Thread by @aaolomi

For many cultures, New Year isn’t January 1st, but the dawning of Spring.

It's also the astrological new year.

Medieval Muslims who followed a lunar calendar with its own new year took note of the Sun’s entry into Aries as the key to predicting the year to come

A thread-

The astrological new year with the Sun’s ingress into Aries predates Islam, but quickly became an important date.

The ability to cast and interpret this chart would be one of the most important jobs of the medieval astrologer.

These charts were called revolution charts.

Astrologers would cast a horoscope for the moment of the astrological new year and use it to predict the fate of the kingdom.

The technique was detailed by most of the major astrologers of the medieval Islamic world from Mashallah ibn Athari to Abu Ma’shar to Musa ibn Nawbakht.

Over time many astrologers would set their horoscope for the capital city, but initially any major city would do.

These revolution charts were associated with some of the most famous predictions of the era.

Ibn Athir relates how the city of Baghdad was warned of a coming flood when an astrologer noted an alignment of the planets in Pisces in the annual revolution chart.

In another annual prediction in 1257 CE Mars rising is seen as imminent invasion for Baghdad.

Several months later the city would be destroyed by the Mongols.

Based on the nature of the horoscope at the moment of the Sun’s ingress, the astrologer would then either use that chart for the whole year or determine if further charts were needed like when the Sun ingress Libra.

From the chart of the astrological new year the astrologer could then supposedly determine the coming weather, shifting prices, the fate of the king, war and diplomacy, natural disasters, and more.

For example, an examination of the Sun may indicate the fate of the king, while Jupiter would reveal the fortunes of judges and scholars whereas an angular Mars may portend war.

The horoscope is examined on its own, but then combined with the conjunctions of the superior planets: Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars along with their transits.

The annual horoscopes were then combined with specialized techniques.

Mashallah, Abu Ma’shar, and Al Qabisi all provide a series of Arabic Lots, or unique calculated points combining two or more placements in the chart.

These were used to reveal dynamic relationships.

The Lot of Rain for example was used to predict weather.

Interestingly, the Lot of Rain for the 2021 falls in Scorpio in a Saturnian and Aquarian chart which indicates sudden cold storms like we saw in Texas.

Other Lots like the Lot of the Crowning of Kings reveals the nature or policies of the ruler

The 2021 version of this falls in Virgo in the 8th House, indicating management and commemoration of death

Biden walks around with a list in his pocket of all those who died from covid

Another layer is added by examining eclipses whose effects are seen as moments of tension which last longer than the eclipse itself.

Astrologers like al-Rijal also added the comets, whose appearance in signs indicate sudden calamities.

For example, in 1577 CE the appearance of a comet in Sagittarius was used to predict the death of a Persian king.

20 days later Shah Ismail II died.

All of this was taken together with the larger planetary periods; what point in the conjunction cycle did the year fall in? What planetary epoch or fardar were you in?

So 2021 for example is in the Great Conjunction of Aquarius and in the Dawr of Jupiter-Libra.

All of this produced a dynamic celestial calendar.

It is easy to imagine the horoscope as static, but in actuality it was a clock interlocked with a series of much larger clocks, all working together to produce meaning.

By the 9th C we see the emergence or reemergence of the Persian New Year festival, Nowruz.

The cultural celebration and shifting political winds reinforced the importance of the annual horoscope techniques and elevated the vernal equinox and astrological new year.

Persianate dynasties within the Abbasid empire celebrated Nowruz in massive festivals.

The court astrologer would congratulate the king on the coming year, cast the horoscope, advise what could be expected, then the king would order the lavish celebration to start.

The party would last days and included massive feasts, sweets, fruits, poetry, and gifts.

Just as annual horoscopes were used to predict the fate of kingdoms so too would they be used in natal charts, by casting the horoscope for when the sun returned to its natal position.

If you’re interested in astrology check out this episodes of the Astrology Podcast where I join Chris Brennan to talk about astrology in the Islamic world, Queen Bawran, and mores tales from Baghdad:

I’ll cover more on astrology in the Islamic world in future threads