Page 39 - Talented Astrologer • Volume 2 Number 1 • Winter 2019

this also means that Lehman’s book doesn’t list any natural rulerships for the outer planets (more on this later).
What matters is the difference between natural rulership (i.e., signification) and sign rulership, which is an Essential Dignity.
Rulership is one of five Essential Dignities
The Essential Dignities are a system of evaluating the relative power of a planet at a particular degree of the zodiac. The five essential dignities include Rulership and Exaltation (sign-based), Triplicity (sign-based, but also dependent on whether the chart is diurnal or nocturnal), and Term and Face (sign and degree-based). Each Essential Dignity has a score that indicates the relative power of the dignity: Rulership is 5 points, Exaltation is 4 points,
And it doesn’t stop there. When a planet rules a sign, that planet is in charge of everything associated
with that sign, including every house connected to that sign. This is a fundamental principle
of horary and electional astrology. The ruler of the
sign on the cusp of a house is the lord of that house. You evaluate the condition and relative
Triplicity is 3 points, Term is 2 points, and Face is 1 point.
The Essential Dignities are the foundation of Western astrology. The origin of the dignities is unknown; they were already well established by the time Ptolemy wrote the Tetrabiblos in the 2nd century a.d. There are some variations
“When a planet rules a sign, it’s in charge of everything associated with that sign. No planet in Aries can express
without the blessing of Mars. The Sun has absolute veto
power over everything going on in the sign of Leo.”
in the Essential Dignities, specifically different
systems of assigning Triplicity rulership and
dividing the Terms or Bounds of the planets,
but the system of Essential Dignities, and the
division of rulership of the twelve signs among
the seven inner planets (the only planets known
to astrologers until the late 18th century) was the backbone of astrology for thousands of years.
power of that planet to learn
more about the affairs of the house. But this works because the planet that rules a house is that house.
If Saturn is the ruler of the Second House, in the context of the question, Saturn represents your current financial situation. The nature of Saturn itself suggests that at best, you’re taking a conservative
Rulership is literal.
Venus doesn’t signify Libra and Mars doesn’t represent Aries. Venus is the ruler (lord) of Libra, and Mars is the ruler (lord) of Aries. When a planet rules a sign, it’s in charge of everything associated with that sign. No planet in Aries can express without the blessing of Mars. The Sun has absolute veto power over everything going on in the sign of Leo. When Saturn says “Jump,” every planet in Capricorn responds, “How high?”
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