"levantamientos de figuras"

English translation: casting of astrological charts / horoscopes

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:levantamientos de figuras
English translation:casting of astrological charts / horoscopes
Entered by: Evan Tomlinson

03:50 Sep 26, 2015
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Science - Mathematics & Statistics
Spanish term or phrase: "levantamientos de figuras"
The context is: "En España en 1547 se dio un Auto en el que se ordenaba que los funcionarios aplicasen con rigor el Catálogo de los Libros Prohibidos sobre Astrología, pronósticos de nacimientos, y levantamientos de figuras."

This is from a book chapter talking about science as practiced in New Spain (Mexico) during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Evan Tomlinson
United States
Local time: 07:51
"erecting of figures" (casting of astrological charts / horoscopes)
Explanation:
At Adolfo's suggestion, and in the light of Donal's objections to his answer, but also in defence of the interpretation extensively explained in my reference and in the discussion area.

As I've said, I think what I would do here is to use the precisely equivalent English expression used in more or less contemporaneous English texts. Apart from Lilly's Christian Astrology (1647) there is also John Brayne's tract Astrologie proved to be the old doctrine of demons (1653), which contains, for example: "These 12 signes in the Erecting of figures in genitures, Revolu∣tions and horary Questions are cast into 12 houses."
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A29273.0001.001/1:3.2?rgn=d...

What you could do is put this in inverted commas and add a modern English equivalent, as suggested above. Or if you prefer, of course, you could use just one or the other. A horoscope, in the strict sense of the word, is exactly the same thing as an astrological chart.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horoscope

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Note added at 1 day6 hrs (2015-09-27 10:07:13 GMT)
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As a footnote, the Index referred to in the 1547 Auto was presumably the one published in Louvain in 1546; the first Index in Spain was 1551 and was basically the Louvain Index with an appendix on Spanish books. If you felt like it you could research what the Louvain Index actually says about astrological books.
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 15:51
Grading comment
I would prefer "casting of astrological charts" myself, since it lends itself to understanding what the action consists of, without requiring any knowledge of astrology per se.

Thank you for your answer!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2"erecting of figures" (casting of astrological charts / horoscopes)
Charles Davis
3 +1the raising of natal charts/figures
Adolfo Fulco
4reading/calculation of horoscopes/astrological charts
DLyons
Summary of reference entries provided
erecting / erection of figures (drawing charts)
Charles Davis

Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
the raising of natal charts/figures


Explanation:
Después de leer algunos artículos, llegué a la conclusión de que *levantar figura* se refiere a la creación de la carta astral/natal de un individuo.

Referencias:

http://enciclopedia_universal.esacademic.com/210944
alzar o levantar figura
► locución OCULTISMO Formar plantilla, tema o diseño en los que se delinean las casas celestes y los lugares de los planetas, y lo demás que lleva a establecer el horóscopo o pronóstico de lo que sucederá de una persona.


http://biblio.juridicas.unam.mx/libros/8/3654/14.pdf
Cabe destacar que *levantar figura* en aquel siglo XVII, significaba hacer cartas astrales y leer el horóscopo o signo zodiacal.


Descripción de *cómo se levanta figura*
https://books.google.com.ar/books?id=AEOLjBhr_bQC&pg=PA87&lp...


http://www.2iceshs.cyfronet.pl/2ICESHS_Proceedings/Chapter_2...
*In 1608 the Court of Catalonia prosecuted don Novello de Sentelles, who was 28 years old and originally from England. He was caught because the Inquisition was told that 'he raised natal charts for many people and he divines the events and fortunes that they would have, and that he was a big mathematician.'*

*... that he used to raise natal charts and that he made “judgements”, that is, prognostications.*

*...used to raise natal figures and make prognostications on the future things and on past and occult things, and on what person of a marriage would die the first, and on robberies.*



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natal_chart
In astrology, a natal chart is a stylized map of the universe with the "native" (the individual or subject or anything Created or Built to be studied) at the center. It is calculated for the exact time and location of the native's birth for the purposes of gaining insight into the native's personality and potential.


https://books.google.com.ar/books?id=mJya9d9A3KkC&pg=PA56&lp...
*...levantar [is] an astrological term that prescribes the influence of the planets and stars on man's character.*

In this book they mentioned it as *to raise up a figure*.


HTH.

Adolfo Fulco
Argentina
Local time: 11:51
Native speaker of: Spanish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Charles Davis: Not "raise (up)"; that is a literal translation of levantar that is not used for this. You're right about the meaning of "figura". But also not necessarily natal; cut that word. I'm going to add a reference.
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Charles. This was totally new for me so I wasn't really sure about the terms. For the sake of the KOG, you should add your references as an answer. Saludos!

neutral  DLyons: See discussion re use of "raise"
1 day 2 hrs
  -> Gracias, Donal. Recién hoy pude leer la discussion entry. ¡Interesante debate! Estoy de acuerdo con vos, usaría "cast".
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
reading/calculation of horoscopes/astrological charts


Explanation:
Basically this goes back to Gouchon's " Initiation au calcul et à la lecture de l'horoscope" whose Spanish edition is an Iniciación al levantamiento e interpretación del horóscopo. That's to say an introduction to reading or calculating horoscopes=astrological charts.

