CHAPTER 1

The Hierarchy of the Cosmos

A N C IEN T PH ILO SO PH E R S ENV ISIO N ED A G EO CEN TR IC COSMOS WHERE

the earth formed the center of an ordered system surrounded by seven wander­
ing planets and a multitude of stars. The heavens above were a realm composed
of a fifth divine element called aither. According to Plato, the cosmos was alive
and infused with soul and intelligence. At the top of the hierarchy, located at the
extremities of the cosmos, stood a principle of unity, of eternal and unchang­
ing being, which different philosophers called “The Good” (Plato), “The Prime
Mover” (Aristotle), “The One” (Plotinus), and which later became identified
with the Christian God.
Below the principle of unity in the cosmic hierarchy were a plethora of ce­
lestial bodies, “the visible appearances of the gods”, which were divided between
the fixed stars (which had regular motions) and the wandering planets (which
had irregular motions, and traveled along their courses in nested concentric
spheres). The fixed stars were considered to be more divine than the planets.
Because they were seen to move across the night sky with perfectly regular and
circular motion—a prime feature of divinity—they were believed to be closer to
the source of unity.
The planets occupied the space between the fixed stars and the Earth. Thus
they were thought to be slightly less divine because of both their greater distance
from the source and their erratic movements. At the center and bottom of the
hierarchy was the Earth, terrestrial in nature, composed of the four elements of
fire, earth, air, and water, in a constant state of flux and change, coming to be
and passing away. The Earth was populated with mortals who were primarily
composed of the same physical elements as the Earth, but who also contained a
spark of the divine, known as the soul.
This hierarchy and arrangement of the celestial bodies informed astrolo­
gers as to the nature and ranking of the various criteria for assessing a planets
condition. When this model was perceived through the lens of the astrologers, a
certain band of the fixed stars formed the images of the zodiacal constellations
24 CHAPTER 1

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F IG U R E 1. D I V IN E U N IT Y G{ C O S M IC H IE R A R C H Y

The totality o f divine unity encompasses the fixed stars (the

sphere o f the zodiac), the planetary spheres (Saturn, Jupiter,
Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon), the daimones, the sublu­
nary elements (the spirits o f fire, air, water), and finally, at the
very center, earth itself
 TH E H IE R A R C H Y OF TH E COSM OS 25

against whose background the sun and planets seemed to move. These images
later became the basis for the meanings of the twelve zodiacal signs. Because of
the fixed stars’ closer proximity to the source and the regularity of their motion,
the symbolism of the zodiacal signs has the greatest quality of divinity in the
astrological trinity of sign, planet, and house. From the earliest time period of
Babylonian astrology, the zodiacal constellations were understood as ‘stations
for great gods”, celestial palaces where the planetary gods resided. Hellenistic
astrology rephrased this concept of the zodiacal sign in terms of an oikos: a
domicile or residence for a planetary lord. When a planet is located in its own
zodiacal domicile—its sign of rulership—it was considered to be just as power­
ful as when a lord is in residence on his own estate.
Following the fixed stars in the descending cosmological order were the
spheres of the planets: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun (in the center of the plan­
etary order), Venus, Mercury, and the Moon, which was closest to Earth. The
originators of western astrology in Babylonia identified the planets with the
gods of their pantheon. When knowledge of Babylonian astronomy came to the
Greek world in the sixth century b c e , the Greeks gave the planets the names of
their own gods that most closely resembled the attributes of their Babylonian
counterparts. But rather than identifying the planet as a god, the Greeks placed
the planets under the auspices of a particular god. For example, the Babylonian
Nebu, the scribe god, metamorphosed into the “star of Hermes”, which we know
as Mercury.
The planets did not demonstrate perfectly regular motion—they went for­
wards and backwards; they seemed to slow down, stand still, and then moved
quickly forward again; they also wandered north and south of the ecliptic, and
sometimes disappeared altogether from sight. They moved at different speeds,
both within their own cycles as well as relative to one another. Periodically, a
planetary god would come into alignment with another, only to then separate,
hurrying forward to stand at right angles and then at a diameter. For these rea­
sons they were considered to be erratic, and even though they represented gods
and goddesses, they were seen as slightly less divine than the fixed star zodiacal
constellations. Certainly in Greek mythology, the Olympic gods were far from
perfect, having many human frailties; but they were still immortals.
Hellenistic astronomers and astrologers charted these multitudinous move­
ments, and labeled them as planets in direct, stationary, and retrograde motions;
making heliacal risings and settings; cazimi, combust, and under the beams;
conjunct one another, sextile, square, trine, and opposed. The planetary gods
were rollicking about the heavens, traveling to different celestial palaces, engag­
ing in friendly and adversarial relations, and ever negotiating about the fates of
 26 CHAPTER 1

