Whole Sign Houses

Background Information
In 1982 Holden published a paper in the AFA

research journal titled Ancient House Division.
He was first to point out that WSH was the original
system of house division in western astrology.
Later confirmed by Schmidt & Hand in mid-90s.

They dubbed it whole sign houses.
Hand started popularizing it in the 90s.

Started to catch on by the late 2000s/early 2010s.
Quickly becoming a widely used system.

Ill present some arguments for why.
Calculating Whole Sign Houses

Whatever sign the Ascendant is located in, that
sign becomes the first house.
From 0 to 30 degrees of the sign.
Regardless of how early or late the ASC is.
ASC was originally called the Hour-Marker.

It marks or designates the rising sign.
ASC is not the starting point of the 1st house.

Acts as a floating sensitive point.
Other houses assigned to the signs in order.

There are 12 houses and 12 signs.
The MC and IC
MC and IC become floating sensitive points.
They do not act as the start of the 10th or 4th.
They important 10th and 4th house
significations into the house they fall in.
This doubles up the significations of that house
The Origins of Houses

Western astrology was created in the 1st
century BCE based on a fusion of the previous
Mesopotamian and Egyptian traditions.
Beginning of Hellenistic astrology.
Practiced from 1st century BCE to 7th century CE.
Concept of houses first introduced c. 75 BC.

Didnt really exist as we know it prior to this.
Resulted from merging zodiac with decans.
The Zodiac
The Decans
Conquests of Alexander the Great Hellenistic Empire (4th century BCE)
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MacedonEmpire.jpg
12 Arguments for Whole Sign Houses
Argument 1: Appeal to Antiquity

WSH was the original form of house division.
Also the dominant form of house division for
the first thousand years of western astrology.
Virtually all of the Hellenistic astrologers used
it, from the 1st through the 7th century.
Ptolemy, Valens, Dorotheus, Rhetorius, Manilius, etc
Even used in the early Medieval tradition.

Mashaallah, Sahl ibn Bishr, Theophilus
Argument 2: Many Core House

Significations Are Derived from WSH
Since it was the original system, many of the
core significations of the houses were originally
developed within the framework of WSH.
Even though many of these significations are
still attributed to the houses today due to
tradition, many of them only make sense
conceptually in the context of WSH.
This is due to the connection between houses,
signs, and aspects in the ancient traditions.
Same logic doesnt hold up in quadrant houses.
Significations of Difficult Houses Partially

Based on Lack of Aspect to Rising Sign
ASC
Spirit
Body
Argument 3: The Shift to Quadrant Houses

Was Sudden and Not Well-Considered
Early Medieval astrologers like Sahl and
Mashaallah (c. 800 CE) still primarily used WSH.
By the time of Abu Mashar (c. 850 CE) and after
the was a sudden shift to quadrant houses.
The shift may have happened within the course
of a single generation of astrologers.
We dont know why.
After this WSH were forgotten.
20+ forms of quadrant houses are introduced.

Little agreement after this point.
Why Did the Switch to Quadrant Houses

Happen Around the 9th Century?
Frankly, we dont know.

There are many possible theories.
Hand: misunderstanding or translation error?
Other possible theories:
Introduction of new aspect doctrines and move
towards using orbs may have obscured original
connection between signs and houses?
Different mathematicians showing off their skills by
creating new systems?
Quadrant houses seem more sophisticated and
complex, which may have been appealing.
May have seemed like a new and more advanced piece
of technology, which may have started a fad.
Were quadrant houses the iPhone of the 9th century?
Argument 4: Solves a Longstanding Dispute

20+ systems of quadrant houses are introduced
shortly after the 9th century.
From then until now house division became one of
the most disputed topics in astrology.
1000 years of disagreement!
Astrologers frequently have poor reasons for

favoring one approach versus another.
It is the system I started with.
It is the one that Rudhyar/Alan Leo/Lilly used.
X system of houses puts the asteroid Beer on the cusp
of my 11th house.
Maybe this is an area of disagreement because we

have been going about it wrong since 9th century?
Argument 5: More Readily Testable

Cusps are not always hugely different in QHS.
Especially since there are dozens of systems.
With so many different systems, how can you

test them against each other and know for sure
which one is working better?
WSH presents such a radically different
approach that it is more easy to test.
Also more readily testable because there is no
question about where the cusps are.
Cusps of the houses are the cusps of the signs.
Argument 6: Transits Through

