THE SEVEN HERMETIC LOTS
Lot of Spirit
Intention and direction. Explore the traditional topic, the day and night formulas and a grounded way to reflect on the placement.
Go deeper: the full reference
The traditional topic
Spirit, often called Daimon, traditionally concerns intention, thought, agency and purposeful activity. Its association with the Sun complements Fortune’s bodily and circumstantial emphasis. The historical term does not require a belief in a literal spirit or reveal a hidden supernatural identity.
Arabic name and planetary association
سهم الغيب (sahm al-ghayb). This is a historical Arabic name; al-Biruni also records the fuller name سهم الغيب والدين, “the lot of the unseen and religion”. The displayed identifies the associated planet, Sun. It is a planetary association, not a distinct ancient Arabic glyph for this Lot. The planet associated with a Lot and the ruler of the sign containing it are separate parts of a reading.
Day and night formulas
Using the Paulus convention, day: Ascendant + Sun − Moon. Night: Ascendant + Moon − Sun. All terms are zodiac longitudes; wrap the final answer into 0°–360°. Fortune and Spirit in these formulas mean the Lots already calculated for the same chart’s sect.
How to read the placement
Ask how you choose a direction and bring thought into action. Work or vocation may be one context, but the topic also includes study, creative practice, service and commitments outside paid employment. Compare what you intend with the circumstances highlighted by Fortune without treating either as more worthy.
An example to picture
A person could reflect on Spirit while deciding which skill deserves regular practice. Naming a chosen purpose, setting a small schedule and reviewing what they learn puts the theme into action. The Lot does not select a career or certify a “true calling.”
A common misunderstanding
Spirit is not proof of a predetermined life purpose or unlimited control. Meaningful choices operate within real social, bodily and material conditions. Difficulty carrying out a plan is not evidence that someone has failed their destiny.
A question to sit with
What activity feels worth choosing deliberately, and what manageable commitment would express that choice this week?
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
Read a Lot without turning it into a verdict
Begin with the Lot’s topic, then consider its sign and wider chart context. Turn the symbolism into a question you can test against lived experience.
2 min readRead 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.
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 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 read