nine_parts_roadmap - TheDaniel166/moira GitHub Wiki

Nine Parts Roadmap

Purpose

This document defines the implementation roadmap for Moira's Nine Parts subsystem.

It assumes the companion doctrine document exists:

This is an additive roadmap, not a refactor-first roadmap. The lot engine in moira/lots.py already provides the full arc-formula infrastructure. The work is scoped to: cataloguing the seven externally evidenced Abu Ma'shar lots as the historical core, preserving the Sword and Node as admitted extensions, and providing a dedicated query surface.

The Vedic Navamsha is treated as a separate implementation track within this same roadmap because it shares only the number nine with the Abu Ma'shar lots β€” not the formula engine.

Current Moira State

Relevant implementation file: moira/lots.py

Current admitted capability relevant to Nine Parts:

  • ~430+ named lots in PARTS_DEFINITIONS
  • Full arc-formula engine: Asc + A βˆ’ B mod 360Β°
  • Automatic day/night reversal per PartDefinition.reversible flag
  • Fortune and Spirit pre-computed before derived lots (dependency order already handled)
  • ArabicPartsService β€” service class for computing lots from a chart
  • calculate_lots() β€” module-level convenience wrapper

Lots from Abu Ma'shar's Nine Parts already in the catalogue:

Abu Ma'shar Part Existing Entry Formula Match Reversal
Fortune "Fortune" Moon βˆ’ Sun βœ“
Spirit "Spirit" Sun βˆ’ Moon βœ“
Love "Eros (Valens)" Spirit βˆ’ Fortune βœ“
Necessity "Necessity (Valens)" Fortune βˆ’ Spirit βœ“
Courage "Courage" Fortune βˆ’ Mars βœ“
Victory "Victory" Jupiter βˆ’ Spirit βœ“
Nemesis "Nemesis" Fortune βˆ’ Saturn βœ“
The Sword not named "Sword" Mars βˆ’ Saturn βœ“ (via other entries)
The Node not present Node βˆ’ Moon β€”

Gap summary:

  • The Sword β€” the Mars βˆ’ Saturn formula exists under other names (e.g., "Death (Persian)", "Enemies (Ancients/Olympiodorus A)"); no entry named with Abu Ma'shar's intent
  • The Node β€” the formula Asc + Node βˆ’ Moon (reversible) is not yet in the catalogue
  • No named group or tag identifies the Abu Ma'shar Nine Parts as a set
  • No dedicated nine_parts_abu_mashar() query function exists

Current constitutional status for Nine Parts: P0 β€” pre-constitutionalization.

Core Insight

The lot engine does not need to change. The Nine Parts work is:

  1. add two missing PartDefinition entries to PARTS_DEFINITIONS
  2. tag or group the nine Abu Ma'shar entries so they can be queried as a set
  3. add a convenience function that returns the nine parts for a chart
  4. hold the Vedic Navamsha as a separate implementation track (different module, different data model)

Truth Domain Axes

Historical scope note:

  • The seven planetary lots are the evidenced Abu Ma'shar core supported by the currently secured Dykes-facing source trail.
  • The Sword and The Node are retained as admitted extensions within the same computational family, but not claimed at the same evidentiary level.

1. Technique Family

Governs which Nine Parts system is being computed.

Values:

  • abu_mashar β€” nine Hermetic lots (7 planetary + 2 nodal) per Abu Ma'shar / Dykes; uses the existing lots.py arc engine
  • navamsha β€” Vedic 9-fold sign subdivision; does not use the arc engine; separate module

These must not share a computation path.

2. Reversal Rule (abu_mashar only)

Governs which formula column is used.

Value (confirmed, no ambiguity):

  • full_reversal β€” all nine parts reverse for night births; night = Sun in houses 1–6; no per-lot exceptions in Abu Ma'shar

3. Dependency Order (abu_mashar only)

Fortune and Spirit must be computed before Love and Necessity. This is already handled by lots.py's pre-computation block.

4. Ruler Assignment Rule (navamsha only)

Governs which sign begins each sign's nine-part sequence.

Values:

  • from_element_cardinal β€” Vedic standard: fire β†’ Aries, earth β†’ Capricorn, air β†’ Libra, water β†’ Cancer

Implementation Phases

Phase 1 β€” Abu Ma'shar Nine Parts (lots.py extension)

Scope: add the two missing entries and a named-set query surface.

