consequence of her nearness to us; whilst of the Sun's power over us and the whole creation there can, of course, be no question. Each of these seven planets is in the ascendant once during the space of the twenty-four hours forming the day and night; and according to the junction of two or more planets under which a person is born, his outward appearance, character and fate, will be influenced. The sign of the zodiac, too, under which a child comes into the world, possesses a power to produce a particular form of body and mental inclination, always, however, subject to the influence of the seven planets.

It must also be borne in mind that the planets dominating the lives of both parents would, to a certain extent, have an influence not only during the pre-natal period of our existence, but also in arresting or hurrying forward the moment of our advent into life. The father's influence is strong at the moment of conception; the mother's during the whole period of pre-natal existence. In this way we can account for the resemblance between parents and children, and also for the physical and mental qualities which we see constantly reproduced through a long line of ancestry. It is rarely that one planet is the sole influence of a life, for the child at birth may, and more generally does, receive influences from several planets, and some not those of the father or mother; and thus we can account for the innumerable differences of mind and body to be found among members of the same family.

For the benefit of those who object that there is too great a leaning to what they would call "the dangerous doctrine of fatalism" in these old-world beliefs, it may be well to quote a few reassuring words from a very able and voluminous writer on these subjects, Dr. Richard Saunders, who modestly styles himself on the title-page of his learned work (published in 1671) student in astrology and physic. "The stars," he says, "have such an influential power over us that we act by them and, though they are but second causes, their influences do so necessitate us that we cannot avoid their fatality, unless we have recourse to the First Cause which governs this all." In other words, though the stars influence us, God rules the stars.

CHAPTER II.

THE ALPHABET OF ASTROLOGY

The Science of Astrology consists of four branches, namely, Mundane Astrology, which is the art of foreseeing, by the aspect of the stars, at certain periods, the events likely to happen to nations, such as pestilences, wars, inundations and earthquakes; Atmospherical Astrology, which is the art of foreseeing, by the positions of the heavenly bodies, the quality of the weather at any particular time or place; the Casting of Nativities, or the art of foretelling, from the position of the stars at the moment of birth, the fate and character of the native; and Horary Astrology, or the art of foreseeing, by the positions of the heavens at the moment, the result of any business or circumstance.

As the two former branches are treated in the astrological almanacks issued every year by Zadkiel, Raphael, Orion, and others, it is needless to go into them; but as the casting of nativities and the answering of horary questions require individual treatment, the working of these two branches of astrology (after the ancient methods) shall be described as clearly as possible.

Before the student can do anything in astrology he must master its alphabet—that is, he must make himself thoroughly acquainted with the symbols used to represent the planets, the signs of the zodiac and the aspects.

The planets recognised by the ancient astrologers are, as we have seen, seven in number, and are as follows, with their symbols:—Saturn, ; Jupiter, ; Mars, ; Sol, ; Venus, ; Mercury, ; Luna, .

There are also the Dragon's Head, thus symbolised, ; and the Dragon's Tail, . These are neither planets nor signs of the zodiac, nor constellations, but are only the nodes or points where the ecliptic is crossed by the Moon. One of these points looks northward, where the Moon begins her northern latitude, and the other points southward, where she commences her south latitude. The head of the Dragon is considered of a benevolent nature; the tail of the Dragon is of evil tendency.

There are also the twelve signs of the zodiac, which are as follows, with their symbols:—

Northern.			Southern.
	Aries			Libra
	Taurus			Scorpio
	Gemini			Sagittarius
	Cancer			Capricorn
	Leo			Aquarius
	Virgo			Pisces

Through these twelve signs the planets continually move, and are ever in one or other of them.

They are divided into north and