra, located in the twelfth house, that is, of the cacodaemon, through the antiscium excited a great many enemies against the father, and against the native himself, and made them win.

• Controantiscium of the Sun to Saturn

Firmicus further explains, that since the Sun is in opposition to Saturn, also their antiscia are. Saturn’s antiscium in Pisces is in opposition to the Sun’s antiscium in Libra. This means that the highest authority (Sun) orders the banishment (antiscium in the 12th house). At the same time, Saturn in relation to the Sun describes a humiliation or degradation or else the social fall. In the 6th house, its antiscium describes orders.

• The Moon’s antiscium in Gemini

Firmicus also stresses the point that the Moon’s antiscium falls into Gemini where it receives a trine from Mars. Since the Moon is increasing and Mars is moving toward its antiscium in the 8th house, this aspect is particularly difficult, because Mars describes the physical body of the native (ruler of the 1st house) and because it is in the 8th house (damage), while on the other hand, the Moon itself is the natural ruler of (every) physical body and Mars the natural ruler of aggression. However, Firmicus seems to consider this aspect as some kind of “general impediment”: the man could not move around freely and wherever he wished.

• Mars’ antiscium in the Ascendant

Mars sends its antiscium from the 4th house into Scorpio on the AC, which threatens Albusus physically in his home country.

Adolf Hitler (25)

In Hitler’s chart, two details particularly catch the eye.

He was known for nearly hypnotising the masses with his power of speech. It was less the wording than the power behind it. His Mercury is appropriately in Aries, the flood of words was intense. He is in the 7th house and thus directed to a (public) audience. Mercury is in the decan of Mars and Saturn’s terms, to whom he casts a (separative) trine, which explains his commanding tone and the racist content. (Saturn symbolises exclusion, discrimination etc.)
Mars antiscium is in the 12th house in Virgo (4°11). Here are his “hidden enemies”. Virgo is a straight rising sign and commands Mercury in Aries what to do.

Therefore, it is not about informing the masses about some “hidden enemy” (which would have been the case if the 7th house was the pulling force) but rather Hitler’s paranoia (12th house).

The second point I noticed was the intimate relationship between Hitler and the nation. His AC ruler Venus is conjunct Mars in the 8th house. He is responsible for mass-murder in the tens of millions. Mars is out of sect in this day chart (Mars is a night planet) and furthermore in exile. Both planets are exactly conjunct Saturn’s antiscium (16°23), the planet which rules the nation (4th house). While it is true that both planets also aspect each other by square, we can see that this square is separative, while the conjunction with the antiscium is permanent. Saturn in the 11th house describes demographic groups, while the planet is associated with Judaism. Hitler’s AC ruler Venus in conjunction with Mars and Saturn’s antiscium acquires thus a new signification.

Johannes Trithemius (26)

Trithemius was the inventor of steganography, a precursor of the modern cryptography, which is the art of coding messages. Trithemius was a monk and much interested in astrology and occult sciences, passions he could not openly cultivate as a man of the church. He was among the teachers of Cornelius Agrippa and Paracelsus.

His Ascendant in secret-loving Scorpio, and his AC ruler in the 5th house of passion, conjunct the Moon, the ruler of the 9th house, which is related to astrology and magic. Both planets have their antiscia in the 12th house, the “secrets”, or, as in this case, the encryption, whereas the 12th house commands the 5th. Venus, the ruler of the 12th house is in the 6th and thus describes personal abilities and competencies.

Trithemius made encryptions (12th house) become his personal competence with a huge practical advantage (6th house) being absolute innovative in his times (Venus in Aries). At the same time, the content was for like-minded persons (Venus in the 11th house).

Encryptions can also be considered as a Mercury-Saturn relationship. Saturn governs the 3rd place (learning and writing) and Mercury rules the 8th house, which indicates transformational processes such as alchemy. Their antiscia fall in Trithemius’ 1st house, his life task.

Ted Bundy

The man was an American serial killer who raped and killed at least 30 women of all ages. Some, he cut off their heads and kept them in his fridge. He also had sex with cadavers in advanced state of decomposition.

Venus, the natural ruler of women, is peregrine in her detriment and moving toward Jupiter, L8. Mars in the 5th house conjunct SN and Moon: = problems with sex and physicality. Mars and Venus are in aversion, but retrograde Venus is moving towards a trine to Mars’ contrantiscium (opposition of the antiscia) at 16°38 Cancer in the 12th house of imprisonment.

Saturn L7, his victims, is in the 1st WSH, in his detriment, they are in his hands, while Venus opposes Saturn’s antiscion at 9°13 Aquarius.
Sex with cadavers: Venus is in the 4th (grave) conjunct Mercury, (L8 from the 7th of partners).

Horary astrology

Antiscia are also very important in horary astrology.

The English astrologer William Lilly wrote in the 17th century: (27)

The Antiscion signs are those which are of the same virtue and are equally distant from the first degree of the two tropic signs, Cancer and Capricorn, and in which degrees whilst the Sun is, the days and the nights are of equal length, by example it will be plain; when the Sun is in the tenth degree of Taurus, he is as far distant from the first degree of Cancer as when in the twentieth degree of Leo; there, for when the Sun is in the tenth of Taurus, he has his Antiscion in the twentieth of Leo; that is he giveth virtue or influence to any star or planet that at that time either is in the same degree by conjunction, or castesth any aspect unto it.”

