Lot of Nemesis

greek: Νέμεσις (Nemesis)

Definition

The Lot of Nemesis is the Saturn lot in the seven-planet Hermetic system — calculated points in a chart — known in Greek as ὁ κλῆρος τῆς Νεμέσεως (klēros tēs Nemeseōs). For a day birth you measure from Saturn to the Lot of Fortune and project that arc from the rising degree; for a night birth the formula flips. It belongs to the Fortune-anchored group of lots — Nemesis (Saturn), Courage (Mars), Necessity (Mercury) — which deal with bodily, material, and circumstantial difficulty, in contrast to the Daimon-anchored (Spirit-anchored) Eros and Victory lots.

In Tradition

Astrologers read the Lot of Nemesis as what you are "due" — its Greek root νέμω means "to assign, to allot" — covering hidden negative factors, exile, loss, divine retribution, and the final allotment of death. Greenbaum's Daimon Ch. 8 §2 documents the lot's cultic tie to the goddess Nemesis paired with Tyche (Fortune), and notes that Firmicus Maternus and Paulus give different formulas, so track your source. Crane reads Nemesis as fairly permanent, unlike Necessity, which clever action may escape.

In Practice

You calculate the Lot of Nemesis with the formula that flips by sect, then read its sign, its house, and the planet that rules its degree. Greenbaum and Crane both treat it as one of the standard Hermetic planetary lots worked out by Paulus Alexandrinus's method: by day, rising degree + Lot of Fortune − Saturn; by night, rising degree + Saturn − Lot of Fortune. The lot's house shows the part of life most exposed to retribution, accumulated consequence, or obligation you cannot avoid; aspects from Saturn or other malefics deepen the difficulty, while aspects from Jupiter or Venus ease it. Lightfoot's commentary on Pseudo-Manetho also mentions the lot in the per-sign material on outcomes in Books 5-6. The Lot of Nemesis is used less often than Fortune and Spirit, but some astrologers bring it into longevity work and into life-direction analysis where Saturn's themes stand out.

Historical Origin

The Lot of Nemesis is attested in Vettius Valens's Anthologiae (2nd c. CE Greek, public domain), Paulus Alexandrinus's Introductory Matters (4th c. CE Greek, public domain), and Firmicus Maternus's Mathesis VI (4th c. CE Latin, public domain) — though Firmicus and Paulus give differing formulas. Greenbaum's The Daimon in Hellenistic Astrology (W11-W14 lean) documents the textual variants and the cultic Nemesis-Tyche pairing; Crane's Astrological Roots gives the modern Hellenistic-revival treatment of the seven-lot Hermetic system.

Etymology

Origin: Greek. Meaning: Righteous indignation, divine retribution.

Definition

In Tradition

In Practice

Historical Origin

Etymology

Further Reading