Morin's Triplicity Rulers

Tom

Morin's Triplicity Rulers

1 by Tom

On another forum the birth chart of singer/song writer Joni Mitchell came up and we were/are discussing her temperament. Now Joni Mitchell is a success. There is no doubt about that. I don't know a whole lot about her or her music for that matter. It doesn't appeal to me, but I know who she is.

Anyway the question of her temperament came up and it is undoubtedly, using both Dorian Greenbaum's and John Frawley's methods, strongly phlegmatic. There is some melancholy and precious little heat in that temperament. A long time ago in the Astrologer's Apprentice No. 15, John Frawley wrote an article on another singer with a strong phlegmatic temperament: Janis Joplin. In that article he said that people that are strongly phlegmatic need a strong malefic and without one Joplin would have probably ended up another "anonymous dead junkie," to put a not too delicate spin on it.

Joni Mitchell
Nov 7, 1943
10:00 PM MWT
Fort Macleod, Canada
19 Cancer rises.

I'm looking for the strong malefic in her chart and sure enough it isn't there using Ptolemy's rulerships. Both malefics are retrograde in the 12th house so they can't "get out" to help her, yet she is successful. The ruler of the phlegmatic temperament is the Moon and it is powerfully placed in this chart on the MC ruling the ascendant. The native will work for and receive honors, but she is still phlegmatic, won't her desires get in the way?

Venus in her fall opposing the Moon is an accidental malefic, but the opposition doesn't seem helpful. Jupiter isn't too badly placed in triplicity but he's cadent. Mercury is combust and the Sun is peregrine. Nothing too helpful there.

There is a "rule" that a planet in the 12th can "get out" if that planet is in mutual reception with one of the rulers or is in aspect to one of its rulers, and aspect by sign is enough. Mars and Saturn are in Gemini and Mercury is not in aspect to them, but Mars and Mercury are in mutual reception by domicile. That gives her some drive and energy. There is no exaltation ruler for Gemini so that leaves triplicity. Ptolemy's triplicity ruler for air at night is Mercury. No help again.

But let's look at this from Morin's viewpoint. The night ruler for air is Venus and Venus squares both malefics. This helps them function better than they would if there was no help at all. Mercury - Venus contacts are often found in the charts of singers and artists and the connection helps the native articulate (Mercury) the aesthetic sense (Venus). So Mitchell gets the benefits a malefic can give to the phlegmatic temperament.

Also the Moon, according to Morin, is the triplicity ruler of water at night. Whereas this Moon might be peregrine according to Ptolemy, it is in triplicity according to Morin and conjunct the MC to maximize the influence.

They seem to work better in this chart (assuming the time is correct), and this is one of the few that I've seen where a significant difference is made by using Morin's rulers.

Tom

Papretis

2 by Papretis

But how about the Moon squaring Mars and Saturn in the 12th? Okay, Mars and Saturn are both poorly posited being cadent and retrograde, but the Moon is moving from Mars to Saturn and Mars is in fact receiving it in its term and face. So Mars is giving at least some of its disposition, nature and virtue to the Moon. Saturn in turn is the next planet the Moon will aspect. There comes at least some of the needed malefic influence.

Tom

3 by Tom

I've given this some thought since I posted. Usually we would limit ourselves to domicile and exaltation rulers. Triplicity is a stretch itself, so term and face may not be what the rule has in mind. However, I also said the phlegmatic needs a strong malefic, and with or without aspects to a ruler, these malefics are not strong.

Janis Joplin, also has Saturn in Gemini, but in that case Saturn hugs the IC so he has accidental as well as essential strength (triplicity rulership). Saturn here has neither and is retrograde to boot.

As I said I don't know much about Mitchell, but what I've read indicates she is still ruled by her desires, it's just that she has the financial ability to live like that. Her talents are marketable to a huge audience, so self indulgence is not an obstacle to a successful life.

Tom

4 by Deb

Usually we would limit ourselves to domicile and exaltation rulers.

Hi Tom
In the matter of dignity and reception, most of the familiar traditional authorities talk about sign or exaltation rulership, or a combination of at least two of the minor dignities, in which case term and face would be considered relevant. (But I hasten to add that I have no idea what the stance of Morin is with regard to this!)

