Abu Ma'shar on Solar Returns, with Benjamin Dykes

An interview with Dr. Benjamin Dykes about his new translation of a highly influential book on solar returns by the 9th century astrologer Abu Ma’shar.
The title of the book is Persian Nativities IV: On the Revolutions of the Years of Nativities:
amzn.to/2KCjXue
Abu Ma’shar (d. 886 CE) was one of the most prolific and influential early Medieval astrologers who wrote in Arabic, living in Baghdad in the middle of the 9th century.
He wrote one of the most famous and comprehensive works on solar returns, titled On the Revolutions of the Years of Nativities.
Portions of this book were translated from Arabic into Latin in the 12th century, which then influenced many subsequent generations of astrologers in the west.
In 2010 Ben translated the Latin version of Abu Ma’shar’s book on solar returns and published it as Persian Nativities III.
Now he has gone back and translated the entirety of the original Arabic text, which not only contains a lot of material that was missing in the Latin version, but the meaning of the text is much richer and more nuanced because the translation is from the original language.
The book was just released today, on August 9, 2019, to coincide with the release of this interview, and you can buy it on Amazon.
During the course of the interview we talk about who Abu Ma’shar was, why he thought that calculating solar return charts was important, and some of the specific things that he recommended looking at when trying to interpret a solar return.
This is episode 218 of The Astrology Podcast, and you can download the audio version on the podcast website:
theastrologypodcast.com/2019/0...
To get early access to new episodes like this one and other bonus content become a patron:
/ astrologypodcast
Let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below!
#TheAstrologyPodcast
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:08 Who was Abu Ma'shar?
00:05:40 Benjamin Dykes' translation background
00:10:36 Historical context of the solar returns book
00:15:49 What is a solar return chart?
00:19:06 How to calculate the solar return chart
00:26:50 Ma'shar's theory of prediction for solar returns
00:34:24 Why we can never fully experience our nativity
00:41:28 Why we need time lords
00:47:05 Abu Ma'shar's background and nativity
00:55:35 Abu Ma'shar on house division issue
01:10:00 Interpretive principles for solar returns
01:20:45 Monthly solar return techniques
01:27:18 Fidaria time lord technique
01:33:04 Longevity and length of life technique
01:42:00 More about Abu Ma'shar
01:45:40 Importance of using time lord techniques
01:47:00 Where to buy Ben's book
01:47:45 Ben's natal course and projects

Пікірлер: 72

  • @TheAstrologyPodcast
    @TheAstrologyPodcast5 жыл бұрын

    Ben's book on Amazon: amzn.to/2KECIgt

  • @MissJoy16
    @MissJoy162 жыл бұрын

    1:10:00 is roughly when interpretive techniques are discussed

  • @MissJoy16

    @MissJoy16

    Жыл бұрын

    @@brittaniejones4747 lol thank you

  • @melindastclair
    @melindastclair5 жыл бұрын

    Thank you Ben, thank you Chris. So exciting to be living in the revival.

  • @alyssabernice5564
    @alyssabernice55645 жыл бұрын

    The interviews with Ben never ever disappoint. I can't wait for his course.

  • @paisleypeacock
    @paisleypeacock5 жыл бұрын

    *This was truly a Divine and enlightening interview with Dr. Benjamin Dykes Chris!* - *How can anyone not be a fan of us Scorpios!* 🙏☺️

  • @tosan1

    @tosan1

    4 жыл бұрын

    I think It's the moon in scorpio he didn't like. To this day the expression "moon in scorpio" remains in everyday Persian to indicate a really chaotic and angry/dangerous sitution. People don't even know the expression has an astrological significance. They just say "ghamar dar aghrab" which literaly means "moon in scorpion", when sitution gets chaoticly dangerous (or dangerously chaotic). I think they were also fond of sun in leo (hence the former Iranian flag with the sun and a lion).

  • @Rosispergia

    @Rosispergia

    4 ай бұрын

    @@tosan1 oh yeah, I remember one astrologer (quite controversial) that stated how much he hates people born with Moon in Scorpio. He constantly got vitriol when making such emotional statements.

  • @meredithr9824
    @meredithr98242 жыл бұрын

    Thanks you Dr.Dykes for all the translations!!

  • @TonyLouis9345
    @TonyLouis93455 жыл бұрын

    To the best of my knowledge Morinus in the 17th century was the first to advocate relocating the solar return chart to the actual location of the native at the time of the return.

