warning: this is a technical post…

In a link I posted the other day, I made the comment that I have the worst Mercury in history.

Naturally I exaggerate…just a little. Nevertheless, it prompted a few comments, emails and questions.

Sure the comment was, as most of my comments are, tongue in cheek, and it seems to have awoken the competitive instinct of others, but why exactly did I say that I have the worst Mercury in history? Aside from the point that it just is?

Let’s work through it, connect the dots, so to speak- that’s what we do when Mercury is in Gemini.

In traditional astrology, planets are either essentially dignified or debilitated in different signs. This is something that is necessary when it comes to horary astrology, but also, I think, important to know when understanding your own chart.

Dignity isn’t just about how straight you stand or whether you can act proper like in civilised company. Dignity, astrologically speaking, can come in many forms.

Generally speaking, planets with dignity have the motivation and power to act. It doesn’t mean that planet is good or bad (although traditionally that’s exactly what it can mean)- but the more essential dignity a planet has, the closer it conforms to its essential nature. Aspects with other planets will, of course, make this easier or more difficult.

It’s a little like the whole nature & nature debate- and how even good people can make stupid decisions if they run around with the wrong group…planets are the same.

Accidental dignity (or debility) will give the planet the power to act. This means that a planet essentially debilitated (so not operating to the best of its ability) if accidentally dignified, will have the power to do their worst. On the other hand, a planet essentially debilitated but also with accidental debility, doesn’t have any power to act- good or bad.

Get it? No?

Planets essentially debilitated, or in the sign of their fall or detriment, don’t work to their best advantage. Their behaviour is altered from the way that it should be.

Example? Take the Sun.

The Sun, in nature, is hot and dry. It’s all about radiating warmth, and everybody else orbits around it. The Sun is, by nature, ego-centric.

At home, in rulership, in spotlight centric Leo, the Sun is in his detriment in Aquarius- a sign where ego comes second to that of the group. The same applies to Aries where the Sun is exalted.

When a planet is exalted, or in the sign of its exaltation, it’s treated as a favoured guest, it’s given the good biscuits and the fluffy towels.

Aries is all about the individual, being first. It’s childlike and selfish. Yes, I said it. It’s about the ego. So is the Sun.

In Libra, however, where the Sun is in the sign of its fall, the focus is on the partnership, not the individual- the Sun is unable to act in the way that it is most comfortable.

Notice something? It’s all about the opposites.

Mercury is at its best in Gemini and Virgo- signs where information is gathered and organised. In Virgo, Mercury is both ruler and exalted. This means that when Mercury is in Pisces it is in the sign of its detriment and fall. It’s in a sign that it’s most uncomfortable in. Why? Pisces doesn’t think the way that Mercury likes to think. Pisces doesn’t learn or communicate in a way that Mercury normally likes to learn or communicate.

Then we come to accidental dignities.

A planet has some extra strength if it’s accidentally dignified by being placed on an angle- ie the 1^st, 4^th, 7^th or 10^th house. The closer to the cusp, the stronger the dignity.

A planet is said to be accidentally debilitated if it is in the 6^th, 8^th or 12^th house.

Taking our example of the Sun again, say you have your Sun in Aries. It’s exalted, it’s potentially powerful…but it’s in the 6th house- the sign of service, outsourcing and sickness. It might have the motivation to do amazing things, but it’s power is given to others. Your challenge is to find a way through service to others to help that Sun shine. Get it?

There are two other ways in which a planet can be debilitated- if it is natally retrograde or if it is combust, within 8 degrees of the Sun and therefore blinded by the Sun’s rays.

Actually, there are other ways as well, but we won’t go into these now.

So, my point is… just what was my point?… that my Mercury is about as debilitated as you can get.

I did have an astrologer (who should have known better) make the comment once that obviously I had problems with my early learning. The answer to that is a categorical WTF?

On the contrary, I read voraciously, and at an advanced level. I regularly topped my year and was, on the whole, a nerdy smart arse. The thing is, I learnt differently to that of my classmates. I still do.

Mercury may be debilitated in my chart, but somehow, I have learned how to not only adapt to that, but to make the most of it.

