Al Fargh al Mu'akhar in Historical Texts

A scribe in 11th-century Cairo copies a passage from al-Biruni’s Kitab al-Tafhim: the moon has entered the 27th mansion, and a merchant delays his departure by three days. The reason is written in the stars. Al Fargh al Mu’akhar (Arabic: الفرغ المؤخر) is the 27th lunar mansion in the Arabic system of manazil al-qamar, the “Rear Spout” of the Water Jar asterism in Pegasus. It governs endings, separation, and the outflow of water — a mansion consulted for journeys that require a clean break.

What Is Al Fargh al Mu’akhar? Definition and Astronomical Identity

Al Fargh al Mu’akhar translates to “the Posterior Spout” or “the Rear Opening.” It is the second of two spouts on the celestial water jar, the other being Al Fargh al Muqaddam (the Anterior Spout). Together they form the asterism known as al-Farghan (the Two Spouts), part of the larger constellation Pegasus.

The mansion consists of two stars: Markab (Alpha Pegasi) and Scheat (Beta Pegasi). In the Arabic sky, these stars mark the rear opening of the jar from which water pours. The mansion spans roughly 12 degrees of ecliptic longitude, from 29° Pisces to 11° Aries in the tropical zodiac (or 5° to 17° of Aries in the sidereal system used by medieval Arabic astrologers).

In the sequence of 28 mansions, Al Fargh al Mu’akhar is the 27th, followed by Batn al-Hut (the Belly of the Fish) and preceded by Al Fargh al Muqaddam. Its position near the end of the lunar cycle gives it a natural association with closure and release.

Where Do the Historical Records of This Mansion Come From?

The earliest systematic treatment of the Arabic lunar mansions appears in the works of al-Qabisi (died 967 CE), whose Introduction to Astrology (al-Madkhal ila Sina’at Ahkam al-Nujum) lists all 28 mansions with their stars, meanings, and astrological applications. Al-Qabisi writes that Al Fargh al Mu’akhar is “a mansion of separation, of ending journeys, and of cutting ties.”

Abu Rayhan al-Biruni (973–1048 CE) provides the most detailed astronomical description in his Kitab al-Tafhim li-Awa’il Sina’at al-Tanjim (Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology). He gives the precise rising times and lunar positions for each mansion, noting that Al Fargh al Mu’akhar rises with the head of Pegasus and sets with the tail of the Fish.

The tradition was transmitted to medieval Europe through Latin translations. John of Seville (c. 1135–1153 CE) translated al-Qabisi’s work as the Liber Introductorius, and Hermann of Carinthia translated Abu Ma’shar’s Great Introduction in 1140 CE, which includes the mansions. By the 13th century, European astrologers like Guido Bonatti were using the Arabic mansions in electional charts, often under Latinized names like Alfarg or Alfargus Posterior.

The Ghayat al-Hakim (known in Latin as the Picatrix), compiled in the 11th century in Andalusia, devotes an entire chapter to the 28 mansions. For Al Fargh al Mu’akhar, it prescribes talismans made when the moon occupies this mansion: a figure of a man with his hand on his mouth, inscribed with the mansion’s name, to be used for “causing separation between two people” or “ending a long journey safely.”

What Does the Rear Spout Symbolize?

The water jar is a vessel of containment. Its two spouts represent the two directions of flow: forward and backward, beginning and end. Al Fargh al Mu’akhar is the rear spout, the point of release. Water that has been held is now let go.

In Arabic astrological symbolism, this mansion governs:

• Endings and conclusions: The completion of a cycle, the final chapter of a matter.
• Separation: Physical distance between travelers and their homes, emotional distance between partners, the dissolution of contracts.
• Travel by water: The outflow of the jar suggests sea voyages, rivers, and journeys that involve crossing bodies of water.
• Release and drainage: Letting go of what no longer serves, whether possessions, relationships, or emotions.

The element is water, but not the still water of a well. This is water in motion, pouring out. The direction is west, where the sun sets and where journeys often end. The season is autumn, when harvests are gathered and the year begins its decline.

Al-Biruni notes that the mansion’s nature is “cold and dry” in the Aristotelian system, a combination that produces contraction and separation. He warns that elections made under this mansion are favorable for “cutting cloth, cutting hair, and cutting ties” but unfavorable for “planting, building, or marrying.”

How Was This Mansion Used in Practice?

Electional astrology was the primary domain of the lunar mansions. A practitioner would calculate the moon’s position among the 28 mansions and choose a moment when the moon occupied a mansion whose nature matched the desired outcome.