  • @2050PeaCeful.liFeStyle
    @2050PeaCeful.liFeStyle2 жыл бұрын

    Abu Ma'shar Al-Balkhi is the first cosmologist Born: 10 August 787 Balkh, Khurasan, (present day Afghanistan)

  • @hervaro
    @hervaro5 жыл бұрын

    We are flooded with these wonderfull translations of the tradition and I LIKE it! Thank you thank you thank you!

  • @trish4977
    @trish49775 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much Chris and Ben, fantastic viewing as usual, I'm just working my way through your brilliant course and book Chris and loving it....I already have Dr Ben's previous book and I've just ordered this new Abu Ma'shar edition from amazon, even though I am no way up to speed with this material yet,but they'll be on my bookshelf ready for when I am ...then hopefully on wards and upwards to Dr Ben's new course ...x

  • @tosan1
    @tosan14 жыл бұрын

    Awesome interview! Looking forward to reading his translation!

  • @rodd861
    @rodd8615 жыл бұрын

    Been waiting for this all day 🙏

  • @joellenlevitre2590
    @joellenlevitre25903 жыл бұрын

    Fantastic. So helpful and I appreciate Benjamin's clear way of thinking. I'll be listening to this again.

  • @LabutacadeUrania
    @LabutacadeUrania4 жыл бұрын

    Excellent episode! Congrats! So clear… Such a great interview. While I was listening I felt many concepts and ideas I’ve learned in class were finally wrapping up (you’ll see I’m no English native speaker : ) I’ve “discovered” this podcast no so long ago. I find it really helpful for my learning process. Regards from Montevideo, Uruguay.

  • @herkimerblue3772
    @herkimerblue37723 жыл бұрын

    Wow, some amazing philosophical concepts here. Thank you for continuing to provide such informative videos.

  • @Randomgardenthings
    @Randomgardenthings5 жыл бұрын

    This S#%t gets deep, loved this conversation.

  • @starrynightvm
    @starrynightvm5 жыл бұрын

    Very excited for this.

  • @auau4468
    @auau4468 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much Chris. Very insightful interview ❤💫

  • @eduardodadourian8866
    @eduardodadourian88663 жыл бұрын

    amazing conversation. Thanks!

  • @TamiresPaezani
    @TamiresPaezani2 жыл бұрын

    What a great treatment of the subject!

  • @Neteralchemy
    @Neteralchemy5 жыл бұрын

    super interesting - thank you for posting

  • @PicnicForOne
    @PicnicForOne Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this book preview! The discussion helped me put into perspective the concept that the function of many timing techniques is to identify how natal placements are activated. It's almost as if the natives life isn't a flat image but a spiral and "we" have found ways to see pieces of the spiral in the spiral vs the 2D. I am excited to apply this!

  • @nathalie7177
    @nathalie71773 жыл бұрын

    Great (spriritual) teaching here ! Thank You both !!! 8638 "vues" and ONLY 306 "likes" !.. i can't anderstand why ? this interview is amazing !

  • @bassay3598
    @bassay35983 жыл бұрын

    Benjamin has a beautiful mind. He seems like such a deep and insightful thinker.

  • @ltohmmm5858
    @ltohmmm58582 жыл бұрын

    Such a good episode I had to watch it again, refresh my memory on a few points, a biyearly rewatch - perhaps my watching habits are linked to the 2 year mars cycle 😉🙏✨🌜🌞

  • @sintoniaorbital
    @sintoniaorbital Жыл бұрын

    Fascinating discussion

  • @Lulululu514
    @Lulululu5145 жыл бұрын

    Wish you would start doing monthly readings for each of the signs again.

  • @bassay3598
    @bassay35983 жыл бұрын

    Omg, I just wanted to get this book, but I found so many of his books on amazon, and I couldn't stop myself from getting 4 more books. Shame on you Chris (tongue in cheek humor). Benjamin has a lot of books from which to choose. I look forward to your next episode.

  • @sonyak9879
    @sonyak98795 жыл бұрын

    Very informative ty✌

  • @madeleinesuzette
    @madeleinesuzette5 жыл бұрын

    Thanks Chris, thanks Ben. Great work, and most enjoyable 😃🌞🌙

  • @user-ul9is6nn1v
    @user-ul9is6nn1v2 жыл бұрын

    1:21:30 Monthly Profections using the signs

  • @Srosechamp
    @Srosechamp2 жыл бұрын

    Wow this was good.