His example chart “a ship at sea” (28), deals with the question of a shipowner as to whether his ship was sunk and therefore an event covered by insurance, or whether it was just delayed.

Along with a series of other considerations, Lilly finds Mars to be the ruler of the 11th house (luck, helpers, sea rescuers) and dispositor of Fortune. Mars sends an antiscium precisely to the Ascendant. At the same time, Jupiter, being in the 11th house, sends his antiscium into Leo the 2nd house, which is why Lilly told his client, that his ship had been in danger, but now his equipment and the merchandise were safe and that the man would not suffer any economic loss.

Author's note:
I would like to thank my friend and colleague Sharon Knight for her help in providing me with some of the source texts for the English translation of this article, which was originally published in German by the Meridian-Fachzeitschrift für Astrologie.

Endnotes and References:
(1) Marcus Manilius, Astronomica Astrologie, II, 484, Loeb Classical Library.
(2) Julius Firmicus Maternus, Matheseos Libri VIII, Book III, XIV, Noyes Classical Studies, Bram translation, p. 122.
(3) Ibid, p. 60.
(4) antiskioi moirai =degrees watching each other. Also see footnote 5 and 8.
(5) I’d like to thank the Italian philologist Lucia Bellizia for pointing this out. She also translated the relevant passages from Greek for me. Please compare Vettii Valentis’ Antiocheni Anthologiarum Libri novem, ed. D. PINGREE, Leipzig, Teubner, 1986, III, p. 135-6; 256-31 and 424-20 (appendix). The passages in the Riley translation can be found at p. 62 and 121 (Riley did not translate the appendix, but P 424-20 is a copy of P 135-6).
(6) Firmicus, p.62.
(7) We also can imagine folding a horoscope along the Cancer/Capricorn line to mirror it, in doing so we also get the antiscia.
(8) Based on a small unpublished paper on the etymology of the word antiscia written by Lucia Bellizia and used with her permission.
(9) Porphyry the Philosopher, Introduction to the Tetrabiblos and Serapio of Alexandria Astrological Definitions, Herschel translation, American Federation of Astrologers, 2009, p. 26, footnote 2.
(10) Porphyry, footnote 11.
(11) This can best be visualised with the help of fig. 1.
(12) Works of Sahl & Masha´allah, Dykes’ translation, Cazimi Press, 2008, p.1.
(13) Benjamin Dykes, Introduction to Traditional Astrology, Cazimi Press, p. 52 citing Al Quabisi.
(14) Al Biruni, The Book of Instruction in the elements of the art of astrology, online at https://archive.org/details/TheBookOfInstructionOnTheElementsOfTheArtOfAstrologyByAlBiruni/page/n245 (paragraph 378).
(15) Claudius Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos, Robbins translation, Loeb classical library, 1940, I-14, p. 77 online at http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Ptolemy/Tetrabiblos/1B*.html#14.
(16) Claudius Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos, Loeb classical library, 1940, I-14, p. 77 online at http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Ptolemy/Tetrabiblos/1B*.html#15.
(17) http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Ptolemy/Tetrabiblos/1B*.html#ref82.
(18) Dorotheus of Sidon, Carmen Astrologicum, Dykes translation, Cazimi Press, 2017, S.231 (Book V, 5).
(19) Dorotheus of Sidon, Carmen Astrologicum, Dykes translation, Cazimi Press, 2017 p.232 (Book V,5).
(20) See Vettius Valens, Anthologies, Riley translation, p. 11, Book 1, 8K, 7P.
(21) Paolo d’Alessandria, Introduzione all´astrologia, trad. Giuseppe Bezza, Mimesis 200, p. 43.
(22) William Lilly, Christian Astrology, p. 90.
(23) Julius Firmicus Maternus, Matheseos Libri VIII, Book II, 29, Noyes Classical Studies, Brams transl. p. 64.
(24) The German translation of Firmicus Maternus reports that Theodor Momsen identified the horoscope owner in Firmicus chart as Ceionius Rufus Albinus, while Walter Koch published an article in 1931 in the Astrologische Rundschau in which he dated the chart for 14 March 303 CE (Julian Calendar) at 11 p.m.
(25) Source chart data: www.astro.com, Rodden Rating AA.
(26) Source chart data: www.astro.com, Rodden Rating: B.
(27) William Lilly, Christian Astrology, p. 90.
(28) William Lilly, Christian Astrology, S. 288.

Image sources:
Mirroring points of light: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Graphs, diagrams and charts provided by the author.

Published by: The Astrological Journal, Sep/Oct 2019

Author:
Tania Daniels finished training in psychological astrology in 2002 and has studied traditional astrology since 2009. She holds a STA Horary Diploma and a certificate in Hellenistic astrology. She has enrolled in Zoller’s DMA and is a QHP tutor. Her articles have been published in English, Italian, German and Turkish. Website: taniadaniels.com.

© Tania Daniels /2019

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