ALEXANDRE VOLGUINE
(1903-1976)The following is by Gavin Kent McClung, from his article, "A SALUTE TO OUR HERITAGE: What Makes A True Astrologer?" Dell Horoscope, June, 2000, pp. 66-77. (Portions reprinted with permission of the editor.)
"ALEXANDRE VOLGUINE was perhaps the leading figure in twentieth-century French astrology, though he was born in Alexandria, Russia, and only came to France in his youth. In 1938, he founded an excellent astrological journal, Les Cahiers Astrologiques, which he edited until his death.
"Many occult and foreign traditions in astrology--Hebrew, Arabic, Hindu, Chinese, even pre-Columbian--all received Volguine's attention. He promoted the use of the Hindu navamsa (chart-view in the ninth harmonic), the theory of Parts of the Arabs, and the interpretive subtleties available through the decanates of signs.
"He held that all planets in a horoscope are to be seen as being in aspect to one another when placed in the correct framework, which is perhaps a variant application of the concept of harmonic astrology. Volguine's view of rulership involved assessing the strongest (or ruling) planets in a chart, and he developed a complex method for determining this factor, which was presented in his book, The Ruler Of The Nativity.
"Volguine's approach to the horoscope was holistic, as with his theory of encadrement or "planetary containment," wherein he placed special emphasis upon the sequence into which natal planets fall when proceeding through the zodiacal wheel in a horoscope. In this context, he placed extra emphasis on planets that appear on either side of certain significant points, such as the Sun, Moon, Midheaven, and Ascendant.
"Volguine continued editing his astrological journal despite severe twelfth-house problems during his lifetime, including imprisonment in a concentration camp during WWII, and various periods of illness and hospitalization."
BIRTH AND DEATH DATA: AstroDatabank gives the following information, rated A. In Volguine's book, Ruler of the Nativities, he cites a rectified time of 5:45:13 AM LMT, deviating only slightly from a recorded time of 5:45. He was born on March 3, 1903, in Novaya Pragan, Ukraine, 48N33; 32E54. However, another source, APA, gives March 3, 1893 NS, at 5:45 AM, Kherson, Russia. He died on June 23, 1976, in Nice, France.
See the Chart
BOOKS BY VOLGUINE: McClung says, "In the '30s, '40s, and '50s, he wrote highly regarded books: Lunar Astrology, The Technique of Solar Returns--which is outstanding in the area of prediction, and Astrological Interpretation of Dreams." (We find no sources for any of these books.)
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CREDITS: Biographical information for this memorial came from AstroDatabank and Dell Horoscope. The background is from The Rhymester.