Even though the aversion between Gemini and Capricorn is mitigated because they are of the same ascension, Mars is still thoroughly incapacitated to act because the 12th house is cadent while his lord Mercury is also there – there’s no ‘way out’ for him since no (preferably) angular planet is able to lend it assistance, i.e. reflect his light to Capricorn. Mars is occidental of the Sun (additional weakness) in a masculine sign and quadrant, contrary to sect and above the earth in a day chart, all of which are factors that make his condition very unfavorable so the enemies are unable to do much harm to Constantinople and are prone to self-destructive behavior. If one looks at the chart from the perspective of POF serving as an alternative ascendant one gets a similar picture regarding enemies. Mars is lord of the 7th and it is in the cadent 9th, while Venus culminates in the 10th, co-present with the sect-benefic, Jupiter which receives her. What is most intriguing about this chart for me, however, is its ascendant in Cancer, the sign which it occupies in Thema mundi as well. I cannot stop wondering if Valens was thinking in terms of creating a city which would lie at the heart of a world-dominating empire? After all,Constantinople did endure for 1123 years under its original name, which is fascinatingly close to the greatest years of Venus (1150) and she is lady of the Sun, the chart luminary/hyleg and hence the giver of years of life. Ironically, some 300 years later a new religion, signified by Venus, entered the world stage in today’s Saudi Arabia and the Ottoman army which ultimately conquered Constantinople carried its banners. However, there’s another version of electional chart for Constantinople and it can be found in Luca Gaurico or Lucas Gauricus (Italy,1476-1558) Tractatus astrologicus http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/pdf/fah1940w.pdf
The main difference between the two lies in the position of the ascendant and hence, of the all-important POF. In Gaurico’s chart, the ascendant is in the 6th degree of Cancer tightly conjunct Jupiter and Venus making the two considerably more prominent and powerful than is the case with the first chart which has the ascendant in the 19th degree of Cancer. Gaurico’s version puts the POF in the 3rd WS (but the 4th mundane house) in the 24th degree of Virgo, which locates Venus and Jupiter in the 11th from it, the house of acquisition and gain. But why would Valens decide to put the benefics in the 11th from POF rather than in the 10th, which is a lot more auspicious since the benefic angle of the 10th is always preferable to the succeedent 11th? Moreover, if POF lands in Virgo, the contrary to sect malefic and its ruler in the 12th culminate from it, which is disastrous, as Mars rules the 7th house of enemies by exaltation and Mercury is the lord of the 12th, known as “bad daimon”. If the POF is in Libra, these two fall cadent from both ascendants! That is why I think that the first version is more likely to represent the moment chosen by Valens.
Nevertheless, the second version may have much more significance when looked through the lenses of prophecies which never fail to fascinate me. In short, whether they were uttered by the famous German seers (Alois Irlmaier http://www.schauungen.de/wiki/index.php?title=Alois_Irlmaier “Waldviertler” http://www.schauungen.de/wiki/index.php?title=Waldviertler), Greek orthodox monks (elder Josif from Vatopedi monastery, elder Paisios, etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP4ts8cmNNg ) or Muslim eschatologist Sheikh Imran Hosein https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEcUGZT-zoo they all boil down to (more or less!) one thing – Istanbul will be Constantinople again, when Russia rushes to aid Greece and defeats and destroys the invading Turkey during the World War III. Allegedly, only the Hagia Sophia will be left standing after the fiercest fighting during the “three days of darkness” mentioned in many European prophecies ranging from the Middle ages to present. The city itself is undoubtedly of primary strategic importance, as it controls the passage from the Black sea to the Mediterranean; the Russian army has already tried to conquer it during the Russo – Turkish war (1877 – 78) but was forced to a halt by a powerful British fleet. This time there’s no fleet powerful enough to intimidate and stop the Russians when the war breaks out.
But when could this prophecy be fulfilled? I have no doubts that it actually CAN come to pass, as the current state of global affairs doesn’t testify to the possibility of peaceful resolution of all the tensions/conflicts brewing between East and West, i.e. Russia and the USA/NATO. With this in mind, I’ll examine “signs of the times” within the context of traditional mundane astrology. The ‘greater picture’ is under the jurisdiction of the horoscope of the revolution of the world in which the triplicity shift of the superiors occurred in the sign of Capricorn (1841) having significance up to 2020. when the conjunctions of the superiors again shift to airy triplicity (the so-called ‘middle conjunction’).
So how does this chart relate to the chart of Constantinople and what does it signify? First of all, it is significant that oriental Mars in Scorpio dominates the conjunction from a superior sextile and most importantly, its twelfth-part lands in Capricorn and Ibn Ezra tells us in his Book of the World that “—one should always—find the sign in which the power of the dodecatemoria occurs, whether from the malefic or the benefic planet. Know that the power of the dodecatemoria is stronger in a great than in a middle conjunction and stronger in a middle than a small conjunction, and stronger in a small conjunction than at the revolution of any year.”
“So you should observe the place of Mars at any conjunction, whether great, middle of small. For if it is with Saturn or Jupiter at the revolution of the year, or in opposition or quartile with them, wars will break out in the world. This will occur when the terminal sign [annual profection] of the conjunction reaches the place of Mars.”
And Kusyar ibn Labban in his Introduction to Astrology states that “When a planet is in the dodecatemorion of <another> planet, it (the former) is in application with it (the latter). When it (a planet) is in the dodecatemorion of a house in the diagram of the horoscope, it is the same as when it is situated in this house. By the kindness and favour of God.”
So one can say that this was not simply a conjunction of the two, but of all the three superiors, with Mars gaining the (additional) dignity of exaltation and impressing its significations upon the symbolism of the conjunction itself. How did this manifest? Well, suffice it to say that humanity witnessed both world wars in this period, not to mention all the numerous, bloody ‘smaller’ conflicts that occurred before and after; the modernization of weapons which led to their increased lethality, causing death/destruction on a scale heretofore unseen. Most importantly, mankind gained the ability to destroy the entire planet by harnessing the power of nuclear chain reaction. Mars at its best (exaltation=kingdom/supremacy), pure and simple – apart from the very important fact that the conjunction itself is so clearly dominated by the greater malefic, Saturn whereas the grater benefic Jupiter is in the sign of its fall=dejection/depression/slavery and firmly in Saturn’s power. There really hasn’t been much mercy, benevolence and moderation in this period, has it? The malefics have dominated it so clearly! That is why I maintain that also the World War III will occur within this period, and that will be the time when the prophecies regarding the city may find their fulfillment.