Assessing planetary condition, and why it reveals the much deeper layer of any placement in your birth chart!

There is a surprising amount of people interested in astrology who do not bother with planetary condition and dignity, even though it is an essential part of judging how that planet's themes and energy manifest in the native's life. I believe that the over-simplification of astrology is to blame, as well as the rise of "pop astrology"... I find that integrating traditional astrology in your practice is necessary to expand and delve deeper.

This post is aimed at mostly beginners, and I am not a professional astrologer myself. I'm just trying to make sense of this for someone who might be confused and help people read through their own charts themselves :)

Also, a quick note: I use whole sign house system because that is the house system used in traditional methods. You are free to use any system that you prefer!

This post is also going to only touch the seven traditional planets.

STEP ONE: Sect.

*Sect* roughly means the distinction between a day and a night chart(born at day/night). But what if you were born in the morning/early evening? A simpler method to find out whether your chart is a day or night one is to look at your sun, and its position relative to the Ascendant - Descendant line. If the sun is below it, it means you have a night chart. Conversely, if the sun is above, you have a day chart.

Why is sect important? Because different planets belong to different parts of the sect.(didn't really know how to phrase it lol)

For instance, there are the *luminaries*—the Sun and the Moon. In a day chart, the Sun would be the primary luminary, and would have more influence on the native. The Moon would be the primary luminary for a night chart.

Outside of the luminaries, the other four planets are separated by sect. Why four, you'd ask? There's seven traditional planets, five besides the luminaries...It's because Mercury is the only neutral planet, unaffected by sect. Aside from Mercury, the other four are separated by sect—two benefics(Venus and Jupiter) and two malefics(Mars and Jupiter).

Venus and Mars are *night* planets, while Jupiter and Saturn are *day* planets.

How do these planets behave when they are in-sect and outside of sect? For example, say we have a night chart with the Sun under the ASC-DSC line. In this hypothetical chart, Venus would be the in-sect benefic, while Jupiter would be out-of-sect and weakened. Mars would be the in-sect malefic, while Saturn would be the out-of-sect malefic. An important thing to understand is that being in sect does not make planets "better", but it does modify their expression in the native's life. An in-sect Venus would be more apt at expressing her benefits, while an out-of-sect Jupiter would struggle to do so. With malefics, an in-sect malefic like Mars in this example would express its influence more constructively(not beneficially, because it is still a malefic) but generally easier than said Saturn, which would represent much bigger obstacles to overcome.

STEP TWO: Essential dignity.

*Essential dignity* is a planet's placement in a sign. An analogy I read somewhere explained a birth chart and everything happening in it like this: The birth chart is the stage, the houses are the scenes, the signs are the mood of the scenes, and the planets are the actors that play out their roles according to their positions in the birth chart, and interact with one another according to the script through aspects.

Taking this into account, for every planet, each sign is going to end up as a different way of expression. Each planet also rules a certain sign(or two, because I use traditional rulerships) and its placement relative to the sign it rules defines the quality of its expression.

For example, let's take Jupiter in a day chart. Naturally, here it would be the in-sect benefic. Jupiter rules the signs Sagittarius and Pisces, and being in these signs would give Jupiter the ability to act most comfortably and bring benefits, since there it would be in *domicile*. Domicile is the strongest dignity a planet can have — think of someone being in a job position that they know absolutely everything about and are incredibly confident in their abilities.

Next comes *exaltation* — exaltation is like the planet becomes an expert guest consultant brought in to address the team, who everyone applauds and listens to. Jupiter, for example, is exalted in Cancer. However, as much as this elevation might surpass even the effects of domicile, its effects are usually less stable and long-standing that a planet in domicile.

Now, the opposite condition of domicile is *detriment*. A planet in detriment is like a worker being pushed out of their comfort zone, into an unfamiliar, opposite-nature job environment to what they're used to.

*Fall* is always the opposite to exaltation. An analogy would be that expert from the exaltation example being micromanaged by someone who doesn't understand their field. Jupiter would be in detriment in Capricorn, and here Jupiter's expansive nature is restricted by Capricorn's need for tangible structure and authority.

Some interesting facts about planetary rulerships:

- Mercury is the only planet which can be both exalted and in domicile at once. This happens in the sign of Virgo.

- The Aquarius-Leo axis does not exalt any planet.

STEP THREE: Accidental dignity.

While essential dignity focuses on signs and planetary rulerships, accidental dignity is about everything else: house placement, speed, motion and combustion. I'm going to go through each of these:

*Houses* are inherently different in nature. There are three types of houses in astrology in relation to the Ascendant:

- Angular(1st, 4th, 7th, 10th) houses are all considered to be places of high visibility, because the ascendant(and the self respectively) can "see" them. In the birth chart as stage analogy, these houses would be the spotlight. Important to note that even weakened by sect, dignity or aspects, a planet would still likely have a great influence on the native's life if placed in an angular house.

