Primary Directions Truth Card: Zodiacal Directions

Status

• doctrinal family: historically attested
• Moira status: admitted on a narrow first surface
• role in Moira: major direction-space branch

Current admitted runtime surface:

• direction space: in_zodiaco
• perfection kinds:
  • zodiacal_longitude_perfection
  • zodiacal_projected_perfection
• current geometric admissions:
  • pure zodiacal longitude perfection
  • retained-latitude zodiacal projection via equatorial RA
• current latitude policies:
  • zodiacal_suppressed
  • zodiacal_promissor_retained
  • zodiacal_significator_conditioned
• current latitude sources:
  • assigned_zero
  • promissor_native
  • aspect_inherited
  • significator_native
• current admitted aspect-target surface: explicit major-aspect promissor points
• broader zodiacal latitude and aspect doctrine: deferred

Identity

Zodiacal directions are primary directions in which the perfected relation is defined through zodiacal position rather than solely through the bodily world-frame.

This family should be treated as a direction-space doctrine, not merely as an alternate display.

Mathematical Basis

Direction Space

• In Zodiaco

The promissor is treated as a zodiacal point or as a zodiacally derived point.

Geometric Basis

• zodiacal longitude and zodiacal aspect structure become decisive
• the ecliptic and its aspectual layout replace or dominate purely mundane perfection

Motion Basis

• still grounded in primary motion as a timing substrate
• not identical to symbolic solar-arc style motion, even if some software obscures the distinction

Key Basis

• keys remain orthogonal
• static, dynamic, and symbolic keys may all be layered onto zodiacal directions, though this creates doctrinal complexity

Latitude Basis

• the decisive ambiguity is whether zodiacal points are treated with latitude zero, retained latitude, or assigned latitude

Interpretive Meaning

Zodiacal directions claim that the timing event is indicated when the directed point perfects a zodiacally meaningful relation to the natal significator.

Interpretive emphasis shifts toward:

• sign and aspect symbolism
• zodiacal relation structure
• a more abstracted but still directional form of perfection

The promissor still indicates active quality. The significator still indicates domain of life. But the way they meet is ecliptic or zodiacal, not purely mundane.

Historical Standing

• strongly attested
• often described as more traditional than some modern mundane emphasis
• implemented in contemporary software as a major branch alongside In Mundo

Distinguishing Features

Zodiacal directions differ from mundane directions by:

• locating perfection in zodiacal relation rather than bodily sphere-relation
• admitting aspectual points more naturally
• often encouraging longitude-first thinking

They differ from symbolic directions because:

• they remain grounded in primary directional doctrine rather than a generic one-degree-per-year displacement

Main Ambiguities

1. Latitude Zero vs Latitude Retained

This is the central ambiguity.

Some systems or software suppress latitude and direct pure ecliptic points. Others preserve or assign latitude. Moira now admits both:

• suppressed zodiacal aspect-points with assigned_zero
• retained-latitude zodiacal aspect-points with aspect_inherited

That closes more of the latitude-bearing zodiacal problem without yet collapsing the whole family into a separate field_plane label.

2. Aspect Layout

Not all traditions agree how aspects are laid out on the celestial sphere or in the zodiacal model.

3. Target Scope

Some traditions admit many aspectual or reflected points; others remain much stricter.

Moira Admission Policy

Moira should admit zodiacal directions only after explicitly defining:

• whether promissors are pure zodiacal points
• whether aspects are directed as points
• what latitude doctrine is used
• what target classes are valid

Implementation Consequences

The first zodiacal implementation in Moira should be narrow and explicit:

• one clearly defined zodiacal branch
• one declared latitude policy
• one declared aspect layout policy

Moira now admits a still-narrow but no longer single-form zodiacal family:

• zodiacal_suppressed + assigned_zero + zodiacal_longitude_perfection
• zodiacal_promissor_retained + promissor_native + zodiacal_projected_perfection
• zodiacal_promissor_retained + aspect_inherited + zodiacal_projected_perfection for explicit aspect-point promissors
• zodiacal_significator_conditioned + significator_native + zodiacal_projected_perfection for pair-specific projected branches

It still should not become an everything-bagel of zodiacal variants.

Research Sources

• Martin Gansten, Primary Directions chapter excerpt: https://astrology.martingansten.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/PrimaryDirectionsChapter.pdf
• AstroWiki, Primary Direction: https://www.astro.com/astrowiki/en/Primary_Direction
• Mastro manual: https://mastroapp.com/files/documentation_en.pdf
• AstroApp primary directions help: https://astroapp.com/help/1/returnsW_53.html