Parans in astrology

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Modern, Western, Astrologers mostly ignore the stars in the sky and tend to focus on the planets, which the ancient Greeks called “The wanderers.” Yet, to go outside on a clear night and stand underneath the stars is a consciousness expanding experience. Ancient Astrologers had only this same sky, with its patterns, shapes and mystery, to guide them.

The stars have been connected with divinity since the beginning of time. We see stars painted carefully on the ceilings of tombs from the Egyptian old Kingdom, a cosmic magic spell to guide the soul of the Pharaoh up into the sky amongst the stars in the constellation of Orion. There, he prepared to be reborn again, and his soul would travel back from the stars, through the planets, entering another physical body where he would then reign as Pharaoh once again. 

Many other ancient cultures held the belief that, after physical death, the soul rose upwards into the sky, to join the stars. In Plato’s “Theory of soul” the philosopher wrote that the creator assigned each soul to a star. After physical death, the soul would travel back to its original home in the stars. We can find the story of the soul within the constellations and the parans. 

Astrologers know that the skies reflect our lives here on earth, and this is how we can use the practice of astrology for problem solving and predictions. Plotinus, the neo-Platonist describes the starry sky as a reflection of our individual souls. Our souls mirror the heavens as a desire to re-join the place from which they were born. 

A tropical, Western birth chart describes the life of the current incarnation. The moon, Saturn and the karmic lunar nodes (also known as Rahu and Ketu) show us the journey that the soul has taken through its previous lifetimes within the physical plane of earth. There is a tendency within western astrology to reduce to the sky into psychological archetypes which removes the “soul” from the practice. It is within the mythology of the fixed stars that we find both the origin of the soul and the destiny, or fate, that it has chosen before incarnating on earth.

The soul is then born into a physical body, under the planetary alignments most suited to its earthly experience.    

The birth chart is formed from the classical Greek zodiac wheel which we use today and is based on the seasons, equinoxes and solstices, commencing at the spring equinox which is when the Sun starts to journey through Aries. The zodiac signs that make up the 30 degree segments of the chart are named after the constellations but do not fall in the same portions in the sky as the stars and the tropical zodiac wheel is not connected to these constellations in anything other than name. Comparing the astrological correspondences of the constellations with the tropical zodiac signs of the same names will show you the vast differences between them. 

Some modern astrologers incorporate the fixed stars into their practices by forcing the constellations onto the line of the ecliptic. I feel that this is a mistake as it attempts to cram the vast divinity of space onto a small line. The great Astrologer, Bernadette Brady, whom we can thank for resurrecting ancient astrological techniques that were previously forgotten and discarded over the centuries, writes in her book “Star and planet combinations” -“I know that many astrologers prefer this method of working with the fixed stars but I am deeply uncomfortable with it; for me it is like loving butterflies by sticking them onto blotting paper. I want my stars to be free, I want to rejoice at their birth, marvel at their resurrections and most importantly I want to honour their stories.” 

Brady has, through decades of research, given us modern, working descriptions of the stars and their influences on our lives and souls. The previous descriptions of the stars were written by ancient astrologers and tended to be fatalistic and disconnected with modern life, such as “Death by serpents, beheading or poison.” 

The method that we can use to work with the whole sky is called parans which is abbreviated from ‘paranatellontato’. Parans are the original methods used by Priests and astrologers in Babylonia and the Hellenistic era. “The spindle of necessity” written by Plato, describes the “cross of matter” which are the four angles in the birth chart, the AC, MC DC, and IC. The “spinning” describes how the earth receives this energy from the stars. For example, if a star is setting on the east and a planet is rising in the West, they are “spun” together. This describes a paran. 

Mythology from many different ancient cultures describes “spinners” or three Goddesses who “spun” the fates of both humans and Gods and controlled the threads of life and death. The Greeks knew them as “the Moirai.” In old Norse culture the three spinners were known as the Norns. 

