Part of Fortune
In astrology, the Part of Fortune, sometimes called Fortuna, is the most popular Arabic Part. Arabic Parts are sensitive points in a chart and are calculated using specific formulas whereby two planets or points are added together, and a third planet or point is subtracted from that result.
The Part of Fortune is calculated as follows:
For day charts, Ascendant + Moon – Sun
For night charts, Ascendant + Sun – Moon
Note that a chart is considered a day chart when the Sun is above the horizon (occupying any house from house 7 to 12). It’s a night chart when the Sun is below the horizon (occupying any of the first six houses). Generally, with modern astrology, the first formula applies to all charts (many astrologers don’t make the distinction between the day and night chart).
What the Part of Fortune Means
The Part of Fortune represents worldly success and is associated with the physical body and health as well. It can be indicative of the career or vocation.
The condition and placement of the ruling planet of the Part of Fortune (that is, the natural ruler of the sign in which the Part of Fortune is placed) are important to factor into the interpretation of this Arabic part.
Worldly success and prosperity are associated with the Part of Fortune. Both its sign and house placement suggest innate abilities and talents–areas of life and qualities that are expressed naturally.
The Part of Fortune lies the same distance in longitude from the Ascendant as the Moon lies from the Sun. If, for example, the Sun is conjunct the Moon in the natal chart, the Part of Fortune will lie close to the Ascendant. Similarly, if the Sun and Moon are in opposition in the natal chart, the Part of Fortune will lie close to the Descendant (opposite the Ascendant).
It is interesting to note that the Arabic part, the Part of Spirit, is calculated in an opposite manner, and also symbolizes the reverse or opposite theme of spiritual well-being.
If you want to know your Part of Fortune sign, enter your birth data here: [Note that the calculator below and in the Free Report section of this site uses the classic formula that reverses the Sun and Moon for night births. See further down the page for example calculations.]
*Please note that since the Ascendant is part of the formula for determining the Part of Fortune and an accurate Ascendant can only be determined with a birth time, we cannot calculate the Part of Fortune without an accurate birth time.
See interpretations of the Part of Fortune in the Signs.
Keys to the Interpretation of the Part of Fortune:
As noted above, the Part of Fortune points to innate talents that set us on a path to worldly success.
- First look to any planets or points that are tightly conjunct or opposite the Part of Fortune as significators of vocation, career, and natural talents–keys to success.
- Second, determine the ruling planet of the sign of the Part of Fortune, and consider that planet as another significator.
- Consider the sign and house placement of the Part of Fortune as qualities and areas of life where we possess natural and innate talents or abilities, and that can be considered keys to worldly success and prosperity.
- Look to any planets or points posited in the same sign as the Part of Fortune, whether or not they are conjunct the point. These will also play a role in our profession.
Example Calculations of the Part of Fortune:
As explained above, the classical method of determining the Part of Fortune requires first determining whether the chart is what is known as a “day chart” or “night chart.” The modern method does NOT make this distinction and uses the first formula (for a day chart) regardless.
To determine whether a chart is a day chart or night chart (it’s easy if you know the house position of the Sun):
If your Sun is in any of the following houses: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12: your chart is a day chart.
If your Sun is any of the following houses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6: your chart is a night chart.
If you’ve determined that your chart is a day chart, then there will be no distinction between the classic and modern calculations. You will simply use the formula:
Ascendant + Moon – Sun = Part of Fortune
If you’ve determined that your chart is a night chart, then there are two possible calculations of your Part of Fortune.
Example:
In Jennifer Aniston’s chart, the Sun is in the 4th house, so her chart is considered a night chart. This means there are two possible ways of calculating her Part of Fortune. The modern approach would be to use the day chart formula since whether the chart is a day or night chart is not distinguished in this approach:
The relevant data is:
Sun in Aquarius 23° 22′ 09″
Ascendant in Libra 24° 39′ 48″
Moon in Sagittarius 23° 16′ 01″
Because we are dealing with the numbers of the Ascendant and without knowing the birth time to the second which is the case for the vast majority of us, we can safely round off to degrees and minutes without compromising accuracy (to see WHY this is the case, see this article). So, I will work with the following:
Sun in Aquarius 23° 22′
Ascendant in Libra 24° 40′
Moon in Sagittarius 23° 16′
We’re going to use the day or modern formula first, which is:
Ascendant + Moon – Sun = Part of Fortune
The best way to add these is to convert the values to the 360-degree notation as follows:
The Ascendant is 24 Libra 40. Zero degrees Libra is 180 degrees, so we will add 180 00 to 24 40 to arrive at the value 204 40 for the Ascendant.
Moon is 23 Sagittarius 16. Zero degrees Sagittarius is 240 degrees, so we will add 240 00 to 23 16 to arrive at the value of 263 16 for the Moon.
Sun is 23 Aquarius 22. Zero degrees Aquarius is 300 degrees, so we will add 300 00 to 23 22 to arrive at the value 323 22 for the Sun.
Now we add the Ascendant and the Moon:
204 40 + 263 16 = 467 degrees and 56 minutes.
Next, we subtract the Sun value from the sum just above:
467 56 – 323 22 = 144 34
Then we convert 144 34 to 24 Leo 34. In other words, Jennifer’s Part of Fortune can be calculated as 24 Leo 34 if the modern formula is used.
However, if the classic or ancient method is applied, because we determined that Jennifer’s chart is a night chart, the formula is different, as follows:
Ascendant + Sun – Moon = Part of Fortune
We’ll first add the Ascendant and Sun as follows:
204 40 + 323 22 = 527 62 (this value is equivalent to 528 02 but we have no reason to make this conversion yet)
Then we will subtract the Moon from the sum directly above:
527 62 – 263 16 = 264 46, which is equivalent to 24 Sagittarius 46, so that Jennifer’s Part of Fortune can be calculated as 24 Sagittarius 36 using the classic or ancient formula.
While they’re quite different, both 24 Sagittarius 46 and 24 Leo 34 are correct values for this Part of Fortune for the two methods used.
Please also note that since we are dealing with the Ascendant, and different programs use slightly different averages for the city coordinates, these values can be slightly different (example, 24 Leo 34 in one program and 24 Leo 37 in another) and they’re still technically correct. This is because city coordinates fall within a range, and all coordinates within that range can be considered correct.
Further reading about the Arabic Parts offsite: The Parts in Action
Back to Planets, Points, & Luminaries in Astrology