For Al Fargh al Mu’akhar, the historical records describe three main applications:

1. Journeys of departure. A traveler leaving on a long voyage, especially by sea, would wait for the moon to be in this mansion. The reasoning was that the rear spout “releases” the traveler from the shore. Al-Qabisi writes that “the journey will be swift and the return delayed,” which was often the desired outcome for merchants seeking new markets.

2. Ending relationships or contracts. The mansion’s nature of separation made it suitable for dissolving partnerships, divorces, or breaking leases. The Picatrix advises that a talisman made under this mansion and buried at the threshold of a house will cause the inhabitants to leave.

3. Medical procedures. Some Arabic medical astrologers recommended this mansion for bloodletting and surgery, on the principle that the rear spout “drains” what is excess. Al-Biruni mentions that “the humors flow out freely” under this mansion, a belief that persisted in European medical astrology into the 17th century.

The talismanic instructions in the Picatrix are specific: the talisman should be made of lead (the metal of Saturn, which rules endings) and engraved with the image of a man pouring water from a jar. The practitioner recites the mansion’s name seven times while the moon is visible in the sky. The talisman is then buried in a place where the person or situation to be separated will pass over it.

How Does Al Fargh al Mu’akhar Compare to Other Lunar Mansion Systems?

The Arabic system of 28 mansions shares a common origin with the Indian nakshatra system and the Chinese xiu. All three divide the ecliptic into 27 or 28 segments based on the moon’s daily motion. But the boundaries and star assignments differ.

Al Fargh al Mu’akhar corresponds roughly to the Indian nakshatra Revati (the last nakshatra, stars Zeta Piscium) and to the Chinese lunar mansion Lou (the Bond, stars in Aries). However, the Arabic system places greater emphasis on the asterism’s visual shape: the water jar is a distinct figure in the sky, and the two spouts are its most recognizable feature.

In the Western system of 28 mansions used by medieval European astrologers (derived from Arabic sources), Al Fargh al Mu’akhar appears as Alfargus Posterior or Alfargus Secundus. The 16th-century astrologer William Lilly mentions it in his Christian Astrology (1647) as a mansion “of separation and travel,” though he uses the Latinized name Alfargus.

What Do People Get Wrong About This Mansion?

Misconception 1: The lunar mansions are an Islamic invention. The Arabic system predates Islam. Pre-Islamic Bedouin astronomers used the mansions for weather prediction and navigation. Islamic scholars systematized and integrated them into astrology, but the star lore is older.

Misconception 2: Al Fargh al Mu’akhar is the same as the Western mansion “Alfargus.” The Western system adopted the Arabic names but often reassigned the stars. In some medieval Latin texts, Alfargus refers to a different set of stars in Pegasus, not the precise pair of Markab and Scheat.

Misconception 3: The mansion governs only negative outcomes. Separation and endings are not inherently bad. A journey that ends safely, a contract that is completed, a wound that drains and heals — these are positive applications. The mansion’s nature is neutral; its effect depends on the intention of the practitioner.

Misconception 4: All 28 mansions are used equally. In practice, certain mansions were favored for specific purposes. Al Fargh al Mu’akhar appears less frequently in surviving electional charts than, say, Al Fargh al Muqaddam or Al-Dhira (the Forearm). It was a specialist’s mansion, consulted only when the need for separation arose.

FAQ

What does “Al Fargh al Mu’akhar” mean in English?
It means “the Posterior Spout” or “the Rear Opening,” referring to the back spout of the celestial water jar in the constellation Pegasus.

Which stars are in Al Fargh al Mu’akhar?
The mansion consists of Markab (Alpha Pegasi) and Scheat (Beta Pegasi), two stars that mark the rear opening of the water jar asterism.

How is this mansion used in astrology?
It is used in electional astrology for journeys of departure, ending relationships or contracts, and medical procedures that require drainage or separation. Talismans made under this mansion are said to facilitate release.

What is the difference between Al Fargh al Mu’akhar and Al Fargh al Muqaddam?
Al Fargh al Muqaddam (the Anterior Spout) governs beginnings, arrivals, and new ventures. Al Fargh al Mu’akhar governs endings, departures, and separation. They are the two spouts of the same water jar, one forward, one rearward.

The Rear Spout in the Library

The lunar mansions are a system that bridges sky and intention. Al Fargh al Mu’akhar is the mansion we consult when something needs to end cleanly: a journey, a contract, a season of life. Its stars have guided travelers and astrologers for over a thousand years. For a complete overview of the 28 mansions, see our guide to the lunar mansions. To understand how this mansion fits into the broader Arabic astrological tradition, read about the manazil al-qamar system. And for the mansion that precedes it, the Anterior Spout, see our entry on Al Fargh al Muqaddam.