It was common to “borrow” the work of one’s predecessors in astrology in the
seventeenth century and use it without attribution. Indeed, the practice continues in
the contemporary astrological scene and related fields. One suspects, reading early
modern books on magic, that at least some of the “fathers” of modern science and
“inventors” merely published technologies and theories previously handed down
secretly within networks of those interested in the occult arts. Certainly a number of
astrological doctrines Morin claimed as his own contributions were known to Bonatti
and his Arabic sources.
Nevertheless, in most cases Morin made explicit what was implicit or easily
missed by Bonatti. For this he deserves the practicing astrologer’s respect and grati-
tude. Also to his credit is his provision of a philosophical and metaphysical context to
his astrology, something generally missing in medieval and ancient astrological texts.
Morin died in Paris in 1656.—Robert ZollerSources:
Morin, Jean-Baptiste (Morinus). Astrologia Gallica.The Hague, 1661.
———. Astrosynthesis.Translated by Lucy Little. New York: Emerald Books, 1974.
———. La Vie Devant les Asters.Translated by Jean Hieroz. Nice, 1943.
———. My Life Before the Stars, by J.-B. Morin de Villefranche.Translated by Michael Edwards.
In Astrology, the Astrological Quarterly, the Journal of the Astrological Lodge of London.Vol.
60, no. 2, Summer 1986, pp. 65–75.
The Morinus System of Horoscope Interpretation.Translated by Richard S. Baldwin. Washington,
DC: American Federation of Astrologers, 1974.MORINUS(MORINEAN) SYSTEM
The Morinus system of house division, proposed by the seventeenth-century
astrologer Morin de Villefranche, is based on equal divisions of the equator, which are
then projected onto the ecliptic.MORRISON, R. J. (ZADKIEL)
Richard James Morrison (Zadkiel), an English astrologer, was born in Enfield, Lon-
don, on June 15, 1795. He enlisted in the navy at age of 11, became a lieutenant in
1815, and retired in 1817, although he later served in the coast guard from 1827 to- In 1828, he rescued four men and a boy from a wrecked vessel and later received
a medal for this act of bravery.
Morrison became interested in astrology before he was 30. He was acquainted
with the astrologer R. C. Smith, and, inspired by Smith’s almanac, the Prophetic Messen-
ger,Morrison started his own almanac in 1830. The Herald of Astrology,which was
renamed Zadkiel’s Almanacin 1836, was quite successful and was published for the next
hundred years. Morrison also had interests in spiritualism, phrenology, and crystal gazing.
In the 1861 issue of his almanac, Morrison predicted an “evil year” for Queen
Victoria’s husband. As it turned out, Prince Albert died suddenly and unexpectedly of
Morinus (Morinean) System
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