Houses are More Clear
In WSH the ingress of a transiting planet into a
new sign is also an ingress into a new house.
The transit begins when the planet enters the
sign, and ends when it leaves that sign.
You will often notice the house topics coming
into focus right away.
There is no BS 5 degree rule with cusps.
Also works with transits to planets.
Makes WSH very easy to test.
15
parents
Argument 7: Better Distinction Between

the 1st and the 12th Houses
In quadrant houses the Sun moves into the
12th as soon as it rises over the horizon.
Why would the 12th be associated with hidden
matters and secrets if planets that are just
emerging from under the earth are moving
into that house?
WSH solves this issue because it is the only
system in which planets that rise over the
horizon do not immediate move into the 12th.
A planet can be above or below the horizon and
still in the 1st, as long as its in the rising sign.
Argument 8: Provides a Solution to

the Gauquelin Plus Zone Mystery
One of the only large scale scientific tests that
showed an astrological correlation was known
as the Mars effect.
Showed that eminent athletes tended to be
born with Mars rising or culminating.
The problem is that the effect peaked on the
12th house side of the Ascendant.
Traditionally the 12th is supposed to be less
active than the 1st.
WSH may provide a solution to this issue.
Argument 9: Rectification Becomes

More Straightforward
When rectifying charts, once you determine
the correct rising sign, all of the other house
positions fall into place.
The difference between one rising sign and
another is more stark since all of the planets
shift houses when the rising sign changes.
As a side effect this makes rectification easier.
Saturday, April 12, 2014

3:00 versus 3:10 PM
Argument 10: Still the Primary Form

of House Division in India
Hellenistic astrology was transmitted to India in
the 2nd century CE.
Merged with the indigenous form of astrology
based on the nakshatras to create what they
have today.
They have had a more stable transmission that
we have had in the west in the past 2000 years.
As a result of this WSH is still the primary form
of house division used amongst Indian
astrologers to this day.
Argument 11: It Was Used in the

Earliest Texts on Horary & Electional
The earliest complete texts on horary that have
survived were written by Mashaallah and Sahl
ibn Bishr in the 8th century.
They used WSH in these texts.
Same for electonal: Dorotheus (1st century)
Just because Lilly used Regiomontanus doesnt
mean that that is the best or the only system
for horary.
There is no good conceptual reason to use one
system for horary and another for natal.
Argument 12: All The Cool Kids Are Doing It

In the past 20 years a number of prominent
astrologers have switched to WSH.
Robert Hand, Demetra George, Benjamin Dykes,
Robert Schmidt, Rick Levine, Austin Coppock, Kelly
Surtees, and others.
This means some established astrologers are going out
of their way to make the switch.
Sometimes interrupting their lives and practices.
Two recent polls indicated that WSH was the

second most used house system after Placidus.
Holden said that Placidus was adopted in the 20th
century because it was the only system that tables
were available for to do the calculations.
Final Points
Many of the placements in your WSH chart may be the
same as in quadrant houses.
You may already be using some WSH placements.
Even if they arent, there may be other ways that the

same things are indicated.
Instead of having Saturn in the 7th maybe you have Saturn
square the ruler of the 7th?
You may not have to give up QHS completely.

In the late Hellenistic tradition they used both.
Solution may be to use WSH primarily, and then QHS as a
secondary overlay.
Or WSH for topics and QHS for activity.
Ultimately what is most important here is just having

good reasons for doing what we do.

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What is the original system of house division in Western astrology?

What is the original system of house division in Western astrology?

How are houses calculated in the Whole Sign house system?

How are houses calculated in the Whole Sign house system?

Background Information

In 1982 Holden published a paper in the AFA

Later confirmed by Schmidt & Hand in mid-90s.

Hand started popularizing it in the 90s.

Quickly becoming a widely used system.

Calculating Whole Sign Houses

ASC was originally called the Hour-Marker.

ASC is not the starting point of the 1st house.

Other houses assigned to the signs in order.

The Origins of Houses

Concept of houses first introduced c. 75 BC.

Conquests of Alexander the Great Hellenistic Empire (4th century BCE)

12 Arguments for Whole Sign Houses

Argument 1: Appeal to Antiquity

Even used in the early Medieval tradition.

Argument 2: Many Core House

Significations of Difficult Houses Partially

Argument 3: The Shift to Quadrant Houses

20+ forms of quadrant houses are introduced.

Why Did the Switch to Quadrant Houses

Frankly, we dont know.

Argument 4: Solves a Longstanding Dispute

Astrologers frequently have poor reasons for

Maybe this is an area of disagreement because we

Argument 5: More Readily Testable

With so many different systems, how can you

Argument 6: Transits Through

Argument 7: Better Distinction Between

Argument 8: Provides a Solution to

Argument 9: Rectification Becomes

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Argument 10: Still the Primary Form

Argument 11: It Was Used in the

Argument 12: All The Cool Kids Are Doing It

Two recent polls indicated that WSH was the

Even if they arent, there may be other ways that the

You may not have to give up QHS completely.

Ultimately what is most important here is just having

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