FOUR TEMPERAMENT

Introduction to Temperament

In the medieval tradition, the temperament analysis of a native is the first step to be done
when interpreting a natal chart.1 This initial procedure provides a base for the astrologer to
understand the underlying needs and concerns of the native. Though not as extensive or
specific as a full chart delineation, the information provided by the temperament analysis can
still be informative and useful.
The purpose of a temperament analysis is to identify excessive qualities in a persons life and
find helpful and constructive ways to bring that person back to center. Much like Taoist
preventive medicine or Ayuredic medicine of the East, the goal of the Western temperament
theory is to be as balanced as possible in order to avoid the difficult extremes excess can
bring.2 By identifying the overabundance of qualities that make up a persons inner
constitution, we can develop strategies to balance them out both in personality and in health
concerns. Theres a time and place for every temperament, and being too much like one can
put the individual at a disadvantage as they approach the complex workings of day-to-day life
that demand flexibility.
Each of the four temperaments is related to a classical Western element, but these elements
are composed of simpler materials called qualities. There are four qualities (heat, cold,
moisture, and dryness) and they combine in pairs to create the four elements and
temperaments. In the diagram to the left, the two qualities closest on either side of the
element are the qualities that compose it. For instance Water has the quality Wet closest to its
left and the quality Cold closest to its right and so Water is made up of the pairing of the
qualities Wet and Cold. The elemental temperament and its two qualities will each have
special considerations when it comes to their effects on the natives personality and body with
special attention paid to which one of the two qualities is more abundant.

Development of Temperament Theory: Empedocles and

Hippocrates
The Greek philosopher Empedocles taught that the world was composed of four primary
elements; fire, earth, water, and air. These elements were indivisible and present in all things.

Hippocrates applied this teaching to the human body, insisting that if the universe were made
of these four building blocks, so too were people.
Hippocrates equated the four elements with the four fluids of the human body (fire was the
yellow bile, earth was the black bile, air represented the blood, and water was the phlegm)
and the seasons (fire is summer, earth is autumn, water is winter, and air is spring).
Following the logic of these seasonal assignments Hippocrates broke Empedocles's rules by
breaking the elements down into lesser components. Noting that winter time was remarkably
cold and wet and so too was water, Hippocrates reasoned there must be a coldness and
wetness quality that winter, water, and thus phlegm all share. These assignments for the other
humors can be seen in the image above.
As the cycle of the seasons progressed, humors of individuals would be affected. In Summer
heat would increase which would impose more heat on the populace. The effect this
additional heat would have on these individuals would largely depend on their own innate
humoral balance. Individuals with more cold are likely to feel more energized and active,
though uncomfortable while those with more heat are likely to become more angry and
abrupt.
If excessive heat caused individuals to experience negative emotional reactions, it does not
seem so absurd to suggest that these excessive or imbalanced humors effected physical,
emotional, and mental health. In response to this, Hippocrates advocated that a truly healthy
body was one that kept all four bodily humors in balance.

ARISTOTELIAN Physics
Aristotle was one of history's most prolific philosophers who wrote on just about
every branch of science and philosophy. His works on natural philosophy, Physics and On
the Heavenly Spheres, were particularly influential to our subject matter.
Aristotle postulated that each of the four elements had its own natural motion, this is what
caused rocks to fall when dropped and fire to flicker towards the sky. With these
observations in mind, the philosopher agreed with his teacher's placement of the elements
(Plato had described the placement of the elements on Earth in his Timeaus, fire was at the
top, air beneath it, water beneath air, and earth supporting the others), but assigned them
directions. According to Aristotle, earth naturally moved downwards and sat at the bottom.
Water also naturally moved downwards (as rivers move downstream and rain falls from the
sky), but since it was of a less solid material it must sit on top of earth. Air is inclined to
move upwards (as the wind blows trees that are taller than people) and it is less solid than
water, so must be on top of it. Finally, fire naturally moves upwards and is the least solid
element, so sits at the top.
Applying Hippocrates's logic more thoroughly, Aristotle also made another important change
to the pre-existing theory of the elements; transformation. Hippocrates had assigned the
elements their seasonal qualities and he also allowed for the seasons to change into one
another, but Aristotle applied this same change to the elements themselves.
This transformational property allowed elements that shared a quality to cyclically morph
into one another, mimicking the seasons. Hot and wet air could become hot and dry fire,

which became cold and dry earth, and then cold and wet water before becoming hot and wet
air again.

Galenic Medicine
Galen was a second century CE physician who embraced and combined Hippocrates's
humoral theory and Aristotle's theory of the elements and qualities. Galen's synthesis of these
two theories was the final step necessary for temperament theory to become a fully functional
system.
Throughout his work Galen suggests such thing as pure mixtures of the temperaments (a pure
choler or phlegm) that are not physically possible in people, but are theoretically possible.
He goes on to describe the difference between qualities, elements and humors, suggesting
that the four elements are the physical manifestations of the bodily fluids. He names the
qualites the primary or first causes and the elements are thus secondary qualities as they are
the result of the mixing of qualities.
It is also Galen who we find some of the first references to the qualities as having
psychological as well as physiological effects.
"This being assumed therefore the sharp and intelligent character in the soul will be due to
the bilious humor. The steadfast and firm character due to the melancholic humor. And the
simple and stupid character due to blood. The nature of phlegm is most useless in the
formation of character, and it appears to have its necessary origin in the breakdown of foods."
Though the Pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus may have beaten Galen to it, with his
statement about how wine makes men drunk because it makes them more wet.
3

Much of Galen's terminology would be adapted later by other philosophical systems. The
magical systems and philosophical worldview of the Arabs would utilize these Galenic
"causes" or "principles" with the qualites of heat, coldness, moisture, and dryness serving as
the "simple natures". After these simple natures come composite natures or causes. The first
composite natures are hot, cold, moisture, and dryness; the combination of a simple nature
and an object, such as heat combining with a rock to make a hot rock. The second composite
natures are the combinations of the first composite natures; hot and dry, cold and dry, etc.
Third composite natures are the elements, fourth is the seasons, the fifth are the bodily
humors, and the sixth are plants, rocks, animals, people and other natural things.
4

The Qualities
While serving as the first causes in Galen's medical theory and the physics of the Arabians,
each of the four qualities have their own effects. Heat and moisture are the most conducive
to life and growth while cold and dryness are counter-productive to development. This
concept can be observed most easily in the plant world. A seed requires water (moisture) and
sunlight (heat) to sprout and grow, but if the seed freezes or lacks the necessary water, it will
not flourish. To further emphasize this point, Ptolemy says of the qualities:
"Of the four temperaments or qualities above mentioned, two are nutritive and prolific, viz
heat and moisture; by these all matter coalesces and is nourished: the other two are noxious
and destructive, viz dryness and cold; by these all mater is decayed and dissipated."

Characterizing the qualities further, heat is active and expansive, coldness is passive and
condensing, moisture is connective and flowing, and dryness is separative and resistant. Just
by combining these keywords for the qualities we can create an accurate but oversimplified
portrait of the four temperaments. With this method, sanguine becomes characterized as
active, expansive, connective, and flowing.
Further investigation of the temperaments and the psychological and physiological effects on
people is required to gain a more accurate and complete understanding of each temperament's
powers.

Sanguine

Sanguine is associated with the springtime season and this time of year is classically thought
of as moist becoming hot. This mirrors the seasonal changes as the rains and general
moisture from Winter continues, but the Suns reemergence and climb in the Southern sky
begins to heat the Earth. These qualities of heat and moisture combine with the Aristotelian
idea of Natural Place to make sanguine one of the more positive and desirable temperaments
in classical astrology. According to the idea of Natural Place, air naturally seeks to rise and
so the children of the sanguine temperament are naturally motivated.
The planetary ruler of the sanguine temperament is Jupiter who is himself sanguine. There is
a lot of the jovial spirit in the sanguine person as they are very social and jolly with their
predominating disposition being joy or otherwise contentment. Optimistic, happy-golucky, socially fluent, and supportive are all words that accurately describe the sanguine
temperament. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, those with the sanguine temperament can
also come off as very shallow and superficial as their knowledge of things and people is wide
but not very deep. This can often cause them to come at odds with their peers and make them
susceptible to feelings of shame, but the sanguine are a forgiving lot and not one to let their
optimism be crushed.
The moist quality brings a sense of connection and flexibility to this temperament that choler
lacks. This is what differentiates the two as social and non-social as sanguine has a desire to
connect while choler has the desire to be left alone. At the same time, heat provides an active
quality and a sense of cheerfulness, optimism, and ambition that phlegmatic lacks. This
differentiates these two temperaments as sanguine has a desire to seek out new opportunities
to experience, new things to learn about, or new people to meet. Phlegmatics on the other
hand lacks this and will continue to connect with the same people, places, or things over and
over again.

Physically, sanguines will suffer from an overabundance of either heat or moisture, but tend
to suffer most from moisture as it is their main quality. This can lead to issues with weight
management and obesity due to overeating and drinking. Sanguines have quite the sweet
tooth and this needs to be watched and controlled. Sanguine also tends to have difficulties
with swelling (particularly around the joints) as well as fatty deposits on the body. Since the
sanguine temperaments relates directly to the blood in classical medicine it can also suffer
from blood disorders and impurities.

Choler

Choler is classically associated with the Summertime season and this time of the year is
considered to be hot becoming dry. The heat of Spring continues and intensifies, and as a
result the moisture evaporates and dryness begins to set in. According to the Aristotelian idea
of Natural Place, Fire naturally sits at the top of the universe (in the form of stars) and so the
combination of this and the qualities of choler makes it one of the most desirable
temperaments in classical literature as the children of this temperament are seen as naturally
successful and motivated.
There are two planetary rulers for choler; Mars and the Sun. These two planets embody the
positive and negative manifestations of this temperament. The Sun is considered to be
temperate hot and dry because he is classically considered to create these qualities himself
and therefore is unharmed by them. In this way, some positive solar terms that the choleric
individual displays are ambition, honor, glory, strong will, and leadership qualities. Mars, on
the other hand is classically considered to be intemperate and has excessive dryness due to
his proximity to the Sun in the Ptolemaic Universe scheme. This is where we get our more
negative traits with choler involving recklessness, anger, aggression, and impatience.
Cholerics tend to be impatient and detail oriented, and tend to get overwhelmed by too much
big picture type talk. They also have a strong nonsocial streak that stems from a general
dislike of people, this combined with the choleric ability to separate and categorize can create
someone with a very black/white worldview that can lead to even more unfortunate social
interactions.
The dryness inherent in the choleric temperament keeps it from having the social tendencies
and connections that sanguine has, but it also allows choler to be detail oriented and
accomplish things in a way that sanguines would find repetitive and boring. At the same
time, the heat of choler gives it an active quality that melancholic lacks. This allows the
cholerics to achieve, be noticed, and successful in ways that melancholics have difficulty

accomplishing. Its the old active/passive dichotomy where melancholy will think about
doing it, but choler has already finished it. Theres also a self-esteem issue as cholers heat
naturally wants to rise and think well of itself, whereas melancholys cold likes to second
guess its own abilities.
Physically, cholerics will suffer from conditions that arise from an overabundance in heat or
dryness, but they typically suffer from heat as it is their primary quality. This can lead to
physical overexertion, headaches and migraines, fevers, and burns or other physical injuries
due to clumsiness or recklessness. It is very important for a choleric to slow down as selfinflicted injuries are all too common. Its also important to reduce the amount of hot, fatty,
and salty foods, as in classical medical astrology the seat of the choleric temperament is the
gallbladder and its important to keep foods that overstimulate this organ or reduce the water
in the blood out of ones diet.

