Lot of Fortune
The Lot of Fortune is a point calculated from the Sun, the Moon, and the Ascendant that the Hellenistic tradition associates with the body, health, resources, and everything that befalls a person unsought.
The lots—also called Arabic parts, although they are Greek and older than the Arabs—are points derived from the relationship between three others. They are not celestial bodies: they are calculated places.
The Hellenistic tradition used dozens of them, one per topic. But two stand far above the rest: the lot of Fortune and the lot of Spirit.
Fortune and Spirit
They are a pair and are read together. The Lot of Fortune speaks of what happens to you: the body, health, possessions, circumstance. It is the terrain of what is received.
The Lot of Spirit is its mirror and speaks of what you do: your own action, vocation, will. It is the terrain of what is undertaken.
The body/soul pair they form is one of the finest ideas in the Hellenistic system, and it is the basis on which zodiacal releasing runs.
The formula depends on sect
A technical detail that half the calculators on the internet ignore: the calculation of the Lot of Fortune is reversed in a nocturnal chart. It is not an optional refinement—it is explicit Hellenistic doctrine.
If a calculator neither asks nor deduces whether your chart is diurnal or nocturnal, it is very likely giving you the wrong lot in half of all cases. It is worth checking.
It is read above all by the house it falls in, and also as a point that transits can activate.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Lot of Fortune?
It is a point of the chart derived from the Sun, the Moon, and the Ascendant that the Hellenistic tradition associates with the body, health, resources, and what befalls a person. It is also called the Part of Fortune or Pars Fortunae.
Is the Lot of Fortune calculated the same way by day and by night?
No: the formula is reversed in a nocturnal chart, and that is explicit Hellenistic doctrine. Many calculators on the internet ignore it and give the wrong point in half of all cases.
What is the difference between the Lot of Fortune and the Lot of Spirit?
They are a complementary pair. Fortune speaks of what happens to you: the body, health, circumstance. Spirit speaks of what you do: your own action, vocation, will.
Are the lots the same as the Arabic parts?
Yes, it is the same concept under two names. “Arabic parts” is a late and somewhat misleading label: the lots are Greek and older than Arabic astrology, which inherited and multiplied them.