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I second your post Deb.

I was going to write something similar but now that you have done it I will focus on further differentiating the professional significator.
Unfortunately there is not enough personal information about Messi (excluding football statistics) and even some false autobiograhies have been written about him. He is expected to publish his one some time in the future. When he does, then it will be much easier.
Also, the thing is that his chart does not behave at all, as I like to say. Not only many planets aspect the MC, as you wrote, but Mercury disposes Venus and the Moon and Mercury is conjunct the antiscion of Venus, which really complicates things.
Nevetheless, as I wrote in my first post, I firmly maintain that it is Venus which is the main professional significator, with Mercury and Jupiter participating. So it is not either or, it is both, but Venus is the leading one.
And the the accidents of this native prove that to a large extent. I took all data from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi Here is what I discovered today:

When the Sun was directed to Venus in mid September 2005,

?On 16 September, for the second time in three months, Barcelona announced an update to Messi's contract; this time it was improved to pay him as a first team member and extended until June 2014. Messi obtained Spanish citizenship on 26 September 2005.

I don?t think this primary direction requires any explanation, but still ? we have an unimpeded benefic natally in the 2nd House coming to the body to the significator of profession which is the Almuten of the MC and is in the Asc, also conjunct the Moon, ruler of the second ? a significant amount of money coming to the native as a result of his profession and his own name and actions. Of course the change of citizenship concerns one?s status ? 10th House, ruled by Venus.

On Oct 5 2005 we have the Moon, with latitude, coming to the conjunction of the Lot of Profession ? the Moon rules the 2nd House of finances, aspects the MC and is in the Asc and conjunct Venus, hence she also participates in the profession and brings popularity and money.

Messi made his full debut for the Argentina senior national football team on August 17 2005 ? at that time the profected Moon came within 3 days of the opposition of natal Venus, made a square to the MC and was moving to the conjunction of natal Saturn within 6 days. We have Venus activated again.

Between June 29-September 2009 when the square of the MC was directed to the Lot of Profession (which is in Taurus) and when Venus was also at the same time directed to the conjunction of the Lot of Profession, Messi established the Leo Messi Foundation, a charity supporting access to education and health care for vulnerable children.

It does not say the month when this happened. Still the profections help. I do not know where he was on his birthday so I will use his natal place of birth.

The profections help because in 2007-2008 Messi had a 9th House year ruled by Saturn and this activates the opposition with Venus and the Moon and at the same time his natal Ascendant reached the 5th House of children and of course Venus especially and to an extent the Moon signify children. Also, Venus rules the natal 5th House where Saturn, the Lord of the Year, is exalted.

So in the natal location revolution for 2007, we have Venus conjunct Saturn in the 5th House and Saturn rules the revolution 10th and 11th and the 11th natal House rises where Jupiter is placed and Jupiter rules children, mercy etc.

I don?t see how more obvious it can get.

At the same time from Aug 2006 to 2011 Venus rules the term of the MC and Mercury, the sign ruler of the Ascendant and Almutem Figuris enters the term of Venus in June 2006 (if Morinus calculates this correctly)

On December 1 2009 Messi won his first Golden Ball ? the highest individual prize for a football player. At that time, with the 6 am chart, by converse Solar arc, the Head of the Dragon was at 15.48 Pisces conjunct his MC within 48 minutes. If we move the time with 2 minutes and 27 seconds ahead the aspect becomes exact. Note: I have used this time to for the other directions ? 6.02 27 am.

On January 9 2012 Messi received his 3rd Golden Ball - only 3 other football players have done that in football history (it must be said that it was not until 1995 when it was made possible for non-Europeans to win the Golden Ball). At that time, the Sun at 25.44 Cancer, was conjunct the antiscion of the natal Ascendant (4.28 Gemini), by converse Solar arc., within 12 minutes.

But as I said, Mercury also participates in the profession. He rules the term of both the Ascendant and MC. On November 16 2003 Messi played his first match for the Barcelona senior team. In that year?s revolution we had a Venus-Mercury conjunction in Gemini that reached the place of natal Venus and Moon and of course he had a 5th House year by profections, ruled by Venus.

