In ancient times, dreams held a prophetic significance.
Joseph famously interpreted the dream of the Egyptian Pharaoh, foreseeing a period of great abundance followed by severe famine, which indeed transpired.
Similarly, Penelope experienced a prophetic dream wherein geese were symbolically decimated by an eagle, representing her husband, Odysseus, who had clandestinely returned and was present in the palace.
This suggests that dreams may offer insights into the future inaccessible to the conscious mind.
For astrologers, the intriguing aspect lies in how dreams intricately weave the influence of celestial bodies, shaping our subconscious thoughts and the astrological chart.
Recently, when Mars opposed my friend’s natal Saturn, compounded by other challenging configurations, she dreamt of a tranquil conversation abruptly interrupted by news of her father’s death.She awakened distressed despite her father having passed away over a decade ago. This illustrates the subconscious impact of planetary alignments.
Romantic encounters often feature prominently in dreams under Venus/Mars configurations, even during transits.
Consider a client with Mercury, the psychopomp, governing the 9th house, frequently dreaming of travel. However, with Mercury retrograde in their chart, returning home in dreams poses challenges, symbolized by lost passports or muddled pathways—a reflection of Mercury’s influence. Retrograde planets tend to evoke obsessive contemplations, potentially leading to profound insights, as seen with Mercury.
Life, whether awake or asleep, is akin to an astrological manuscript. Planetary influences persist during sleep, influencing the subconscious and often revealing insights into undetected or latent illnesses. Traditional astrological wisdom associates dreams with the 9th House, symbolizing religion, prophecies, and visions.
Astrologers like Rhetorius, Abraham ben Ezra, and Abu-Mashar have extensively written about the significance of dreams in astrology, highlighting their connection to divine contemplation and philosophical insights.
I will summarize the traditional authors on what they say about dreams.
Rhetorius (“Astrological Compendium,” translated from Greek by James Holden, AFA): “The 9th House is the house of God. It is the House of the Sun. It means everything belonging to gods and kings and foreigners and dreams and religious observance.”
Abraham ben Ezra (“Judgment of the Stars,” pg. 67, Sadalsuud Library): “The ninth House rules all those who will suffer a decrease in their honor, wisdom, faith, service to God, sending of messages, new news, dreams, signs of wonders, sentences, judgments.”
Abu-Mashar (“Abbreviation of the Introduction to Astrology Together with the Medieval Latin Translation of Adelard of Bath,” translated by Michio YanoYamamoto and Charles Burnett, ed. Brill) says: “The nine, that of travel and pilgrimage, laws and divine contemplation, philosophy and arts and visions.”
Guido Bonatti (“Liber Astronomy” Treatise 6, Questions, translated from Latin by Benjamin Dykes, ed. Cazimi) mentions dreams, which he does not when talking about the 9th House in Nativities. However, he states that dreams are a matter of the 9th House, precisely when explaining how to analyze a question about dreams.
Bonatti states that if the querent asks about dreams, attention should be given to the 9th House, the querent’s dream. If it is a nightmare, one checks which house Capricorn and Aquarius fall into. The mundane location of these signs in the Horary chart will tell what the fear refers to, depending on the meaning of the House.
William Lilly faithfully copies Bonatti (Christian Astrology, pg.434, Ed. Sadalsuud Library), one who has read one does not need to read the other.
I will now quote the responses I received from social media after raising the issue of dreams. The answers were so significant that they prompted me to write this short article.
Some followers of my posts commented:
“I have a stellium in the 9th in Gemini, with Mercury domiciled, and I dream a lot about travels… I often dream that I am living in another country or sightseeing! These dreams bring me a lot of joy! I feel sad when I wake up and realize it wasn’t real.”
“I also have Mercury (direct) in the 9th. And I often dream that I am traveling or that I am in different places. And I hadn’t realized that until now!”
“I dream a lot about disputes, confrontational situations, and things I desire to achieve/have. The ruler of the 9th is the Moon conjunct Venus ruling the 7th.”
“My Mercury is also retrograde and it also rules my 9th house, like your client’s. I have very similar dreams to what you described (about him).”
“Very interesting. I have had many nightmares since childhood. In fact, I had Panic Disorder at the age of 6, and nightmares were one of the symptoms. They are always very violent dreams. I have the ruler of the 3rd house (Moon) and the 9th house (Saturn) in the 12th house. Saturn and Moon in Aries conjunct with the South Node.”
“How curious, I always dream about my family, and when I was young, I had many romantic dreams. I have Libra in the 9th, the ruler also rules the 4th, and is in the 7th.”
“I have Mercury in Sagittarius in the 9th and a few other planets, since I was young, I have dreamed about teachers, school, classroom.”
“I have Mars in Leo in the 9th, and in the year I had Jupiter in Sagittarius in the solar return making a trine, it was a year I started in Umbanda and developed and discovered my ability with prophetic dreams.”
The above responses were spontaneous and accurate collaborations, based on tradition, which motivates any professional to continue a path in search of understanding the harmony between earth and heavens.
Clélia Romano,DMA
February 2024
International Society of Classical Astrologers 