Inclinations of the Moon

in-kluh-NAY-shuhnz uhv thuh moon

greek: κλίσις σελήνης (klisis selēnēs)

Definition

The inclinations of the Moon are the directional tendencies of the Moon's latitude as it travels through the signs over a single synodic month. Valens tabulates, for each new-moon sign, the sign the Moon then inclines toward as it moves on. When the conjunction falls in Cancer and the Moon first becomes visible in Leo, for instance, it inclines toward Taurus; in Virgo, toward Aries; and so on. Six signs incline toward the East as the Moon waxes to the full, six toward the West as it wanes.

In Tradition

Valens sets out the doctrine as an appendix to his day-reckoning. As the Moon waxes from its conjunction with the Sun toward the full, its first quarter leans eastward; as it wanes through the second quarter, it leans westward. He gives the per-sign inclination in a table keyed to the sign of the new moon, Leo through Cancer. Each row names the sign the Moon leans toward at each step of its monthly course. The scheme feeds the operative-day calculation, where the Moon's position and its inclination are weighed against the sign at which the day-count comes to rest.

In Practice

This is a working part of Valens's day-reckoning rather than a stand-alone reading, so reach for it when you follow his operative-day method. Note the sign of the new moon, then use the table to see which sign the Moon inclines toward as it moves through the month. It leans eastward while it waxes to the full, westward while it wanes. Set that inclination against the sign where the day-count stops, the way Valens directs. Keep it clear of the lunar nodes. The nodes are the fixed crossing-points of the Moon's path with the ecliptic; the inclinations are the month-by-month leanings of its latitude, used here for counting days.

Historical Origin

The doctrine is given by Vettius Valens, Anthology Book V (in Mark Riley's translation, pp. 100-103), where the per-sign table of lunar inclinations is appended to the operative-day method and the East-while-waxing, West-while-waning rule is stated.

Etymology

Origin: Greek. Meaning: inclination or tilt of the Moon.

Further Reading

  • Vettius Valens, Anthology
  • Chris Brennan, Hellenistic Astrology