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The Arabic Parts in Astrology: A Lost Key to Prediction

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While I have greatly appreciated this particular work, I feel it deserves four stars instead of five. I would like to give it five stars, but if someone thought that he would all of a sudden comprehend the use of Arabic parts by reading this book, he will be sadly mistaken. I think it should either be renamed, reworked, or both.

In Zoller's defense however, it is a great scholarly work. Even so, it pales in comparison with his current understanding of medieval astrological methods. He is the world's foremost authority on the subject, but since the book was written nearly twenty years ago, his understanding has greatly advanced since its first publication. Moreover, I have serious doubts that he would mention the modern planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) in an updated version, as he has in this one.

The work attempts to do several things at the same time. First, it is in large measure a translation of Guido Bonatti's 13th century work, "Liber Astronomiae." Second, Zoller tries to bridge the gap between the modern astrological mind and the medieval one. Third, he gives practical applications. Since older methods were not that well known at the time he wrote this work, I think it was difficult for him to know how to approach his end goal.

Moreover, his having to jump back and forth between Bonatti's medieval sentence structure and modern thought makes it tough on the reader because sometimes Bonatti is teaching you and other times, it is Zoller. I would rather he paraphrased the translation and put it into his own words in order to create consistency.

At the time that he wrote this work, few if any astrologers practiced older methods. In this regard, Zoller was a pioneer who took a step backwards in order to move other astrologers forward. For example, most astrologers were calculating the Part of Fortune incorrectly and did not know all of its true implications. Also, they really had no idea on how to use the Arabic parts at all. Zoller's translation efforts began to change all of that. Today, there is a thriving community of medieval astrologers, due in no small measure, to his scholarship.

All in all, Zoller tries to convey an ancient concept to a modern audience while retaining the flavor of the original users of Arabic parts. This is a lot to handle, especially since modern readers twenty years ago were largely unfamiliar with ancient doctrines. Furthermore, unlike many scholars who discourse upon ancient topics, Zoller brings the methods forward into a contemporary world so that they can actually be used. It is a big job to do for one man; especially since he was bridging the distance between medieval and modern mindsets.

The most valuable component of this work is in the first two chapters - "How the Parts Were Lost" and "The Metaphysical Basis of the Parts," but especially the latter. If one truly wants to understand the reasoning behind the Parts and of medieval methodology in general, then one must also comprehend the underpinnings of their thought system - a system that greatly differs from contemporary minds.

Arabic parts have no place in modern astrology. Their rationale and proper use will escape contemporary thinking. In the first place, contemporary thinking is essentially egocentric and has been reflected in modern astrological methods. Modern astrology views one's chart as having to do completely with oneself and every planet in every house as representing a component of the person's psyche (egocentric). Medieval astrology, on the other hand, sees the different planets as representing specific people and the houses as areas of an objectified circle of existence. It tells you about your father, mother, siblings, teachers, friends, lovers, children, etc... In other words, it's not all about YOU; rather, it is about your life circumstances, both good and bad. Furthermore, it implies a connectedness to all things, whereas modern thinking sees each individual as discreet and unconnected.

Modern thinking is also divorced from formal and final causation and is essentially scientific in format. Scientific thinking, in its purest form, does not ask questions like, "What is the purpose behind this? What is it for?" (final cause) and "What caused this to be created?" (formal cause). To ask these types of questions, a metaphysics is required; something beyond the physical reach of empirical science. Modern astrological methods reflect modern science in that they seek to explain all events from a non-metaphysical perspective. It is essentially mechanistic.

Medieval thought, on the other hand, employed formal and final causes at the cutting edge. It sought to find meaning (purpose - final cause) and origin (the Creator - formal cause)and this has been reflected in medieval astrology. Therefore, unless one understands the underpinnings of medieval thought, the study of Arabic parts will be jibberish and irrelevant. Even if one could prove their efficacy to a modern mind, the proof will not be accepted because it cannot fit into the criteria that qualifies for proof in the modern mind; namely one physical body acting upon another in a mechanistic sort of way.