GarryP

5 by GarryP

When I worked with Dorian's temperament system a while back, I got the distinct impression that it's necessary to look at the planet, or planets, that represent the dominant humour once you've worked out what that is. Which in Joni's case means the Moon. So that the aspects it receives etc show how she goes about being phlegmatic. I don't know much about her so won't try and tease it out, but I can imagine that, with the aspects the Moon is involved with, this could make sense.

This is a working hypothesis that I offer in case anyone's interested in trying it out; it seemed to work well with the charts I looked at, but I didn't devote months to the exercise. One of the first charts I looked at, which gave me the idea in the first place, was John McEnroe's. He comes out as predominantly sanguine, which didn't seem to make sense temperament-wise given his famously short fuse. But sanguine Jupiter in his chart is opp Mars and square Pluto; that seems to make sense.

Tom

6 by Tom

Hi Gary,

I recall your observation about McEnroe and think about it now and then, but I've come to a more obvious conclusion: he is sanguine. I'll get back to that in a minute, but first I want to address something else you said:

When I worked with Dorian's temperament system a while back, I got the distinct impression that it's necessary to look at the planet, or planets, that represent the dominant humour once you've worked out what that is. Which in Joni's case means the Moon. So that the aspects it receives etc show how she goes about being phlegmatic. I don't know much about her so won't try and tease it out, but I can imagine that, with the aspects the Moon is involved with, this could make sense.

The way I was taught is that the significator of the manners as taught by Ptolemy (Book III I think) is how the temperament is expressed. The planet that represents the dominant humor is relevant, but less so than manners. These are usually two planets and they are the ones that most engage Mercury and the Moon: the rational and imaginative qualities in other words it shows how our mind works and therefore how the temperament is expressed.

I don't have McEnroe's chart, but I do recall Patton's. He came out melancholic sanguine when one would naturally assume he was choleric. However if we look at his significator of the manners, Mars in Virgo on the IC, it makes perfect sense. As a youth Patton was enthralled by the tales of his family's military adventures (they were considerable) and decided he wanted to be like them (4th house). He became a warrior in personality as well as in tactics (Virgo is analytical). Patton hated the nickname "Old Blood and Guts - very martial but not one a melancholic or sanguine type would relish. He rehearsed his fiery speeches to the troops in front of mirrors. He read military history extensively and studied tactics and strategy. These are sanguine traits but he manifested them with his Mars.

Doesn't McEnroe have Mars at or near the ASC? Furthermore, if you listen to him when he announces tennis events, he is anything but short tempered. He's rather analytical. He is older than he was as a player, of course, but his famous temper, to my knowledge didn't show up much anywhere other than the tennis court. He used to say of his now ex wife Tatum O'Neill that she was the female John McEnroe, but he was referring to his reputation and perhaps to her temperament.

I try to explain it this way: temperament is not the personality. I'm defining personality as those character traits that we easily see. Not the stuff that is buried. A psychologist would probably incorporate everything seen and unseen into his definition of temperament. It is possible that the temperament is visible, but in cases like that, the choleric might have Mars on the ASC where it makes the personality and temperament impossible to miss.

Tom

GarryP

7 by GarryP

Hi Tom, apologies for the delay in my reply, I was away.

The data I have for McEnroe (from the AA's databank) is:

22.30 Wiesbaden, Germany 16th Feb 1959 - 19 Libra rising.

His Mars isn't angular, though it is conjunct his Moon.

I never got on with the idea that one should work with both 'temperament' and 'manners' - either theoretically, or in (a little bit of) practice. If anyone finds that they get good results from somehow combining the two, or indeed from focussing on 'manners' instead of 'temperament', I'd be interested to hear about it.

Tara

8 by Tara

Despite her success, Joni Mitchell is on record as complaining bitterly that she has never received the recognition she deserves. She attributes this to sexism.

You can see this discontent in the t-square. Sometimes out of discontent comes great ambition, especially when Saturn is the apex of a t-square.

In the sense of having a big impact, Saturn IS a strong malefic in this chart.

Tara