Page 21 - Three New Tables for an Astrology of Three Dimensions

any estimation of the relative value of azimuth: as altitude approaches
90º, azimuth becomes meaningless.
It is unlikely that azimuth has any importance for astrology beyond
the possibility of magnetic interaction. As a weighting factor it is of
less significance than altitude, aspect or ecliptic longitude. It should
also be noted that the earth’s magnetic poles do not precisely align
with its axial poles; that variance decreases the accuracy of the table in
relating planetary positions to that field. The table also fails to take
ecliptic latitude into account, owing to a necessity to limit the number
of variables in one table; this can lead to a small distortion in azimuth,
particularly in relation to the moon and Pluto.

Azimuth and Midheaven

The point on the ecliptic plane known as the midheaven is an
4
azimuthal point. The geometrical problem in using this point to erect
a horoscope beyond the Arctic or Antarctic Circles is mentioned in
Three New Tables. The azimuth table reveals further illustration of this
difficulty: in latitudes north of 66º33’N, during certain sidereal times,
the ecliptic longitude for azimuth 180ºN (the midheaven) is a value
below the horizon (greater than 90º from the nonagesimal at that time
and place).

Using the Table

To find the azimuth of the sun or the approximate azimuth of a
planet, first find the two pages of the table between which the sidereal
time in question is located. Then find the two columns on each page
between which the axial latitude in question is located. Finally, find the
two rows on each page between which the ecliptic longitude of the
planet in equation is located. The north azimuth corresponding to the
intersection of the three given variables can then be calculated by
interpolating with proportional logarithms within and between pages
(or may simply be taken by approximation). Note that when a
terrestrial position is close to the ecliptic plane (see the first table in

4 The midheaven is at azimuth 180ºN, or due south, for positions in the Northern
Hemisphere north of the ecliptic plane. For position in the Northern Hemisphere
south of the ecliptic, the midheaven is found at azimuth 0ºN. The first table in Three
New Tables indicates whether a position (i.e., its zenith) is inclined to the south or
north or the ecliptic. It should also be noted that two-dimensional horoscopes for
locations south of the ecliptic frequently make the error of showing the midheaven
(and the half of the ecliptic above the horizon) in the south.