Exaltations: Key to Sign Domiciles? 1 by Therese Hamilton (This is a synopsis of ideas from an article-in-process.) Exaltations: Key to Sign Domiciles? There was a discussion last year on the sidereal forum about planetary exaltations and domicile lords. At that time I had only a hand drawn chart of the planets and zodiac, but I?ve been fortunate to find a graphic designer who has done a professional drawing of the chart. I thought it might be interesting to post the diagram here where tropical astrologers could consider the patterns. (I tried, but couldn't make the diagram smaller.) I?ve been ?meditating? on this diagram, and it occurred to me that the planetary exaltations might have been the foundation of sign rulership. In contrast to the five planets and their dual sign rulerships, there is only one exaltation sign for the Sun, Moon and each traditional planet. We know that the association of a particular constellation with each of the seven planets as the place where each had special significance (hypsoma) was a Babylonian concept. We know that these places were adopted by Hellenistic astrologers as the exaltation places of planets in zodiac signs. History also tells us that the system of domicile rulerships appears for the first time in Hellenistic astrology which post-dates the Babylonian hypsoma. We can mentally (or actually on paper) de-construct the chart as follows: (1) First draw the circle of the zodiac as it is done in the diagram. The lunar half of the zodiac is shaded while the solar half is light. (2) Then in a second circle place the traditional exaltation planets next to their signs. The traditional planets are shaded in blue. (3) From these exaltations we can find the domicile signs of the planets as placed on the outer ring of the diagram: No question about the Sun and Moon: Cancer and Leo. If we follow through in astronomical order: Virgo: Mercury Libra: Venus Scorpio: Mars Sagittarius: Jupiter Capricorn: Saturn Aquarius: Uranus (1781) Pisces: Neptune (1846) Aries: Pluto (1930) Taurus: (?) Gemini (?) There is no other way that domicile and exaltation signs can be re-arranged to retain the synchronicity in the diagram. The relationships conform to tradition except for the newly discovered planets which automatically find their place in relation to traditional placements. On the sidereal forum I pointed out that the newer planets all find their affinities in the lunar half of the zodiac while the exaltations of benefics (Moon, Venus, Jupiter) also fall in the lunar half. The exaltation of the malefics (Mars and Saturn) fall in solar signs. For me this diagram puts to rest any concept of an asteroid ruling Virgo or Pluto belonging to Scorpio. I don?t necessarily see the newer planets as domicile lords so much as expressions of the characteristics of the ancient gods in their signs of affinity. (But this works well only in the sidereal zodiac as discussed on the sidereal forum.) Possibly human evolution will evolve to the point where we can use the trans-Saturnian planets as actual domicile lords as we learn to express the positive attributes of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Of course even now contemporary astrologers use these planets as sign rulers. We can?t go in the other direction in the zodiac for rulerships or affinities because we get this pattern: Leo: Sun Cancer Moon Gemini: Mercury Taurus: Venus Aries: Mars Pisces: Jupiter Aquarius: Saturn Sagittarius: Neptune Scorpio: Pluto Libra (?) Virgo (?) I doubt that many astrologers would see an affinity between Capricorn and Uranus or would connect Neptune to Sagittarius rather than Pisces. So, yes, I can see that the patterns in the diagram are pretty much ?set in stone? for the zodiac unless we want to totally break from centuries of tradition. http://www.snowcrest.net/sunrise/LostZodiac.htm Quote Mon Apr 13, 2015 6:26 pm
2 by waybread There is sound historical evidence that exaltations are older than domiciles, although there is some disagreement whether they began first in Egypt or Babylon. I can hunt for the references if you're interested. Quote Thu Apr 16, 2015 3:10 am
3 by Therese Hamilton waybread wrote:There is sound historical evidence that exaltations are older than domiciles, although there is some disagreement whether they began first in Egypt or Babylon. I can hunt for the references if you're interested. That's what I'm saying, that the exaltations are older than domicile rulerships, and perhaps were the foundation of those rulerships. It seems to be firmly set that the Babylonian hypsoma became the signs of exaltation in Hellenistic astrology. But maybe you are referring to a discussion of a Babylon/Egypt controversy? If so, that would be interesting to see. http://www.snowcrest.net/sunrise/LostZodiac.htm Quote Thu Apr 16, 2015 4:29 pm