A paran is not the same as an aspect in mundane astrology. A paran occurs when a star and a planet are on the meridian line at the same time and this forms a relationship between them. This event is time and location specific and affected by latitude. 

Some stars never disappear below the horizon line (never set) due to their proximity to the North and South poles. These are circumpolar stars and are visible on every night of the year depending on the latitude of the observer. To the ancient Egyptians, these stars were Gods, having never lowered themselves onto the earthly realms of humans. When in paran with natal planets, these stars act with force and can be harsh as they hold the will and energy of the immortal Gods, devoid of any humanly compassion and sympathy with no interest in mundane, earthly matters. 

.Other stars become invisible for certain periods and these are called the descending stars. The invisibility occurs when the star both rises and sets during the day, which of course means that it is not visible in the sky because of sunlight. The Egyptians described these stars as deities that have died and journeyed into the Egyptian underworld. Eventually the star rises from the dead and is reborn as the heliacal rising star. This star is a connection between the mortal and the spirit world or the realm of the Gods. In astrology we can use the mythology connected to the heliacal rising star as a guide for the native’s fate or destiny, which is connected with their ancestry. This star represents a gift from the native's DNA, ancestors, Family, and blood line. The star is connected to events which seem fated, like “stumbling upon” an activity or interest which ends up being one of the most important parts of your life. 

The ascending stars, or divine stars, appear in the sky to be dying but on the same night they rise again and never take the journey into the underworld. Each day the star rises a bit earlier until it rises one day just before dawn. Then the star acts as a circumpolar and lives in the divine and immortal realm of the Gods for several months, visible for the whole night. The star touches the horizon before sunrise which is called heliacal setting. This represents the symbolism of the star returning to the earthly realm of humans. This heliacal setting star acts as a spirit guide and contains a gift of knowledge which it has brought back from the land of the immortals. The star contains a gift from the native's soul, or daimon. It's important to recognise that an individual's soul is not separate from that of their race and blood line.   

The helical rising and setting stars act as a pair and influence different period of the native’s life. 

In my own astrology, my heliacal rising star is Bellatrix – “A person who knows that their success comes from a struggle.” This star is connected with the archetype of the amazon or female warrior. This resonates with me deeply, as I experienced much trauma in my childhood growing up in a land affected by terrorism and religious division, surrounded by invisible enemies and constant threat of physical harm and death. I conquered my fears and traumas in adulthood by throwing myself into the deep end of occult practices and Shamanism, eventually emerging as a warrior, having fought many spiritual battles and eventually becoming a guide for others through my work, helping my clients heal from ancestral traumas. Throughout my life, I’ve experienced success and breakthroughs after periods of struggles and conflict. I have made a reputation for being an Astrologer who speaks about topics that most others tend to avoid.   

My heliacal setting star is Arcturus – The Hunter and farmer “Always seeking a new pathway.” This star symbolises acting as a protector for others as they transition through new areas and ways of life. Arcturus in this position describes someone with leadership abilities who will be known within their community or on a global level for these qualities. Many people have told me that they find my astrology work a great comfort as they navigate through these challenging and frightening times that we live in. I also help my clients rediscover their pre-christian, ancestral spiritual practices.  

When a star falls onto an angle (cross of matter) at the moment of birth, the star has a strong influence on the native’s lifestyle and mundane life. 

In my own chart I have Alphard – the heart of the serpent – on one of my angles. “Physically assertive and forthright.” Here we see this star working with Bellatrix which paints a picture of someone who is direct, no-nonsense and never backs down from a battle. Those who know me, will agree with this description! This is a deeply primal star also connected to sexual, battle and kundalini energies and I’ve learned to channel this force into my work, specifically the goal of guiding others towards their ancestral paths and away from abrahamism . 

In star readings the parans fall into groups which cover the native’s foundation (nadir) youth Rising), prime (culminating) and then setting, the latter years as humans go through three main stages in life.