Melancholy

Melancholy is associated with autumn and this time of year is classically considered to be dry
becoming cold. The dryness and lack of rain of the previous summer season continues on,
but the reduction in daylight hours and the apparent weakening of the Sun brings the
temperatures down. In the theory of Natural Place, Earth (the element associated with
melancholy) is on the bottom of the universe as everything else sits on top of it. With this
combination of qualities and Place, we start to move into the classically undesirable
temperaments. Melancholy is undesirable for two reasons: firstly because the natives tend to
be more sickly than others (coldness and dryness are the two qualities antithetical to life, and
here they are combined into a single temperament), and secondly now we start to move into
temperaments that are not as naturally motivated as sanguines and cholerics are.
Melancholy has two planetary rulers; Mercury and Saturn. Like cholers two rulers, these
two embody the positive and negative aspects of their temperament. Mercury takes the
melancholic down the path of learning and skill building, whereas Saturn tends to be the
more moody, somber, loner type. Children of the malencholic temperament are much more
detailed and deliberate in their actions and dont really commit to anything without having
weighed it all out first. Success only comes to the melancholic through hard work and
persistence, and as a result of this they tend to have the life isnt fair attitude that begins as
a healthy realistic attitude but can quickly turn into self-pity and pessimism. This tends to
make melancholics notice how lucky they perceive other people as being and will shy away
from those types of people as comparison makes them feel worse. This causes an odd non-

social streak that forces the melancholic to be isolated while simultaneously hating being
alone.
The inherit coldness in melancholy keeps it from having the ambition and optimism that
choler has, but it also keeps the melancholy on the more precautious and safe side of things.
Melancholy asks is this a good idea? and choler says hey guys, watch this!. Both
temperaments are good at planning and doing detail-oriented work, but melancholy is more
likely to succeed the first time due to forethought and superior reflection skills that coldness
gives. The dryness of melancholy keeps it from having the social interactions that the
phlegmatic temperament experiences, this leaves melancholy with the smallest circles of
friends as they tend to have best friends and acquaintances with no inbetween. This also
plays out in the structure and rigidity of the dryness quality, its much easier for melancholy
to make plans and goals and stick to them (such as diets or weight loss goals, exercise goals,
long term projects, etc), whereas phelgmatic struggles with sticking to anything due to its
moisture
Physically, melancholics will suffer from either an abundance of coldness or dryness, but will
typically suffer from dry conditions as it is the dominating quality. This means that
melancholics will suffer from dry mouths, troublesome coughs, and sensitive skin issues.
They can also suffer from arthritis in the joints (the wrists and knees are particularly
susceptible) and jaundice. This increased dryness can also cause some slight mental
problems in the form of paranoia and irrational fear. Its very important for melancholics to
limit the amount of dry foods they put into their system and to introduce more healthy
sources of fat into their diet.

Phlegm

Phlegm is associated with the winter season, and this time of year is considered to be cold
becoming moist. The drop in temperatures that was introduced in the previous autumn
season continues and intensifies while the rains, sleets, and snows begin to blanket the earth
to introduce moisture. According to Natural Place, Water constantly seeks to fall as most
commonly seen in waterfalls or in the natural flow of rivers which naturally take downhill
paths. This combination of the falling direction and the cold and wet qualities make phelgm
the least desirable classical temperament due to the difficulty in motivating and controlling it.
The phlegmatic temperament also has two planetary rulers: Venus and the Moon. Unlike
choler and melancholy, the two rulers dont represent a clear cut positive/negative duality
with the characteristics of the temperament. Phlegm has a strong feeling nature and is very
compassionate and concerned about people and will donate generously to causes they

support. Children of phlegm are reserved, shy, and contemplative, but they tend to think
deeply about rather mundane subjects which gives the impression of someone who likes to
contemplate their navel rather than come up with practical solutions to real problems. The
phelgmatic temperament has difficulties with addictions, these can range anywhere from
something relatively harmless (like sweets), to be a serious problem (like substance abuse) as
phlegm is only successfully motivated by its desires or emotions. Phlegm can be best
represented by a spilled glass of water; it spreads over its surface in a large area, but only
thinly, it lacks direction so it ends up everywhere and its difficult to direct.
The cold quality of phlegm keeps the more adventurous moist quality reigned in more than its
brother the sanguine temperament does. Phelgm tends to be more of a homebody that doesnt
like to get out and do things very often. If they do go out, its usually to the same places over
and over again, establishing an emotional connection with it or having it operate as
something like a secondary home. Phlegm is a creature of habit, which is something
sanguine is very much not. This also plays out in relationships where sanguine will try to
make many connections and acquaintances, whereas phlegm does not see the point and will
be social with the same people or group over and over again and sees outsiders or new
introductions to these groups as invasive and uncomfortable.
Phlegms moisture makes it more personable and caring than the other cold temperament
melancholy. Its much easier to win the heart of a phelgmatic and they concern themselves
more with others than melancholy who tends to keep to itself. However, the moisture also
causes issues with structure and responsibilities. Its not uncommon for phelgmatic to be the
first temperament to drop some kind of plan they make for themselves (such as diets and
exercise or study regiments) and phlegm is very good at ignoring problems and hoping they
go away rather than dealing with them directly.
Physically people with a predominate phlegmatic temperament will suffer from an excess of
either cold or moisture, but more commonly cold since it is dominating. This can manifest in
colds, allergies, and other communicable diseases (so be careful around flu season). This is
also the cause of people being cold natured, or more likely to be cold in temperatures most
would consider comfortable and can cause a coldness or numbness in extremities and all of
these things may be symptoms of anemia or weak pulse which is also common in people with
predominate coldness. Phlegm also holds on to body fat more tightly than other
temperaments partly due to its qualities and partly due to a lack of energy and slow
metabolism and digestive system. It is not recommended that those natives who are
predominately phlegmatic take part in a vegetarian lifestyle.

Evolution of Personal Temperament

Temperaments change in response to external stimuli, much like the seasons they are
associated with. The seasons shift from one to the next in response to atmospheric
phenomenon and the human body and soul can do something similar.
The most profound influences on temperament are age and diet, but worldy experiences and
immediate environment are significant forces as well. Furthermore, it is believed that
spiritual powers can intercede in these matters by bathing an individuals with spiritual
influences.

The four seasons are classically related to the four ages of man; Spring is youth, Summer is
young adulthood, Autumn is middle age, and Winter is equated with old age. The
temperament associations are also applicable here where youth is associated with sanguine,
young adulthood with choler, middle age with melancholy, and old age with phelgmatic.
5

This suggests that individuals at roughly the same ages will display certain generalized bodily
and personality characteristics as their natural temperament will display itself from under a
glaze of the general life stage temperament. Children in the Spring stage grow and explore
their surroundings, young adults experience a desire to rebel against their parents while
defining their personal identity, middle aged adults seek authority and security, and the
elderly consolidate their life experiences.
Diet and regimen are another large influence on personal temperament, especially to the body
and the temperament's physical expression. "You are what you eat" is an appropriate saying
that captures the essence of this consideration. By eating foods that are categorized as more
cold, we introduce coldness into the body that can express itself positively or negatively. The
expression of the coldness will depend on if it is correcting an imbalance (cold foods being
consumed by someone naturally more hot) or producing one (an individual with more natural
coldness consuming cold food).
6

Similarly, activities can be classified as being similar to or productive of a humor or

quality. If someone has a deficiency in choler, they may take up some sport that increases
heart rate to cultivate choler or heat. This allows a multi-faceted approach for combating
excessive and destructive temperament influences.
7

Furthermore, the daily environment one finds oneself can have more minor influences on the
temperament. Working in a library or in retail, for example, necessitate two very different
approaches and skill sets while maintaining different atmospheres. Libraries are calm,
organized, and quiet while retail is more connective and persuasive. Over time this effects
the individuals who spend their work weeks there.
8

This also applies to the home in what might be called "Western Feng Shui". Light exposure,
color, dcor, and inhabitants can influence the temperament of the people residing there.
Brightly colored homes are more conducive to heat than their darker counterparts, while
certain pet types can introduce their own natural humors or qualities; cats are cold and dry,
whereas fish are cold and wet, for example.
A final, and more controversial, method of influencing temperament is something more
explicitly related to planetary magic. Many believe it is possible to augment the temperament
of an individual by utilizing the spiritual rays of the planets. A person with excessive
coldness can be remediated with a Venus, Sun, or Jupiter talisman or with things that are of
the nature of those three planets, for example. This is the mechanism for many of the
considerations in the previous paragraph; cats are cold and dry because they are ruled by
Saturn, fish are cold and wet because they are ruled by the Moon.9
These different methods are all effective at augmenting the temperament and should be used
in conjunction with one another for the greatest and most prolonged effects. By opening our
minds and exposing ourselves to new and uncomfortable situations, we force ourselves to do
or consider things differently than we normally would if we stayed within a comfort zone.

Its these experiences that change us into new and better people and forces the sanguine to be
constant, the choleric to be compassionate, the melancholic to be content, and the phlegmatic
to be courageous.

Calculating the Temperament

Exact calculation methods differ from astrologer to astrologer, but there are some consistent
themes. Placement of the Sun, Moon, and Ascendant are consistently a factor, sometimes
their dispositors or rulers or included, and many will consider the aspects the Moon and
Ascendant make or receive to the other planets.
For all intents and purposes here, we will be using William Lilly's calculations for the
temperament. The list is as follows:

Ascendant Sign and its Lord

Planets in the first house and planets aspecting the Ascendant.

