Astrology
Lot of Basis
Direct answer
Lot of Basis: The Lot of Basis is a calculated point found by taking the shorter of the two arcs between the Lot of Fortune and the Lot of Spirit and laying it off from the Ascendant, and read for the foundation that holds a life up.
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At a glance
- Also called
- part of basis, lot of foundation
- In astrology
- Lot of Basis is read like the other lots, by its sign, the ruler of that sign and the planets that regard it, and always beside Fortune and Spirit, which it is made from.
- Found in
- Astrology
- Related
- Part of Fortune, Lot of Spirit, Hermetic Lots, Lot of Exaltation
The Lot of Basis is a calculated point found by taking the shorter of the two arcs between the Lot of Fortune and the Lot of Spirit and laying it off from the Ascendant, and read for the foundation that holds a life up.
A structural orientation; exact placements depend on the chart or technique being discussed.
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What is the Lot of Basis?
The Lot of Basis is a lot that Paulus Alexandrinus gives after the seven Hermetic lots. Take the arc between the Lot of Fortune and the Lot of Spirit, whichever way round is shorter, and lay it off from the Ascendant.
Because Fortune and Spirit always sit the same distance either side of the Ascendant, and swap places between day and night, the Lot of Basis falls in the same place in a day chart and a night chart. It joins the two lots that stand for circumstance and intention, and the Almanac reads it as the foundation they rest on.
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The formula
The worked example, the same invented day chart on every lot page (longitudes counted from 0 Aries in brackets): Ascendant 10 Libra (190), Sun 20 Aries (20), Moon 5 Gemini (65), Mercury 2 Aries (2), Venus 14 Taurus (44), Mars 8 Leo (128), Jupiter 25 Sagittarius (265) and Saturn 12 Capricorn (282). The Sun is above the horizon, so it is a day chart. Fortune is 235 and Spirit 145 by day; by night they swap.
- Spirit to Fortune: 235 - 145 = 90 degrees. Fortune to Spirit: 360 - 90 = 270 degrees. The shorter is 90.
- Laid off from the Ascendant: Ascendant 190 + the arc 90 = 280, which is 10 degrees of Capricorn.
Why it stays put by night
By day Fortune falls as far after the Ascendant as Spirit falls before it, and by night the two simply trade places. The gap between them is the same either way, so a lot built from that gap ignores the sect of the chart. With the Lot of Siblings and the Lot of Marriage it is one of the few lots that stays the same by day and by night.
The story behind Lot of Basis
Paulus Alexandrinus gives the Lot of Basis in his Introductory Matters (378) alongside the seven Hermetic lots. The passage is not in the Almanac's library, so the formula is given in its usual modern form.
Lot of Basis in practice: an example
In the worked example, Fortune at 25 degrees of Scorpio and Spirit at 25 degrees of Leo are 90 degrees apart the short way, so the Lot of Basis falls 90 degrees after the Ascendant.
Sources and editorial method
This entry summarizes the tradition in the Almanac's own words; where no source is listed, it is an editorial summary rather than a primary text, and symbolic readings are named as the tradition's, not as fact.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Astrology
- Aliases
- part of basis, lot of foundation, basis lot astrology
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
See Lot of Basis in your personal almanac
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Related terms
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Common questions
What is the Lot of Basis?
The Lot of Basis is a calculated point found by taking the shorter of the two arcs between the Lot of Fortune and the Lot of Spirit and laying it off from the Ascendant, and read for the foundation that holds a life up.
How do you calculate the Lot of Basis?
Find the Lot of Fortune and the Lot of Spirit, measure the shorter arc between them, and add that arc to the Ascendant.
Does the Lot of Basis change between day and night?
No. Fortune and Spirit trade places between day and night, so the arc between them, and the lot, stay the same.
What does the Lot of Basis mean?
The Almanac reads it as the foundation under Fortune and Spirit, what holds a life up. It is a topic to reflect on, not a forecast.