And, as it turns out, it’s a perfect placement for a writer- especially a writer of fiction. It’s my way of turning a debilitated planet into something that has the potential to be extraordinary.

The same can’t be said of my Saturn- which is both essentially debilitated and accidentally dignified, but that’s an entirely different story.

The message? Debilitated planets can be opportunities- it’s a matter of how you look at it.

Check out the relative dignity of your planets in the (simplified) table below and let me know- what are the trump cards in your chart?

Want to take this further?

Check out this excellent resource at Skyscript. It goes right into understanding planetary terms and face and other technical words. Then at the end, there’s a point scoring system if you really want to get serious.

Related Posts

Mars, but not as you know it

My Mercury had a birthday. Yesterday…I missed it. How very Piscean of me.

That’s ok, I have 3 Mercury Returns this year.

This is what the auto forecast I received in my mailbox said:

It’s your Mercury birthday, the day when the planet of information returns to where it was when you were born. This opens a path to clear thinking, new ideas and fresh channels of communication. Your mind may be moving fast, but you’ll probably need the speed to keep up with all the details that are demanding your attention at this time. Stay flexible, so that you don’t take one minor fact and make too much of it. Intelligence is high, but it works best when you balance the demands of the present with your long-term goals and principles.

Anyways, the forecast above from Star IQ is absolutely what a Mercury Return day should look like. Mine didn’t. My head was full of crap and to say I was in a bad mood with reckless tendencies would be completely under stating it!

OK, now for the warning: non Astro peeps what follows is technical guff- you may want to opt out.

For the rest of you, a lesson in Mercury Returns- the casting of, that is.

Just as we cast a chart for the Solar Return (see my posts Solar Return Part 1 and Part 2 for more info and a “how to” guide), we can also do one for the “return” of other personal planets to their positions on the birth chart:

• In the case of lunar returns, the Moon returns home 13 times a year and the “lunar” return gives you the emotional themes for the month
• The Venus return (I have one of them when Venus is in Aries) will show the upcoming themes around Venus issues ie relationships, finance, partnership
• The Mercury Return is concerned with all things Mercurial eg communication, thinking, learning, study, perceptions.
• The Mars return (about every 2 years) is about Mars type of things- courage, independent action, where you may need to stand up for yourself and exert your will
• The Jupiter return (about every 12 years) is about growth, expansion and opportunities and where you may need to believe and have faith.
• Saturn Return (about every 28 years) is about reality and life in all of it’s responsible glory.

So, how do we read a Mercury return chart?

To be honest, it isn’t a lot different to reading a Solar Return chart- the principles are the same…with the exception that Mercury is now the star of the show. The other basic rules apply:

• The return chart can be read in isolation, but really makes sense against the natal chart. The potentials within the birth chart become really important if replicated in the return chart eg if Mercury and Mars are linked by any aspect in the birth chart (eg it is a sextile in my case) and this is repeated in the return chart by any aspect (perhaps Mercury square Mars), that will be an area of focus
• Return charts are similar to transit charts- they are temporary and will apply only for the period of the return
• If, like me, your return occurs during the shadow period, you will have 3. Each return will last until the next. The example I’m using in this post is the final return.
• The chart can be relocated ie cast at the place where you are at the time of that return rather than the birth place. In my case, I’m a boring sod and live in the city where I was born.

So, let’s look (briefly) at my Mercury Return (MR):

What Sign is on the Ascendant?

Capricorn. This brings a business like sense of structure to all things Mercury this year- and that’s not a bad thing.

What natal house is being brought to the Ascendant?

In my case it is the 11^th house- hopes and dreams, the rewards for the work you’ve done, communities & friendships.

The Ruler of the Ascendant?

Ummmm Saturn.

It is in the 10^th house- how very business like of it. Saturn is retrograde, so not in great shape.

The House of Mercury in the Return Chart

The 2^nd house.  This is one year where my words and money need to be linked.

Aspects to Mercury in the Return Chart

Mercury is nestled in between Neptune & Chiron. Hmmmm. Mercury is also connected to Saturn by trine and Jupiter by square. Opportunities are there, but there will be comfort zone issues to be addressed and fine print (Neptune) to be taken notice of.

