1

ARABIC PARTS
By John Timperman
Pars Fortunae is a part of the astrological tool-kit that is amply explained in all elementary
introductions in Astrology and everybody is aware that it is derived from the positions of the
Sun, Moon and the Ascendant.But apart from that, all manuals maintain a stony silence about
the logic, or the historical background behind it.
The Arabic parts (and Bonatti mentions about 100 of them) are in fact Egyptian in origin.
They are numerological or arithmetical fictions and they have no physical basis, but are
fictitious points on the ecliptic.
It is pertinent to point out and emphasise that they are on the ecliptic because there are
astrologers who hold the opinion that the best way to calculate the arabic parts is in right
ascension, although there seems to be no evidence that this was ever the case. So the Arabic
parts are calculated in longitude and they are found by considering certain places in natal,
horary, mundane or electional astrology, and distances between these points are then
projected or added to the Ascendant. What is now found as a result of this calculation is a
point in the horoscope which has a particular significance.
Nowadays, few astrologers use the Arabic parts and the fact that they have disappeared from
the astrological toolkit has several causes. The most important one lies in the fact that with the
rise of the Humanist tradition in the Renaissance, astrology came under increasing attack as
violating the Christian doctrine of free will and as being founded upon arbitrary or
scientifically unsound assumptions.
The Enlightenment brought about a revision with regard to many sciences and anything that
was associated with medieval superstition was fanatically disputed. Usually, we consider the
Renaissance as a period of progress, which it actually was, but such kind of progress did not
occur without heavy losses, certainly as far as astrology is concerned.
Many astrologers tried to reform astrology using pre-mediaeval sources which were mainly
based on Ptolemy. However the sad thing was that Ptolemy was the only Greek astrologer that
did NOT use the Arabic parts except for Fortuna.
These reformers were completely misled, for in practise the Arabs were much closer to the
Greek astrological practise than Ptolemy. Many eminent contemporary astrologers think that
he was a non-practising scientist who tried to make an inventory of the astrological
knowledge of his time. Later on, astrologers such as Morin de Villefranche, Placidus and
Kepler tried to reshape astrology ( in a way that Galileo recreated Physics) but, historically,
they based their theories on a dubious source.
So, all this had serious consequences for an exact understanding of the use of the Arabic parts.
After the renaissance the Parts were unanimously rejected because they were not concrete
celestial bodies, but fictitious points in the zodiac, despite the fact that the Ascendant, M.C.
and the lunar nodes are also fictitious [mathematical] points.
So Ptolemy, and unanimously all renaissance astrologers, rejected the use of the Arabic parts
except for Fortuna which, in half of the cases, was calculated in the wrong way because the
astrologers did not take into account the inversion of the formula for day and night
horoscopes.
However, one specific use of Fortuna has been preserved throughout all astrological reforms:
the use of Fortuna as an indicator for benefit or loss in horary astrology.Further, in his
procedure for finding the financial significator (17 considerations !!) Guido Bonatti, the most
influential astrologer of the thirteenth century, uses Fortuna as the first significator. (Not the
second house and NOT the lord of the second house.)
As already pointed out, Guido Bonatti in his Liber Astronomiae describes no less than 97