the mortals below, whose lives were under their jurisdiction. When a planet was
traveling faster than its average speed, direct in motion, and visible relative to
the Sun, its condition was regarded as good because it was moving quickly and
directly toward bringing about its matters in ways that could be seen. And when
a planet was in harmonious aspect configuration with a benefic planet, it was
thought to have the support to bring forth its best expression.
And then there was the terrestrial earth, where mortals were born into the
conditions of living human experience, and then died. Like the four elements
of which the earth and mortals were composed, mortals were subject to the
ever-changing forces of generation and corruption, coming into being and then
passing away. Ancient astrologers structured and divided the realms on earth
in accordance with the great circles—the horizon, meridian, and ecliptic. They
noted the places relative to the earth where the Sun rose, culminated overhead,
set beneath the horizon, and descended to the deepest place under the earth.
They divided these great circles by twelve, resonant with the twelve zodiacal
signs, and each sector became a location where the various good and bad activi­
ties of the human experience took place: vital life force, money, siblings, parents,
children, illness, spouses, death, religion, honors, friends, and afflictions.
The planets held a special role in the astrological cosmos as mediators be­
tween the divine and terrestrial, between the zodiacal signs and the houses. They
transmitted the energies of the divine star signs, stepping down the frequencies
for human assimilation, and anchoring them into the earthly sphere and human
experience through the topics of the twelve houses. The Moon in particular,
because she was closest to the earth and moved so quickly, made contact every
m onth with each of the other planets via her conjoinings and aspects, gathering
up their effluences and bringing down their significations into the physical body
of earth and her inhabitants.

H IE R A R C H Y OF PLAN ETAR Y CO N D IT IO N

Traditional astrologers made a distinction between a planet’s celestial condition

and its terrestrial disposition. This was called a planets essential and accidental
dignity by Medieval astrologers. A planet’s celestial condition describes how the
planet is situated in the sky on a particular day. For the most part, with the ex­
ception of the Moon’s position, this will be the same for everyone born on that
day. Celestial condition is based upon three general categories.
The term inology in the following table will be covered in the subsequent
chapters of this book.
 THE HIERARCHY OF THE COSMOS 27

Table 1. Hierarchy o f P lanetary C ondition

COSMOS COSMOLOGICAL FACTORS CONDITION

Fixed stars Decans Rulership systems.

Zodiacal signs Sect rejoicing by zodiacal sign.

Planetary Solar phase synodic cycle Planetary speed, direction, visibility,

spheres & phase. Sect rejoicing by solar phase.
Lunar applications, phases, nodes, &
eclipses. Aspect testimony & relations,
bonification & maltreatment.

Earth Houses Active/strong and inactive/weak hous­

es. Fortunate and unfortunate houses.
Sect rejoicing by hemisphere. Joys o f
the houses.

The first and most important consideration is the planets z o d ia c a l s ig n

r u l e r s h i p s . Thisreflects the greater divinity ascribed to the fixed stars which
in turn lend their images to the zodiacal signs. The zodiacal signs as domiciles
provide the resources and powers that a planet utilizes in its expression.
Next in importance is a planets o r b it a l r e l a t io n s h ip t o t h e s u n , for
the Sun represents the heart and center of the solar system. The planets speed,
direction, and visibility are all derived from its solar phase relationship and play
important roles in how effectively it functions.
The third factor in the hierarchy of a planets celestial condition is the a s ­
p e c t c o n f ig u r a t io n s it makes with other planets. These provide one of the
social systems of alliances and cooperation or enmities and obstacles that plan­
etary gods encounter in attempting to shape the life of the native in accordance
with his or her fate.
Once a planet’s celestial condition has been determined, the next step is to
examine where that individual was born into time and space on a particular day
and moment. Like the game of musical chairs in which children dance around
a circle of chairs, when the music stops, they sit upon the chairs directly under­
neath. In a similar fashion at the moment of birth, the planets pause and drop
into the houses which stand on earth below their revolving motion. Some of
these houses signify the good things of life, and others, more difficult experi­
ences. A planets own nature, along with its celestial condition, determines how
these good and bad human experiences will unfold for the native.
 28 CHAPTER 1

The basic rule for assessing planetary condition is: The better the planets
condition, the better the outcome. As Jean Baptiste Morin, a sixteenth-century
French astrologer, wrote:

Every planet in good celestial state, such as in its own sign or exal­
tation or triplicity, oriental to the Sun and occidental to the Moon,
free from adverse aspects to malefics, in direct and rapid motion, etc.,
is said to be a benefic universally and for the whole world, and so
will be a benefic for any individual born at that time—in whatever
house it may appear—and this is even more certain if it receives the
favorable rays of the benefics. For the good or evil of a planets na­
ture or condition is neither abolished nor altered by the houses but is
merely given a specific determination, and the planets are more effec­
tive in their action the more their celestial state is in conformity with
their natures [...]
Furthermore any planet in adverse celestial state, such as in ex­
ile, retrograde, in bad aspect to the malefics, and receiving no good
aspects from the benefics, can be considered to be malefic universally
and for the whole world and so also for any individual born at that
time—no matter in what house it falls by either location or ruler­
ship—because such a condition vitiates the planets nature [...]
Finally a planet in an intermediate state such as peregrine and
adversely configured by benefics—or favorably so by malefics—will
act in a moderate way in producing good and evil. But one should
observe that the more ways a planet is assisted in its celestial state the
more good it is likely to produce, but the more ways it is impaired the
more it will incline to cause evil.*

We will now proceed to unpack this paragraph in the balance of this book.
We will present the traditional approach to the planets, signs, solar and lunar
phase, and aspects. We will examine the celestial condition of each planet in the
example charts, and then you will have the guided opportunity to repeat this
process with your own chart. Once we know exactly what we can expect from
each planet, in terms of both its strengths and weaknesses, we can then begin
the process of interpreting its meaning in a particular chart as we place the plan­
ets into the wheel of houses and experiences of the human condition on earth.
In the context of discussing planetary condition, one final but important
comment must be made about the terms “good” and “bad” (benefic and malefic,
favorable or unfavorable, fortunate or unfortunate, as well as several other sets
of synonyms). Modern psychological approaches emphasize that the counseling

Jean Baptiste M o r in , Astrologica Gallica, 21,2.2, trans. Baldwin.

 THE HIERARCHY OF THE COSMOS 29

astrologer never uses the words good or bad in speaking to a client. For the most
part, this distinction has dropped out of many modern interpretation books.
Editorial guidelines in some astrological publishing houses disqualified these
words from the texts. However, the notion of benefic and malefic is a fundamen­
tal consideration in traditional astrology.
When I use the phrase “good condition”, I mean the conditions that lead
to long life, good health, prosperity, happiness, and success in one’s endeavors.
When I use the phrase “bad condition”, I mean the conditions that lead to short
life, poor health, poverty, suffering, and failure in one’s endeavors. It is based
upon the recognition that the human condition is filled with both good and
bad experiences, and the astrological chart reflects that reality. Whether or not
a person can do something to change the indications of the chart is another
discussion altogether that entails beliefs about fate and the efficacy of spiritual
practice and free will. But in this work, our lens is what the chart itself indicates
about the good and bad of the life of the native based upon the principles of
traditional astrology. When using these insights in astrological counseling, you
must filter them through your own belief system regarding the roles of human
choice, intentionality, and free will.
 CHAPTER 2

The Fir£t Five Steps

IN LEARNING TRADITIONAL ASTROLOGY

if y o u h a v e A b a c k g r o u n d in m o d e r n a s t r o l o g y , there are several

conceptual and methodological shifts that are necessary before you can ap­
proach the traditional methods of viewing and interpreting charts. This might
seem disconcerting at first, as it calls into question some of the most basic un­
derstandings that inform your astrological practice. You shouldn’t have to re­
ject what you already know and have found valuable. But it will be useful to
temporarily shelve these perspectives as you explore traditional techniques.
Otherwise, you will likely face ongoing confusion and difficulty mastering the
system. At the conclusion of your studies of this material, you can then make an
informed decision as to how you want to continue, which techniques and ideas
to integrate into your current practice, and which parts of your current practice
you might want to revise.
From this point on we may speak of the “native” and the “nativity”. These
words come from the Latin verb natus which means “to be born”. Thus, the “na­
tive” is the person whose chart we’re reading (the person who is born) and their
nativity is the astrological chart depicting the arrangement of the planets at the
time of birth.

STEP o n e : s u s p e n d u s e o f t h e
T W E L V E -L E T T E R A L P H A B E T

The basic components of astrological symbolism are planets, zodiacal signs, and
houses. From the beginning of the astrological tradition, planets had special
correspondences with certain signs and houses that were considered more con­
ducive and beneficial to the expression of each planet’s essential nature. We will
discuss the specifics of these associations in later chapters that cover various
zodiacal-sign rulership systems and the planetary joys of the houses.
However, the planet/sign and planet/house correspondences of traditional