Other stuff

Speaking of which, the Moon needs to be looked at- this shows where the heart is in relation to Mercurial issues…it’s in the 7th.

Check out any planets at the degree of the nodes- this always indicates something quite karmic.

Lastly, take a look at any planets at critical degrees ie at 0 or 29. I have Venus at 29 Pisces in the Return chart.

Obviously, this is a quick look/ interpretation designed just to give you an idea. This is the way that I do it- although other astrologers may have different ideas…as always, the best method is the one that works for you.

And the other 2 charts? They’re below in case you’re interested…

I was referred to this article in the Huffington Post this morning (thanks Stella).

Essentially it’s about the US elections and how this election day coincides with Mercury stationing retrograde.

The piece is by Eric Francis, and is a great analysis of just what can be expected from this astrological event. Have a read.

Just 2 years ago, a similar thing happened here in Australia.

I wrote about it here.

The chart, cast for 8am (when the polls opened on the East Coast of Australia) had both competitors conjunct.

As a horary, this was a beautiful chart to look at.

At the time I cast it as if it were a sporting event (hey, I’m an Aussie).

The two combatants are:

• The sitting Prime Minister Julia Gillard- Lord of the 1^st house (the planet that rules the 1^st house). I’m loosely a labour voter (that would translate to “liberal” or democrat in the US system), so if this were a sports horary, this would represent my team.
• The Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott- Lord of the 7^th house (the planet that rules the 7^th house). Mr Abbott is the leader of the Liberal party (in US terms, that is the right wing party…yes, I know it’s confusing…)

With Libra on the 1^st, Julia Gillard is represented by Venus, while Tony Abbott is represented by Mars (Aries is on the cusp of the 7^th).

This was even more appropriate for this particular election as Julia Gillard is a Libra Sun and Tony Abbott is a Scorpio Sun with an Aries Moon and, as an avid sportsman, is very much represented by Mars.

Further, for the first time, this election was being conducted along gender lines. The campaign itself was one of the most boring I have experienced, but that’s by the by.

There were 2 other important oppositions at play on this day- Saturn vs Jupiter and Neptune vs the Sun.

The outcome?

There wasn’t one.  Not for around 3 weeks…yep, not until Mercury went direct.

The Green party won more seats than they have in the past and awarded their preferences to the Labor party, yet even with these seats, Labor did not have a clear majority. For all intents and purposes, the result was a draw, with just a few independents holding the balance of power and eventually allowing Ms Gillard to form a government.

The Australian system of government is very different to the US model- and this blog is neither the time nor the place for a lesson in Australian politics. Having said that, I’ll be watching the US games with much interest.

A random conversation on Twitter today reminded me of the concept of dispositorship and, more relevantly, final dispositorship. Thanks AF for the inspiration.

Most of us know about Chart Rulers. If you don’t, the Chart Ruler, the planet said to be the big boss of your chart, is the planet that rules the sign on your Ascendant.

Let’s take it back a step, each sign is “ruled” by one, and in some cases, two planets.

Traditional rulerships are as follows:

• Aries is ruled by Mars
• Taurus is ruled by Venus
• Gemini is ruled by Mercury
• Cancer is ruled by the Moon
• Leo is ruled by the Sun
• Virgo is ruled by Mercury
• Libra is ruled by Venus
• Scorpio is ruled by Mars and also Pluto
• Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter
• Capricorn is ruled by Saturn
• Aquarius is ruled by Saturn and Uranus
• Pisces is ruled by Jupiter and Neptune

Some astrologers don’t include Pluto, Uranus and Neptune and honour traditional rulerships only. Some astrologers don’t use the traditional rulers of Scorpio, Aquarius and Pisces.

I happen to think you can’t understand Scorpio without understanding the role that both Mars and Pluto play…and likewise for Aquarius and Pisces. But that’s my opinion.

Anyways, because the ruler of your Ascendant, or 1^st house, represents your health, the planet ruling this area of your life will always be important. So watch the transits and retrogrades of this planet very carefully.

The concept of dispositorship is similar, but different.

The final dispositor is the real power hitter in your chart, the main playmaker …and regardless of the aspects to it, you have to learn to make friends with it.

In some cases you may have more than 1 final dispositor, in some cases, you may not have a clear one.