arabic parts. However the mediaeval astrologer used the ones only that were pertinent to give
additional information when delineating a certain subject of the horoscope.
Another Astrologer, Al Biruni who was writing in the 11th century said the number of these
Parts multiplies daily and he says so with some grief because Arabic Astrologers were very
fond of these parts and they invented a great many of them. The Arabs began to abuse the
Parts in the sense that they began to delineate charts solely from the point of view, or
primarily from the point of view of these Parts, rather than beginning with the first levels: the
houses, the planets, and the signs of the basic horoscope.
Some modern astrologers are doing the same thing although the Arabic Parts should not and
cannot be used properly without first delineating the natal chart. The real and only purpose of
these Parts is to refine the delineation and to extract further information from a chart; and
used in a proper fashion they definitely can be very helpful.
Personally, in the usual way of delineating charts I use following Parts:
Pars of Fortune, as I see it, is more or less as an inner Ascendant, showing what people want
inwardly, as opposed to what the world demands of them outwardly. I also use it as a first
indicator of finances provided: a) it is unafflicted, b) it is aspected by one of its rulers and c)
its rulers are not afflicted.
Pars of Spirit: It is found in the manner that is the reverse of finding Fortuna.
Bonatti says the following about it : the Part of Future Things ( Spirit) signifies the soul and
the body and the quality of these; religion and the culture of God and secrets cogitations,
intentions, hidden things and everything that is absent, courtesy and liberality, praise, good
reputation .
Practically speaking, neo-traditionalists consider it as the indicator of the thing the native
holds to be of the highest possible value. When, in the delineation of a horoscope, one is able
to determine the value, concept or quality which an individual regards as the highest possible
existing thing it is, in my opinion, a tremendous help in dealing with people when discerning
what it is they really value on this earthly plane.
Bonatti used this pars in his delineation of the ninth house: the pars of spirit helped him in
making a judgement as to whether an individual had a code of ethics, which in fact, even in
todays world not everybody has.
Pars of Hyleg: (Asc. + Moon prenatal new or full Moon whatever happened first before
birth). According to Bonatti this pars is useful for knowing the purpose for which somebody
is born.
Pars of Marriage: Asc. + Venus Saturn in the chart of a man and
Asc. + Venus Sun in the chart of a woman
It may be interesting to point out that Arabic Parts cannot make aspects but ONLY receive
them. This places them in the same category as the Ascendant and the M.C.
According to Abumashar parts can be used as directions, which, in traditional astrology were
often based on Profections; the shoving forward of the Ascendant (or any other arbitrary
point, for that matter, including a Pars) at a speed of one sign every year.
For closing let us see what was important for the mediaeval astrologer to delineate a Pars:
According to Bonatti and Abumashar one should consider the following:
1: The house in which the Pars is located.
The first consideration is to see if the Pars are in an angular house, succedent or cadent house.
This is important for the IMPACT of the Pars in the life of the native. The greatest impact is
when the pars are in an angular house especially in the first and the tenth.
2: The planet in a derived house of the Pars.
Valens considered the 10th house from a Pars of paramount importance for the success or the
failure of the Pars. The 10th house position was called the superior position in Greek
Astrology.

3: The aspects of a planet with the Pars and especially the conjunction.
This planet colours the goal, the means and the result of the Pars.
4: The aspects of the two significators
Bonatti and Abumashar suggest that the quality of a pars is the result of the quality of the two
significators of which the Pars is extracted. (Fortuna is extracted from Sun and Moon).
According to these two astrologers it is important that at least one of them aspects the Pars as
this seems to be important for its effectiveness.
5: The planet that is dispositor of the Pars.
Here Bonatti explains a rather complicated procedure, (five rulership system) to determine
which planet is the Almuten (victor) or real dispositor of the Pars.
I hope that these few lines have given the reader a better idea of how the parts work and what
you can actually do with them, for, it is my firm opinion that Arabian parts are important, and
especially in horary they can be particularly incisive. If horary is to astrology what surgery is
to medicine, Arabian parts enable the astrologer to perform keyhole surgery.
John Timperman
mailto:johntimperman@hotmail.com
Bibliography
Alexandrinus, Paulus. Introductory Matters. Translated by Robert Schmidt. Project Hindsight.
Holden, James Hershel, M.A. F.A. (1996). A History of Horoscopic Astrology. From the
Babylonian Period to the Modern age. American Federation of Astrologers 1996
Hermes Martien & Timperman John - Klassieke Astrologie & Kwaliteit van de Ziel
Valens Vettius. The Anthology Book. Trans. Robert Schmidt. Project Hindsight
Zoller, Robert. The Arabic Parts in Astrology- A Lost Key to Prediction (Inner Traditions
International, Ltd )
[John Timperman is a Belgian astrologer and lecturer, with a particular expertise in
Traditional and Medieval Astrology. This article was first delivered at an astrological
convention. It was translated from the French by the author, for Astrologers Home Page. This
English version was edited by Prof. P.James Clark.]