Dear Friend,

   The intrinsic nature of Mars is dynamic energy, that is to say, force in action, and people who have Mars strong at birth are people who make a stir in the world so far as their environment reaches. They are so full of life and ambition that they sweep all other people's rights aside and force their own views, ideas, and methods to the front regardless of whom it hurts or harms; they are impulsive and always ready to initiate novelties on the spur of the moment. They strongly resent objections to their plans, but usually lack sufficient persistence to carry their designs into execution. If obstacles of magnitude present themselves, they abandon their plans as suddenly as they conceived them, and commence to ride another hobbyhorse with the same ardor that marked their previous ventures, and with the same disregard of reason.

   In the Kingdom of God all things are balanced to produce the highest ultimate good to all, and so the influence of Saturn, another so-called evil planet, is used to offset the exuberant life of Mars. The intrinsic nature of Saturn is obstruction; he is as slow and persistent as Mars is impulsive and quick to change; he takes no chances, but looks before he leaps, and his cold, calculating reason misses no flaw in any scheme.

   In the horoscope of a young soul Mars is dominant and the man grows along physical lines much as animals do under the law of the survival of the fittest; but gradually the thumbscrews of Saturn are put on, squares and oppositions bring sorrow and suffering, Saturn is placed above Mars in the horoscope to frustrate and check him, till it seems as if every effort is futile because of the Saturnian obstruction.

   Elijah could not hear the voice of guidance in the fire, the storm, or the earthquake, but when the tumult was over, he heard "the still, small voice" to cheer him; and likewise with us, while we yield to the unchecked Mars impulses, our lives are too turbulent to admit to communion with the Higher Self, but when the sorrows of Saturn have chastened the unruly Mars spirit, when the night seems darkest, as in Elijah's cave, then we also may hear the voice that shall speak peace after the storm.

As we are to continue calculation of the horoscope started in our previous Astrology Independent Study Modules, we reiterate the factors which apply in determining the position of all the planets:

The G.M.T. day begins at noon, July 22, and ends July 23, at noon.
The G.M.T. at birth is 10:56 A.M., July 23, 1912.
The interval from that time to the nearest noon is 1 hour and 4 minutes.
The logarithm of the interval is 1.3522.

   Rule No. 1 given in the last self-study module directs us to subtract the position of the planet we wish to correct on the noon preceding the G.M.T. from its place on noon after G.M.T. These are found on page 16 of the ephemeris for 1912, in the Moon column, for that is the next planet to be calculated.

   Rule No. 2 requires that we add the logarithm of the Moon's motion on the G.M.T. day (also called the "logarithm of travel") to the logarithm of interval,(also called the "permanent logarithm") and we therefore turn to our table of logarithms on pages 28 and 29 of our ephemeris. To find the logarithm of the Moon's motion (12 degrees and 34 minutes), we place an envelope across the page in line with the numbers in the outside columns and run a finger down the column marked 12 at the top. In that column, just above the edge of our envelope is the number .2810. That is the logarithm we seek, and we proceed to add:

   The value of this logarithm in degrees and minutes is the increment of correction which we use in finally determining the position of a planet, and we find it, as thoroughly explained in Self-Study Module No. 6, by looking in the table of logarithms. If we cannot find the exact logarithm we use the one nearest thereto. In this case the nearest logarithm is 1.6269, and it is found in the column marked 0 at the top, and in line with the figure 34 on the left hand side of the page. Thus we see that the increment of correction is 0 degrees and 34 minutes.

   Rule No. 3a directs that when the G.M.T. is A.M., as in this case (10:56 A.M., July 23), we subtract the increment of correction from the planet's place on the nearest noon (obviously July 23). We look for that position on page 16 of the ephemeris:

   Our next Astrology Independent Study Module will explain how to place the planets in the horoscope. For the present we continue our calculations, and the required data are found on page 16 of the 1912 ephemeris. There, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury each has its column where the longitudes for noon during the month of July are noted. The daily motion of the four first named is so slow, that correction is unnecessary, and they may be entered in the horoscope as occupying the position given in the ephemeris for the noon nearest G.M.T. In this case that is July 23. On that day Neptune was in Cancer 23:47.