- Succedent(2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th) are houses which follow after the angular houses, and in a sense 'support' them. The 2nd house supports the 1st, because what we earn and our material security supports our vitality and the self. The 5th house supports the 4th, because children, joy and self-expression support early life experiences, family and home. The 8th house supports the 7th, because relationships with other people make us confront our own deeper parts of the psyche and we also manage their resources just as much as our own. The 11th house supports the 10th, because our public image is supported by our social circle, likeminded individuals, community and benefactors. Planets placed in succedent houses are generally considered to be moderate in power and more defined by essential dignity.

- Cadent(3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th) are considered the weaker houses, because the ascendant does not "see" them, so there is a disconnect between the self and what these houses represent because the ascendant does not control them and the outcomes of the planets being in these houses. For example, the 6th house often represents work we do not want to do but must, as well as apprenticeship—but the more common interpretation of ilness works too, because we do not control it as well. The 9th house represents religion, as well as law. The 12th house is our subconscious, the place most hidden from the ascendant and from the self. Planets in cadent houses, even if in domicile/exalted and with support from aspects from benefics, might still struggle to show up in the life of the native.

The 6th, the 8th, and the 12th house are also traditionally considered malefic houses, most adverse to the ascendant. Because the 6th house is associated with ilness and hard labour, the 8th is associated with other's resources, misfortune and death, while the 12th is associated with things hidden from us, our subconscious, things we struggle to access as well as places of solitude like prisons and mental institutions, these three are generally considered to bring bad things into the native's life. However, these placements are nothing to freak out about if you have placements in these houses! I myself am a 6th house stellium and 8th house moon, and it is not that bad. It is good however to know which experiences are likely to be brought into your life by these placements. The ruler of the house also matters A LOT. A 6th house ruled by an in-sect, domicile, angular benefic is going to yield really different results compared to a 6th house ruled by an out-of-sect malefic in fall or detriment(even in this case, it does not guarantee bad things to happen as it is important to examine the whole chart before making conclusions!!!).

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*Speed* is exactly what it sounds like: the speed of a planet at the time of birth. It's easy to calculate using some astrological software, and it brings a slight adjustment to the way a planet acts out its themes in a native's life. A fast-moving planet is going to yield results faster—but doesn't mean that it's going to be better or more beneficial. As stated earlier, essential dignity is important.

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*Motion* describes the way that a planet moves relative to the earth. Because astrology is geocentric, it is possible to observe the five visible planets aside from the Sun and the Moon moving along the elliptic, but sometimes also moving backwards or seemingly stopping their motion altogether at certain moments before resuming motion in opposite direction.

A planet in *direct* motion is observed to be moving in its "default" direction along the elliptic — its expression is straightforward, uninhibited.

A planet visibly moving backwards on its elliptic is said to be *retrograde*. Generally, a retrograde planet's effects and expression is considered to be internalized, repressed, inhibited, or its influence is late to show up when it's supposed to. The effects greatly vary from planet to planet, and essential dignity is important when making out the effects of retrograde movement on a planet.

There is a third position of a planet—*stationary*. Before switching motion from direct to retrograde or from retrograde to direct, a planet visibly slows down and then stops completely on the elliptic. Astrologers are mostly divided on the effects of a stationary planet on the native: some say it acts as a block on that planet's action, as if its stationary nature means it's 'stuck' and can't be expected to engage with other planetary energies and actively participate. Others say that a stationary planet's energy is amplified in a native's life, becoming a focal point which sometimes becomes even more important than the chart ruler(debatable, depends on other factors heavily). There is also a minor distinction between *stationary retrograde*—a planet about to switch from direct to retrograde—and *stationary direct*—a planet about to switch from retrograde to direct. It is generally said that a stationary planet will have a more benefic influence if it is stationary direct, as it is described as "a person finally having a solution for something they've pondered over for a long time, ready to move forward and act with determination".

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*Combustion* is a condition unique to planets which are situated near to the Sun, since the Sun is considered to be the root of the ego and the self.

A planet which falls within 15° or closer of the Sun is considered to be *under the beams*—its influence is muted on the native's life, as if it is partially concealed and unable to shine fully on its own. The planet may struggle to show up cleanly and clearly.

A planet which is within 8° or closer of the Sun is considered to be *combust*, and the closer it is the more severe the combustion is. Combustion usually means a fusion between the planet's themes and the ego and vitality, with the planet involved in the conjunction becoming weakened and even more overshadowed by the sun. A combust planet has to be consciously worked through and engaged to achieve results, especially in the case of malefics like Saturn or Mars.

There is also a special, rare condition called *cazimi*. A cazimi planet is located one degree away or less from the sun, and rather than burning, it is considered to be located in the "blind spot" of the sun's rays(in the very middle). Its qualities, rather than being inhibited and muted, are elevated and amplified, with my favorite analogy being that a cazimi planet is crowned in the Sun's light. For example, a cazimi Mercury can make a person very intelligent and bless them with quick thinking and an imaginative mind.

STEP FOUR: Aspects.

Returning to my theater analogy, I have stated that the aspects were the interactions between the actors(the planets). However, they also make up a considerable part of the planet's dignity and are important to consider.