The least formal, most understandable, version would be "reading horoscopes".

DLyons
Ireland
Local time: 14:51
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 263

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Charles Davis: Levantar means (in plain English) drawing up the chart, not reading it.
9 mins
  -> That's the "calculation" bit. But I read levantamiento here as a coverall for creating and interpreting.
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1 day 6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
"erecting of figures" (casting of astrological charts / horoscopes)


Explanation:
At Adolfo's suggestion, and in the light of Donal's objections to his answer, but also in defence of the interpretation extensively explained in my reference and in the discussion area.

As I've said, I think what I would do here is to use the precisely equivalent English expression used in more or less contemporaneous English texts. Apart from Lilly's Christian Astrology (1647) there is also John Brayne's tract Astrologie proved to be the old doctrine of demons (1653), which contains, for example: "These 12 signes in the Erecting of figures in genitures, Revolu∣tions and horary Questions are cast into 12 houses."
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A29273.0001.001/1:3.2?rgn=d...

What you could do is put this in inverted commas and add a modern English equivalent, as suggested above. Or if you prefer, of course, you could use just one or the other. A horoscope, in the strict sense of the word, is exactly the same thing as an astrological chart.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horoscope

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day6 hrs (2015-09-27 10:07:13 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

As a footnote, the Index referred to in the 1547 Auto was presumably the one published in Louvain in 1546; the first Index in Spain was 1551 and was basically the Louvain Index with an appendix on Spanish books. If you felt like it you could research what the Louvain Index actually says about astrological books.

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 15:51
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 44
Grading comment
I would prefer "casting of astrological charts" myself, since it lends itself to understanding what the action consists of, without requiring any knowledge of astrology per se.

Thank you for your answer!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  DLyons: Interesting discussion. I'd very much prefer "cast" - that was what I was aiming at with my "calculate".
12 mins
  -> Thanks very much, Donal. Perhaps we have finally reached a mutually acceptable solution :)

agree  Adolfo Fulco: No pude aportar mucho al debate, pero haciendo un poco más de research me inclino más por "cast". Google: "cast figures" + astrology + inquisition + geomancy. ¡Saludos y gracias por la clase, Charles!
8 hrs
  -> ¡Muchas gracias de nuevo y saludos, Adolfo!
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Reference comments


5 hrs peer agreement (net): +1
Reference: erecting / erection of figures (drawing charts)

Reference information:
If I were translating this I would be inclined to use the equivalent English historical term for "levantar figuras", which is "erect figures".

First, "figura" here means "figura celeste", which is indeed an astrological chart, often though by no means always a birth chart, and I would certainly not include the word "birth" or "natal" in the translation. Here's the RAE's 1732 definition:

"FIGURA CELESTE. En la Astrología es una delineacion que expressa la postúra y disposicion del Cielo y estrellas en qualquier momento de tiempo señalado. Representanse en ella las doce casas celestes y los grados de los signos que ocupan sus principios, y assimismo el lugár que los Planétas y otras estrellas tienen en dichos signos, y por consiguiente en las sobredichas casas. Llamase tambien Thema celeste."

Nowadays we call this a chart in English. Historically it was called a figure, as we shall see below.

As for the verb, "levantar" has the same meaning as in "levantar un plano" today:

"9. tr. Proceder a dibujar un plano de una población, una construcción, etc., según procedimientos técnicos."

"Raise" is never used in English, to my knowledge, and in the cases Adolfo has cited it is simply a literal translation of the Spanish "levantar". Nowadays people normally refer simply to drawing (or drawing up) a chart. Historically the term in English was "erect", though the verbs "frame" or "set" are also used.

"Divination by the Erection of Figures Astrological"
https://books.google.es/books?id=N5IBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA242&lpg=P... (1842)

"DIVINATION BY THE ERECTING OF FIGURES-ASTROLOGICAL"
https://books.google.es/books?id=N5IBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA181&lpg=P...

William Lilly explains the process of "erecting charts" very fully in his Christian Astrology (1647), the foremost manual in English:

"How to erect a Figure of Heaven [...]"
http://www.skyscript.co.uk/pdf/CA_pages_25_56.pdf

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Note added at 5 hrs (2015-09-26 09:30:27 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry, I meant to put "erecting figures", not "charts", in the penultimate paragraph above.

Charles Davis
Spain
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 44

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  Adolfo Fulco: In one of the links I provided, the authors are Spanish and Italian. I should've pay attention to that... and never trust translators :P.
8 hrs
  -> Thanks, Adolfo! That's true, but the author of your second reference should have known better and you can be forgiven for trusting him :)
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