When it comes to injuries it is difficult to distinguish Mercury for the profession because he is the ruler of the Ascendant after all. In the 2005 revolution he had a Venus Mercury Saturn conjunction in Cancer come to the place of natal Mars, ruler of the natal 6th and Venus ruled the revolution 12th of hospitals and major illness. At the same time his Hilaj Moon was opposing this triple conjunction in the revolution, the Lord of the Year was Jupiter and he was in the revolution 12th and opposed by Mars ruling the revolution Ascendant and in the return 6th. His season ended prematurely on 7 March 2006, however, when he suffered a muscle tear in his right thigh against Chelsea. At that time the there was a sinister sextile of his Hilaj Moon directed to Mars dated on February 23 2006.

About Margherita? sarcastic remarks about determining Venus as the professional significator.
You Margherita obviously approach Astrology in a different way than I do. I never study a planet only by its universal nature as you have done. In this chart Venus is modified first by its House position and the masculine sign it is, then by the Moon conjunction, then by the Saturn opposition, then by the Mercury antiscion, then by her dispositor Mercury, then by her being oriental and coming out of the beams of the Sun, then by being in her own term, then by being in the decan of Mars, then by being in the 12th part of Sagittarius, then by ruling the 5th and 10th House, the Lots of Spirit, Profession, Siblings, Children, Illness, Resignation, Adultery in Marriage, etc etc.
Thus and because of all these modifications can besides painters Venus show dozens of other professions. And after all, she is in a sign of agility lightness and mobility as you said.
I never wrote that Venus rules football, I do not think it is that simple because with very very few exceptions everything is a mixture, and this is particularly true for professions.

But football and especially this modern version is definitely not ruled by Mars. Yes it has physical contact and Mars is partnering in signification but in its essence, this sport is about outsmarting the opponent and trying to deceive them. For example you can?t severely injure the opponent because there are sanctions, but you could do that if the referee has turned their back from you and will not see you. Also, this sport has increasingly become one of simulation and trying to deceive the referee so that he gives the harshest punishment ? penalty, which is 90% a certain goal. Also, trying to convince the referees that you have been hit or maltreated so that they send an opponent off thus reducing the numbers of your opponent for the rest of the match. In fact, I have heard from other athletes, especially from tough sports such a rugby, wrestling, hockey etc say that football is not played by real men, but by cowards and ballerinas, because they would never go for such deception and trickery.

Also and for this reason, how does the defence of a team act in most cases? They are trying to move in a such a way so that the attacking players of the opponent are placed in an offside position. Words are difficult to explain this, you have to see it. It is a mixture of Venus and Mercury: one moment it looks like one team is about to concede a goal and is in a very vulnerable position, but in the other, the defenders have moved forward and placed the attacking players of the opponent in offside, thus not only eliminating the danger but gaining possession of the ball.
Moreover how are goals increasingly scored? From outsmarting the opponent?s defence by starting to run for the ball about 1 second before the defenders move forward and try to place you in an offside position.


I have done enough digging on this chart and provided evidence. If someone wants to disprove that by showing how Venus is not related at all to the profession they can always try but do so from the chart and not from what somebody wrote (Tienka Atema quoted 2 other ancient authors and I agreed with that testimony in my first sentence about the significator of profession; I did not make anything up :D)

I was about to post this when I saw Margherita?s reply. Dear, you are not playing fair or have not understood what the text says. I will post the first paragraph as well.
Image

Therefore Venus is not only "set up on those places and on Fortune" but is to be preferred because of other considerations as well, namely Venus is astronomically visible, coming out of the Sun?s beams, receiving the application of the Moon, ruling the Lots of Spirit and Profession, being the exalted ruler and the MC and most closely aspecting the MC.

It will be indeed difficult for me to think of another natal chart with a potential professional significator that meets all these criteria.
:'
Ancient and Chinese Astrology:

https://www.100percentastrology.com/

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Zagata wrote:I

About Margherita? sarcastic remarks about determining Venus as the professional significator.
You Margherita obviously approach Astrology in a different way than I do. I never study a planet only by its universal nature as you have done. In this chart Venus is modified first by its House position and the masculine sign it is, then by the Moon conjunction, then by the Saturn opposition, then by the Mercury antiscion, then by her dispositor Mercury, then by her being oriental and coming out of the beams of the Sun, then by being in her own term, then by being in the decan of Mars, then by being in the 12th part of Sagittarius, then by ruling the 5th and 10th House, the Lots of Spirit, Profession, Siblings, Children, Illness, Resignation, Adultery in Marriage, etc etc.
Thus and because of all these modifications can besides painters Venus show dozens of other professions. And after all, she is in a sign of agility lightness and mobility as you said.
Mine would not be a sarcastic comment, sorry if it looked like that.

