Luminary of the time

Definition

Luminary of the time (Latin luminare temporis; Arabic-Persian usage 'the luminary who has the rulership of the time') is the sect-light of a chart — the Sun in a diurnal nativity (born between sunrise and sunset) or the Moon in a nocturnal nativity (born between sunset and sunrise). The doctrine identifies the one luminary that holds primary rulership for the chart's overall life-arc, distinguishing it from the off-sect luminary that takes a secondary role.

In Tradition

Across Hellenistic and Arabic-Persian practice the luminary of the time is treated as the central significator for assessing the broad life-arc — particularly prosperity-and-vitality. Abu 'Ali directs the astrologer to begin prosperity judgment from 'the Lords of the triplicity of that luminary who has the rulership of the time,' assigning the first triplicity-lord to the beginning of life, the second to the middle, and the third to the end.

In Practice

Practitioners identify the luminary of the time by first determining whether the chart is diurnal (Sun above the horizon) or nocturnal (Sun below the horizon) — the diurnal sect-light is the Sun, the nocturnal sect-light is the Moon. Once identified, the luminary's sign supplies a triplicity, and the three lords of that triplicity (in the day-night-cooperating order) are read against three life-phases: beginning, middle, end. Angularity of the lords signifies greatness; succedent placement signifies middling fortune; cadent placement signifies labor and scarcity. In medical-astrological practice the luminary of the time also functions as a vitality significator: its condition by sign, house, aspect, and dignity is read against questions of constitution, recovery, and prognosis. Lilly's Christian Astrology preserves the luminary-of-the-time concept in English horary; modern Hellenistic-revival practice rebuilds the technique through the Project Hindsight Dorothean and Abu 'Ali translations.

Historical Origin

The luminary-of-the-time doctrine is part of the Hellenistic sect-light tradition attested in Dorotheus's Carmen (1st c. CE) and Valens's Anthologiae (2nd c. CE), transmitted into Arabic-Persian practice through Abu 'Ali Al-Khayyat's On the Judgments of Nativities Ch. 7 (9th c. CE, preserved in Dykes's Persian Nativities Vol I) where 'the luminary who has the rulership of the time' organizes prosperity judgment via the triplicity-Lord method. Lilly's Christian Astrology Vol 2 (1647) carries the concept into English horary.

Further Reading

• Abu 'Ali Al-Khayyat, On the Judgments of Nativities
• Dorotheus of Sidon, Carmen Astrologicum
• Benjamin N. Dykes, Persian Nativities Vol I
• William Lilly, Christian Astrology