   In the columns of Uranus and Jupiter you will note, below the zodiacal sign, a capital R. That means that the planet is "Retrograde." If you turn back to page 12, you will find the "R" in line with Uranus' position, on May 8th; on pages 14, 16, 18, and 20 it is just below the sign of the zodiac in Uranus' column; a little further down on page 22, in line with Uranus' position on October 10th, is a capital "D." The meaning is as follows:

   The planets in our solar system move in one direction around the Sun, but their orbits are of varying diameters and their velocities also vary.

   The earth travels 65 thousand miles an hour and still its circle is so large that is requires 365 days to journey around the Sun. Mercury makes a much smaller circle around the Sun, and travels 104 thousand mile per hour so it completes a revolution around the Sun in 88 days. Uranus travels only 15 thousand mile per hour, and its circle is so large that it requires 84 years to complete it. The other planets show similar variations of speed; if they traveled in a straight line the smaller and faster planets would soon leave the more ponderous and slow-moving behind, but as they move in circles, they pass a given point of observation again and again. Were that point stationary this constant forward motion of the planets in their respective orbits would be apparent to all observers; but this is the trouble; there is no stationary point; every particle, from Jupiter, the giant of our solar system, to the smallest particle of "star dust" is in incessant motion around a common center, and therefore at times one planet moves almost transversely to the path of another moving body and it appears for a time as if it stood still in its orbit. Astronomers say that such a planet is "Stationary." At other times this oblique motion of the planets, relative to the earth's position in its orbit, makes them seem to move backward in the zodiac, and this we call "Retrogradation". In the ephemeris we find a capital "R" in line with the day when any planet commences seemingly to recede, and this retrogradation goes on until we find the capital "D" which indicates that a direct forward motion of the planet is again observable.

   Though this backward motion of a planet is only seeming, it has a very real effect with respect to the influence which it exerts, for, as taught in Self-Study Module No. 2 (which please see), it is the angle of the ray which determines the influence of a planet. The planets are foci which transmit and intensify the properties of certain fixed stars so that they affect us in a much greater degree than when not thus focused upon the point of observation — the birthplace.

   Let us now suppose that at the time when a child is born we look at Saturn, and beyond him, right along our line of observation, we see the fixed star Antares which is in about 8 degrees of Sagittarius; the child is then getting a tendency to eye trouble that is sufficiently severe even if the planet is traveling "direct" in its orbit as is generally the case, for then Antares gradually goes out of focus, and Saturn will not return to the conjunction until it has completed its circle journey around the Sun (which takes about 29 years). If, on the other hand, we find that on the day after birth Saturn has retrograded somewhat, and still more the next day, and so on for a week or two, then that also brings Antares out of focus, but there is this important difference, that instead of taking 29 years to form the next conjunction Saturn may become "direct" and form the second conjunction with Antares in a few weeks after birth, and this repeated evil ray may aggravate the natal defect to such an extent that the child becomes blind. Therefore we reiterate that while the retrograde motion of a planet is only seeming, its influence on human affairs is very, very real.

   Continuing our listing of planets, we have:

   In calculating the place of Venus, we will again use the logarithm method, and proceed according to Rule No. 1.

   We turn to our table of logarithms as taught previously, and find the logarithm of Venus' motion, 1 degree and 14 minutes, to be 1.2891, and we add this to the permanent logarithm required by Rule 2.

   We again search the table of logarithms to find the value of the logarithm of correction, or the nearest thereto. This is found in the column marked 0 at the top, and in line with the figure 3 in the minute column (2.6812) and thus the increment of correction is 0 degrees and 3 minutes.

   Rule No. 3 bids us subtract the increment of correction from Venus' position on nearest noon, which is July 23.

   Next we proceed to the calculation of Mars by logarithms.

  The G.M.T. is A.M. so the travel during interval must be subtracted from the coming noon position.

   Mercury alone remains to be calculated, and a calculation blank is included with this Astrology Independent Study Module. On that we shall expect you to make the proper corrections for Mercury.

   In order to help prevent errors the student should note the two following conditions which apply to the calculation of all planets.

   1] The travel during interval can never be more than half of the travel in 24 hours.

   2] The final position of the planet in the horoscope must fall between the coming noon and previous noon positions of the planet.

  (You are welcome to e-mail your answers and/or comments to us. Please be sure to include the course name and Independent Study Module number in your e-mail to us. Or, you are also welcome to use the answer form below. You will find the answers to the questions below in the next Astrology Independent Study Module.)

1.  Find the position of Mercury in a horoscope for July 23, 1912, 10:56 A.M., G.M.T., New York City: (optional)