James L. Fournier
May 1, 1997
Notes:
1. For example, many astrologers swear that their house cusp techniques
are efficacious. Yet, not only are there so many different systems of cusps
that it is rationally impossible to understand how they could all work,
but it now appears that the entire idea of dividing a chart up by a system
of twelve house divisions, other than the Signs, was based on a mistranslation
of one line in Ptolemy during the Renaissance. Thus, the entire inception
and proliferation of the house cusps we use today may be based entirely
on a mistake - if the rational for the basis of astrology is ancient tradition.
One could take the view that the Divine creator somehow meant this mistake
to happen, or that evolution itself, whether of a species or an idea is
itself divine and therefore valid. But, once one goes down this path it
is impossible to evaluate anything, as everything, once it occurs, would
by its very nature be perfect.
2. Robert Schmidt, Project Hindsight Conclave, Ithaca, NY, June 1996
3. Robert Hand, Plenary Lecture, Cycles & Symbols Conference, San Francisco,
CA, February 15, 1997
4. Robert Hand has also pointed out at that what has been translated from
some ancient texts as the "cusp" of a Sign may in fact refer to
the middle of the sign. If this is true, he goes on to assert, then the
doctrines which hold that the "cusp" (misinterpreted as the beginning)
of a Sign is most powerful would really have been intended to describe the
middle of the Sign. This may be just one of a number of confusions arising
from the mistranslation of Ptolemy regarding whole sign houses. If the Ascendant
falls in the middle of a Zoidion, it is in the cusp of that Zoidion. That
Zoidion, in its entirety, is the first house. But, if one misinterprets
the passage in Ptolemy and takes the Ascendant as the boundary of the first
house, it would be easy to also misinterpret the passage to mean that
the Ascendant is the cusp (boundary) of the first house. Cusp might
thus have come to be used as a term for describing the boundary of a house
rather than for the middle of a Sign. NCGR Lecture, Fort Mason Center, San
Francisco, CA, Feb. 13, 1997
5 . Robert Hand, Project Hindsight Conclave, Ithaca, NY, June 1996
6. Robert Schmidt, Project Hindsight Conclave, Ithaca, NY, June 1996