And did not post the rest of the paragraph only because I don't want violate Hindsight copyright, it seems to me I gave the page, true? Schmidt books are not so rare, I believe :)

It is just that I don't use the same method as you, I am accustomed to give more importance to significators because Cieloeterra methods are greatly based on Ptolemy .

Here Venus is oriental (and it should be vespertine) and in no phase (it is visible and will be visible in the 7 following day), while on the other hand Mercury is vespertine, visible, and in phase (the day after it will become invisible), and with Mars.

Messi is a soccer champion, for me it is very difficult to think something farther than Venus. It is s men sport, where the only important thing is to win and humiliate the other team and its supporters. There is no place for De Coubertin.

In every case it is not obvious a problem if people choose different methods, I just explained mine.

margherita
Traditional astrology at
http://heavenastrolabe.wordpress.com

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margherita wrote:Messi is a soccer champion, for me it is very difficult to think something farther than Venus. It is s men sport, where the only important thing is to win and humiliate the other team and its supporters. There is no place for De Coubertin.
I agree. Also football isn't so far away from warfare as some people seem to think. The point in ancient warfare was to set-up a formation and defend space while trying to out-maneuver the other army, forcing them to leave gaps in their defence which you would then penetrate with fast units. Using the infantry to close space and the cavalry to open it up. I don't think anyone would liken ancient warfare to Venus.

Football may look beautiful but it is the result of hours and hours of practice on defensive and attacking drills. The game is played in geometric patterns (triangles primarily) and players like Messi wouldn't get anywhere without these movements and formations.

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Not trying to be a spoil sport.

Best would be to compare with a sport that has no technical skills and stamina but strategy and thinking and perseverence. = Chess


http://www.astro.com/wiki/astro-databan ... hess&go=Go

Saturn and Aquarius with mercury in a venus sign and mars in a non mercury sign seems to predominate .

It would be best to compare the chess players with Football or Rugby players, to bring out the contrast between technique and tactics or mental versus physical exercise.

PD

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namely Venus is astronomically visible, coming out of the Sun?s beams
Unless I've missed something glaringly obvious here, Venus is not retrograde in this oriental position so she can't possibly be coming out of the Sun beams, but is instead going after/chasing the Sun, meaning she'll be entering the Sun's beams shortly.

Goran

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Yes Goran you are right. Venus is not rising but about to set, and that changes everything :) Now everyone in this discussion should be a bit happier. This is why chart wheels should always include details of the planetary speeds alongside them - we could have seen that Venus was setting straight away we?d known how fast it was moving. But I?d like to continue the discussion on phase anyway, since the point of Tienka?s question wasn?t to ask how we can see that Messi is a footballer when we know he is a footballer, but how we would have seen it at birth. So to me it?s important to clarify the principles, whether they apply specifically to this chart or not.

Margherita - I can?t thank you enough for taking the trouble to scan that snippet of text. I re-read p.59 several times in confusion, but then eventually found it on p.63! It looks like PH must have reformatted the text sometime between my edition and yours. I then found it on p.57 of the Greenbaum edition. Her translation reads:
But if none of the aforesaid stars is set up in one of these places, nor indeed on the Lot of Fortune, it is proper to seek which one of them has been bound under application of the Moon or the Sun, or a morning appearance of Kronos, Zeus, Ares - in regard to this, also an evening rising of Aphrodite, Hermes ? if it should happen to be made seven days before or seven days after the birth.
I don?t fully understand the logic of considering what happened 7 days before or after the birth. I wonder whether this is applying the principles of a crisis chart since their use was very ancient, and based on how the Moon squared its position in the radix. I don?t know, but it is clear that the passage is only telling us to consider the oriental (?morning?) rising of the superior planets and the occidental (?evening?) rising of the inferiors, not the settings, because these risings describe the phase where planets peak in accidental expression.

It?s usual that the explanations of how these phases commence are given for the superior planets first, with subsequent explanation of how to adapt this to the two-fold cycles of the inferiors. So when Paulus first explains that the superiors are ?active?, ?productive and stronger? following their oriental rising, we know the same burst of creative vigour is expected of the inferiors in their occidental (?evening?) rise, where by direct motion they appear from under the Sun at the superior conjunction. When he talks about the planets being unprofitable when making a morning or evening disappearance, we know he has to be including the inferior planets in this because they are the only ones that can make a morning disappearance.

