Each of the zodiac signs are often associated with a personality. We often talk about them being a certain time of the year like 20th March to 20th April. This is when the sun appears to be flying through that sign in the sky. When the sun is in a sign it’s often hard to tell because the sky is so well-lit that you can’t see the stars, but you can see how other planets appear to move through the signs and estimate the time in which it occurs.
The planets (which include the sun and moon since they appear to move like the others) each represent an aspect of the person. The sun is our ego and our personality, Venus is our inner lover and socialite, Jupiter is our inner ruler, Mars is our inner warrior, etc. Some planets work with some personalities better for example our inner warrior would struggle in the sign of Libra where he must remain tempered and think everything through before acting, his warrior power is tempered, frustrated and oppressed. Alternatively, in the sign of Aries where he has the energy to get the battle started immediately he feels more himself. When a planet is in a good place it is said to be “at home”. The sign is called the “domicile” and the planet is said to “rule” it. On the opposite side of the zodiac is the sign which is a place of detriment for the planet.
Naturally, the sun only apparently moves relative to our position on the earth, in reality, if we switch our perspective to the sun, it’s clear it’s the earth moving, but we can switch our perspective to the centre of the galaxy and similarly the whole solar system is moving. You will hear me talk about the sun moving, naturally, I just mean the change of the apparent position with respect to the zodiac belt.
It’s hard for people to remember where the planets have their rulership (the place where they are dignified) and their detriment (where they struggle) so I thought I would point out this pattern to help people remember.
Firstly we start with Leo and Cancer who start in the years middle months June and July. Cancer starts on the summer solstice 21st June the last month of the first half of the year and Leo starts on 22nd July with is the first month of the second half of the year. (Often in astrology we would start with Aries but not today).
These two signs around the brightest time of the years with the longest days are associated with the two great lights. The Moon and the Sun. Leo the slightly hotter month is associated with the Sun and Cancer is associated with the moon.
The zodiac which precedes these two and the zodiac which comes after them are both associated with Mercury. These are Gemini and Virgo. Since Mercury is the planet closest to the sun it seems to have the fastest orbit. The next two signs, the one that precedes all of these and the one that comes after all of them have the planet with the second fastest orbit, Venus. This is Libra and Taurus. You might think the next one is the Earth and well, the Earth’s movement causes the apparent movement of the sun, but we already plotted the sun, so we go to the next planet with the next fast orbit which is Mars. Mars is associated with the zodiac before these, Aries and the zodiac after all of these Scorpio. This pattern continues and Jupiter is associated with Sagittarius and Pisces. Finally, Saturn is associated with Aquarius and Capricorn.
The other planets were not discovered until between 1780 and 1930 so weren’t in the original classical model. At a later stage they were added as rulers for the signs that seemed most apt. So Neptune, god of the sea was added to the Pisces of fish Sign in addition to its traditional ruler Jupiter. Uranus the sky god is associated with the air sign which is the water bearer Aquarius in much the same way the airy skies bear water before rainfall. Aquarius is also traditionally Saturn. Finally, Pluto is associated with Scorpio as a ruler of death associated with the deadly sting of the Scorpion.
Hopefully, this will make the rulers easier to remember if you can’t think of them off the top of your head you can hopefully draw the zodiac in order and then start from the summer solstice and work around to the two which begin at the winter solstice and are both associated with Saturn.
How then is the sign of detriment determined?
Well in exactly the same way, except the exact opposite. Every detriment is the exact opposite of the rulers. Start at the signs which the sun enters at the winter solstice, the time with the least light of the year. The two great lights are in their detriment here. First the moon in Capricorn and then the Sun in Aquarius. Then the two signs either side of these are the place of detriment for the sun’s closest planet Mercury in Pisces and Saggitarius, the next two signs are the place of detriment for the sun’s next closest planet Venus, Scorpio and Aries. The next planet Mars is in detriment in the two signs either side of this, Taurus and Libra. Venus and Mars have their Rulers and Detriments next to each other and what is a domicile for one, is a detriment to the other. These two planets which symbolise love and war could not be more opposites which is probably what inspired the book “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”. Also notice the symbols used for them the Mars symbol is recognised as the Male symbol around the globe and Venus as the female symbol. Then the next closest planet to the Sun is Jupiter and the two signs either side of this provide the detriment for Jupiter, Gemini and Virgo. Finally Saturn who was most happy in the two signs to follow the winter solstice, finds its detriment in the two signs to follow the summer solstice, Cancer and Leo.
What about Exaltation and Fall?
I’m sorry, but I’ve looked and there really is no easy way to plot these. It is said that the planet that already rules the sign has a symbiotic relationship with the relevant planet. Since some early texts supposedly have specific degrees for these signs, I can only conclude that these are the results of specific events that seemed auspicious at the time. The Fall is the direct opposite of the exaltation which is recorded below.
The Moon is exalted in the 3rd degree of Taurus.
The Sun is exalted in the 19th degree of Aries.
Mercury is exalted in the 15th degree of Virgo. (same as domicile)
Venus is exalted in the 27th degree of Pisces.
Mars is exalted in the 28th degree of Capricorn.
Jupiter is exalted in the 15th degree of Cancer.
Saturn is exalted in the 21st degree of Libra.
Exercise
An exercise to help you learn the rulers is as follows:
- Draw or print the empty circle above. Or you could copy it into an image editor on a tablet device.
- Mark on the circle the solstices and equinoxes at the beginning of 4 signs that form a cross. Normally, you would start with the spring equinox at the very top or 30 degrees to the left of the top.
- From the spring equinox draw the zodiac in order starting with Aries. Try to do this from memory as much as you can.
- Starting from the summer solstice in the signs cancer and leo put the great lights the moon and the sun respectively.
- Draw the symbol for Mercury in the two signs either side of these.
- Draw the symbol for Venus in the two signs either side of these. (You should have half the circle filled now).
- Draw the symbol for the next planet either side of these. (Try to remember it).
- Fill in the ruler for the two planets either side of these.
- Fill in the last two zodiac with their traditional ruler(s). If done correctly the circle should look similar to the one earlier on this page, but don’t copy it, you should plot it again to help you remember.
- Now we are going to write the detriments. To make it clear we will draw these signs upside down, smaller and in brackets. To make this easier turn the paper upside down when writing the sign, but look at it up-right when deciding which sign to draw where. First start at the Winter solstice and draw the moon in Capricorn and the sun in Aquarius. If done correctly these detriments should be directly opposite the signs where these heavenly bodies rule.
- Either side of these signs draw the symbol for the heavenly body with the next shortest orbit. (I’ll give you a clue: the planet closest to the sun.)
- Either side of this array of signs with their detriments put the next closest planet to the sun.
- Either side of this array of signs with their detriments put the next closest planet to the sun (not including Earth).
- Either side of this array of signs with their detriments put the next closest planet to the sun (not including Earth).
- Either side of this array of signs with their detriments put the next closest planet to the sun (not including Earth). That should be all the detriments.
- Next plot Neptune in the sign Pisces and the opposite sign upside down smaller and in brackets.
- Next plot Uranus in the sign Aquarius and the opposite sign draw the symbol for Uranus smaller, upside down and in brackets.
- Finally, plot Pluto in scorpio and draw its detriment opposite.
- If you want, you can add the exaltations and falls by drawing an arrow from fall to exaltation on the precise degree and mark it with the appropriate planetary symbol.
This exercise should help a lot in learning which planet is which sign’s ruler etc.
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