Alexander Volguine – Lunar Astrology

Alexander Volguine – Lunar Astrology

The following is by Gavin Kent McClung, from his article, “A SALUTE TO OUR HERITAGE: What Makes A True Astrologer?” Dell Horoscope, June, 2000, pp. 66-77. (Portions reprinted with permission of the editor.)

“ALEXANDRE VOLGUINE was perhaps the leading figure in twentieth-century French astrology, though he was born in Alexandria, Russia, and only came to France in his youth. In 1938, he founded an excellent astrological journal, Les Cahiers Astrologiques, which he edited until his death.

“Many occult and foreign traditions in astrology-Hebrew, Arabic, Hindu, Chinese, even pre-Columbian-all received Volguine’s attention. He promoted the use of the Hindu navamsa (chart-view in the ninth harmonic), the theory of Parts of the Arabs, and the interpretive subtleties available through the decanates of signs.

“He held that all planets in a horoscope are to be seen as being in aspect to one another when placed in the correct framework, which is perhaps a variant application of the concept of harmonic astrology. Volguine’s view of rulership involved assessing the strongest (or ruling) planets in a chart, and he developed a complex method for determining this factor, which was presented in his book, The Ruler Of The Nativity.

“Volguine’s approach to the horoscope was holistic, as with his theory of encadrement or “planetary containment,” wherein he placed special emphasis upon the sequence into which natal planets fall when proceeding through the zodiacal wheel in a horoscope. In this context, he placed extra emphasis on planets that appear on either side of certain significant points, such as the Sun, Moon, Midheaven, and Ascendant.

“Volguine continued editing his astrological journal despite severe twelfth-house problems during his lifetime, including imprisonment in a concentration camp during WWII, and various periods of illness and hospitalization.”