Primary Directions Midpoint Family Matrix

Purpose

This document turns the midpoint question in primary directions into explicit Moira policy.

It is pre-Phase-1 research, not an implementation claim.

Its purpose is to answer:

1. what midpoint families seem to exist around primary directions
2. whether they are mathematically recoverable enough for admission
3. whether they belong in the engine, the service layer, or research only

Constitutional Rule

Midpoint substrate does not by itself justify midpoint admission in primary directions.

Moira already has strong midpoint mathematics elsewhere in the repo. That does not mean a midpoint is automatically a valid primary-direction target.

For midpoint directions to be admitted, Moira requires:

1. a clear primary-direction doctrine
2. a governing directional law, not just midpoint construction
3. a branch-specific admission surface
4. validation material strong enough to test

What Is Already Stable

These points are stable enough to state:

• midpoint mathematics itself is easy and already present in Moira
• midpoint doctrine is historically and modernly real in astrology
• midpoint use in predictive work is common in modern astrology software
• none of that yet proves a source-safe primary-directions midpoint law

Branch Matrix

Branch	Midpoint Ontology	Governing Law Status	Source Quality	Layer Fit	Moira Status	Notes
plain zodiacal midpoint as derived point	derived longitude from two source bodies	midpoint math explicit, PD law not yet explicit	low-to-medium	engine only if a branch law appears	research_only	mathematically trivial to construct, doctrinally not yet justified
midpoint pictures / dial doctrine inside primary directions	midpoint-sensitive interpretive family	weak as a PD law	low	likely service or research, not engine by default	defer	easy to confuse modern midpoint analysis with primary directions proper
method-specific midpoint directions (Regio/Campanus distinction zones)	derived target inside a method family	partial but branch-specific	medium in places	engine only by method-specific branch	research_candidate	Campanus vs Regiomontanus distinctness may sharpen here
software midpoint label as generic PD target family	convenience family label	no source-safe law	low	neither	rejected	software presence is not enough

Source Picture

What Supports Midpoint Relevance

• AstroApp exposes midpoint tables and midpoint features in the wider software environment:
  • AstroApp Midpoints help
• modern software and modern astrologers clearly treat midpoints as live sensitive points in predictive work:
  • Mastro user guide
  • AstroWiki, Multiple Directions

What Is Missing

What I could not verify from strong sources is:

• a clean, explicit, source-safe primary-directions law saying:
  • construct midpoint this way
  • direct it this way
  • under these method families
  • with these perfection rules

That is the missing bridge.

Risk Assessment

Source Quality

• current standing: low-to-medium

Why:

• midpoints are well attested in modern astrology
• but midpoint-specific primary-direction law is not yet clearly recovered

Mathematical Recoverability

• current standing: partial

Why:

• midpoint construction is straightforward
• directional doctrine is not

Implementation Risk

• current standing: high

Why:

• very easy to smuggle generic midpoint practice into primary directions
• very easy to widen from software familiarity rather than doctrine

Engine vs Service-Layer Guidance

Not Yet Engine-Ready

At present, midpoints are not yet engine-ready for primary directions.

The missing piece is not arithmetic. The missing piece is the directional law.

Not a Service-Layer Escape

Midpoints should not be pushed into the service layer merely because the engine law is unclear.

If the law is unclear, the honest status is:

• research
• deferred
• or rejected

not:

• "let the service layer offer it anyway"

Recommended Next Research Step

If midpoint work is ever resumed, the next proper step is:

1. search for a method-specific midpoint direction law
2. begin with the historically plausible distinctness zones:
   • Regiomontanus / Campanus
   • possibly wider mundane branches
3. require at least one worked example or reproducible software oracle
4. admit only one narrow midpoint branch first

Present Declaration

Moira now has a clear midpoint policy:

• midpoint mathematics exists
• midpoint primary-direction doctrine does not yet stand on source-safe law
• therefore midpoint directions remain research_only