Quick answer: The Lot of Nemesis is one of the seven Hermetic Lots, the point keyed to Saturn and calculated from the Lot of Fortune. It marks a Saturnine register of reckoning: the hidden, endings, limits, and what is deserved. It describes a theme to examine, not a curse or a fated disaster.
The Lot of Nemesis sits among the seven Hermetic Lots of Hellenistic astrology, the one answering to Saturn. This guide explains what it is, how it is calculated, and how the classical sources read it as a theme rather than a verdict.
What the Lot of Nemesis is: the seven Hermetic Lots and Saturn's place among them
A lot (Greek klēros, later mislabeled an "Arabic Part") is not a planet but a calculated point of zodiacal longitude, a sensitive degree found by adding and subtracting ecliptic degrees measured in zodiacal order. Paulus Alexandrinus (4th century CE) enumerates seven such lots, one for each traditional planet, and the whole set is ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus. Fortune and Spirit are the two foundational luminary lots, and the other five build partly upon them. Nemesis is Saturn's lot, and notably it derives from the Lot of Fortune, the lot of body and circumstance, which is why the tradition reads it as speaking to Saturnine things that befall a person.
| Lot (Greek) | Planet | Day formula | Night formula | |---|---|---|---| | Fortune (Tyche) | Moon | Asc + Moon − Sun | Asc + Sun − Moon | | Spirit (Daimon) | Sun | Asc + Sun − Moon | Asc + Moon − Sun | | Eros (Love) | Venus | Asc + Venus − Spirit | Asc + Spirit − Venus | | Necessity (Anankē) | Mercury | Asc + Fortune − Mercury | Asc + Mercury − Fortune | | Courage (Tolma) | Mars | Asc + Mars − Fortune | Asc + Fortune − Mars | | Victory (Nikē) | Jupiter | Asc + Jupiter − Spirit | Asc + Spirit − Jupiter | | Nemesis | Saturn | Asc + Fortune − Saturn | Asc + Saturn − Fortune |
How to calculate the Lot of Nemesis: sect reversal and the Lot of Fortune
Because Nemesis is built on Fortune, you calculate Fortune first. By day, Fortune = Ascendant + Moon − Sun; by night the arc reverses to Ascendant + Sun − Moon. Sect is set by whether the Sun is above the horizon (day) or below it (night). Then, by day, Nemesis = Ascendant + Fortune − Saturn; by night, Ascendant + Saturn − Fortune. Failing to reverse the arc for a night chart is the single most common error.
A worked night example: with the Ascendant at 15° Gemini (75°), Saturn at 10° Aries (10°), and Fortune at 20° Leo (140°), the night formula gives 75 + 10 − 140 = −55, and adding 360 yields 305°, which is 5° Aquarius. The result is always reduced into the 0 to 360 degree circle.
The goddess Nemesis: retribution, proportion, and the counterweight to Fortune
In Greek myth Nemesis is the goddess of divine retribution and measured indignation, a daughter of Nyx (Night), who curbs hubris and restores proportion. She is the counterweight to Tyche, Fortune: where Tyche gives, Nemesis measures. This is the mythic root of the lot's core idea, "what is deserved" and the correction of excess, rather than random doom. Reading Fortune and Nemesis together therefore sets a bestowing point against a balancing one.
What the classical sources say it signifies: Paulus and Valens
Paulus attributes to the Lot of Nemesis a Saturnine field: subterranean and underworld matters, the daimon of the dead, things hidden or ice-cold, weakness, exile, loss and grief, downfall, and the quality of the end of life, "of the nature of Saturn." Vettius Valens (2nd century CE) treats the lots within interpretive and timing methods, using Fortune, Spirit and their derivatives as release points. These significations echo Saturn's own nature as the planet of limits, endings, the old, and the heavy or chthonic. Present them as themes to examine, not as predicted events.
Reading Nemesis in a chart: its sign, ruler, aspects, and whole-sign place
Classical technique judges a lot like a miniature Ascendant. Look first at the whole-sign place it occupies, then at the condition and placement of its domicile ruler, then at the planets that regard it by aspect through the Ptolemaic aspects (conjunction, sextile, square, trine, opposition). The sign colours the theme through its ruler's state, so Saturn's dignities form the backdrop: domicile in Capricorn and Aquarius, exaltation in Libra, detriment in Cancer and Leo, fall in Aries. Reviewing planetary dignities makes the reading concrete. The places counted from the lot itself can be examined too, as a derived set of topics.
Theme, not fate: Saturnine accountability, not a curse
Nemesis marks a domain of reckoning, accountability, limits, hidden liabilities, and endings, an area a person can work with consciously. It is not a curse, a hex, or a guaranteed catastrophe, and no responsible reading uses it to predict death or ruin. It describes structure, not outcome. Ancient authors treated lots as topical significators and timing markers, not standalone prophecies. Reflective language suits it best: this placement points to a domain where proportion asks to be restored. (modern) Later readers frame it through the Jungian "shadow" and inner accountability, a useful lens that is not part of the ancient text.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Lot of Nemesis the same as an "Arabic Part"?
The point is identical; only the label differs. "Arabic Part" is an anachronistic later name, while "lot" (klēros) is the correct Hellenistic term. The seven Hermetic Lots are Greek in origin, traditionally ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus, so "lot" is the historically accurate word.
Does the Lot of Nemesis predict death?
No. Its significations touch on endings and the manner of death as topics belonging to Saturn, but the lot is a descriptive significator, not a forecast. It marks an area of Saturnine reckoning to be examined, and no careful practitioner reads it as a prophecy of catastrophe.
Why is Nemesis calculated from Fortune and not from Spirit?
Fortune is the lot of body, circumstance, and fate, while Spirit is the lot of soul and deliberate action. Nemesis speaks to Saturnine things that befall a person rather than things one initiates, so the tradition builds it on Fortune. Some modern lists vary the formula; the Paulus derivation from Fortune, reversed by sect, is the classical standard.
How is Nemesis different from the Lot of Eros?
Both belong to the seven Hermetic Lots, but they answer to different planets. The Lot of Eros is Venus's lot of desire and attraction, while Nemesis is Saturn's lot of limits and reckoning. Reading them together contrasts what draws a person with what measures them.
Where to go next
To locate Nemesis and the other lots in your own nativity, cast a free chart, then explore the Saturnine themes in depth with a personality report. For more classical technique, browse the blog.