  • @bassay3598
    @bassay35983 жыл бұрын

    Oh Yeah❣️❣️❣️ Firrrrmicuuuuusssss😍❣️😍❣️ Great idea. The only thing that could potentially top that is a frequent buyer discount (Lol🤪)

  • @sajjbrown2357
    @sajjbrown23574 жыл бұрын

    Good stuff

  • @Kate-hh8yi
    @Kate-hh8yi Жыл бұрын

    1:10:00 interpretive principles

  • @tinaturley2500
    @tinaturley25005 жыл бұрын

    Could one if you do a pod cast on A second Saturn return....thank you in advance....👍👌✌💜💚💙

  • @insomniacresurrected1000
    @insomniacresurrected10004 жыл бұрын

    Does anyone know where to get Abu Ma'shar's book on Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in translation?

  • @lasibaritt8320
    @lasibaritt83205 жыл бұрын

    Hello, thank you for any of your podcast, I really learn with you. I wonder if you could do a podcast about South hemisphere astrology, tropical and sidereal, we have a different starry ski here, for example, here there is Canopus a star of magnitude almost like Sirius and I can't find astrological meanings more than those of travelers by sea, and interpretations in tropical, are clearly not for Southern seasons, Even though I love astrology, I would like this to be more than a conceptual system, I would really like some light in this, for example now we have this superb Leo sun, but in this part of the world is very weak, you know what I mean.

  • @MM-zj4nm
    @MM-zj4nm2 жыл бұрын

    With love from Afghanistan

  • @jean-louislanquetin535
    @jean-louislanquetin535 Жыл бұрын

    Super très intéressant !

  • @tiktik7608
    @tiktik76082 жыл бұрын

    Thank u

  • @manishaagarwal9420
    @manishaagarwal9420 Жыл бұрын

    Abu Mashar learnt Astronomy in Banaras, India. Amir khusro popular Sufi poet mentions this fact..in his writings.

  • @Silvertestrun
    @Silvertestrun2 жыл бұрын

    Ty

  • @eriquefifi9536
    @eriquefifi95363 жыл бұрын

    Brilliant

  • @joshmiller7489
    @joshmiller74892 жыл бұрын

    where can you find an english translation of the Introductorium in Astronomiam

  • @michellexy6199
    @michellexy61994 жыл бұрын

    I would like to ask what Ben´s solar sign is? Scorpio? :P

  • @jennifersilves4195
    @jennifersilves41955 жыл бұрын

    I appreciate the time lords. My astral experiences lined up perfectly with my time lords.

  • @jennifersilves4195

    @jennifersilves4195

    5 жыл бұрын

    Which I learned about after-the-fact.

  • @ruled_by_pluto
    @ruled_by_pluto8 ай бұрын

    i've been practicing astrology for 5+ years, but still haven't found a precise way to read solar returns accurately. unlike natal charts and transits, solar returns feel more like a broken clock that's right twice a day. i can't tell if it's my lack of knowledge in the area or the technique itself. chris, please do more videos on solar returns!

  • @thezodiacus
    @thezodiacus5 жыл бұрын

    longevity - polemic but possible. hyleg, alcocoden, years of planets, killer planet [anaereta], but first, investigate if 1st to 3rd differentia charts!

  • @evanschilpp6833
    @evanschilpp6833 Жыл бұрын

    Do you use Precessed for Solar Returns?

  • @tomnicholson1653
    @tomnicholson1653 Жыл бұрын

    Legendary

  • @smr144
    @smr1445 жыл бұрын

    Hopefully, one day someone will translate the Picatrix from the Arabic.

  • @TheAstrologyPodcast

    @TheAstrologyPodcast

    5 жыл бұрын

    I think that someone recently did that actually, and we are just waiting for it to be published now.

  • @smr144

    @smr144

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@TheAstrologyPodcast Great, thank you for the heads up.

  • @4Christ74

    @4Christ74

    5 жыл бұрын

    There's Christopher Warnock's books.

  • @mesmer1218

    @mesmer1218

    5 жыл бұрын

    There are two actually, one by John Michael Greer and the most recent by Dan Atrell.

