Lot of Justice

Definition

Its sibling Hostility reads enmity from outside; the Lot of Justice (Greek klēros dikēs) reads matters of justice and right dealing. Valens names it as one of three lots — with Hostility and Necessity — for diagnosing crises of social standing. The passage that attests it here preserves no calculation; he takes the lot as already defined within his system and reads it by its configuration.

In Tradition

Valens places Justice, Hostility, and Necessity in one cluster: a hard configuration with the Lot of Standing, or with a lunation (a new or full moon), marks great upheavals and harm to rank. It is a diagnostic group read together when judging a social-rank crisis; the passage that names it preserves its use but not its computation.

In Practice

Since the source gives no formula, you read this lot by configuration, not by casting an arc. Watch whether the Lot of Justice joins, opposes, or squares the Lot of Standing or a lunation (a new or full moon). For any of the cluster's three lots, Valens reads that combination as upheaval and damage to standing. He also weighs the broader state of the chart, tying such crises to widespread affliction of the houses and their rulers. Examine it together with the Lots of Hostility and Necessity, not on its own.

Historical Origin

Vettius Valens names the lot in his Anthology (Book II), in Mark Riley's translation, within the three-lot cluster that triggers upheavals to standing. The passage gives the diagnostic use but preserves no computation here. It belongs to the wider Hellenistic catalogue of topical lots.

Etymology

Origin: Greek. Meaning: lot of justice.

Further Reading

• Vettius Valens, Anthology
• Chris Brennan, Hellenistic Astrology