mit hras93.t ripo d.co m http://mithras93.tripod.com/lessons/lesson3/lesson3.html

Planets and Signs in Horary Astrology

Planets

In horary astrology, planetary rulership of a matter is determined f irst by locating the question in the correcthouse, and then using the ruler of the sign on the cusp, as well as the planetary ruler of the seeker, toanswer the question. Planets have "natural" rulership over things, too, though, and sometime you'll f ind itusef ul to consider them as a means of conf irming an answer, or even, in some cases, as primary rulers. Ifyou ask a question like, "Will I f ind the money?" and you have Aquarius on the cusp of the 1st, andCapricorn on the 2nd, with no other planets in the 2nd, you might consider using Venus, the natural ruler ofmoney and precious items, to signif y the lost money, and Saturn to signif y you, the querent, since you can'tvery well expect Saturn, which rules both houses, to make an aspect to itself . Planets and signs also playimportant roles in providing detail to a chart. They can be used to describe people, places, even plants andanimals. Some of these other qualit ies of the planets and signs will be treated in later lessons dealing withphysical description, and f inding lost objects.

The table below presents some rulerships of the planets, most of them compiled f rom Lilly's descriptions inChristian Astrology, and Ivy Goldstein-Jacobson's Simplified Horary Astrology.

Astrologers treat the so-called modern planets in dif f erent ways. Lilly and his crowd--and of course thosewho preceded him--did not know of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Many contemporary astrologers who f avortradit ional horary techniques do not consider these three outer planets when reading a chart. Others regardthem only as secondary rulers of the signs to which they've been assigned by modern astrology. In otherwords, a house with Pisces on the cusp would still be ruled by Jupiter, f irst, and Neptune, second. Someuse Uranus as the primary ruler of Aquarius, and f ollow tradit ional rulerships f or Pisces and Scorpio. Earlyin my horary studies, I used modern rulerships, with good results. When I started learning tradit ional horaryastrology, I used tradit ional rulerships only. Now, I've settled somewhere in between. I still consider thetradit ional planets the primary rulers, but will use Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto to answer a question when noaspects are made by tradit ional planets, or f or conf irmation, or added detail.

Planet Rulership Nature & Characteristics

Sun The giver of lif e.Gold. Maturemen, royalty,aristocrats.Authority.Employers. Thef ather. Bankers.Fidelity.

Hot and dry. Masculine. Diurnal. Equivalent to a benef ic when well-dignif ied.Well-dignified: conf ident, truthf ul, direct, humane, charitable. Ill-dignified:Vain, arrogant, untrustworthy, prone to vulgar displays ofpersonal magnif icence.

Moon Queen, First lady,women inauthority. Womenin general.Mothers.Changes.Emotions.Nurses.Wanderers,runaways. Seas,oceans.Domesticity.Children. The"masses."

Cold, moist, phlegmatic. Feminine. Nocturnal. Benef ic. Well-dignified: Well-mannered, sof t-spoken, mild, prodigal and easily f rightened. Freedom-loving. Sensitive. Ill-dignified: A vagabond, drunkard. A malcontent,impossible to please. Lazy.

Mercury Books, writ ing.Documents andcontracts.Brief cases.Papers. Cars,transportation.Intellectuals.Teachers. Shorttrips. Luggage.Clerks. Writers,stenographers,etc. Learning,school. Cleverpeople,pranksters.

Cold and dry. Neutral gender, except when conjunct another planet, inwhich case Mecury assumes the gender of that planet. Neither benef ic normalef ic, except when joined to a benef ic or malef ic planet. Well-dignified: Represents a clever thinker or learned person. An eloquent speaker. Wittyand cunning and curious. Ill-dignified: "A troublesome wit . . . his tongueand Pen against every man" (Lilly). A liar and gossip and cheat.

Venus Called "TheLesser Benef ic."Jewelery, money,f ine things ingeneral.Presents.Partners,mothers, youngwomen. Fine art.Pleasure andcelebrations.Social events.Elegance.Cooperation.

"Temperately Cold and Moyst," according to Lilly. Feminine. Nocturnal.Benef ic. Well-dignified: Quiet, ref ined, pleasant. Prone to romanticentanglements. Sybarit ic. Cheerf ul. Trusting. Ill-dignified: Given to excess."Riotous." Debauched. Adulterous. Lazy.

Mars Called "TheLesser Malef ic."Fire. Combat.Strif e. Courage.Argument. Guns,knives, weaponsin general. Men,young throughearly middle-age.Aggression,generally.Impulsive actions.Danger. Ego.

