António Quadros was a Portuguese philosopher and historian. António Telmo, his fraternal friend, says that Quadros felt unhappy upon being told that his horoscope was of a lunar spirit. The reason is an extremely dense stellium in the 2nd house in Cancer, with the New Moon in domicile. I checked the natal chart of António Quadros, born in Lisbon on July 14, 1923, to do a basic delineation. It was likely around three, intensifying the lunar quality of his chart, since the Moon becomes the luminary of the sect. There are five planets in that sign, Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars, creating a profoundly phlegmatic personality.


This is one of those cases where an old medieval rule applies. When two or more planets are in the same house, the one closest to the cusp has greater influence over the topics of that house, except when one of them is in domicile. That is what happens with António Quadros. The Moon in domicile becomes the most influential. And, being in domicile in a Water sign, it is a deeply nurturing Moon on an emotional level. The 2nd house signifies the material goods that sustain the life of the newborn in the 1st house. Those material goods here fully satisfy emotional and sensory needs because they are in a Water sign. And, since the Moon is so dignified, it nourishes, although it is slightly less cold and moist than usual, given the separating conjunction with the Sun.

Then everything aligns through this cluster in the 2nd house. The Sun, significator of notoriety, spiritual axis and fame, rules the 3rd and the 4th, so this Sun signifies siblings and family, all phlegmatic, contributing to Quadros’ nourishing well-being. He was born into a good, influential family in Portugal.

Mercury, the ruler of the incarnation because the degree of the Ascendant is Gemini, implies that the desire for expression, thought and movement marked the philosopher as a primordial ambition. And this was fulfilled through thought, articulation and rationality likewise directed towards the 2nd house. Nonetheless, this may have become increasingly difficult over the course of life, due to Mercury’s applying conjunction to the Sun, rendering it combust and subjected to the status imposed by the Sun, by the tasks of daily life, by siblings or by the phlegmatic family of origin, all things ruled by the Sun.

Venus, ruler of love, desire and passion, rules the cusp of the 5th in Libra and the 12th in Taurus. The 5th which is the joyful house of Aphrodite. But she is a secondary significator of the 5th, since Saturn is exalted there, making it the signifier of pleasure and children in his life, two of whom died he . Ruling the 12th, this Venus was the significator of his inner ghosts, anguish, long illnesses, hidden enemies, all that which corrodes the vitality of the native, and also impacting material resources, since Venus is in the 2nd house (within the rule of 5 degrees from the cusp). The love of Venus paradoxically connected the succedent 2nd, that which nourishes the native, and the 12th, which is cadent from the 1st and which weakens the native. Fortunately, Venus is neither combust nor under the beams, so it remained a healthy Venus, without transforming loves into secret, forbidden and harmful affairs.

Finally, Mars. One of the malefics. Like Venus, Mars is dignified by triplicity in Water, but combust by application to the Sun, making it more choleric than it already. It rules the 6th in Scorpio, another Water sign, thus acute illnesses, fevers or surgeries related to what in the body is associated with liquids and phlegm, with consequences for the resources of the 2nd. And, as it rules the 11th in Aries, it is also the significator of friends. Martial friends, phlegmatic-choleric, who fell ill or caused illness in the 6th, with impact likewise upon resources.

But, above all, the Moon. In domicile in Cancer, in its sect, it was always she who nourished his emotions, she too newly born with the native, with new life, increasing her light as António Quadros’ life advanced. He was a lunar spirit until the very end.

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