POLYHYMNIA
Polyhymnia, asteroid 33 (the 33rd asteroid to be discovered, on October 28, 1854), is
approximately 62 kilometers in diameter and has an orbital period of 4.8 years. Poly-
hymnia is named after the Greek muse of singing, mime, rhetoric, and sacred dance,
who was a daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne and whose symbol is the veil. Like its
mythological namesake, the asteroid Polyhymnia confers talent in singing, dance,
mime, and rhetoric to natives in whose chart it is prominent.Sources:
Kowal, Charles T. Asteroids: Their Nature and Utilization.Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Ellis
Horwood Limited, 1988.
Room, Adrian. Dictionary of Astronomical Names.London: Routledge, 1988.
Schwartz, Jacob. Asteroid Name Encyclopedia.St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1995.PORPHYRYSYSTEM
The Porphyry, or Porphyrian, system is one of the older systems of house division,
obtained by evenly trisecting the ecliptic in each of the four quadrants. It was named
after the neoplatonic philosopher Porphyry, who is said to have devised it.POSEIDON
Poseidon is one of the eight hypothetical planets (sometimes referred to as the trans-
Neptunian points or planets, or TNPs for short) utilized in Uranian astrology. The
Uranian system, sometimes referred to as the Hamburg School of Astrology, was
established by Friedrich Sieggrün (1877–1951) and Alfred Witte (1878–1943). It
relies heavily on hard aspects and midpoints. In decline for many decades, it has expe-
rienced a revival in recent years.
On the one hand, Poseidon is mind, spirit, and ideas; on the other, it is
enlightenment, inspiration, spirituality, and “vision.” Thus, for example, a Mercury-
Poseidon connection may indicate spiritual perception; Venus-Poseidon connection,
pure love, or religious faith.Sources:
Lang-Wescott, Martha. Mechanics of the Future: Asteroids.Rev. ed. Conway, MA: Treehouse
Mountain, 1991.
Simms, Maria Kay. Dial Detective: Investigation with the 90 Degree Dial.San Diego: Astro Com-
puting Services Services, 1989.POSITED
Posited (from the Latin word for “placed”) is where a planet is located or placed in an
astrological chart.PRECESSION OFEQUINOXES
The phenomenon known as the precession of equinoxes was said to have been discov-
ered by Hipparchus in the second century B.C.E., but there is evidence that somePolyhymnia
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