Abu Mashar gives a great analogy of how the planets are strong and pure in effect after passing through combustion and then finding a sense of release and renewed vigour when they emerge from under the Sun?s beams. Mars is like a sharpened blade which is infallible and causes incurable wounds. Jupiter is like an honest man who has been freed with a great sense of justice, so is kind, merciful and disposed well in all things. Saturn is like a lion that has been freed from its den and can now destroy anything that stands in its path. Throughout the tradition we find references to youth analogies in these cycles, the risings beginning the period of youth and strong activity, the settings closing the period of old age and weakness. So to extend Abu Mashar?s analogy of Mars - when setting it is like a blunt blade that you have to hack with great effort, and even then it will probably cause more bruising than bleeding. Bonatti gives the analogy of a setting planet being like someone who is so weak that they depend on help from others, or a building which has already started to go to ruin.

So I don?t know where this idea that planets gain potency when setting because they are ?in a phase? comes from, or if it is widely taught. The whole synodic cycle is divided into phases of increasing or decreasing potency and purity, so all planets are in some kind of phase at all times, depending on their quality of motion, visibility and alignment with sect. But only the period following emergence from Sunbeams is the really remarkable one and that?s why it?s the only one that Paulus considers relevant to this matter. For Paulus, strong phase is the last thing to consider, not the first. Mars, Mercury and Venus all fit his criteria in more important ways. If they didn?t, none of them would meet it by phase.

Zagat, I found the details in your post very interesting indeed. But since I?m in Margherita?s debt I should point out that she was only doing me a favour by presenting a specific snippet of the text, to help me find a comment that I?d been trying to find in earlier chapters. It wasn?t a case of her ?not playing fair? ? you football lovers are obviously well aware of the need for tactics, but in her defence, that was a straightforward pass.

Now that Goran has clarified that Venus is also weak by phase (although now Margherita may see it as strong :)), it looks to me like it?s 0-0 draw now, as far as phase is concerned. But it raised some interesting points anyway, at least for me.

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I thought it could be interesting to add the words of Ptolemy, tanslated by Schmidt:
Concerning the quality of action.
The star possessing the lordship of action is taken in two ways, from the Sun and from the culminating zoidion. That is, it will be necessary to consider both that star nearest the Sun which has already made a morning appearance as well as the one upon the Midheaven, when this star has the application of the Moon most of all. p.9.

Schmidt explains: "according to Ptolemy Phases of the Fixed Stars, morning appearance includes both morning rising and morning setting for superior planet or fixed star; the former refers to the first time the body is visible on the eastern horizon shortly before sunrise, the latter to the first time the body is visible on the western horizon shortly before sunrise.
For the inferior planets mercury and Venus, the term can refer only to the first and last times the planet is visible on the eastern horizon shortly before sunrise. However, it is possible that Ptolemy means only morning rising here, particularly since he may have evolved this condition from an earlier tradition of the planet making the nearest application to the Sun. this would restrict the places that a superior planet such as Mars could be found and still qualify for lordship of the action. Footnote on p. 9
So to me, Venus is the favourite :)
www.astrologiepraktijk.nl

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Deb wrote:
Now that Goran has clarified that Venus is also weak by phase (although now Margherita may see it as strong :)), it looks to me like it?s 0-0 draw now, as far as phase is concerned. But it raised some interesting points anyway, at least for me.
Never said this or my will to say.

Venus is visible, oriental (in every case it is in the wrong side) and not changing phase, she is going to set.
Mercury is visible, vespertine and is changing phase in a day and it is going to set.

Lastly Mars is vespertine (wrong side), visible, not changing in the next 7 days, and it is going to set.

The essence is that a changing in the phase is a moment where there is a switch in the planet, it is as highlighted.

Tienka wrote:Schmidt explains: "according to Ptolemy Phases of the Fixed Stars, morning appearance includes both morning rising and morning setting for superior planet or fixed star; the former refers to the first time the body is visible on the eastern horizon shortly before sunrise, the latter to the first time the body is visible on the western horizon shortly before sunrise.
maybe you mistyped something: outer planets don't have a morning setting, they rise oriental and set occidental. Or morning means something else in Schmidt?

margherita
Traditional astrology at
http://heavenastrolabe.wordpress.com

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To even suggest that Ptolemy could have meant risings and settings here, where Ptolemy specifically mentions only risings, seems to me to only throw a point of confusion into a passage that reads clearly enough and makes perfect sense by itself. We have to bear in mind what the passage is aiming to identify ? a planet that is strong. The significance of the word Phaseis ? which ends up as ?phenomena? by our understanding ? generates different meanings that are only understood by context. In one way it specifically means ?appearances?, in another it presents a more general sense of phase.