Medieval methods are primarily numerical and metaphysical in nature. The use of transits, for example, were used very little. Rather, numerical techniques were used for prediction, much like the Vedic system that is still in use today. In order to accept the efficacy of these types of methods, a comprehensive and sturdy metaphysics is required; one that makes rational sense. Zoller's book, at the outset, attempts to indoctrinate the reader into this type of thinking, but it will require considerable time in order to fully embrace it. Even so, it is well worth the effort!

To sum up, the book is great; albeit with the understanding that the reader will have to change the way he approaches his view of the universe in order to understand the rationale behind the Parts. Furthermore, he must study! Once a person develops a mind that can accept an ancient cosmology and a numerical ordering of a metaphysical causative factor, the book will soon become an indispensible guide.

For the intermediate to advanced student, or the professional astrologer looking for new predictive techniques, why not try the "old" ways? The author leads you into the world of sensitive points that indicate marriage, daring, brothers and sisters, parents, and many other interesting subjects. For those with a gambling nature, there is a section on speculation and commodity variations. This is a scholarly translation of Latin material with easy to follow directions for finding the various parts, many charts, and an extensive look at the philosophy behind the parts themselves. Some of the best ancient astrologers are quoted here, among them, Al-Biruni, Guido Bonatti, Marcus Manilius, and Masha'allah. Among the few books of this nature, this is the clearest, providing much information and understanding.

Many 20th century astrological treatise ignore its history. Most of them, in fact. When I started reading Robert's book I became intrigued. Here was an approach to the world that was based on a scholar's research into the ancient sciences. So, I kept on reading. I discovered a world of wisdom and science I had believed was lost. It was a simple, yet technical approach. It was rigorous, yet accurate. It opened the door to astrological prediction. Most of all, it inspired me to dig and learn. It's a good prelude to Robert's online course.... . . If you want to dig and find answers, instead of glossing over the details with "feel good" language, Zoller's work is a wonderful place to begin.

This is NOT a good book if you're looking for a quick reference and interpretation of the parts that you see listed everywhere. You will have to know almost all of your astrological terms to figure out the formulas, because there isn't a table listing Bonatti's parts. But if you are an advanced astrologer, this book lists and describes some very interesting parts that can still be used in natal and horary astrology. A description of how to take the formula as well as definitions for the following parts are included: The parts of the 7 planets, parts of the 12 houses (each house has more than 1 part associated with it) and also other parts such as parts pertaining to crops and other things. Again, if you're advanced, this is a good book to have it your collection of reference material.

Let me start by saying that this is not a beginner's book and is not intended to be. Secondly, this is not about Arabic astrology, but rather about Arabic influence on European astrology. In this book you will not learn how to prepare horoscopes or how to do basic interpretation.

Instead this book is about advanced techniques of astrology from the European Renaissance, and in the process covers theoretical ideas no longer a part of modern Astrology. I found the book extremely valuable and well thought out.

Advanced astrologers and people studying Rennaisance philosophy should get this book. Others probably won't find much value.

Publications on the Arabic Parts are few and far between. This a well-researched classic. It is a scholarly work and a must-have for any serious student or practitioner of astrology.

If everything in this book is true, then oh my. I'm going to do more research.

It is obvious that the author spent a lot of time and effort in writing this book. It is about 245 pages long but the fonts are small so the book would be much thicker if it were printed in regular sized fonts. This book has two shortcomings listed below:

1. No information to create the Arabic Astrology Charts! So this is not the book for the beginners

2. Part III of the books from page 139 through page 224 is titled " Practical Illustrations". But only two out of five sample readings in it has some practical use, in my opinion. They are the interpretations for a prostitue and Watergate incident. I am skeptical when astrolgy tries to predict a country's or the world's events.

In short, there is a lot of theoretical information but VERY LITTLE PRACTICAL INFORMATION dealing with prediction. You'll need another book to go with this one.