Hot and Dry. Masculine. Nocturnal. Malef ic. Well-dignified: Strong,courageous, victorious. Conf ident and bold, "yet of prudent behaviour inhis own af f aires" (Lilly). Ill-dignified: Cruel. A bully and braggart.Treacherous and violent. Someone not to be trusted.

Jupiter Called "TheGreater Benef ic."Optimism.Expansion,generally. Highereducation.Mature men.Lawyers andjudges, legalclerks.Foreigners, longjourneys. Priests,ministers.Abundance.

"Temperately Hot and Moyst . . . author of Temperance, Modesty, Sobriety,Justice" (Lilly 62). Masculine. Diurnal. Benef ic. Well-dignified: Lilly says itbest: "Magnanimous, Faithf ull, Bashf ull, Aspiring in an honourable way athigh matters, in all his actions a Lover of f air dealing, desiring to benef it allmen, doing Glorious things, Honourable and Religious, of sweet andaf f able Conversation, wonderf ully indulgent to his Wif e and Children,reverencing Aged men, a great Relievaer of the Poor, f ull of Charity andGodliness, Liberal, hating all Sordid actions, Just, Wif e, Prudent,Thankf ull, Vertuous: so that when you f ind Jupiter the signif icator of anyman in a Question, or Lord of his Ascendant in a Nativity, and welldignif ied, you may judge him qualif ied as abovesaid." Ill-dignified: Hypocrit ical, f alsely pious. Careless, miserly. Ignorant.

Saturn Called "TheGreater Malef ic."Time. Old age.

Cold and dry. Masculine. Diurnal. Malef ic. Well-dignified: "Prf ound inimagination" (Lilly). Reserved. Austere. Frugal. Patient. Grave in speech. Ill-dignified: Covetous and jealous. Avaricious, mistrustf ul. "Outwardly

Elderly men. Thef ather. Discipline.Constraint.Restriction.Delay. Penury.Loss. Structure.Loneliness.Debility. Disciplineand seriousness.Practicality.Severity.Frugality.

diessembling, sluggish, suspicious, stubborn, a contemner of women, aclose lyar, malicious . . . never contented, ever repining" (Lilly 58).

Uranus Accidents.Sudden eventsand surprises.Unpredictableevents, generally.Inventions andinventors.Freedom.Revolution.Astrology.Sudden changesin f ortune, goodor bad dependingon other f actorsin the chart.

Gender neutral, considered by many astrologers to by the "higher octave"of Mercury. Zadkiel says, "The nature of Uranus is extremely evil." Well-dignified: Humanitarian, ingenious, creative, autonomous, eccentric,spontaneous. Ill-dignified: Violent, unpredictable, unreliable, f orgetf ul.

Neptune Conf usion, drugsand alcohol.Addiction.Depression andotherpsychologicalailments.Idealism.Inspiration. ESP.The Arts.Mystery. Fog.Intuit ion andinstinct.Deception.

Well-dignified: Visionary, creative, telepathic, intuit ive, gentle, dreamy,spiritual, other-worldly. Ill-dignified: Out of touch with reality,hypochondriacal, given to substance abuse, impractical to a harmf uldegree, neurotic or psychotic.

Pluto Death, sex. Aninexorable f orce.The "masses."Putref ication.Other people'smoney, debts.Cutting andpenetration.Perspective andtransf ormation. Astrong f orce.Reproduction.

Well-dignified: Powerf ul, unyielding, irresistable. Ill-dignified: Violent. Usingwealth and power f or ignoble purposes.

A Note About Benefics and Malef ics

From the table above, you see that Jupiter and Venus are called the Greater and Lesser Benef ics. That is,they are naturally f ortunate planets. They may become unf ortunate, though, depending on the questionasked and the house they rule. For example, if Jupiter rules the 8th house of death, it may very well not bef ortunate at all. Similarly, a malef ic (Saturn or Mars) may rule the 11th house of wishes, and may be applyingto a sextile with the Ascendant ruler, indicating that the querent will get his wish.

Part of Fortune

This is a point on the chart, not a planet. It and its dispositor can signif y lost objects, money, possessions,and luck. I use it only to conf irm answers. I've never had a well-placed POF provide a posit ive answer initself . Marc Edmund Jones uses the house location of the POF to show (or conf irm) a querent's area ofinterest.