The Moon's sign and phase and planets she aspects.

The season.

The Almuten of the Figure

Our instructions here are to consider each placement in regards to their qualities, and tally up
their totals. Continuing, Lilly says:
"You must deal wearily in the collection of the testimonies of the four humours, of Heat,
Humidity, Cold, and Dryness, for it may come to pass that the qualities of the planet and sign
may obtain the same equal number of testimonies, and the one have as many testimonies of
Heat as the other of Cold, these being repugnant qualities, the one takes off the other and they
are not numbered or counted."
So after the significators are identified and the qualities properly assigned, we count up the
opposing qualities (cold and heat, moisture and dryness) and subtract them from one another.
Below is a list of the qualities for each of the signs, planets, and phases.
Signs

Air signs are hot and wet

Fire signs are hot and dry

Earth signs are cold and dry

Water signs are cold and wet

Planets

Jupiter is hot and wet

Mars and the Sun are hot and dry

Saturn and Mercury are cold and dry

Venus and the Moon are cold and wet

Seasons

If the Sun is in Aries, Taurus, or Gemini, it is Spring which is hot and wet

The Sun in Cancer, Leo, or Virgo means it is Summer and is hot and dry

The Sun in Libra, Scorpio, or Sagittarius shows the season is Autumn and cold and
dry

The Sun in Capricorn, Aquarius, or Pisces identifies the season as Winter and cold and
wet

Moon Phase

New Moon to First Quarter is hot and wet

First Quarter to Full is hot and dry

Full Moon to Last Quarter is cold and dry

Last Quarter to New Moon is cold and wet.

A Case STudy
Marsilio Ficino is in many ways the epitome of the melancholic temperament. Aware of this
fact, Ficino penned a three volume set that was essentially a guide to help his fellow
melancholic scholars achieve a longer and healthier life. His Three Books on Life remains a
classic of the astrological medical and magical tradition.
Ficino's Ascendant is in Aquarius, giving him the qualities of hot and wet, his Ascendant lord
is Saturn (cold and dry) who is also placed in Aquarius (hot and wet). The Sun was in
Scorpio at his birth, which means he was born during Autumn (cold and dry) and the Moon is
in Capricorn (cold and dry) and she is in her first quarter (hot and wet). Saturn is in the
Ascendant, giving an extra dose of cold and dry while the Moon receives an aspect from

Venus (cold and wet) in Virgo (cold and dry). Finally, Saturn is the Almuten of Ficino's
Figure, so imparts additional cold and dry to our native.

Ascendant Sign: Aquarius, Hot and Wet

Ascendant Lord: Saturn, Cold and Dry

Ascendant Lord's Sign: Aquarius, Hot and Wet

Season: Autumn, Cold and Dry

Moon's Sign: Capricorn, Cold and Dry

Moon's Phase: First Quarter, Hot and Wet

Moon's Aspects: Venus, Cold and Wet, Virgo, Cold and Dry

Planets in the First: Saturn, Cold and Dry.

Almuten of the Figure: Saturn, Cold and Dry.

Heat: 3

Cold: 7

Wet: 4

Dry: 6

Heat has three reptitions and Cold has 7, so 3 units are deducted from each and 4 Cold
remains. The same is done with Wet and Dry, leaving 2 Dry as the remainder.

As Ficino himself suspected, the temperament calculation does suggest he is excessively cold
and dry, with cold being the most abundant quality in his chart. To this we would prescribe a
diet with more warm foods, temperance in consuming grains, fruit, and vegetables, some
vigorous exercise, plenty of time outdoors, and some solar influences.

Manifestation of Temperament
There is no person on this earth who is a pure temperament type. In his writings, Galen was
quick to point this out, saying that we only call people or things "hot" when heat is their most
dominate quality not their only quality.
Everyone is a mixture of all four qualities, but it is very rare that they all exist within equal
amounts. That is the goal, but is never the initial state. A more accurate representation of
temperament and its psychological effects would be to imagine a bag with several marbles in
it. Some marbles are black, some are blue, some are yellow, and some are red. Whenever a
person encounters some situation in their lives, they will reach into this bag, pull out a
random marble, and react to the situation in the manner of that temperament.
A choleric individual will have more yellow marbles than any of the other three colors, so is
more likely to react to situations in a direct, confrontational, or angry manner. The blue, red,
and black marbles are still in the bag, but there is less of a chance of a natural choleric
reacting to a situation in a manner that is characteristic of another temperament.
In this analogy, the point of remediating an excessive temperament or quality would be to
even out the number of the different colored marbles, making each reaction equally likely.
Furthermore, this process of balancing will have a natural effect of turning the opaque bag
transparent, thus allowing the individual to actively select the appropriate response instead of
randomly draw it.

Conclusion
Temperament can be a quick and easy method to assess the body and form of an individual as
well as gain insight into the medical or emotional conditions they may struggle with
throughout their life. By identifying the excessive qualities in a person's life, real remedial
measures can be taken to ensure the Hippocratic balance is achieved and maintained. This
shift towards the center is not a quick and fast plan for recovery, but a prolonged commitment
an individual makes to improve their health and quality of life.

notes
1. William Lilly, Christian Astrology Book III

2. Hippocrates Book IV pg. 11

3. History of Philosophy: Heraclitus
4. The Picatrix, Book II, Chapter VIII
5. Guido Bonatti, Book of Astronomy, Book II, Chapter II. Bonatti quotes al-Qabisi and Abu
Ma'shar in identifying the quarters of the houses. Note that each quarter has a season, humor,
and lifestage associated with it.
6. Marsilio Ficino, On a Long Life, Chapter V
7. Marsilio Ficino, On a Long Life, Chapter VIII
8. Marsilio Ficino, On a Long Life, Chapter XII
9. Marsilio Ficino, On Obtaining Life From the Heavens, Chapter II

Temperament Assessment: A Short Method

This audio is a brief tutorial in the short method that I use to determine the temperament from
the natal chart. Youll find the example chart (Pope Benedict XVI) for this tutorial below. In
later tutorials, I will survey additional steps in traditional natal analysis, using this same chart.
In traditional astrology, the four temperaments Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic and
Phlegmatic are the bedrock of natal delineation. And thats because they encompass the
fundamental qualities of everything that exists.
In the main, I am following William Lillys method, striking a balance between his short
form on p. 120 of Christian Astrology, Book I and his long method in Book III (pp. 532-4). I
do not incorporate planetary orientality/occidentality into my method, mainly because there
are inconsistencies in the source materials that I havent worked out to my satisfaction. Also,
I am reserving a consideration of the Lord of the Geniture for another audio.
This worksheet provides the basic values that Im working with. Its a work in progress. Ill
post any significant revisions to this blog.
Dr. Christopher Magnus

Temperament Assessment: Which is the Right Way?

July 10, 2006 by admin

In light of Thomass quiz (see previous post), and my post on melancholy, the
question came up: which is the right method for assessing temperament,
anyway? Every traditional astrology has his or her pet method, none of which
work 100% of the time. With people who are strongly tilted toward one or two
temperaments, all of the methods will arrive at very similar if not identical
conclusions. With individuals who are more balanced, and have only a slightly
predominating humor or two, we will see a greater discrepancy with using
various techniques.
Let us take the example of Paul Newman. I got interested in Newmans
horoscope while writing Spiritual Direction in the Horoscope, an article that will
be published in the next issue of the Dutch traditional magazine Anima
Astrologiae. Newman has a pretty balanced temperament, so the results will vary
depending on the method we use.
Here is Newmans horoscope:

Here is the result we get if we use Dorian Greenbaums method (discussed in her
book on temperament) which she has developed by her study of various
traditional sources (all of whom, in turn, had their own methods!):

Ascendant sign element Capricorn Melancholic (2 points)

Ascendant ruler intrinsic quality Saturn Melancholic (1 point)

Ascendant almuten (defined as planet with most essential dignities in a

given degree) intrinsic quality Mars and Saturn are tied, so Choleric and
Melancholic (1 point each) well pay attention to these if there is need for
a tiebreaker.

Moon sign element Pisces Phlegmatic (2 points)

Moon ruler by sign Jupiter in Capricorn Melancholic (1 point)

Moon phase (using Lillys method here) 1st Quarter Sanguine (1 point)

Season of birth Winter Phlegmatic (2 points)

The grand total is: Melancholic (4.5), Choleric (.5), Phlegmatic (4), Sanguine (1
point). So according to Greenbaums method, we have a melancholic/phlegmatic,

a hard-working, practical type with an emotional, self-protective tendency. This

analysis gives us a very cold temperament, with some difficulty getting the heat
going, both physically and emotionally.
Lets use a different method to compare and contrast. John Frawley, in his Real
Astrology Applied, goes through a temperamental analysis based closely on
William Lillys method. Using the Frawley/Lilly method, Newmans temperament
would look something like this:

Ascending sign: Capricorn Cold Dry (a slightly melancholic Ascendant)

o

Aspected by Mercury in Capricorn, oriental, Hot (Capricorn gives

some Dry)

Aspected by Venus in Capricorn, oriental (slightly Hot and Moist)

Aspected by Saturn in Scorpio, oriental (and on the MC) (very Cold

and Moist)

Lord of the Ascendant: Saturn in Scorpio, oriental: Cold and Moist +

o

Aspected by Mercury in Capricorn, oriental (Hot and somewhat Dry)

Aspected by Venus in Capricorn, oriental (slightly Hot and Moist)

The Sun in a Winter Sign Cold and Moist

The Moon in Pisces in 1st Quarter Hot and Moist +

The Lord of the Geniture Mars in Aries, occidental Hot (due to

placement in Aries) and Dry + . Mars is the LoG, as it is the only strongly
essentially dignified planet in the chart.

This gives us Cold-, Cold-, Cold, Hot-, Hot, Dry-, Dry+, Moist+, Moist, Moist+.
Using Frawleys method of combining the most frequent elements, we see that
Newman is pretty well balanced, and gives us a slightly predominantly
phlegmatic (cold and moist) temperament. So we still get a cold temperament,
but one that is only a little cold, whereas Greenbaums method gives us a
downright glacial temperament. We dont know Paul Newman well enough to
decide which is correct, but our guess is that the latter method describes him
better. He is known for taking a relaxed approach to his career, and even his
hugely successful charity food line, Newmans Own , happened sort of by
accident, as he tells it.
This is not to say that Greenbaums method is wrong any solid method will
succeed 85 or 90% of the time. However, nothing in our sublunary sphere is
100%, and astrology, or rather the astrologer, is the same. This is the point of
traditional astrology because we astrologers tend toward imperfection, we seek

out methods that have passed to us from higher, more lasting spheres than our
own.
To have your temperament analyzed with suggestions on how to better balance
it, consider a professional astrological consultation with Nina Gryphon.