There are two main types of aspects: *major* and *minor*. Major aspects include benefic and malefic aspects, which go as follows:

Harmonious: Trine(120° away on the zodiacal wheel), sextile(60° away on the zodiacal wheel).

Hard/disharmonious: Opposition(180° away on the zodiacal wheel), Square(90° away on the zodiacal wheel).

Neutral: Conjunction(0° - 5-7° / 10° if luminary involved)

(Note: The orb generally accepted for aspects involving the five planets are 0° - 5-8°. Luminaries have a 10° orb for aspects. The outer planets are considered insignificant unless they form tight aspects / aspect patterns to the luminaries/chart ruler/personal planets.)

A conjunction is considered neutral because the effects it brings greatly depend on both planets involved and their separate conditions.

Minor aspects are countless, but the main ones include(very tight orb has to be used for them to count, about 1-2 degrees):

- Quincux(or inconjunct, 150° away on the zodiacal wheel). Disharmonious. Represents two planets which share neither modality nor element, and creates a perpetual sense of discomfort or blindness around the themes of the planets.

- Semi-sextile(30°). Disharmonious. Represents a weaker conflict between two planets in neighbouring signs which has to be integrated by the native.

- Quintile and biquintile(72 and 144° respectively). Harmonious. They represent talent, the desire to create order and categorize, and the fascination with certain patterns. They might also reveal hidden strengths, unique skills and specialized mental insight).

Now, I'm going to touch on each major aspect separately. Starting with the benefics:

*The trine*. The trine is generally considered to be the most benefic aspect, a harmonious connection, an uninhibited, easy flow of energy which brings natural talents and ease. The energy flows automatically, so much so we might not even notice it. Of course, it's always important to examine the conditions of the planets/angles(ASC, MC, IC, DSC) involved to determine whether the trine would show up effectively or not in life. Despite the fact that the trine is benefic and brings ease, it also has a shadow side—the fact that there is no friction and such an easy flow means that there might not be a lot of growth around that aspect, which also means that the trine's gifts might be taken for granted or even unnoticed. The best strategy here is to look at the stress points of two planets involved—if one of them or both have disharmonious aspects to other planets or their inherent condition is not that good, it is best to tap into and develop these places of friction to integrate the trine into your life more effectively.

*Sextile*. A sextile is generally considered to be like a trine, but a bit softer. It brings subtle talents and strengths which need to be consciously accessed. Unlike the trine, which flows openly without conscious effort, the sextile offers an opportunity which must be chosen and acted upon. If the trine is a door that is always open, the sextile is a door closed but unlocked, requiring you to take action and step through it.

*Opposition*. An opposition is between two planets which are located on the opposite sides of the zodiacal wheel. It's a tug-of-war of energy that requires constant balancing between two forces that seem incompatible at first. It's important not to let yourself overempathize one side and ignore the other, as this aspect requires both to be part of the native's life.

*Square*. A square is an aspect usually happening between planets in sign of the same modality, that creates friction, tension between two planets involved and invites constant, continuous growth. It sparks friction which demands response—and while it is often stressful and challenging, it is not called the chart's engine without a reason! Without friction, there happens no growth, and a square is exactly the friction that is needed.

*Conjunction*. As stated before, the conjunction cannot be considered neither harmonious nor disharmonious in nature because it can only be judged considering the condition of the planers involved. A conjunction between Jupiter and Venus is going to be very different from a conjunction between Moon and Saturn, for example.

STEP FIVE: Sign rulerships and dispositorships.

This is quite important for nuance.

Let's say, you have your Mars in Libra. This Mars is in detriment. However, Libra is ruled by Venus, so Venus is the *dispositor* of Mars — so, Mars' expression in this sign is going to depend on Venus' sign and dignity. The planet in sign is the "what", while the dispositor is the "why" and what fuels the planet behind the scenes. For instance, if this Mars is ruled by Venus in Pisces(exalted), then it will have the support of a well-placed dispositor, and Mars in Libra's diplomatic approach will generally be more smooth, than, for example, if Venus was in Virgo.

There is also the term of *final dispositor*. If there is such a planet, it is going to "answer" for the whole chart, and its importance overall is going to be elevated. The final dispositor can be found by tracing each planet's dispositorship until you end up with one final planet(a planet in domicile).

*Mutual disposition*, on the other hand, means that two planets are located in eachother's signs. An example would be having a Scorpio Venus and Taurus Mars, or a Sagittarius Saturn and Aquarius Jupiter. These two planets are in a relationship of mutual support and energy flow.

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These are the most important steps in assessing the condition of planets in the birth chart with nuance and depth, and tying them all together into a coherent story of a person's possible life experiences.

Of course, there are some things I have not touched, for example aspect patterns, bounds, and a lot of other things which are not as essential but reveal deeper, additional layers to the birth chart.

All in all, I hope this tutorial has helped someone understand astrology and their birth chart a bit more! Thank you for reading through this! <3