PRACTICE / 34 OF 36
Write Your Own Summary
By the end you can turn your earlier notes into a summary in your own words, and say what each line is based on.
Approved original lessons, free on the web · 2026-10-12
THE IDEA
Your task: write your own summary, and say what every line is based on.
Diagram: an outer ring labelled Sun, an inner ring labelled Moon, and a point at the bottom labelled Ascendant, stacked on one vertical line to show three different layers rather than real degrees.
Writing the summary in four parts keeps your observations whole.
How the summary is built
Part one: what data you have, including the layer that is missing. Part two: one line for each of the three key placements. Part three: the clearest single gap. Part four: which descriptions did not fit you, and your guess at why.
Reflection promptPart four matters most. Being willing to write down what did not fit is what makes this your own record of observation, every line grown from your own experience.
Reflection promptWhat the old texts say: Book III ch. 13 of Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos says such judgements need many observations together, never a simple or offhand approach; Book I ch. 2 also asks that seed, place of birth, upbringing and custom be considered.
Cited sourceAfter every line, mark which kind of basis it has.
A basis for every line
As you write, mark each line with one of three bases: computed (positions, aspects, degrees); traditional (things with a chapter you can look up); or my own observation (things you have really lived through).
Reflection promptOnce you have marked them, you will notice that the useful lines are mostly the third kind, and the second kind only supplies words. If a line fits none of the three, delete it — it came from somewhere else and you are not actually sure of it.
Reflection promptWhat the old texts say: the text explains how a rule was worked out (Book I ch. 17 explains why Leo goes to the Sun, for example), and says which judgements need more conditions.
Cited sourceOBSERVE YOUR OWN CHART
Look at my chart
Your turn: write your own. You can bring your earlier notes over and rework them.
- Write the four parts: data, three lines, the gap, and what did not fit.
- Mark each line: computed, traditional, or my own observation.
- Delete any line you cannot mark.
Without a birth time, rising sign and houses stay blank.
LOOK CLOSER
A common mix-up
“A summary should be one catchy line.”
Book III ch. 13 of the Tetrabiblos asks for many observations together; writing in parts keeps the gaps and the open questions in view.
“Writing down what did not fit is embarrassing.”
That part is your own observation. The text itself says predictions sometimes fail and that more than the sky shapes a person.
CHECK YOURSELF
Now, try it yourself.
Sources and rights
- Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos, trans. F. E. Robbins (Loeb Classical Library, 1940)
Book III ch. 13 says such inquiry cannot be simple or offhand but needs many complicated observations; Book I ch. 2 asks for seed, place of birth, rearing and custom to be considered; and Book I ch. 17 is an example of the text explaining how a rule was derived. The four-part structure and the three basis tags are this lesson's arrangement.
The Robbins translation is in the public domain, as the University of Chicago LacusCurtius copyright page records. The transcriber's own notes and layout are not cited. · 2026-10-10
Limits of this lesson
A summary is a record of describing yourself through the chart, not a verdict or a prediction; every line should lead back to a basis or your own experience.
The three demonstration lines only show the format; they are not anyone's summary.
YOUR STUDY
Write what you learned in your own words.
Write your four-part summary here, with a basis after each line. It is your own version, and you can change it any time.
Your note stays in this browser. Switching languages will not translate it.