Andrew on January 15th, 2007 12:28 pm

Here is my own modification (an elemental modification) of the Greenbaum temperament

assessment formula applied to the nativity of Paul Newman:
Ascendant sign (by element) = 2 points
Ascendant domicile ruler (by intrinsic quality) = 1 point
Ascendant exaltation ruler (by intrinsic quality) = 1 point
Moon sign (by element) = 2 points
Moon ruler (by sign) = 1 point
Moon phase (Lilly) = 1 point
Season of birth = 2 points
Note that I employ the ascendant exaltation ruler instead of the ascendant almuten: why? In
medieval astrology, the domicile ruler is the primary ruler responsible for the ascendant, but
Morin de Villefranche informs us that the exaltation ruler also influences the ascendant.
Moreover, if one uses Egyptian terms and all three Dorothean triplicity rulers, then the
almuten of any single position in the zodiac will always be either the domicile or exaltation
ruler.
This approach dispenses with the need to use any of the four extant almuten systems, and is
consistent with the results (with one or two exceptions) given in Greenbaums book.
The scores for Paul Newman: Sanguinic = 1, Choleric = 1, Melancholic = 4, Phlegmatic = 4.
We need a tie-breaker: as Greenbaum notes in her book, Blessed Ramon Llull (Doctor
Illuminatus) assigns a hierarchy of dominance to the elemental cycle which rotates counterclockwise, so that Air dominates Water, Water dominates Earth, Earth dominates Fire, and
Fire dominates Air. Therefore, since Water dominates Earth, in my (completely idiosyncratic)
modification of the Greenbaum temperament assessment formula, Paul Newman comes out
as Phlegmatic/Melancholic rather than Melancholic/Phlegmatic (as indicated in Greenbaums
book [p. 129]).
I thought I would share my approach with you and your readers in the event that anyone is
interested in a little experimentation and further research
Ex astris,
Andrew Carter

Andrew on January 17th, 2007 7:59 am

Thank you so much for your interest and encouragement. My academic and professional
background is in the field of educational psychology and social science with a concentration
in counselling skills and archetypal theory. I have come to believe that the analytical
psychology developed by Carl Jung and his followers can best be applied to the elucidation
of ancient and medieval rather than modern and contemporary astrological concepts. It
sometimes seems that many astrologers who favour the use of traditional techniques often
react against rather than reflect upon the ideas and insights of depth psychology. This, in my
opinion, is unfortunate, as each can enrich the other.
In my own work, I have extended the application of temperament theory into psychological
type in the manner indicated below:
If the dominant humour is phlegmatic, then the inferior humour is melancholic.
If the dominant humour is sanguinic, then the inferior humour is choleric.
If the dominant humor is choleric, then the inferior humour is sanguinic.
If the dominant humor is melancholic, then the inferior humour is phlegmatic.
In the temperament assessment of Paul Newman, his primary humour is phlegmatic and his
secondary humour is melancholic; since his dominant humour is phlegmatic, his inferior
humour is melancholic. Note that these have the cold quality in common.
However, in the temperament assessment of Adolf Hitler, his primary humour is sanguinic
and his secondary humour is melancholic; since his dominant humour is sanguinic, his
inferior humour is choleric. Note that these have no quality in common.
The inferior humour manifests without conscious intention and attempts to overwhelm or
possess the dominant humour. In the case of Paul Newman, this manifested in drink and
depression, which led to his redemption; a quality in common. In the case of Adolf Hitler, this
manifested in rage and resentment, which led to his destruction; no quality in common.
Ex astris,
Andrew

some notes about temperaments

Posted on 21/03/2009 by margherita fiorello

Can a star of whatever planetary nature with the Sun deciding the temperament as a
traditional astrologer, author of a DVD about humours and temperament states? When does
John Frawley say that an oriental Saturn is cold and dry he is talking according the tradition?
One of the most interesting point in astrology is the assessment of the temperament of a
native.
The doctrine of the four temperaments- the melancholic, the phlegmatic, the choleric and the
sanguine- is very composite and can be found here and there especially in Polybus
(Hippocrates pupil and son in law who gave a coherent order to the Corpus Hippocraticus),
Plato and Galen. Its especially Galen to develop this theory and describe temperaments as
we know. In the Art of Physic he wrote:
Sanguine: they cannot be awaken without difficulty when they are sleeping, they are both
sleepy and sleepless and exuberant in their dreams, their eyesight is not sharp and their senses
are dull. They are ready to act as the choleric type, they dont have a violent soul, but they are
ready to wrath.
Choleric: With sharp senses and inclined to insomnia, they soon become bald. Ready to act,
hot headed, quick, violent, wild, bold, insolent, despotic and short tempered, its not easy to
calm them.
Melancholic: In youth their senses are sharp and ready, but with time they soon decline. Early
in everything connected with the head, they soon become white. They are far from wrath, and
if obliged they can control it.
Phlegmatic: Their minds are slow, and sleepy and dull, they never become bald. They are shy
and scared and lazy, they never get angry, and they are not ready to wrath.
Let us introduce the subject with a well known diagram:

This is the classification we are accustomed to. How can we see this from a birthchart? The
most famous example is surely the one given by William Lilly, so for the moment let put it
aside

Come back a little earlier, and let us consider Ptolemy.

Ptolemy is a follower of Aristotles threefold division of the soul in vegetative, sensitive and
rational part: in the the third book of Tetrabiblos, after having talked about the introductory
theme of the birth of the native, his parents, and if he will survive to infancy and how long he
will live, in the last four chapters, he talks about the body (the vegetative soul) and the
emotive (i.e sensitive) and rational mind and their diseases.
But before going on in reading the chapter about the body let us consider the essential virtue
of the seven wandering stars which Ptolemy lists in the first part of Tetrabiblos. (I,4)

What Ptolemy writes about Mercury is central in his astrological philosophy: planets change
their nature according their position in the epicyle, i.e. according their position to the Sun,
which is their accidental virtue.
It could be useful to stress that the Moon and the other wandering stars act according the
same natural law, and there is not difference between outer and inner planets. (I,8)

Obviously we shall adapt the

rule to the different motion of inner and outer planets, so inner ones will perform twice
because they have two conjunctions with the Sun.
Eventually planets change their nature according season and quadrant. (I, 12)

Im conscious that
Greenbaum (and Ptolemy in the following chapter to the mentioned one) write that the
Ascendant is dry, while Descendant is wet but Im sure that here Ptolemy is contradicting
himself

because all the increasing things are moist in nature, while on the contrary
all the decreasing things are dry.

Made all these necessary general considerations, let us come back to Ptolemys method to
determine the native temperament, presented in the chapter 12 of the III book.
Sure that after all these classifications his reader is confused, Ptolemy recapitulates the nature
of the planets, considering both their essential nature and their accidental (according their
epicycle) one.

This table, makes us think

about something we already know? Sure, its William Lillys table, better its the table made
by Lilly according this chapter of Tetrabiblos. It cannot be different.

So when John Frawley changes Saturn qualities stating that an Oriental Saturn is dry, he is
changing a Tradition which is the same at least since Tetrabiblos.
Now lets see the rest of Ptolemy method, and it is not a surprise.

In regard to the body, therefore, it is in all cases requisite to observe the oriental horizon, and
to ascertain what planets may preside or have dominion over it, and also to pay particular
attention to the Moon. For, from both these places, and from their rulers, as well as from the
natural formation and contemperament appertaining to every species of the human race, and
also from the figure ascribed to those fixed stars which may be co-ascending, the
conformation of the body is to be inferred. The planets possessing dominion have the chief
influence, and the proper qualities of their places co-operate with them.
Before entering in details we see that it is almost the same method Lilly mentions. But I
should say almost at least in my opinion, because there is no mention of the Sun and the
quarter of the year. Its true that in the end of chapter Ptolemy mentions the meaning of
quadrants but I could not find any reference to the Sun, rather it seems to be a reference to
the planets which cooperate in producing the shape of the personal figure, and contribute
also towards the temperament.
And Haly Ibn Ridwan in his comment to this text adds in fact:
What Ptolemy means is that each of those quadrants concurs with the works of the planet
which is in agreement with it, but damages the work of the planet with which doesnt agree.
So according Ptolemy, as commented by Haly in the assessment of the temperament
The elements to which we should put our attention are three. Firstly, the Ascendant and the
place of the Moon; secondly, the rulers of these places, thirdly the mixture between them and
the other stars. And then he shows which is the most important between them. And so he says
that the first one is the meaning of the rulers, then the place of the Moon, and thirdly the
mixture between those and the stars. And according the beginning of the chapter it is useful
we prefer the general meaning to the particular one and so we should judge especially from
the the meaning of the Ascendant and its ruler rather than the Moon and her ruler.
Before giving an example of the method, we should add that here the word stars implies the
fact that
we can know the body shape and every condition concerning the body from the nature of the
Ascendant and the nature of the place of the Moon and the nature of the planets ruling these
two places and from the mixture of these elements with the fixed stars which are with them in
one of the circles we talked about. And when he says those fixed stars which may be coascending, it means the stars which are in the Ascendant in the degree of the horizon and the
stars with the Moon in the same circle, and the stars with whatever ruler of these places.
So we should disagree with the famous author of the course on temperaments mentioned in
the first lines: a fixed star with the Sun means nothing about temperament and shape of body,
and the same if the planet is in a doriphory- especially when this word means just a large
aspect out of every possible orb, in the other case an aspect with the Moon would be taken
into consideration (and mentioned).

Let see an example.

Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher is well known for her role in Star Wars as Princess Leia and as Mistery Woman
in The Blues Brothers. She was always frank about her problems with drugs, her battles with
bipolar disorder, and overcoming an addiction to prescription medication.
In her book, Dorian Greenbaum mentions Fishers chart between phlegmatic temperament
examples at page 100 of her book.
What do ancients say about melancholic women? Saint Hildegard writes
There are women, skinny flesh, great veins, common bones, with the blood more mucous
than fluid and with a grey and black face. They are light and flickle in their mind, tormented
by annoying diseases, and by a changing nature, so they often suffer with melancholy. And
sometimes they suffer with gout, or with back aches, or some disease of the mind caused by
the melancholy.
Its necessary to say that in fact according humoral medicine mental disturbes were
associated with the coction of the black bile, which is turned into atrabilis, a dense and overcooked humor which generated fumes and vapours which ascending to the brain darken the
place
of
imagination,
mind
and
soul.
On the other hand, if the madness is accompanied with frenzy it does not derive from
melancholy but from an over cooked cholera.

