UNDERSTAND THE METHOD
Read a Lot formula and follow the degrees
Convert each position to a longitude from 0° to 360°, apply the stated formula and wrap the answer around the zodiac.
Go deeper: the full reference
From a sign to a longitude
Aries begins at 0°, Taurus at 30°, Gemini at 60°, Cancer at 90°, Leo at 120°, Virgo at 150°, Libra at 180°, Scorpio at 210°, Sagittarius at 240°, Capricorn at 270°, Aquarius at 300° and Pisces at 330°. Add the degree within the sign to its starting longitude. Thus 10° Cancer is 100°, not 10°.
A worked daytime example
Suppose the Ascendant is 10° Cancer (100°), the Sun is 10° Taurus (40°) and the Moon is 20° Virgo (170°). The daytime Lot of Fortune is Ascendant + Moon − Sun: 100° + 170° − 40° = 230°. Because Scorpio starts at 210°, this is 20° Scorpio. These are illustrative positions, not a birth chart for a real person.
Wrap the result, keep the direction
Reduce the final longitude to the interval from 0° up to, but not including, 360°. An answer of 380° becomes 20° Aries; −20° becomes 10° Pisces at 340°. Keep the plus and minus terms in their stated order. Taking the shortest distance between the bodies or replacing a negative distance with its absolute value changes the calculation.
Calculate Fortune and Spirit first
In this convention, Eros and Victory use Spirit; Necessity, Courage and Nemesis use Fortune. First calculate Fortune and Spirit for the chart’s day or night sect, then use those results in the remaining formulas. Reversing a later formula while keeping the daytime Fortune or Spirit would mix two different methods.
Before comparing two results
Check the birth details, zodiac reference frame, sect and formula convention. Keep unrounded longitudes during the arithmetic; round only the displayed result. A precise-looking degree does not remove uncertainty in the birth time. Can you explain which input or convention accounts for a difference before interpreting it?
Follow the Lots in your own chart
Use your recorded birth time and birthplace to calculate the seven Hermetic Lots. Compare the stated sect and formulas with this lesson, then read each placement as a symbolic question in its chart context.
Method and context
These references support the historical context and the Paulus formula convention. Interpretations and reflection questions are original Synastry work.
The Astrology Podcast: The Lot of Fortune and Spirit in Astrology ↗ · Historical discussion of Lots, the Paulus scheme and differences between authors such as Paulus and Valens.
Arabic parts: The Hermetic lots ↗ · A secondary reference table for the seven day and night formulas attributed to Paulus Alexandrinus.
Al-Biruni: The Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology ↗ · R. Ramsay Wright translation, §475–476: Fortune and the Sun’s Lot (Spirit). The latter is given more fully as the Lot of the unseen and religion; names and formulas vary across authors.
Arabic names of the zodiac signs ↗ · Arabic-language reference for the familiar twelve zodiac signs. These labels do not define a separate zodiac or change the calculation.
Arabic zodiac vocabulary and transliteration ↗ · Arabic zodiac terms. We consistently write the article al-; its pronunciation can assimilate to the following consonant.
Unicode: Lot of Fortune ↗ · U+1F774 LOT OF FORTUNE (pars fortunae), cross-referenced with U+2297 ⊗. Synastry uses the familiar crossed-circle vector form.
Connect the ideas
What are Arabic Parts?
Arabic Parts, also called Lots, are calculated zodiac points. Their formulas connect the Ascendant with relationships between other chart positions.
2 min readArabic names and symbols
Learn the Arabic names of the twelve zodiac signs, the historical names of Fortune and Spirit, and how to distinguish a Lot symbol from an associated planet.
2 min readDay, night and the meaning of sect
Sect distinguishes a chart with the Sun above the horizon from one with the Sun below it. The seven formulas here reverse between those two conditions.
2 min readWhy birth time and birthplace matter
Every Lot here uses the Ascendant, which depends strongly on the birth instant and location. An uncertain time should remain visible in your interpretation.
2 min read