Morinus vs. Commercial Astrology Tools: A Comparison

Exploring Morinus — Features, Tips, and WorkflowsMorinus is a free, open-source astrology program originally written by Jean-Baptiste-Delorme and later maintained and expanded by an international community. It focuses on traditional astrological calculations and charting, providing a robust toolset for hobbyists and professional astrologers who prefer detailed control over computations, house systems, and specialized techniques. This article walks through Morinus’s main features, practical tips for effective use, and example workflows for common astrological tasks.

1. Key Features

• Open-source and free: Morinus is distributed under an open-source license, which means no cost to use and the ability to inspect or modify source code.
• Accurate astronomical calculations: Uses high-precision ephemerides to compute planetary positions, including planets, asteroids, lunar nodes, and mean/true nodes.
• Multiple house systems: Supports Placidus, Koch, Equal, Whole Sign, Regiomontanus, Porphyry, and others, enabling traditional and modern practitioners to choose their preferred system.
• Extensive chart types: Natal (birth) charts, transit charts, progression charts (secondary progressions), and solar returns.
• Aspects and aspect grids: Configurable orb settings, aspect lists, and visual aspect grids for quick analysis.
• Arabic parts/translated parts: Computes lots such as the Part of Fortune and other translations relevant for Hellenistic and medieval techniques.
• Customizable reports and printing: Print-ready charts and tables; formats can be adjusted to fit professional reporting needs.
• Command-line and GUI options: Available as both a graphical desktop application and command-line tool for batch processing or integration into workflows.
• Localization and community support: Translated into multiple languages; active forums and repositories for plugins, patches, and documentation.

2. Installation and Setup

• Download the latest release from the official repository or distribution page for your operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux).
• For Windows, use the provided installer or portable zip. For macOS and Linux, follow the included instructions; Linux users can often compile from source or install via package managers if available.
• Ensure high-precision ephemeris files (e.g., Swiss Ephemeris) are present if you require extended accuracy for historical dates or minor bodies.
• Configure default settings: time zone handling, geographic coordinate formats, preferred house system, and default aspect orbs.

Tip: Keep a backup of your settings file after configuring Morinus the way you like it — this saves time if you reinstall or move to another machine.

3. Interface Overview

The Morinus interface centers on a chart display with complementary panels showing planetary lists, aspect tables, and configuration controls. Key panes include:

• Chart window: Visual wheel chart showing houses, planets, and glyphs.
• Planet table: Numeric planetary positions (degrees, minutes, seconds), declination, speed (direct/retrograde).
• Aspect grid: Matrix showing aspects and orb distances.
• Event list / time-line: Useful for transit sweeps and progression calculations.

Navigation basics: create a new chart via File → New, enter birth data (date, time, place), then generate the chart. Use View options to toggle house cusps, fixed stars, or additional points.

4. Practical Tips

• Time accuracy: For natal charts, confirm the exact birth time and time zone. Use historical time zone corrections for older dates when necessary.
• Don’t overlook sidereal options: Morinus supports both tropical and sidereal zodiacs; check which system your methodology requires.
• Use whole-sign houses for Hellenistic techniques: Many traditional techniques assume whole-sign houses, and Morinus makes switching straightforward.
• Batch processing: Use the command-line mode to calculate multiple charts or run transit sweeps across date ranges.
• Custom aspects and orbs: Define custom aspects if your practice uses nonstandard divisions (e.g., 29°30’ for certain midpoint techniques).
• Test with known examples: Validate your settings by reproducing charts from reputable sources or published examples to ensure ephemeris and house system choices match expectations.

5. Common Workflows

Below are example workflows illustrating how to perform typical astrological tasks in Morinus.

5.1 Creating a Natal Chart

1. File → New Chart.
2. Enter name, birth date, birth time, and birthplace coordinates (or select city from the database).
3. Choose tropical or sidereal zodiac and preferred ayanamsha if sidereal.
4. Select house system (e.g., Placidus or Whole Sign).
5. Click Calculate/OK to generate chart.
6. Review planet table, aspects, and house cusps. Print or export as needed.

5.2 Calculating Transits for a Date Range

1. Open the natal chart to monitor.
2. Tools → Transit List or use Batch/Command-line mode.
3. Enter start/end dates and step interval (daily, hourly).
4. Configure which aspects and orbs to include.
5. Run sweep to generate a timeline of significant transits; export results to CSV for analysis.

5.3 Secondary Progressions

1. Open natal chart.
2. Tools → Progressions → Secondary.
3. Enter progression start date or target year(s).
4. Choose step-rate (1 day = 1 year for secondary).
5. Generate progressed chart; compare progressed planets to natal positions using aspect grids.

5.4 Solar Return Chart

1. Tools → Solar Return.
2. Input the target year and location (often the place of residence).
3. Generate the solar return chart; examine planets in houses and major aspects to interpret the year ahead.

6. Advanced Uses

• Integration with scripts: Use the command-line interface to integrate Morinus into larger pipelines (data cleaning, automated report generation, or combining results with other software).
• Fixed stars and midpoints: Enable fixed star tables and midpoint calculations for deeper traditional analysis.
• Custom plugins and source edits: Because it’s open-source, you can add calculations or interface tweaks by editing the source and recompiling.

7. Troubleshooting

• Incorrect house cusps: Check the selected house system and ensure geographic coordinates are accurate.
• Time zone issues: Verify DST and historical zone handling; enter UTC offset manually for problematic historical dates.
• Missing ephemeris data: Install or point Morinus to the correct ephemeris files (Swiss Ephemeris recommended for extended accuracy).

8. Recommended Resources

• Official Morinus repository and documentation for downloads and source code.
• Community forums and user groups for shared workflows, example charts, and troubleshooting help.
• Ephemeris sources (Swiss Ephemeris) for high-precision planetary and minor-body data.

Morinus remains a powerful, no-cost option for astrologers who want transparent, customizable calculations with both modern conveniences and support for traditional techniques. With attention to accurate input data and thoughtful configuration, it handles a wide range of astrological tasks from basic natal charts to advanced progressions and transits.