Tasks:

  1. Add PartDefinition("The Sword", "Mars", "Saturn", True, "abu_mashar") to PARTS_DEFINITIONS
  2. Add PartDefinition("The Node", "North Node", "Moon", True, "abu_mashar") to PARTS_DEFINITIONS
  3. Add "abu_mashar" as a source tag on the existing seven lots that form the Nine Parts set (Fortune, Spirit, Eros/Love, Necessity (Valens), Courage, Victory, Nemesis) β€” or add an explicit alias list
  4. Add nine_parts_abu_mashar(chart) -> list[ArabicPart] to lots.py returning the nine parts in canonical order

Naming note for "Love": Abu Ma'shar's Part of Love corresponds to the Eros (Valens) formula (Spirit βˆ’ Fortune). Do not rename the existing "Eros (Valens)" entry. The nine_parts_abu_mashar() function should return it under Abu Ma'shar's name "Love" via an alias field or by mapping in the function output.

Acceptance criteria:

  • nine_parts_abu_mashar(chart) returns exactly 9 ArabicPart results
  • all 9 use the night formula when Sun is in houses 1–6
  • Fortune and Spirit are computed before Love and Necessity (already guaranteed by existing pre-computation logic)
  • The Sword and The Node are present with correct formulas and reversal

constitutional target: P1 COMPLETE after this phase.

No changes to: the arc engine, the reversal logic, or any other lot entries. Purely additive.

Phase 2 β€” Al-Sijzi Transfer of Management

Scope: dynamic management mechanics on top of the static lot positions.

Prerequisite: Phase 1 complete; longevity.py intersection interface designed (see below).

Tasks:

  1. Define the LotManagement vessel: lord of the part, itissāl chain, tasyīr position for a given year
  2. Add lot_management(part, chart, date) -> LotManagement function
  3. Define the feminine-sign condition: if the Part falls in a feminine sign at night, flag the management condition (Al-Sijzi nuance β€” affects interpretation, not the arc calculation)
  4. Document the longevity.py intersection point: Al-Sijzi's Part-based Hyleg refinement touches find_hyleg() in longevity.py; the interface should be additive, not a modification of the existing Hyleg logic

constitutional target: P2 COMPLETE after this phase.

Phase 3 β€” Vedic Navamsha

Scope: separate 9-fold sign subdivision implementation.

Module: new file moira/navamsha.py or extension of moira/varga.py (check whether varga.py already handles D9).

Tasks:

  1. Check moira/varga.py β€” if D9 is already implemented there, this phase may already be done
  2. If not: implement navamsha_sign(longitude) -> str using the from_element_cardinal rule
  3. Implement navamsha_chart(chart) -> dict[str, str] mapping each planet to its navamsha sign
  4. Expose as a named technique distinct from abu_mashar in any shared API surface

constitutional target: P3 COMPLETE after this phase (if not already handled by varga.py).

Phase 4 β€” Hellenistic Nonomoiria (deferred)

Scope: 9-fold sign subdivision using the from_sign rule (Paulus Alexandrinus, Firmicus Maternus).

Prerequisite: Phase 3 complete (shares module structure).

Note: Lower priority than Phases 1–3. The Hellenistic nonomoiria is not listed in AstroApp's Medieval Time Lords section; it is a delineation refinement tool, not a time-lord technique.

Longevity.py Intersection

Al-Sijzi's Part-based Hyleg refinement (Phase 2) intersects with moira/longevity.py.

Policy: do not modify longevity.py during Phase 1. Design the intersection interface in Phase 2 before touching either module. The interface should be additive β€” Nine Parts provides a lot_management() function; longevity.py calls it as an optional input, not a required dependency.

Open Questions

  1. Does moira/varga.py already implement D9 Navamsha? If yes, Phase 3 is a verification task, not an implementation task.
  2. Should "Love" be added as a distinct PartDefinition entry (Abu Ma'shar alias for Eros Valens) or mapped only in the query function output?
  3. Should the "abu_mashar" source tag be added to existing entries or handled via an explicit Nine Parts alias list in the query function?

Research Sources

  • Benjamin N. Dykes, Introductions to Traditional Astrology (Cazimi Press, 2010) β€” confirmed arc formulas and full-reversal rule
  • Benjamin N. Dykes, Persian Nativities Vol. II (Cazimi Press, 2010) β€” Abu Ma'shar's lot system
  • Benjamin N. Dykes, The Book of Nine Judges (Cazimi Press, 2011) β€” Al-Sijzi's Transfer of Management mechanics
  • moira/lots.py β€” existing infrastructure; ~430 entries; pre-computation of Fortune and Spirit confirmed at line 2029