The Lunar Nodes

A "node" is the point at which a planet crosses the eliptic. All planets have nodes. I've only seen the Moon'snodes used in horary. The North Node (also called Caput Draconis, or the Dragon's Head) is consideredbenef icial, having the nature of the Jupiter and Venus. Marc Edmund Jones calls the North Node "a point ofdef inite assistance wherever it is f ound," assuring cooperation and smooth transactions in areas ruled bythe house in which it is f ound.

The North Node is the Moon's ascending node. The South Node, or Cauda Draconis, is the descendingnode, and is always exactly opposite the North Node. Jones calls this point an impediment in any horarychart, and shows self -undoing or a lack of common sense.

The Signs

Planetary traits are qualif ied by the signs they inhabit. In a later lesson, I'll provide more inf ormation f orusing signs to f ind lost objects, to describe illnesses, and to determine physical characteristics. Here, now,we'll just look at some of the characteristics and correspondences of the 12 signs.

Qualit ies, Elements, and SignsMode Fire Earth Air Water

Cardinal Aries Capricorn Libra Cancer

Fixed Leo Taurus Aquarius Scorpio

Mutable Sagittarius Virgo Gemini Pisces

Cardinal Signs. Also called "Moveable" signs. Cardinal signs signal init iation, beginnings, action. A CardinalAscendant can show a quick start. Cardinal signs on all the angles show a sustained, quick movement ofthe matter, and a quick resolution. Seasons change with the Cardinal signs.

Fixed Signs. These represent an established f orce. They show stability and rootedness. Change does notoccur quickly. Prominent f ixed signs can show that the querent is "dug in," stubborn, conservative, stable.Ivy Goldstein-Jacobson says that a f ixed cross shows that "there is no stopping the proceedings."

Mutable Signs. Also called "Common" signs. They mark the end of one season and the beginning of thenext. They signal imminent change, f lexibility. Also, instability. A mutable cross signals changeability, orunstable conditions.

Questions described by a mixed cross of ten begin in the manner denoted by the mode of the signs on theascendant and 7th house, and continue or end in the manner dentoed by the mode of the signs on MC andIC.

Sign Rulership and Planetary Dignity

In horary, at least tradit ional horary, there's much more to Planetary dignity than we typical deal with incontemporary natal astrology. We'll get the basics of essential dignity out of the way here, though, and gointo more detail in a later lesson. The gist, though, is this: Planets are stronger--or more "comf ortable" insome signs than others. The f ollowing table summarizes planetary standing in the signs.

PLANETARY DIGNITY--THE BASICSPlanet Dignity Exaltation Detriment Fall

Sun Leo Aries Aquarius Libra

Moon Cancer Taurus Capricorn Scorpio

Mercury Gemini & Virgo Virgo Sagittarius Pisces

Venus Taurus & Libra Pisces Aries & Scorpio Virgo

Mars Aries & Scorpio Capricorn Libra & Taurus Cancer

Jupiter Sagittarius & Pisces Cancer Gemini & Virgo Capricorn

Saturn Capricorn & Aquarius Libra Cancer & Leo Aries

Uranus Aquarius Scorpio Leo Taurus

Neptune Pisces Undetermined* Virgo Undetermined*

Pluto Scorpio Undetermined** Taurus Undetermined**

*Jacobson claims Neptune is exhalted in Gemini, and in its f all in Sagittarius. *Sylvia DeLong has Neptune exhalted in Cancer, and in its f all in Capricorn. **DeLong has Pluto exhalted in Cancer, and in its f all in Capricorn.

Generally speaking, in horary charts planets ref lect the debilitated state of that which they represent. Whena well-digif ied planet represents the querent, f or instance, it can show that he is healthy, held in highesteem, or able to accomplish his goals: he is "well-posit ioned." Well dignif ied planets can conf irm apositive answer. A poorly dignif ied planet, say, representing the quesited, can show that what the seekerhopes f or will f all short of his expectations, or f or some reason ought not be pursued.

Example

Here's an example in which the quesited's ruler is poorly dignif ied. The chart was cast in the Koch housesystem. There is no agreement between the planetary hour ruler and the Ascendant, so whether the chart isvalid is arguable. I had the querent's natal chart, though, and saw that the planetary hour ruler matched thenatal Ascendant ruler--not in itself a compelling sign of validity. But the horary Ascendant adequatelydescribes the querent, who is bookish and until very recently worked as a teacher. I decided to read thechart.

