“Sect a Technique in Astrology was Forgotten and Rediscovered With a Vengeance!”

As always, as in any interest and a love of any subject one wants to be proficient in, there is a never ending of learning and research into all areas related.  Especially in astrology, and I assume as in any field one is interested in, one becomes an eternal student.  Whether it is because of the love of the subject or because of the Universe’s design for our lives, things seem to fall into place in the most unusual ways.  By accident about three months ago I ran across an article on the subject of sect by Chris Brennan on his blog, which pique my interest.  Then six weeks later, my Mountain Astrologer Magazine arrived, with an updated article on the subject by the same author.  Although in my early studies I ran across the terms “diurnal” or daytime and “nocturnal” or nighttime planets or signs, the explanation of how to apply these principles into one’s own chart was hazy and unclear.  I just assumed that these terms were similar to hot, wet, cold and dry, that are use in astrology and at one time made a difference in one’s delineation, but no longer held a place of honor as it once did.

Reading the article gave me new insights into my own chart and my emotional and intellectual behavior that I never really understood before.  It was like a light bulb turned on to its full potential, instead of the candle light I was using.  In this article the term sect, refers to dividing the planets into diurnal which is lead by the Sun, follow by Jupiter, and then Saturn.  The nocturnal planets are lead by the Moon, Venus and then Mars.  Mercury is considered neutral, and depending where it is in connection with The Sun is either diurnal or nocturnal.  There is a distinction between these planets and how they work, according to whether your chart is considered a diurnal or nocturnal.  Applying these principles to my own chart, I came away more enlighten why my Venus and Moon worked as they did in the tenth house.  Filled with new knowledge and a sense of confidence, I decided to search the internet for more information, and found very little.  The only other two articles I found of importance on the matter was by Curtis Manwaring, Doug Noblehorse and an out of print book by Robert Hand entitled “Night & Day: Planetary Sect in Astrology”.  In Mr. Manwaring’s article, he works the principles in regards to sect in a nautical metaphor, referring to the ascendant as the helm of the ship.  To the midheaven he refers to it as the force that drives the ship.

Unfortunately for me, unless I work any principles into my own understanding, I never seem to get the jest of the matter the author is trying to convey to me.  Using the terms daytime or nighttime planets just didn’t register to me, until I replaced certain keywords.  In today’s world of psychological terms I am a daytime person. I do my best work and thinking between 10 a.m. through 2 p.m.  The moment I replaced diurnal with being an A person, meaning a day person, the planets and their potentials and problems began to make sense to me.  A nocturnal planet definitely in a day chart would be out of place and not using its full resources.  This would be true of a benefic planet in the wrong sect having its power to do well lessen.  Seen in this light, the variations from good to bad or the reverse may be very slight, but the difference could mean the distinction of completing a project and success in the matter.  By replacing the nautical metaphor with driving a car, since I live in an area where this form of transportation is a necessity, it made the difference in the understanding and the comprehension of the subject matter.  The ascendant is the type and condition of the car, determining how well it will perform.  The midheaven is the road conditions, such as an unpaved road, cobblestone, a side street or highway.  Seeing the ascendant and midheaven in this light, it made more sense to me that we needed to improvise to avoid certain problems in life if we are to succeed, even if the outcome seems assured.  Understanding what we have to work with is the first key to success, because then we know what to avoid.  If we have a vehicle that would do better on the side roads instead of the highways, it may take longer, but in time we will reach our destination.  The important thing is not how fast and the way we got to our destination, but that we do arrive.

This added knowledge increases my curiosity to return back to some charts to see and review how persons with similar aspects were so different because of this aspect.  It also showed and convinced me that our charts do not predestine our lives, but through the knowledge of what is going on, can make a difference between success and failure.  It is our choices and our abilities to adapt to our conditions and to work with them, which will show our ingenuity as a creation of the Universe.  Understanding our charts and being honest to the potentials is the key to success in fulfilling the promise recorded in the stars.  The ancients and wise ones knew this, and this is why in my opinion the study of Sect is an important part of astrology that should not be forgotten and lost to future astrologers.  We must rediscover this lost art in astrology, and with a vengeance to bring the study of the stars into the twenty first century.