Re: Exaltations: Key to Sign Domiciles? 4 by Michael Sternbach Therese Hamilton wrote:(This is a synopsis of ideas from an article-in-process.) Exaltations: Key to Sign Domiciles? There was a discussion last year on the sidereal forum about planetary exaltations and domicile lords. At that time I had only a hand drawn chart of the planets and zodiac, but I?ve been fortunate to find a graphic designer who has done a professional drawing of the chart. I thought it might be interesting to post the diagram here where tropical astrologers could consider the patterns. (I tried, but couldn't make the diagram smaller.) I?ve been ?meditating? on this diagram, and it occurred to me that the planetary exaltations might have been the foundation of sign rulership. In contrast to the five planets and their dual sign rulerships, there is only one exaltation sign for the Sun, Moon and each traditional planet. We know that the association of a particular constellation with each of the seven planets as the place where each had special significance (hypsoma) was a Babylonian concept. We know that these places were adopted by Hellenistic astrologers as the exaltation places of planets in zodiac signs. History also tells us that the system of domicile rulerships appears for the first time in Hellenistic astrology which post-dates the Babylonian hypsoma. We can mentally (or actually on paper) de-construct the chart as follows: (1) First draw the circle of the zodiac as it is done in the diagram. The lunar half of the zodiac is shaded while the solar half is light. (2) Then in a second circle place the traditional exaltation planets next to their signs. The traditional planets are shaded in blue. (3) From these exaltations we can find the domicile signs of the planets as placed on the outer ring of the diagram: No question about the Sun and Moon: Cancer and Leo. If we follow through in astronomical order: Virgo: Mercury Libra: Venus Scorpio: Mars Sagittarius: Jupiter Capricorn: Saturn Aquarius: Uranus (1781) Pisces: Neptune (1846) Aries: Pluto (1930) Taurus: (?) Gemini (?) There is no other way that domicile and exaltation signs can be re-arranged to retain the synchronicity in the diagram. The relationships conform to tradition except for the newly discovered planets which automatically find their place in relation to traditional placements. On the sidereal forum I pointed out that the newer planets all find their affinities in the lunar half of the zodiac while the exaltations of benefics (Moon, Venus, Jupiter) also fall in the lunar half. The exaltation of the malefics (Mars and Saturn) fall in solar signs. For me this diagram puts to rest any concept of an asteroid ruling Virgo or Pluto belonging to Scorpio. I don?t necessarily see the newer planets as domicile lords so much as expressions of the characteristics of the ancient gods in their signs of affinity. (But this works well only in the sidereal zodiac as discussed on the sidereal forum.) Possibly human evolution will evolve to the point where we can use the trans-Saturnian planets as actual domicile lords as we learn to express the positive attributes of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Of course even now contemporary astrologers use these planets as sign rulers. We can?t go in the other direction in the zodiac for rulerships or affinities because we get this pattern: Leo: Sun Cancer Moon Gemini: Mercury Taurus: Venus Aries: Mars Pisces: Jupiter Aquarius: Saturn Sagittarius: Neptune Scorpio: Pluto Libra (?) Virgo (?) I doubt that many astrologers would see an affinity between Capricorn and Uranus or would connect Neptune to Sagittarius rather than Pisces. So, yes, I can see that the patterns in the diagram are pretty much ?set in stone? for the zodiac unless we want to totally break from centuries of tradition. There is indeed another way to recapture the simple symmetry of the domicile scheme which is to fit a caducaeus into the zodiak. It's too bad that I don't have a diagram in a suitable format handy, so let me describe it: A zigzag line connects Saturn/Cap to Jupiter/Sag, on to Mars/Aries, Venus/Libra, Mercury/Gemini, Moon/Cancer. This is your lunar snake or, in the Indian scheme, Ida. Likewise, a zigzag line connects Uranus/Aqu to Neptune/Pisces, on to Pluto/Scorpio, Persephone (or Bacchus)/Taurus and (okay, let's call him) Apollon/Virgo; your solar snake or Pingala. - Do you get the picture? To summarize, in a somewhat more complex but likewise symmetrical manner like the ancient domicile scheme, we arrive at: Cancer: Moon Leo: Sun Virgo: Apollon Libra: Venus Scorpio: Pluto Sagittarius: Jupiter Capricorn: Saturn Aquarius: Uranus Pisces: Neptune Aries: Mars Taurus: Persephone (I'd call this one Bacchus, but never mind) Gemini: Mercury This is in keeping with the experiences in Western astrology as to Pluto's rulership of Scorpio. Also, I think that Mercury and Gemini are a perfect match. Last edited by Michael Sternbach on Fri Apr 17, 2015 1:05 am, edited 1 time in total. Quote Thu Apr 16, 2015 5:31 pm
5 by Michael Sternbach Talking about the exaltations, I suggest the following: Cancer - Jupiter Leo - Pluto Virgo - Mercury Libra - Saturn Scorpio - Uranus Sagittarius - Apollon Capricorn - Mars Aquarius - Neptune Pisces - Venus Aries - Sun Taurus - Moon Gemini - Persephone (Bacchus) If you graphically arrange these exaltations in the manner you did with your order and ascribe their signs to them (according to the domicile scheme I presented above), you end up with: Sun/Leo over Aries Moon/Cancer over Taurus Extending to both sides, you will have the combinations, lo and behold: Persephone/Taurus over Gemini - Venus/Libra over Pisces Jupiter/Sagittarius over Cancer - Neptune/Pisces over Aquarius Pluto/Scorpio over Leo - Mars/Aries over Capricorn Mercury/Gemini over Virgo - Apollon/Virgo over Sagittarius Saturn/Capricorn over Libra - Uranus/Aquarius over Scorpio In other words, in each case two signs that traditionally belong to the same planet. Now, that's symmetry for you. But you may not see it without a little drawing... Quote Thu Apr 16, 2015 6:09 pm