So, what does it mean?

Looking at my chart, I have the Sun in Pisces. Jupiter rules Pisces, so therefore my Sun is said to be disposited by Jupiter. Jupiter is in Cancer where it is ruled by the Moon. The Moon disposits Jupiter. The Moon is in Pisces, so is disposited by Jupiter. And around we go.

Mercury, in Pisces, will also end at the Moon and Jupiter. Jupiter and the Moon are joint dispositors.

What of the other planets?

Venus and Saturn are in Aries. Mars rules Aries, so Mars disposits Venus and Saturn. Mars is in Scorpio where he is ruler. Mars is final dispositor in this case.

The three main planets in my chart would therefore be the Moon, Jupiter and Mars.

The Moon and Jupiter trine each other and the modern ruler of Pisces (Neptune).  They are also in “mutual reception” ie the Moon rules the sign Jupiter is in and Jupiter rules the sign the Moon is in. All three are connected by water.

My life would be more difficult if they didn’t get along.

Get the idea?

In the example above I used traditional ruler-ships, but there’s no reason why you can’t experiment with Uranus, Neptune and Pluto as well.

In this case, mine would look like:

• Sun/Moon/Mercury (in Pisces)- Neptune (in Scorpio)- Mars (in Scorpio)- Pluto (in Virgo)- Mercury (in Pisces)…and so it goes around
• Venus/Saturn (in Aries)- Mars- Pluto (in Virgo)- Mercury- Neptune…and so it goes around
• Uranus/Pluto (in Virgo)- Mercury- Neptune- Mars- Pluto- Mercury- Neptune etc.
• Neptune/Mars (in Scorpio)- Pluto….etc
• Jupiter (in Cancer)- Moon (in Pisces)- Neptune- Mars- Pluto etc

Using the modern rulers, I can’t afford to take my eye off the ball at all. No planet is in absolute rulership.

This is called a “ring” disposition. If this is you, you will be interested in absolutely everything, will be good at a lot of things, will wish that you were more focused, but were actually born to be this versatile. Jack of all trades and master of none? Be a little kinder to yourself . Maybe I should take my own advice?

Anyways, have a go at this yourself.

Were you surprised by the results?

I took a deep breath today and started sending query letters out to agents for my manuscript.

I’ve sent it off into a couple of free for alls (ie the only days of the week/month that some publishers have for unsolicited manuscripts) where the first 10 pages or so goes off into a great black hole. From what I’ve heard, the first page gets read. If you’re lucky.

I’ve also entered the first 10,000 words in a romance writers manuscript mentoring competition- mainly because I know it will get read.

Anyways, I’ve never been one of those people who knows someone, so need to create my own opportunities. I’ve never been one of those people who has had a leg up into a job because they’ve known someone, or went to school with someone, or is friends with someone. And I certainly don’t know anyone who is involved in any way shape or form with publishing. So I am doing it the hard way. Which, in a way, is a good thing. You see, this means that I really have to believe in my product, and, despite the occasional Saturn in the 1^st house lack of confidence wavering, I do.

So, I’m going down the agent query letter line. And, you know, that isn’t entirely a bad thing. I am also writing an Astro manuscript, so will need to navigate the whole chick lit vs non fiction minefield thing.

As I parcelled up the 3 chapters (hard copy- first chapter plus two others), re-did the synopsis yet again (they all want a different word count and different submission format) and tried to fit everything that anyone can actually want to know about me onto a single A4 page with double spacing and 3cm margins, I took some comfort from the stars.

The Sun and Jupiter were still joined in the afterglow of their conjunction. That crucial 17 minutes of cazimi (when Jupiter is basking in the eye of the Sun) was still valid, and still sextile my Ascendant. The electional chart ascendant was Scorpio, in fact, at the degree of my Neptune. Yep, the things dreams are made of, and the Moon/Neptune are joined in Pisces in the 3^rd, which I think bodes well.

Oh, and the Sun/Jupiter conjunction was in the 5^th house.

Anyways, it is all parcelled, and I will cross my fingers for the next 8-10 weeks…apparently that’s how long it takes to read unsolicited queries. In the meantime, I will keep on pushing on.

Astrology in real life.