Unlike his Tetrabiblos, Ptolemy?s Phaseis is purely concerned with understanding meteorological and calendrical events from the visual appearances of constellations. I suppose Robert Schmidt is alluding to the fact that in his Phaseis (II) Ptolemy explains that the phases of the fixed stars are based on the times of their first or last appearances ? he is quite correct about that, and then Ptolemy goes on to break those phases down into detail.

This wasn?t just heliacal phenomena either, because even the ancient use and meaning of the constellations varies throughout the year whilst they are between those two stages. The altered expression is discovered from the seasonal perspective that the constellation makes as it appears into sight and presents its form to us at sunset. So, for example, some constellations might point upwards at sunset during one part of the year and mean one specific thing because of this, but point downwards in the opposite season and mean something else when in that state. That is also a ?phasis? or ?appearance?, or what was anciently called the constellation?s ?phenomena?. The Greek verb phainomai, means ?to come to light, or to manifest? ? the main calendrical events are seasonal disappearances and reappearances (where the constellations can make them), but the astrological symbolism is still related to a cycle of decline and rebirth. That is very ancient; no getting away from it. Hence, so many treatises that discuss the constellations and their relationship with the calendar go by the name of Phaenomena ? works by Thales, Aratus, Geminos and Ptolemy to name a few. It?s also the reason why the Greek name for Saturn, Phainon, is interpreted as ?shiner? because it comes from the active Phaino ?to shine?. It is also why I don?t believe the principles of planetary phases can be applied to the modern planets, because they don?t present altered forms to us as the stars and planets do.

Another important ?phase? is when planets are in opposition to the Sun, because then they are biggest and brightest and most filled with the Sun?s light. So in general terms, yes, the word which translates into ?appearances? could be used to refer to settings or even acronychal risings (superior planet oppositions), but definitely not when the qualifier ?morning? is used as it is here.

Also note that later in the same chapter, when Ptolemy talks about the effects of dominating planets, he notes that when the dominating planets are ?rising or angular the actions they cause are independent, but if they are setting or declining from angles, subordinate?. Throughout the work setting planets are associated with physical weakness or disabilities, so it wouldn?t be logical for Ptolemy allow a planet in a phase he associates with decline to be a significator for action, or vocation. Judge Judy always says that if it doesn?t make sense, it?s because it isn?t true.

As for the ?highlight? well, there are several points of highlight for planets ? appearances, settings, solar oppositions, stations for the superior planets and maximum elongations for the inferior planets; what about combustion too? All of these give a sort of switch as the planetary state is dynamically altered, but not all of these changes are about strengthening the planet?s expression in a way that would make it a relevant significator for the native?s predominant form of professional expression.

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Deb wrote:'phases? could be used to refer to settings or even acronychal risings (superior planet oppositions), but definitely not when the qualifier ?morning? is used as it is here.
Just please notice that all the three planets - Mercury, Venus and Mars- are wrong, Venus included because Venus is matutine here.

Mercury is visible and vespertine.

margherita
Traditional astrology at
http://heavenastrolabe.wordpress.com

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it would seem to me that jupiter is strong in terms of planetary phase.. using the 6 or 602am time for messi, jupiter is at the midpoint of ascendant/midheaven as well and in the 11th house area thought to be quite beneficial as well.. i thought i would mention this and see if i could get a reaction and learn more..

what about the idea of what the lights are applying to as having some bearing? moon applies to venus, while sun applies to mercury and we are back to venus/mercury as having some bearing on messi..

i too would like to know the rationale for the 7 day before or after idea as well.. another idea i would like to understand better with regard to what deb had quoted upstream about a planet going thru the sunbeams and being revitalized, is this where the 7 day rule applies too? or is it possible the regeneration of the planetary energy as implied by the connection to sun conjunction planet can happen at the time of the conjunction? i know this overthrows the concept of combust, but i am curious regardless as i have noticed the more pronounced impact of planets close or conjunct the sun which tends to over ride the theories i am told about something being 'combust'.. thanks