6 by waybread Therese, you might find the following of interest. If you don't have free access to JSTOR or other academic journal retrieval services or academic books, you could probably access them via a trip to your nearest university library-- or even via an Interlibrary Loan request at your nearest public library branch. Joanne Conman, 2006-9, "The Egyptian Origins of Planetary Hypsomata," Discussions in Egyptology 64: 7-20. F. Rochberg-Halton, 1988, "Elements of the Babylonian Contribution to Hellenistic Astrology," Journal of the American Oriental Society 108:51-62. For more recent treatments by these authors, see: Francesca Rochberg 2004, The Heavenly Writing: Divination, Horoscopy, and Astronomy in Mesopotamian Culture. Cambridge University Press. Joanne Conman, 2013, Ancient Egyptian Sky Lore: Rethinking the Conventional Wisdom, Decan Wisdom Books. Rochberg's book is top-drawer, published by one of the most prestigious academic presses in the business. While Conman's book is a useful corrective to the unsupported assumptions about Egyptian star knowledge, a lot of it is an attack on Otto Neugebauer. It is available through amazon.com. Another book that I haven't read but should is: David Brown, 2000, Mesopotamian Planetary Astronomy-Astrology (Cuneiform Monographs, 18 ) Brill Academic Publishers. Quote Thu Apr 16, 2015 8:58 pm
7 by Therese Hamilton Waybread, thanks for the recommendations. I'll have to pass on the academic journal articles as there is no university library nearby. I do have Rochberg's book which I bought as soon as it was published. I also have her other books, and have found them very useful. Conman's book sounds very exciting (I've just now read the Amazon reviews), and I have ordered the book from an Amazon seller. Can't wait to read it! At $145 USD I'll have to pass on David Brown's book, but will keep it in mind if it turns up less expensive later. Gavin White has that book listed as recommended reading in Babylonian Star-Lore. I will keep all your recommendations in my files. Might consider JSTOR later. Thank you. http://www.snowcrest.net/sunrise/LostZodiac.htm Quote Thu Apr 16, 2015 10:41 pm
8 by waybread Thanks, Therese. Don't forget your local public library's Interlibrary Loan service. Just go armed with all of the publication info about the book or article. It can take some books a few weeks to arrive, and the term limit is usually about 2 weeks, but the advantage is that they're free. Quote Fri Apr 17, 2015 2:33 am
9 by Paul Therese I'm glad you got a nice graphic for this! Can you provide the link for the discussion last year where we discussed it? I remember I posted initially critically and then understood what you meant and praised it, but can't remember in which thread it was. Do you know by any chance? "The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing" - Socrates https://heavenlysphere.com/ Quote Tue Apr 21, 2015 12:38 pm
10 by astrocorreia Hi Given that I seem to lack the traits of my exalted Mars and dignified Saturn(am lazy,a bit aimless etc) I wonder if the so called exaltations only apply to houses(Mars in 10 rather than in Capricorn,Saturn in 7th rather than Libra) Just speculating. Maybe something has been lost in translations Quote Tue Apr 21, 2015 1:02 pm
11 by Michael Sternbach astrocorreia wrote:Hi Given that I seem to lack the traits of my exalted Mars and dignified Saturn(am lazy,a bit aimless etc) I wonder if the so called exaltations only apply to houses(Mars in 10 rather than in Capricorn,Saturn in 7th rather than Libra) Just speculating. Maybe something has been lost in translations Hi astrocorreia, Thanks for opening a nice wiggly can of worms. Indeed, in modern astrology there is the wide spread assumption that the Zodiac is mirrored in the Wheel of the Houses. However, the idea often doesn't sit too well with many traditional astrologers (such as the ones residing on this forum), although you do find the concept already in Arabic astrology, and even the great William Lilly mentions it. In case you are interested in pursuing this further, I would like to refer you to a thread I started last year: http://skyscript.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8270 Needless to say, we could further discuss this topic in its various aspects over there. Back to come to the question at hand, in this system of the so called Natural Houses, the planets are considered their mundane rulers in the manner implied by you: Mars permanently ruling the first house, Venus the second etc. This principle can be extended to exaltations as well in the manner you suggest. However, I am not aware of any literature that further explores this topic, even though it may be there. Last edited by Michael Sternbach on Tue Apr 21, 2015 8:18 pm, edited 2 times in total. Quote Tue Apr 21, 2015 7:41 pm
12 by Therese Hamilton Paul wrote:Therese I'm glad you got a nice graphic for this! Can you provide the link for the discussion last year where we discussed it? I remember I posted initially critically and then understood what you meant and praised it, but can't remember in which thread it was. Do you know by any chance? Here's the link, Paul. I had to look a while for it, and then replaced the hand drawn graphic with the same professional graphic on this thread. It's under the topic "Outer Planets and the Zodiac." http://skyscript.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8089 http://www.snowcrest.net/sunrise/LostZodiac.htm Quote Tue Apr 21, 2015 7:58 pm