Does Carrie Fishers birth chart as melancholic temperament fit with Ptolemys method? Let
us try.
Let us see which planets have the greater rights on the Ascendant and Moon place. In doing
this I have not considered as usually Sun and Moon.

Ascendant, which has the priority in our investigation is clearly ruled by Saturn, being in its
domicile and in applying aspect with it. Saturn has a right on Moon by terms and face and
aspect. Venus has some presence too, because she rules Capricorn by triplicity and Taurus by
domicile
and
triplicity.
Jupiter could have some influence too because it is separating aspect both from Ascendant
and Moon, still it has no dignity in their places.
So lets say Carrie Fisher is born under Saturn with some Venusian influence too.
Let us check fixed stars with the Ascendant:

Dabih in the horn of Capricorn is rising with Ascendant. This is a star of Venus-Mars nature
which is listed as helpful star in the text of Anonymous 379, i.e. a star which can support
the native in some way.
This star has the same nature of the Ascendant (Capricorn is Venus triplicity and Mars
triplicity and term) so it has some influence on the native. In fact we should be careful to
consider just the stars which are in agreement with the the place we are considering, because
stars promise according the nature of significator they mix with: they have prominent effects
when they have the same nature, but limited and dimmed when they have a different nature.
(Cardano, Comment to Tetrabiblos).
And according the same Cardano stars with the nature of Mars and Venus give great and
sudden luck, and make the natives beautiful when young but ugly when adults- and give
awful events, and pleasures become pains. And native will have bad habits. (Aphorisms,
IV.124)
Its not far from truth if we look at her picture. She is not ugly, true, but she looks much older
than 50. And her life was surely not easy after the success and the fame.

According Astrolabium Planum a bear faces backwards arises with these part of sky ( notice
MC at 27 Capricorn)

Cod. Pal. germ. 832

Abano is repeating what Albumasar in his chapter about paranatellonta writes for the third
facie of Capricorn:
According to Ptolemy, in this facie there arise the hinder parts of Ursa Minor, the coil in the
body of Draco
Now let us check Pleiades which are with the Moon:

Moon is in the 3rd mansion. (Im following Paul Kunitzsch as quoted in my translation about
Moon Mansions from Vat.Reg. 1283) which is proper for talismans and works concerning
with women and medicines for them. and who is born in this mansion will be lucky.

Picture from Pingree-Lippincott "IBN AL-HATIM ON THE

TALISMANS OF THE LUNAR MANSIONS"

Pleiades have the nature of Moon and Mars. They are a little pesty in nature and according
Firmicus:
Those who are born when these are rising are always involved in luxury and lust. They are
always drenched in perfumes, given to too much wine drinking, impudent in speech, so that
in banquets and lovemaking they attack their companions with sarcastic wit.
It sounds like Hollywood, true?
So a Saturnian temperament mixed with some Venusian nuance seems possible for the
actress.
In every case we can end our experiment with the usual method:
1) Ascendant: Capricorn is cold and dry.
2) Ruler of the Ascendant: Saturn is a cold and dry planet. It is occidental to the Sun, so
again its cold and dry, but in the first quadrant its little moister and warmer, and it is in
opposition with the Moon in an earth sign, so I would say that it is definitely cold and dry.
3) Angular planets: the only angular planets are Saturn at MC which is cold and dry (see
point 2) and the Moon in the 4th house.
4) Moon is in an Earth sign, cold and dry, but hot and dry because she is almost at the Full
Moon. Near the IC very cold.
5) Moon is separating from Venus, in an Earth sign, matutine, in the last phase before its
heliacal
setting,
dry.
Moon is separating from Jupiter, moist star in an Earth sign, oriental to the Sun so hot and
moister.
Moon is applying to Saturn, cold and dry.

6) Ruler if the Moon: Venus.

Using the famous table:

So again we have the Saturnian temperament (i.e. melancholic as Greenbaum states) with
some phlegmatic notes.
I should say that I cannot find a better conclusion than what Luis Ribeiro writes in the end of
his article: The method is coherent throughout all the authors regarding its theory and
significators. There is only one method.
Anyway Im open to change my mind with quotes and references, as usually. Perfection
unfortunately is not in this our world, at least after the fall of Eve.

Albrecht Durer- Adam and

Eve (1504)

In fact Adam and Eve before the original sin had a perfectly balanced temperament, while the
four animals- imperfect in their nature- show the four temperaments: the rabbit the sanguine,
the cat the choleric, the ox the phlegmatic, the deer the melancholic.
_________________________________________________________________________
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND INSPIRATION (in mixed order):
Nicholas Culpeper, Galens art of physick: translated into English, and largely commented
on together with convenient medicines for all particular distempers of the parts, a
description of the complexions, their conditions, and what diet and exercise is fittest for them
London 1652; Dorian Gieseler. Greenbaum, Temperament: astrologys forgotten key
(Bournemouth, England: Wessex Astrologer Limited, 2005); Graeme Tobyn, Culpepers
medicine: a practice of western holistic medicine (Shaftesbury, Dorset; Rockport, Mass.:
Element, 1997); Luis Ribeiro, Judging the Temperament: a study of the method but especially
CieloeTerra teachings, in particular Giuseppe Bezza, Translation of Haly Ibn Ridwan
comment to Tetrabiblos, Mario Costantino, Qualit prime, elementi ed umori. (Linguaggio

Astrale 108, september 1997); Giuseppe Bezza, Seminari di Roma; Giancarlo Ufficiale,
Lezioni Scuola Cida di Roma: il temperamento.

ASSESSING CONSTITUTIONAL TEMPERAMENT

The Key to Astrotherapy
In Greek Medical Astrology, the most important key to all diagnosis and treatment is
assessing the natal horoscope to determine the individual's constitutional nature and
temperament. This is the heart and core of the personalized owner's manual to your body and
mind. Knowing your individual constitutional nature and temperament is the key to optimal
hygiene and self care, and nowhere is it depicted with such depth, sophistication and detail as
in your natal horoscope.
For each of the Four Temperaments, there are a number of distinctive planetary
configurations or signatures. The Medical Astrologer must familiarize himself thoroughly
each of thes configurations or signatures, and learn to recognize them in the natal horoscope.
The primary indicators for each of the Four Temperaments are as follows:

Sanguine Temperament
-

A predominance of planets in Air signs

Jupiter and / or Venus dignified or emphasized in the natal horoscope
Jupiter and / or Venus in an Air sign
The Ascendant in an Air sign, or conjunct Jupiter or Venus
The Sun conjunct or aspecting Jupiter or Venus
The Moon conjunct or aspecting Jupiter or Venus; the New Moon or the Waxing
Crescent
- A conjunction or hard aspect between Jupiter and Venus

Choleric Temperament
- A predominance of planets in Fire signs
- Mars, and to a lesser extent the Sun, dignified, exalted or otherwise emphasized in
the natal horoscope
- Mars or the Sun in a Fire sign
- The Ascendant in a Fire sign, or conjunct Mars or the Sun, especially Sun in Aries
- The Sun conjunct the Midheaven, or conjunct or in hard aspect to Mars
- The Moon conjunct or in hard aspect to Mars, or a First Quarter Moon
- Conjunction or hard aspects between the Sun and Mars

Melancholic / Nervous Temperament

- A predominance of planets in Earth signs
- Mercury and / or Saturn dignified or emphasized in the natal chart; also, Uranus
emphasized or critically placed
- Mercury and / or Saturn in Earth signs
- The Ascendant in an Earth sign, or conjunct or in hard aspect to Mercury or Saturn
- Sun conjunct the Descendant, or conjunct or in hard aspect to Saturn or Uranus
- The Moon conjunct or in hard aspect to Mercury, Saturn, or Uranus; the Full Moon
- Hard aspects or conjunctions between Mercury, Saturn, Uranus

Phlegmatic Temperament
-

A predominance of planets in Water signs

The Moon and / or Neptune dignified or emphasized in the natal chart
The Moon in a Water sign; Neptune in a Water house
The Ascendant in a Water sign, or conjunct the Moon or Neptune
The Sun in a Water sign, or conjunct the Nadir
The Moon conjunct or aspecting Neptune, and to a lesser extent Venus, especially
in a Water sign; the Third Quarter Moon.
- Venus in a Water sign

Assessing Individual Temperament

Pure types are rare, and very few individuals will have only the indicators for a single
temperament. The vast majority of us are of mixed temperament, which will show up in our
natal horoscopes as an assortment of planetary indicators involving two or more
temperaments. Nevertheless, patterns of relative dominance will emerge.
The beauty of medical astrology is the incredible level of depth, sophistication and detail
with which it portrays individual constitution and temperament. The natal horoscope will
show which parts of your physiology and metabolim are of which temperament. Against a
general background of relative balance or planetary makeup by element, or temperament, the
core factors of the birthchart - the Sun, Moon and Ascendant - will each show certain
inclinations of humor and temperament:
The Ascendant will show the nature and temperament of your physical body.
The Sun will show the nature and temperament of your Ignis, Vital Force, Innate Heat and
Thymos - your metabolic Fire.
The Moon will show the nature and temperament of your fluid metabolism and the
condition of your Radical Moisture - your metabolic Water.

