Apotelesmatics Book III: On Inceptions
Hephaistion of Thebes’ Apotelesmatics (5th Century AD) is an important record of ancient doctrines on general principles, natal, and electional astrology, largely drawn from the work of Ptolemy and Dorotheus.
Ascensional Times: Theory and Practice
This lecture explains the meaning and uses of ascensional times (measuring how fast the signs rise), from their philosophical meaning to their use in elections, map-making and climes, distributions (a kind of primary direction), judging sect in a chart, personality types across the world, symbolic predictions with triplicity lords of the sect light, and calculating solar return Ascendants.The download includes PDF slides and a handout. Length 1:13:31, 48MB.
Astrological Works of Theophilus of Edessa
This is the first translation of the astrological works of Theophilus of Edessa, from Greek sources and Arabic excerpts. It includes mundane, electional, and natal astrology.
Bonatti on Elections
A long treatise on elections, often drawing on ‘Ali al-‘Imrani, starting with a thorough discussion on how elections work and how to design them! Elections from all 12 houses, from when to elect surgery to when to make a journey (180 pp). Click here for a PDF excerpt.
Choices & Inceptions: Traditional Electional Astrology
Medieval electional astrology in the tradition of Dorotheus
Choices & Inceptions presents numerous works on choosing auspicious times for actions, drawn from the most well-known medieval Persian and Arabic-language authors and compilers: al-Kindi, Sahl bin Bishr, Bethen, al-‘Imrani (Haly Embrany), and al-Rijal (Haly Abenragel). It is the largest collection of traditional electional texts available in modern languages.
Dorotheus’s Carmen Astrologicum (2nd Updated Edition)
This new translation of the Arabic version of Dorotheus contains extensive explanations, notes, diagrams, and the Greek prose Excerpts.
For a short list of errata in the 1st Edition, click or save here.
Leopold of Austria: Compilation on the Science of the Stars
Leopold of Austria’s Compilation is a handy 13th Century guide to all branches of astrology, written around 1271. Sometimes called a “shorter Bonatti,” Leopold draws on many of the same Arabic astrologers as Bonatti does, but often from different Latin translators. These include Sahl b. Bishr, Abu Ma’shar, ‘Umar al-Tabari, ‘Ali al-‘Imrani, al-Kindi, and others.
The Astrology of Sahl b. Bishr
This volume contains numerous works by the famous medieval astrologer Sahl b. Bishr, newly translated from Arabic. This volume is a required text for Benjamin Dykes’s traditional natal astrology course.
For a short list of errata, click or save here.
The Forty Chapters of al-Kindi
The famous, “first” Arab philosopher, al-Kindi (ca. 801-870 AD) wrote many instructional letters and works on astrology and the universe. The Forty Chapters is on horary and electional astrology: answering questions and choosing auspicious times to act. It is the second volume in the horary trilogy, preceded by The Search of the Heart and followed by The Book of the Nine Judges.
Works of Sahl & Masha’allah
Sahl bin Bishr (Zahel) and Masha’allah were two of the most influential medieval astrologers from the Arabic period. In a new work of 618 pages, Dr. Benjamin Dykes translates 16 of their most important works–many of them for the first time in any modern language! This essential work in medieval astrology includes many charts and lengthy introductory remarks and explanations by the translator.