The Querent is ruled by Mercury, and co-ruled by the Moon. The quesited-- the job-- is a 10th house matter.With Aquarius on the 10th, Saturn rules the job. In Koch, the Moon is in the 10th. The angles are mixed, withmutable signs on the Asc/desc., and f ixed signs on the MC/IC. This suggests that the querent is currently ina period of transit ion that will resolve itself in some manner of increased stability. The Moon's last majoraspect was a sextile to Saturn, which in this chart rules the 8th, 9th, and 10th houses. Recently, he quit hisjob teaching to move to another state, where his wif e was of f ered an excellent job opportunity. A long-distance move is apt 9th house symbolism. The Moon's next major aspect is a sextile to Mercury, naturalruler of tests. He would soon be taking the written exam f or the law enf orcement job, and the sextile

suggests he will do well. (He did, scoring 100%). He is concerned that past health problems willautomatically disqualif y him f rom the race, even though his health now is excellent; this is what motivatedhim to ask a horary question. That Saturn is in the 12th house of hospitalization conf irms that, at the veryleast, the people in a posit ion to give him a job will be concerned about his past problems. Mercury isdignif ied by term, but weak by house (the 6th is considered a malef ic house-- it rules illness). The Moon isperegrine. It is, however, acidentally dignif ied by house. Using Lilly's point system (which will be explained ina later lesson), the Moon rates a +8, and Mercury a +9. Not bad, either of them. Saturn, though--the job-- isseverely debilitated rating a -10. Saturn is not a surprising planet to show up representing a governmentjob, but in this chart it is retrograde, and peregrine. It resides in the 12th house of self -undoing.Furthermore, Mercury is conjunct the f ixed star Unukalhai, at 22Scorp04. Unukalhai signf ies success,f ollowed by downf all. Not a good sign. The Ascendant is conjunct Aldebaran, signif ying courage, violence,and sickness. Things don't look good. There are no strong aspect between the major players. Regardingcareer questions, however, Lilly says that "if none of the Signif icators be joyned to the Lord of the 10th,see if the Lord of the 1st or Moon be in the 10th, he shall then attain what he desires, if that planet be notimpedited." In this chart, the Moon does indeed reside in the 10th, unimpedited. At the time of this writ ing,the querent is still pursuing the job, but the chart seems to suggest this: That although the prospect f or hisobtaining the job does not look very strong, there is a chance that in spite of his past health problems hewill be of f ered a job. He ought to think twice--seriously--about taking, it, though, because it will not be whathe hoped it would be, and more likely than not he will be unhappy (at best) in the posit ion.

More Signs Miscellany

Lilly uses various properties of the sign when considering charts. For instance, if a man or a woman asks,"Will we ever have children?" (and, believe it or not, Lilly did answer questions like this, and seemed unaf raidto deliver an unequivocal "No"), a barren sign like Virgo on the cusp of the 5th house of children couldcontribute to a negative answer.

Here is a list of some of the properties described by Lilly in Christian Astrology:

Masculine, Diurnal Signs: Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, Aquarius. Feminine, Nocturnal Signs: Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces. Regarding these distinctinctions, Lilly says:

The use whereof is this, That if you have a masculine Planet in a Masculine Sign, it imports himor her more manly; and so if a Masculine Planet be in a Feminine Sign, the man or woman islesse couragious, &c.

Northern, or Boreal Signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Virgo Sourthern, or Austral Signs: Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces

Double-bodies Signs: Gemini, Pisces (Jones, drawing on James Wilson's A Complete Dictionary ofAstrology, includes Virgo and Sagittarius.)

Bestial, Four-footed Signs: Aries, Taurus, Leo, Sagittarius, Capricorn. (Jones says, "The last half ofSagittarius only.") "Manly" or Humane Signs: Gemini, Virgo, Libra, Aquarius. (Jones includes the f irst half of Sagittarius.) According to Lilly, if the Ascendant ruler is in a bestial sign, the querent will shows some characteristics ofthe animal represented by that sign. Conversely, if the signif icator is in a human sign, or if a human signascends, the querent will be more ref ined, and of "civil carriage."

Fruitful Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Barren Signs: Gemini, Leo, Virgo

Mute Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, "the more if Mercury be in any of them, in conjunction, Square, orOpposition of Saturn." (Lilly 89)

Signs of Long Ascension: Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra,Scorpio, and Sagittarius (in the northern hemisphere)Signs of Short Ascension: Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, and Gemini More about the signif icance of these in the next lesson.

End of Lesson 3

This ad is supporting your extension SmoothScroll.