  • @Lori446
    @Lori4463 ай бұрын

    🙏🏼

  • @b.v.1421
    @b.v.14212 жыл бұрын

    Oh boy I wanted to travel this year for my solar return to make it a great year :( It is very disappointing to hear that my birth place matters in my solar return chart :(

  • @Magadimi
    @Magadimi2 жыл бұрын

    Please guys i need top 3 references that helps me to interpret Solar Return chart. i don’t where to start! Thanks in advance, Emad

  • @valentina47734

    @valentina47734

    Жыл бұрын

    Find all the Solar Return videos on KZread and watch them. That will help greatly.

  • @Magadimi

    @Magadimi

    Жыл бұрын

    @@valentina47734 thanks 🙏🏼

  • @livinginparallel
    @livinginparallel Жыл бұрын

    Spending $10 on an alchemy book to learn goldmaking so I can afford a collection of Ben's paperbacks😭 Praying to the thrift gods🤣🥲

  • @allysoobratty7565
    @allysoobratty75652 жыл бұрын

    So is it Vedic or Tropical?

  • @elio_ray

    @elio_ray

    Жыл бұрын

    Tropical

  • @Cmrntylr
    @Cmrntylr2 жыл бұрын

    One of those subjects I kinda/sorta don’t care for by makes sense in a context of whole. I tend to not care about/for timing techniques, but it’s only individually. The bigger picture humorously makes me think of the old children’s toy Simon Says where the natives natal chart lights up seemingly randomly. It’s surprisingly intuitive. Coming off the newer episode with Rick about the future of astrology, I can point out things like solar returns falling out of favor is a similar trend in the sciences. I have a friend who likes to remind people in conversations that there’s no gravity, which just means the physics models across the board haven’t proven or solved the problem of gravity and there’s a growing movement in science to completely remodel it. There are simple concepts on science we take for granted as fact, but they’re often just trends. Classical and quantum physics are the most factually tested models that are incompatible because the math breaks down related to gravity. If I recall correctly, Schrödinger’s cat is an example of the math being wrong, gravity may cease to exist until remodeled because an unknown gravitational force may cause wave collapse. Even peer to peer review, if established biases are in majority it can pass the scrutiny like what the proper house system is, if solar returns are valid, if all natives with prominent scorpio placements should be aborted immediately.. 😃 One of the positives in my mind is as astrology software develops, these more complicated/complex methods can actually be programmed where animate a natives life. Then more data can be found to find accurate patterns. Then, there’s the discomfort of potentially automating a large chunk of the astrologers profession. Part of me thinks a quiet astrological reset would be nice where everything (top to bottom) is evaluated and then narrowed and expanded. Hellenistic and psychological astrology seem in conflict, yet, they both work. House systems are a problem, but whole sign and quadrants could be describing two different things. Plus, as said, angles can cause placement issues. Getting scientists into astrology would both be difficult, yet, not even remotely solve the problem because scientists are equally as capable of house system pissing matches. A strong push for use of scientific method is something anyone can do. There may not be a theory to test that can support astrology until maybe 3012. What do you do until then? You end up in the realm of Nietzsche and nihilism. Plus, having a scientific method mindset can help with criticism and skeptics. With software making casting charts easier, using multiple methods could be useful. Psychological and personality astrology, the mbti and big 5 tests align natal. My weakest mbti function is feeling, it’s mostly unconscious using the 8 type model. J/P are balanced only off slightly in favor of Judging which is what you’d expect with Venus, mars, and Pluto in libra with sun in Leo and moon in Aquarius. Intuitive thinking, virgo ascendant with pisces descendant. There was a joke about a science group with a “no pisces allowed”. Take virgo ascendant in terms of the mbti. Intuitive types in the mbti have a sensitive sensing. So, introverted intuitive “hero” has an inferior extroverted sensing which a actually fuels the intuition. Hypothetically, in scientific method explanation, the observation to question, to hypothesis would be under the opposite functions which can influence the experiment to conclusion to results. Virgo and pisces are equally rational, but each are unaware of their opposite functions. There’s a lot of certainty in both science and astrology where there’s so many reasons for uncertainty. “Lots are useless as with nodes because they’re just mathematical points”. I hear that a lot. What in astrology isn’t a mathematical point? There’s a CDC joke about the “science changing”. Science doesn’t necessarily change, but interpretation of data as new data comes in can change the probability outcome. Solar returns with zodiacal releasing plus profections plus transits is quite interesting.