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Mark writes:
I dont have a problem incorporating Uranus into astrology. I just dont recommend imposing it and the other outer planets into the traditional dignities and rulerships. In my opinion this leads to confusion in delineation and unsatisfactory results.
I agree completely with Mark. The traditional rulership describes an orderly cosmos. Beginning with the signs of the luminaries, we place Mercury's masculine sign next to Cancer, a feminine sign, while Mercury's feminine sign appears on the other side of Leo, a masculine sign. It continues in this fashion, with Venus' maculine sign following Mercury's feminine, while her feminine sign follows Mercury's masculine. Thus it continues until we reach the houses of Saturn, most distant visible planet, with its signs side by side, as with the Sun and Moon, though Saturn's sign are in opposition to those of the luminaries.

This is an orderly cosmos. If we assert that Uranus "rules" Aquarius, the whole system of cosmic order breaks down. Trying to design exaltation signs for outer planets is even more chaotic.

I would never neglect to inform a client ir Uranus or Pluto is transiting her/his Ascendant. I would be remiss in my duty to my client, as I have seen the results of such transits produce startling events etc. I will go so far as to admit that Uranus, Neptune and Pluto have a certain "affinity" with Aquarius, Pisces and Scorpio; I have also found symbolic value in the assertion of older astrologers that Uranus is the "higher octave" of Mercury, Neptune of Venus, and Pluto of Mars. But this is not the same thing as calling them "rulers."

To do so is to seriously misinterpret the original Hermetic philosophical basis of astrology, which appears to have used the Thema Mundi as a teaching vehicle to illustrate WHY the perfect mandala of ancient sign rulerships works philosophically, a marvelous example of "As above, so below" as well, since the lower half of the Thema Mundi mirrors the upper half.

So.... use the outer planets? Yes. Recognize some of their affiliations? Fine. But give them rulerships and exaltations? Absolutely not.