CARTER'S RULES FOR ELECTIONS

"In my own view there are four primary rules for all elections:
a) Fortify the Moon and ruler of the ascendant by sign, house and aspect;
b) On no account whatever have a malefic on an angle; on the contrary, if possible get a benefic on the 1st or 10th cusp;
c) Fortify the house concerned and its rulers, natural and accidental;
d) Avoid violent aspects; wherever they fall, they are liable to do harm.

And it must be remembered that elections are not meant to substitutes for such ordinary ingredients of success as hard work, common sense and technical knowledge. What they should do is shield your enterprise against what may be called sheer ill-luck."

(From an editorial in Astrology — The Astrologer's Quarterly, Volume 16, Number 2, dated May 16th, 1942).

CARTER'S DEGREE AREAS (LOCAL INFLUENCES)

Together with The Astrological Aspects, Carter's An Encyclopaedia of Psychological Astrology is probably the most reprinted of his books. For over 40 years The Astrological Aspects (1930) was the only modern reference work on its subject, and while it still holds its own today it is now only one amongst many others available. An Encyclopaedia of Psychological Astrology however remains unique. Listing alphabetically all manner of personality traits (like candour, common sense, conceit, cruelty) and talents (like sense of colour, clairvoyant faculties, creative powers) and diseases (like cataracts, chills, colds, coughs, colitis) - these examples are just some of the words found under 'C' - Carter proceeds to explain their most likely astrological significators as he has found through a study of relevant natal charts.

The results are often surprising and usually incredibly accurate, and illustrate the revolutionary scientific method of Carter's work. Instead of taking old astrological rules and trying to prove them through example charts, he began with the charts themselves. If investigating 'eczema' for example, he looked at the charts of those who actually suffered from it, and tried to find a common astrological factor. These findings he then recorded in his Encyclopaedia.

While these astrological signatures could be emphasising a particular planet, or conjunction of planets, or aspect, angles, sign, or house, there were also many degree areas that stood out as relevant for various conditions. These he summed up at the back of the book in zodiac order in three pages that have fascinated astrologers for decades. It is from this list that the famous 'astrology degrees' of 27° Leo-Aquarius and 11° Virgo-Pisces are mentioned.
(It may be enlightening to observe the antiscia in these degree areas; 11+ Virgo-Pisces resonating with 18+ Aries-Libra, and 27+ Leo-Aquarius resonating with 2+ Taurus-Scorpio).

CARTER'S DEATH PREDICTION

Charles Carter had already devoted a chapter to "The Measure of Death" in Symbolic Directions in Modern Astrology (1929), stating ominously "only if death has little terror for you ought you to study this chapter, for (though I make no boastful claims and only wish to state what appear to be facts) I believe that there is much to reveal."
However he wrote more specifically about his own expected demise in a private letter dated August 1955 (quoted by John Addey in his obituary to Carter):

"I confess I'd like to live to hear about man's first trip to the Moon but this seems rather improbable. In 1968 my p.Moon is conj. P.Sun and p.Mars, near rad. Moon and oppos. rad. Jupiter, which seems to indicate a heavy strain; also at this time...the whole family joins in with typical 'bereavement' directions! We shall see; but as a good astrologer I feel I ought to place on record my own forecast on this point! Uranus is also at this time on p.MC and the commonest sign of death seems to be a malefic on an angle, though of course this often happens without much effect on health."

(Carter died in October 1968, nine months before 'man's first trip to the Moon')

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