Assessing Natal versus Evolving Temperament

Each of us is born or comes into the world with a certain constitutional nature and
temperament. Over the course of a lifetime, various exogenous or environmental stresses,
influences and pathogenic risk factors work on the individual to mold, shape or change him
or her in a certain direction. The juxtaposition or contrast between one's inherent
constitutional nature and temperament and the nature of the forces shaping his or her
evolving temperament is a key consideration for assessing the individual's overall health
karma in life.
In Medical Astrology, one's natal temperament is indicated by the sign placements of
one's planets and Ascendant. One's evolving temperament is indicated by the house
placements of one's planets and Ascendant Ruler.
Soimetimes, the natal temperament and the evolving temperament will be quite similar;
sometimes, there will be radical differences between the two. The nature and temperament of
the first type of person will change little over the course of his or her lifetime; the nature and
temperament of the second type of person will change radically and profoundly, especially
past middle age.
There is a relatively quick and simple procedure for assessing your natal versus evolving
temperament. It uses a point system to place different levels of emphasis on the various
planetary factors in your natal horoscope, according to their relative levels of importance,
with the core factors of Sun, Moon and Ascendant being given the most weight:
Ascendant or Ascendant Ruler - 4 points
Sun and Moon
- 3 points each
Planets Mercury thru Saturn - 2 points each
The Outer Planets
- 1 point each
Now, take a blank piece of lined paper. At the beginning of the first four lines, write out
the names of the Four Elements - Fire, Air, Earth and Water - in that order. At the beginning
of the next three lines, write out the names of the three Modalities: Cardinal, Fixed and
Mutable.
Now, fill in the chart with the symbols of the planets pertaining to each classification of
element and modality. Use the letter "A" to denote the Ascendant. In this first part of the
assessment, the planets and Ascendant will be tallied by their sign placements.
Since Taurus is Fixed Earth, for example, you would enter the symbol of a planet in
Taurus twice - once on the Earth line, and once on the Fixed line. Since Sagittarius is
Mutable Fire, the symbol of a planet so placed would be entered on both the Fire and the
Mutable lines.
Now, tally up the planets on each line according to their number of allotted points to
determine the relative balance, emphasis or makeup of elements / temperaments and
modalities in your natal constitution. This is what you were born with.
With the next seven lines, we're going to use a similar tallying procedure with the house
placement of the planets in your natal horoscope. This will show how your natal
temperament is changing or evolving due to the impact of various exogenous or
environmental influences accumulated over the course of your lifetime. This evolving

temperament will be especially important to consider past middle age.

The element and modality of a house is derived from its natural or essential
correspondence with a sign of the zodiac. For example, the Second House (Taurus) is Fixed
Earth, whereas the Ninth House (Sagittarius) is Mutable Fire.
However, a special problem arises when tallying up the Ascendant. Because the
Ascendant is always the cusp of the First House (Aries) in everyone's natal horoscope, using
the Ascendant would unduly bias the tally in favor of the Fire element and the Cardinal
modality, since Aries is Cardinal Fire.
This problem or bias is overcome by using the Ascendant Ruler(s) instead of the
Ascendant in the tally by house placement. The Ascendant Ruler is the planet that rules the
sign on the Ascendant: if the Ascendant is in Taurus, that planet would be Venus; if the
Ascendant is in Sagittarius, that planet would be Jupiter.
The planet that is the Ascendant Ruler is tallied once as the Ascendant Ruler, receiving
four points, and again as a regular planet, receiving its usual allotment of points. For
Ascendant signs having both a modern and a classical ruler, like Scorpio, Aquarius or Pisces,
the four points allotted to the Ascendant Ruler would be split equally between both rulers,
each of which would be tallied again as an ordinary planet.
Planets placed within three degrees before the cusp of a certain house would be counted as
belonging to that succeeding house. If whole sign houses are used, the sign placement of the
planet would automatically indicate its house placement, regardless of its degree.
This is a 'quick and dirty" assessment system that leaves out many factors, such as
angularity and the like, that can also affect a planet's dignity and emphasis in the natal
horoscope. Nevertheless, it does give you a good rough overview of your natal temperament,
your evolving temperament, and the nature of the various exogenous environmental
influences affecting your health karma in life.

THE FOUR TEMPERAMENTS

The Basis of Constitutional Medicine

The Four Temperaments are the basic constitutional bodymind types of Greek Medicine.
Each one is named after a certain humor, and is characterized by the predominance of that
humor and its associated basic qualities.
The Four Temperaments are the basic of all constitutional notions of diagnosis and
treatment in Greek Medicine. Know your constitutional type and you know how to eat, live
and medicate yourself properly for optimum health maintenance and disease prevention.
Each of the Four Temperaments can be recognized by certain basic traits of physique,
physiology, digestion and metabolism, personality and character. The Four Temperaments
and their distinguishing traits are as follows:

click to zoom

Sanguine Temperament
Humor: Blood Basic Qualities: Hot and Wet (Warm and Moist)
Generally considered to be the most desirable temperament, since blood is the essence of
vitality and health, but not without its drawbacks. Its traits are:
Face: Oval or acorn-shaped face and head. Delicate, well-formed mouth and lips.
Beautiful almond shaped eyes, often brown. An elegant, swanlike neck.

Physique: In youth, balanced, neither too fat nor too thin. Moderate frame and build.
Elegant, statuesque form, with ample, luxuriant flesh. Joints well-formed; bones, tendons,
veins not prominent. Can put on weight past forty, mostly around hips, thighs, buttocks.
Hair: Thick, luxuriant, wavy. Abundant facial and body hair in men.
Skin: Pink, rosy, blushing complexion. Soft, creamy smooth luxurious feel. Pleasantly
warm to the touch.
Appetite: Quite hearty, often greater than digestive capacity. A predeliction for rich
gourmet foods. The epicure.
Digestion: Good to moderate; balanced. Can be overwhelmed by excessive food.
Metabolism: Moderate, balanced. Bowel tone can be a bit lax. Digestive, respiratory,
genitourinary mucosa can be problem areas.
Predispositions: Metabolic excesses of the blood: uremia, gout, diabetes, high
cholesterol. Intestinal sluggishness, putrefaction. Congested, sluggish liver and pancreas.
Congested blood, bleeding disorders. Respiratory catarrh, congestion, asthma. Urinary
conditions, genitourinary disorders. Excessive menstruation in women. Skin conditions,
hypersensitivity, capillary congestion.
Urine: Tends to be rich or bright yellow and thick.
Stool: Well-formed, neither too hard nor too soft.
Sweat: Balanced, moderate.
Sleep: Moderate, balanced, sound. Can be some snoring.
Dreams: Usually pleasant, of a charming, amusing, romantic nature. Travel, enjoyment,
games, distractions.
Mind: Faculty of Judgement well-developed. A synthetic intellect that likes to see the
whole picture. An optimistic, positive mental outlook. Rather conventional and conformist;
good social skills.
Personality: Exuberant, enthusiastic, outgoing. Optimistic, confident, poised, graceful.
Expansive, generous. Romantically inclined; loves beauty, aesthetics, the arts. Sensual,
indulgent nature. Sociable, gregarious, lighthearted, cheerful.

Choleric Temperament
Humor: Yellow Bile Basic Qualities: Hot and Dry
The Choleric temperament is the hottest, most active and catabolic of all. Its traits are:
Face: Broad jaw. Sharp nose, high cheekbones. Sharp, angular facial features. Reddish
face common. Sharp, fiery, brilliant, penetrating eyes.
Physique: Compact, lean, wiry. Good muscle tone, definition. Prominent veins and
tendons. Broad chest common. An active, sportive type. Weight gain usually in chest, arms,
belly, upper body.
Hair: Often curly. Can also be thin, fine. Balding common in men. Blonde or reddish
hair common.
Skin: Ruddy or reddish color if heat predominates; sallow or bright yellow if bile
predominates. Rough and dry, quite warm.

Appetite: Sharp and quick. Soon overcome by ravenous hunger. Fond of meat, fried
foods, salty or spicy foods, alcohol, intense or stimulating taste sensations.
Digestion: Sharp and quick. Tendency towards gastritis, hyperacidity, acid reflux. When
balanced and healthy, can have a "cast iron stomach", able to digest anything.
Metabolism: Strong, fast, active; catabolic dominant. Strong Innate Heat of metabolism.
Liver and bile metabolism can be problematic. Digestive secretions strong, bowel transit
time short. Adrenals, sympathetic nervous system dominant. Strong inflammatory reactions.
Predispositions: Fevers, infections, inflammation. Hives, rashes, urticaria. Fatty liver,
bilious conditions. Hyperacidity, acid reflux, inflammatory and ulcerative conditions of
middle GI tract. Headaches, migraines, irritability. Eyestrain, red sore eyes. Purulent
conditions. High cholesterol, cardiovascular disorders. Gingivitis. Bleeding disorders from
excess heat, choler in the blood. Hypertension, stress disorders.
Urine: Tends to be scanty, dark, thin. Can be hot or burning.
Stool: Tends towards diarrhea, loose stools. Can have a yellowish color, foul odor.
Sweat: Profuse, especially in summer, or with vigorous physical activity. Strong body
odor. Sensitive to hot weather, suffers greatly in summer.
Sleep: Often fitful, restless, disturbed, especially with stress, indigestion. Often tends to
wake up early, or in the middle of the night.
Dreams: Often of a military or violent nature. Dreams of fire, red things common. Fight
or flight, confrontation.
Mind: Bold, daring, original, imaginative, visionary. Ideation faculty well-developed.
Brilliant intellect, sharp penetrating insight. The idea man who prefers to leave the details to
others.
Personality: Prone to anger, impatience, irritability; short temper. Bold, courageous,
audacious; confrontive, contentious. Dramatic, bombastic manner; high powered
personality. The rugged individualist and pioneer; thrives on challenge. The fearless leader.
Seeks exhilaration, intense experiences. Driven, "Type A" personality. Prone to extremism,
fanaticism.

Melancholic Temperament
Humor: Black Bile Basic Qualities: Cold and Dry
The Melancholic temperament tends to be the most problematic, since it's contrary to the
Sanguine. However, with proper management, Melancholics can also be healthy.
Face: Squarish or rectangular head and face. Prominent cheekbones, sunken hollow
cheeks common. Small, beady eyes. Teeth can be prominent, crooked or loose. Thin lips.
Physique: Tends to be thin, lean. Knobby, prominent bones and joints common.
Prominent veins, sinews, tendons. Muscle tone good, but tends to be stiff, tight. Rib cage
long and narrow, with ribs often prominent. Can gain weight in later years, mainly around
midriff.
Hair: Color dark, brunette. Thick and straight. Facial and body hair in men tends to be
sparse.

