In many ways, the polarities of masculinity and
femininity are similar to those of sect (diurnal/nocturnal); masculinity
representing the active, solar principle, and femininity representing the
passive (or receptive) lunar principle. But diurnal/nocturnal definitions seem
to be more dependent upon the generation of heat (diurnal) or lack of it
(nocturnal), whilst the masculine/feminine definitions are more dependent upon
dryness (masculinity) or moisture (femininity). It may be that both divisions
arose as alternate ways to describe the same essential polarisation that modern
astrologers prefer to label ‘positive or negative’. The masculine/feminine
definitions are also heavily dependent upon Pythagorean numerological
principles, where all the masculine signs, (which are also the diurnal ones),
are the odd numbered ones; and all the feminine signs (which are also the
nocturnal ones) are even numbered. The masculine planets are the Sun and the superiors:Saturn, Jupiter, Mars;
the feminine planets are the inferiors: Moon, Venus;
with Mercury being
common to both genders. The distinction may be partly based upon the way that
the planets emerge from conjunction with the Sun – the superiors always emerge
on the right hand side, the Moon always on the left, with Venus and Mercury
able to emerge on either side. See ‘diurnal’, ‘occidental’, ‘dexter’ and
‘sect’.