Book Review: The Lots of Fortune and Spirit: An Exploratory Study – by Charles Obert

As a novice astrologer, it seems the more I learn, the more new and interesting topics find me. Such is the case for the 2019 book, The Lots of Fortune and Spirit: An Exploratory Study, published by the Almuten Press and written by Charles Obert. Obert is a philosophy major and Kepler College instructor,

with over 25 years of astrological experience. He is versed in both modern and traditional astrology, authoring several books on the latter discipline. Obert’s interests lie with the use of midpoints, dials, harmonics, and Uranian astrology (Student of astrology, 2024).

The book cover conveys what the 167 pages beneath will behold, with the introduction outlining four questions about the Lots:

• How did early astrologers come up with the Lots?

• What do they mean and how are they used?

• What is the difference in meaning between the two?

• Why do traditional and modern astrologers calculate the

  Lots differently and which is correct?

  
  

The work which helped the author shape his study included:

• The Arabian Parts Decoded (Weber, 1997).

• David Chochrane and the geometric shape of the Lots.

• Ben Dykes’ calculation and interpretation of the Lots

  
  

Obert uses a combination of traditional, Uranian and Harmonic astrology, with cosmobiology (Obert, p. 9, 2019). From this, his goal was to create a “useful basic framework for how the Lots work, how to use them, and how to interpret them” and “to establish a conceptual bridge between traditional astrology and the modern use of midpoints and planetary pictures” (Obert, p. 9, 2019).

Now would be a good time to admit to you that this topic of interest was a bit above the reviewer’s apprenticeship. This is the problem with being a novice. There are topics of interest that draw one out to the field, but the student is unaware of the size of the rabbit hole they have fallen into.

I continued with the read as I completed another title by Obert and he has a wonderful way of expressing ideas in the most simple and methodical manner, so people of all levels may grasp to understand, and he delivered.

After the introduction, the book is divided into two sections. Section one is about theory. Here, the reader is briefed on what is covered in the study, the definitions of the Lots, what the Lots mean, the evaluation of the Lots, evaluating planet dignity and debility, reading the chart symbols, technical notes, and most importantly, the geometry of the Lots. “The geometry is the basis of the interpretive meaning of the Lots” (Obert, p.20, 2019).

It is here that one learns that the Lot of Fortune is not just a singular point, nor a passing result due to the relationships between the Sun, Moon, and Ascendant, but is in fact a circuit. Obert (2019) takes the reader to through an exercise to find the Lot of Fortune. The distance between the two lights is measured and a line on the chart is drawn. That exact same distance is then measured and drawn away from the Ascendant. Where the line stops, is the Lot of Fortune point. On the chart, this displays as two measured lines parallel to one another. If one were to join the top and bottom of the two drawn lines, the result is a trapezoid shape with four points. Draw a line through the centre of the trapezoid and you have your midpoints within the geometry. The reader has just created the shape on the book cover.

The shape of the trapezoid may change depending upon the distance between the two lights and where each may fall within a chart, but it will always be a trapezoid and four points go into creating the circuit. Obert (2019) then goes on to guide the reader on how the use of geometry correlates to midpoint and Uranian astrology in an interest or concept base vs. a deep dive into either discipline.

Using traditional astrology, Obert (2019) educates the reader on whether to measure Sun to Moon or Moon to Sun based on a day or night chart and the reverse to find the Lot of Spirit. The chapter on evaluating the Lot strength (p. 34) is an important one as this gets into a discussion of delineation of the Lot, which includes Ptolemy aspects, harmonic aspects, transits to the Lots, predictive techniques, and the three main midpoints of the chart – Sun/Moon, Sun/Ascendant, and Moon/Ascendant.

Section two is 120 pages in length and contains natal chart examples of famous individuals. Here, Obert (2019) guides the reader through the delineation of the Lot geometry with milestone events that occurred in the celebrity’s life. The Lots become the story that is triggered and is played out. Chart examples are separated by chapters within the section and include fortune and wealth (p. 62-77), transits to the Lots (p.78-p.95), personal chart examples (p.96-p129), event charts (p. 130-141), and synastry (p. 142-p.160). “Synastry with Lots is VERY important and, is very characteristic of important relationships” (Obert, p. 166, 2019).

In the final chapter of section two, Obert (2019) includes his final notes regarding the use of Lots in client work and the importance of preliminary evaluation points prior to making the decision (p. 161) and provides a recap of the main items he learned from completing this study.

In my opinion, Charles Orbert always succeeds with a fascinating read and goes above and beyond with chart examples. I will need to circle back to this publication when I have completed more education. For those who are a level 3 astrologer and above, you will undoubtably gain more from this book than I am able to comprehend, at this point in my education and experience.

However, as a novice, I am happy to be able to follow the concept of this delineation technique and look for the story that may be triggered in natal charts or the transits of the Lots, thereof. I purchased Obert’s The Lots of Fortune and Spirit: An Exploratory Study (2019,) via Amazon. However, this book, and more titles by Charles, may be found at https://studentofastrology.com.

References

Obert, C. (2019). The Lots of Fortune and Spirit: An Exploratory Study. Almuten Press.

Obert, C. (2024). Publications/The Lots of Fortune and Spirit. Student of astrology. https://studentofastrology.com/product/the-lots-of-fortune-and-spirit/