Skin: A dull yellow or darkish, swarthy complexion. Feels coarse, dry, leathery, cool.
Callouses common.
Appetite: Variable to poor. Varies, fluctuates according to mental/nervous/emotional
state.
Digestion: Variable to poor; irregular. Digestion also varies according to
mental/nervous/emotional state. Colic, gas, distension, bloating common.
Metabolism: Often slow. Can also be variable, erratic. Prone to dehydration. Nervous
system consumes many nutrients, minerals. GI function variable, erratic; digestive secretions
tend to be deficient. Blood tends to be thick. Nutritional deficiencies can cause a craving for
sweets, starches. Thyroid tends to be challenged, stressed.
Predispositions: Anorexia, poor appetite. Nervous, colicky digestive disorders.
Constipation. Spleen disorders. Nutritional and mineral deficiencies, anemia. Blood sugar
problems, hypoglycemia. Wasting, emaciation, dehydration. Poor circulation and immunity.
Arthritis, rheumatism, neuromuscular disorders. Nervous and spasmodic afflictions.
Dizziness, vertigo, ringing in ears. Nervousness, depression, anxiety, mood swings.
Neurovegetative dystonia.
Urine: Tends to be clear and thin.
Stool: Can either be hard, dry, compact; or irregular, porous, club shaped. Constipation,
irritable bowel common.
Sweat: Generally scanty. Can be subtle, thin, furtive, indicating poor immunity. Nervous
stress can increase sweating.
Sleep: Difficulty falling asleep, insomnia. Stress, overwork, staying up late aggravates
insomnia. Generally a light sleeper.
Dreams: Generally dark, moody, somber, disturbing. Themes of grief, loss common.
Mind: An analytical intellect; detail oriented. Efficient, realistic, pragmatic. Reflective,
studious, philosophical. Retentive faculty of memory well-developed. Thinking can be too
rigid, dogmatic. A prudent, cautious, pessimistic mental outlook.
Personality: Practical, pragmatic, realistic. Efficient, reliable, dependable. A reflective,
stoic, philosophical bent. Can be nervous, high strung. Frugal, austere; can be too attached
to material possessions. Serious, averse to gambling, risk taking. Can be moody, depressed,
withdrawn. Can easily get stuck in a rut. Excessive attachment to status quo.

Phlegmatic Temperament
Humor: Phlegm Basic Qualities: Cold and Wet
The Phlegmatic temperament is the coldest, most passive, energy conserving and
anabolic. Its traits are:
Face: Round face; full cheeks, often dimpled. Soft, rounded features. Double chin, pug
nose common. Large, moist eyes. Thick eyelids and eyelashes.
Physique: Heavy frame, stout, with flesh ample and well-developed. Often pudgy,
plump or overweight; obesity common. Joints dimpled, not prominent. Veins not prominent,
but can be bluish and visible. Lax muscle tone common. Feet and ankles often puffy,

swollen. Women tend to have large breasts. Weight gain especially in lower body.
Hair: Light colored, blondish hair common. Light facial and body hair in men.
Skin: Pale, pallid complexion; very fair. Soft, delicate, cool moist skin. Cool, clammy
perspiration common, especially in hands and feet.
Appetite: Slow but steady. Craves sweets, dairy products, starchy glutinous foods.
Digestion: Slow but steady to sluggish. Gastric or digestive atony common. Sleepiness,
drowsiness after meals common.
Metabolism: Cold, wet and slow. Conserves energy, favors anabolic metabolism.
Congestion, poor circulation, especially in veins and lymphatics. Kidneys slow,
hypofunctioning, inefficient. Adrenals and thyroid tend towards hypofunction; basal
metabolic rate low. Metabolic Water drowning out metabolic Fire.
Predispositions: Phlegm congestion. Water retention, edema. Lymphatic congestion,
obstruction. Poor veinous circulation. Gastric atony, slow digestion. Hypothyroid,
myxedema. Adrenal hypofunction. Weight gain, obesity. Frequent colds and flu. Chronic
respiratory conditions, congestion. Swollen legs, ankles, feet. Cellulite. Poor tone of skin,
muscles, fascia.
Urine: Tends to be clear/pale and thick. Tends to be scanty in volume, with excess fluid
accumulation in the body.
Stool: Well-formed, but tends to be slightly loose, soft. Bowels tend to be sluggish.
Sweat: Cool, clammy sweat common, especially on hands and feet. Sweating can be
easy and profuse, especially with kidney hypofunction. Sensitive to cold weather; suffers
greatly in winter.
Sleep: Very deep and sound. Tends towards excessive sleep, somnolence. Snoring
common; can be loud or excessive.
Dreams: Generally very languid, placid. Water and aquatic themes common.
Mind: Tends to be dull, foggy, slow. Slow to learn, but once learned, excellent and long
retention. Patient, devoted, faithful. Faculty of Empathy well-developed. Sentimental,
subjective thinking. A calm, good-natured, benevolent mental outlook.
Personality: Good natured, benevolent, kind. Nurturing, compassionate, sympathetic,
charitable. Great faith, patience, devotion; tends to be religious, spiritual. Sensitive,
sentimental, emotional, empathetic. Passive, slow, sluggish; averse to exertion or exercise.
Calm, relaxed, takes life easy. Excessive sluggishness, torpor can lead to depression.

The Four Temperaments

Around 500 years before the birth of our Savior, the spirit of science began to be
applied to the practice of medicine. Where before the ancients looked to "the gods"
to explain the workings of the natural world, Hippocrates (b. ca. 460 B.C.) urged that
sine qua non of science: observation. In the course of the studies that merited his
becoming known as "the Father of Medicine," he noticed that blood removed from
the body separates into four parts: the clear red, a yellowish liquid that rises to the
top, the dark liquid that settles to the bottom, and whitish fluid. He and his students,
especially his son-in-law, Polybus, took these observations and developed a theory
of medicine that was to hold sway in the West and in the Islamic world for thousands
of years -- a theory further expounded upon by Galen: that physical and mental
health are a matter of a good balance of four liquids ("humors"), all believed to be
produced in the liver, but which are found in the veins and are associated with
various organs of the body.
This theory of bodily humors 1 -- called "humorism " or "humoralism" -- holds that
each person produces all of these humors, but that the preponderance of one
relative to the others -- a condition called "dyscrasia" -- brings on illness. Each of
these humors was believed to be associated with one of the four elements which,
when combined in various proportions, make up all things:

The humor of Blood, associated with the liver and with Air, which is the hot
and moist element. A person in whom blood predominates is said to be
"sanguine," from the Latin "sanguis" (blood).

The humor of Yellow Bile, associated with the spleen and with Fire, which is
the hot and dry element. A person in whom yellow bile predominates is said
to be "choleric," from the Greek "khole" (bile).

The humor of Black Bile, associated with the gall bladder and with Earth,
which is the cold and dry element. A person in whom black bile
predominates is said to be "melancholic," from the Greek "melas" (black)
and "khole" (bile).

The humor of Phlegm, associated with the lungs and brain and with Water,
which is the cold and moist element. A person in whom phlegm
predominates is said to be "phlegmatic," from the Greek "phlegmatikos"
(abounding in phlegm) .

The following excerpt from the 11th c. Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum, attributed to
John of Milano, gives the basic run-down as to the effects of too much of one humor
or another:
If Sanguin humour do too much abound,
These signes will be thereof appearing cheefe,
The face will swell, the cheeks grow red and round,
With staring eies, the pulse beate soft and breefe,
The veynes exceed, the belly will be bound,
The temples, and the forehead full of griefe,
Unquiet sleeps, that so strange dreames will make
To cause one blush to tell when he doth wake:
Besides the moysture of the mouth and spittle,
Will taste too sweet, and seeme the throat to tickle.

If Choller do exceed, as may sometime,

Your eares will ring, and make you to be wakefull,
Your tongue will seeme all rough, and oftentimes
Cause vomits, unaccustomed and hatefull,
Great thirst, your excrements are full of slime,
The stomacke squeamish, sustenance ungratefull,
Your appetite will seeme in nought delighting,
Your heart still greeued with continuall byting,
The pulse beate hard and swift, all hot, extreame,
Your spittle soure, of fire-worke oft you dreame.

If Flegme abundance haue due limits past,

These signes are here set downe will plainly shew,
The mouth will seeme to you quite out of taste,
And apt with moisture still to overflow,
Your sides will seeme all sore downe to the waist,
Your meat wax loathsome, your digestion slow,
Your head and stomacke both in so ill taking,
One seeming euer griping tother aking:
With empty veynes, the pulse beat slow and soft,
In sleepe, of seas and ryuers dreaming oft.
But if that dangerous humour ouer-raigne,
Of Melancholy, sometime making mad,
These tokens then will be appearing plaine,
The pulse beat hard, the colour darke and bad:
The water thin, a weake fantasticke braine,
False-grounded ioy, or else perpetuall sad,
Affrighted oftentimes with dreames like visions,
Presenting to the thought ill apparitions,
Of bitter belches from the stomacke comming,
His eare (the left especiall) euer humming.

Note in the above that the humors are said to affect even dreams. Chaucer alludes
to this in "The Nun's Priest's Tale" when the rooster, Chanticleer, had a dream in
which he was being pursued by a yellowish-red hound-like creature. He wonders if
the dream is prophetic, so his wife, Pertelote, reassures him by telling him:
Certes this dream, which ye have mette tonight,
Cometh of the great supefluity
Of youre rede cholera, pardie,
Which causeth folk to dreaden in their dreams
Of arrows, and of fire with redde beams,
Of redde beastes, that they will them bite,
Of conteke [contention], and of whelpes great and lite [little];
Right as the humour of melancholy
Causeth full many a man in sleep to cry,
For fear of bulles, or of beares blake,
Or elles that black devils will them take,
Of other humours could I tell also,
That worke many a man in sleep much woe;
That I will pass as lightly as I can.
Pertelote then goes on to prescribe herbs for her husband to use to
avoid such dreams in the future. According to humorist theory, not
only herbs, but stages of life, colors, various activities, the zodiac, and
even geographic location affect the production of these humors, and
finding the right herb, activity, etc., and doing things at the right time, should bring
about "eucrasia," or a state of balance. Most obviously and importantly, foods could
also affect the balance, with some foods being hot, and others cold; some being
moist, and others dry. The common cold, for example, was believed to have been
caused by a production of too much phlegm, so fish, which is a cold and moist food,

should be avoided by such a patient lest he add to the production of the out-ofbalance humor; instead, he should partake of hot and dry foods, such as pepper, to
counteract the cold and moist phlegmatic influence. 2
The seasons, too, play a role in balancing or unbalancing the humors, as St. John
Damascene (b. ca. 676) tells us in his "Exposition of the Orthodox Faith":
The course which the Creator appointed for them [the planets] to run is unceasing
and remaineth fixed as He established them. For the divine David says, The moon
and the stars which Thou establishedst, and by the word 'establishedst,' he referred
to the fixity and unchangeableness of the order and series granted to them by God.
For He appointed them for seasons, and signs, and days and years. It is through the
Sun that the four seasons are brought about.
And the first of these is spring: for in it God created all things, and even down to the
present time its presence is evidenced by the bursting of the flowers into bud, and
this is the equinoctial period, since day and night each consist of twelve hours. It is
caused by the sun rising in the middle, and is mild and increases the blood, and is
warm and moist, and holds a position midway between winter and summer, being
warmer and drier than winter, but colder and moister than summer. This season
lasts from March 21st till June 24th.
Next, when the rising of the sun moves towards more northerly parts, the season of
summer succeeds, which has a place midway between spring and autumn,
combining the warmth of spring with the dryness of autumn: for it is dry and warm,
and increases the yellow bile. In it falls the longest day, which has fifteen hours, and
the shortest night of all, having only nine hours. This season lasts from June 24th till
September 25th.
Then when the sun again returns to the middle, autumn takes the place of summer.
It has a medium amount of cold and heat, dryness and moisture, and holds a place
midway between summer and winter, combining the dryness of summer with the
cold of winter. For it is cold and dry, and increases the black bile. This season,
again, is equinoctial, both day and night consisting of twelve hours, and it lasts from
September 25th till December 25th.
And when the rising of the sun sinks to its smallest and lowest point, i.e. the south,
winter is reached, with its cold and moisture. It occupies a place midway between
autumn and spring, combining the cold of autumn and the moisture of spring. In it
falls the shortest day, which has only nine hours, and the longest night, which has
fifteen: and it lasts from December 25th till March 21st. For the Creator made this
wise provision that we should not pass from the extreme of cold, or heat, or dryness,
or moisture, to the opposite extreme, and thus incur grievous maladies. For reason
itself teaches us the danger of sudden changes.
Fasting during the various seasons, such as we do during Ember Days, helps bring
the humors into balance. The Golden Legend, written by Blessed Jacopo de
Voragine (A.D. 1230-1298), Archbishop of Genoa, gives the following as one of eight
reasons for our Ember Day fasts:
The fifth reason, as saith John Damascenus: in March and in printemps the blood
groweth and augmenteth, and in summer coler, in September melancholy, and in

winter phlegm. Then we fast in March for to attemper and depress the blood of
concupiscence disordinate, for sanguine of his nature is full of fleshly
concupiscence. In summer we fast because that coler should be lessened and
refrained, of which cometh wrath. And then is he full naturally of ire. In harvest we
fast for to refrain melancholy. The melancholious man naturally is cold, covetous and
heavy. In winter we fast for to daunt and to make feeble the phlegm of lightness and
forgetting, for such is he that is phlegmatic.
Interestingly, the eight musical modes, or scales, of classical Western music are
seen by humorists to also affect the balance of humors, with the modes being evenly
divided into four groups, each group affecting one the bodily humors:

P
H
L
E
G
M

Y
E
L
L
O
W
B
I
L
E

Dorian Church Mode I

The Dorian Mode dries watery Phlegm, weakening its influence such that
instead of causing lethargy, it causes a sense of equanimity and calm. The
ancient Greeks attributed this to the Dorian mode's imparting the power of the
Sun.
Hypodorian Church Mode II
The Hypodorian mode magnifies Phlegm's effect on the body and induces
lethargy and sleep. The ancient Greeks attributed this to the Hypodorian
mode's imparting the power of the Moon.

Phrygian Church Mode III

The Phrygian mode reinforces the effects of Yellow Bile, inciting angry
passions. The ancient Greeks attributed this to the Phrygian mode's imparting
the power of the Mars.
Hypophrygian Church Mode IV
The Hypophrygian mode mitigates Yellow Bile's effects and acts as a musical
scale to sooth the savage breast. It is a tender-sounding scale that incites
delight. The ancient Greeks attributed this to the Hypophrygian mode's
imparting the power of the Mercury.

Lydian
B
L
O
O
D

B
L
A

Church Mode V

The Lydian mode reinforces the Blood, producing happiness. The ancient
Greeks attributed this to the Lydian mode's imparting the power of the Jupiter.
Hypolydian

Church Mode VI

The Hypolydian mode -- the "Weeping Mode" -- suppresses the effects of

Blood, resulting in sadness and piety. The ancient Greeks attributed this to the
Hypolydian mode's imparting the power of the Venus.

Mixolydian

Church Mode VII

The Mixolydian mode magnifies the effect of Black Bile, leading to

C
K
B
I
L
E

melancholia. The ancient Greeks attributed this to the Mixolydian mode's

imparting the power of the Saturn.
Hypomixolydian

Church Mode VIII

The Hypomixolydian mode supresses the effects of Black Bile and is the mode
of happiness, perfection, and bliss. The ancient Greeks attributed this to the
Hypolydian mode's imparting the power of the stars.

But what is most interesting and most fun of all to explore is the notion of how the
humors affect the temperaments.

The Four Temperaments

We all have an intuitive awareness that there are different "types" of people. This
one's "an outgoing fellow"; that one's "the quiet type." This one's better off working
with his hands while another excels at bookish pursuits. One sort of person is a
leader; another sort is a follower. These basic dispositions, or manners of thinking,
behaving, and reacting, are called "temperaments" -- a word whose etymology
reflects humorist theory: it derives from the Latin temperamentum, which refers to
"proper mixture." Going further back, and keeping the aforementioned words of St.
John Damascene in mind, it could ultimately stem from the Latin tempus or tempor-,
which refer to time and seasons.
Humorism asserts that each person is born with a basic temperament as determined
by which of the four humors tends to predominate in the individual. As we all
produce each humor, there will be varying degrees of influence by each, but the
effects of one is usually more evident. In some people, the next most influential
humor might be quite strong so that such a person can be generally described as
having a combined temperament; in others, the most abundant humor dominates
the others such that there is no question at all as to which category he falls into.
What follows is a very basic outline of the characteristics of each temperament as
classically described. For more explicit information, you'll have to take the test linked
to at the bottom of the page!

Sanguine

Self-composed

Not given to worry

Tends to follow rather than lead

Talkative

Not averse to change

Tends to prefer informality

Impulsive

Cordial

Liberal
Peaceable

Adjusts easily

Aware of surroundings

Lacking in perseverance

Impetuous

Lacking in initiative

Prone to carelessness, hedonism, flightiness, and lust

Choleric

Self-composed

Not given to worry

Rarely shows embarrassment

Persistent

Insistent

Decisive

Persuasive

Independent

Tends to lead rather than follow

Dynamic

Impetuous

Impulsive

Prone to hypocrisy, deceit, pride, and anger

Melancholic

Touchy

Sensitive

Intuitive

Easily hurt

Self-conscious

Introspective

Likes to be alone

Easily embarrassed

Sentimental

Empathetic

Moody

Often artistic

Often fussy and perfectionist

Deep

Prone to depression, avarice, and gluttony

Phlegmatic

Peaceful

Easy-going

Deliberative

Relatively unaffected by environment

Slow in movement

Constant in mood

Faithful

Reliable

Reserved

Distant

Not prone to worry

Prone to stagnation and sloth

An exaggerated way of understanding the four temperaments is to consider four

people who see a star fall to earth. The Sanguine talks about it animatedly to all
present; the Choleric wants to form an expedition to find it and analyze it; the
Melancholic ponders what it means and how he feels about it; and the Phlegmatic
waits for the others to decide what to do as whatever decision they make is fine by
him. It's kind of fun to analyze friends -- and characters we see in movies, too -- in
terms of these four temperaments. Consider "The Wizard of Oz" with its Sanguine
Cowardly Lion, Choleric Scarecrow, Melancholic Tin Man, and Phlegmatic Dorothy.

Or "A Streetcar Named Desire" with its Sanguine Mitch, Choleric Stanley,
Melancholic Blanche DuBois, and Phlegmatic Stella.
See the temperament test to discover your dominant classic temperament and to
learn more about your fundamental dispositions, your bright side, your dark side,
and some things you need to know in order to make the best of who you are. 3

To read more about the four temperaments, see Fr. Christiaan Kappes's "The Four
Temperaments" (PDF).

Footnotes:
1 Also spelled "humours"
2

Humorism greatly affected medieval cuisine as cooks endeavored to prepare foods

in proper balance, for example, cold, moist fish would be served with hot, dry spices
or prepared with wine, which was also considered hot and dry; game was
considered to be dry, so was prepared in moist fats; vinegar was considered cold
and dry, so was tempered with honey, which was considered hot and moist, etc. The
goal in cooking for the ill, however, wasn't "a balanced diet," but a diet that would
counteract the effects of the humor causing the illness.
Note that it isn't the actual temperature or actual liquidity of a food that determines
its classification as hot or cold, dry or moist; it is its inherent quality and its effects on
the body. The degrees of hotness/coldness and dryness/moistness were often rated
on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest.
Humorist theory also affected cooking techniques: dry foods were boiled instead of
roasted, moist foods were baked instead of boiled, and so on.
3

Just for the sake of information: The modern Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
classifies personalities into sixteen groups by analyzing responses to a long
questionnaire and determining where a respondent fits with regard to four basic
questions:
Introversion vs. Extraversion: Outer directed (E) or inner directed (I)?
Sensing vs. Intuition: Is information processed literally (S) or abstractly (N)?
Thinking vs. Feeling: Are decisions made by thought (T) or feelings (F)?
Judging vs. Perceiving: Is there a preference for order (J) or spontaneity (P)?
David Keirsey believed that those who are "Sensing" and "Judging" (SJ) fit the
classic description of the Phlegmatic. Those who are "Sensing" and "Perceiving"
(SP) are Sanguines. Those who are "Intuitive" and "Feeling" (NF) are Melancholics,
and those who are "Intuitive" and "Thinking" (NT) are Cholerics. He gave
descriptions of and new names to the classic types -- the new names being: Artisans
(Sanguine), Rationals (Cholerics), Idealists (Melancholics), and Guardians
(Phlegmatic) -- and further broke down those groups into four sub-groups:

The Sanguine Artisans: The Performers (ESFP); The Promoters (ESTP);

The Composers (ISFP); The Crafters (ISTP).

The Choleric Rationals: The Field Marshalls (ENTJ); The Inventors (ENTP);
The Masterminds (INTJ); The Architects (INTP).

The Melancholic Idealists: The Teachers (ENFJ); The Champions (ENFP);

The Counselors (INFJ); The Healers (INFP).

The Phlegmatic Guardians: The Supervisors (ESTJ); The Providers (ESFJ);

The Inspectors (ISTJ); The Protectors (ISFJ).

While the classic temperaments model labels all Extraverts as either the Sanguine
or Choleric, and labels all Introverts as Melancholics or Phlegmatics, Keirsey has
Extraverts and Introverts in each group. If you take the above test and find it doesn't
quite fit you, you might enjoy taking a test based on Kiersey's model.