ASTROLOGICAL DICTIONARY
A
AC Abbreviation for Ascendant.
ACCIDENTAL DEBILITATION The position of a planet in a house which weakens an otherwise strongly placed planet. See DEBILITATED POSITION.
ACCIDENTAL DIGNITY The position of a planet in a house which strenghtens an otherwise weakly placed planet. See DIGNIFIED POSITION.
AIR SIGNS Gemini, Libra and Aquarius, also known as the air triplicity.
ANGLE A sensitive point in an astrological chart. The chart has four angles: the Ascendant, the Nadir, the Descendant, and the Midheaven. These points also represent the cusps of the angular houses.
ANGULAR HOUSES The First, The Fourth, the Seventh and the Tenth house. The cusps of these houses represent the angles of the astrological chart. The cusp of the First house is the Ascendant, the cusp of the Fourth house is the Nadir, the cusp of the Seventh house is the Descendant, and the cusp of the Tenth house is the Midheaven.
ASCENDANT The easternmost point of the astrological chart, also known as the AC or the Ascendant. This is the cusp of the First house. It represents the individual's relationship to the world and the face they show to the world. The sign on the Ascendant tells us what kind of first impression the individual makes and how they express their personality outwardly.
ASPECT The geometric distance between two planets in a chart that is measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds. The planets that are in aspect have a certain relationship, which can be positive or negative, depending on how easily compatible their characteristics are.
B
BENEFIC A planet whose impact is predominantly positive. The benefics are Jupiter and Venus; Jupiter is the Greater Benefic, and Venus is the Lesser Benefic.
C
CADENT HOUSES The Third, the Sixth, the Ninth and the Twelfth house.
CAMPANUS HOUSE DIVISION One of the systems of house division.
CARDINAL SIGNS Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, also known as the cardinal quadruplicity.
COMBUST PLANET A planet that is located in the immediate vicinity of the Sun is said to be combust. This means that its characteristics are somewhat hidden from the individual. They do not perceive these qualities as a significant part of their own personality, however, they are very obvious to everyone else around them. Every planet that is located within 10° of the Sun is considered to be combust.
CO-RULER OF A HOUSE Co-ruler of the sign on the cusp of the house, e.g. if the sign of Pisces is on the cusp of a particular house, the ruler of that house is Neptune, and the co-ruler is Jupiter.
CO-RULER OF A SIGN The planet that is the secondary ruler of a sign. Co-rulers are attributed to the signs that are ruled by the outer planets in modern astrology, namely Scorpio, Aquarius and Pisces. Scorpio is ruled by Pluto, Aquarius is ruled by Uranus, and Pisces is ruled by Neptune. Prior to the discovery of the outer planets, however, these signs were ruled by the traditional planets; Scorpio was ruled by Mars, Aquarius by Saturn, and Pisces by Jupiter. These three planets are considered in modern astrology to be their co-rulers, i.e. the ruler of Scorpio is Pluto, and its co-ruler is Mars; the ruler of Aquarius is Uranus, and its co-ruler is Saturn; the ruler of Pisces is Neptune, and its co-ruler is Jupiter.
CUSP A line that marks the border between two houses and the beginning of each house.
D
DC Abbreviation for Descendant.
DEBILITATED POSITION The position of a planet in a chart which makes the planet weaker. A planet is in a debilitated position when it is in the sign of its debilitation or in the sign of its fall, if it is located in an unfavorable house or in one of the cadent houses.
DEFICIENCY A relatively small amount of a particular element or modality in a chart.
DESCENDANT The westernmost point of the astrological chart, also known as the DC or the Descendant. This is the cusp of the Seventh house. It represents the individual's relationship to others. The sign on the Descendant tells us how an individual makes contact with other people and to what extent they are able to understand the views of others. It also shows us whether the individual is capable of devotion and intimacy in personal relationships.
DETRIMENT/EXILE The sign in which a planet has the least positive effect or in which its properties are least clearly expressed. The detriment of a planet is in the sign that is opposite the sign of its domicile, e.g., the Sun's domicile is in Leo and its detriment is in Aquarius.
DIGNIFIED POSITION The position of a planet in a chart which makes the planet stronger. A planet is in a dignified position when it is located in the sign of its domicile, when it is exalted, if it is located in a favorable house, when it is positioned on an angle or located in one of the angular houses.
DIRECT MOTION The natural motion of planets.
DOMICILE/HOME The sign in which a planet has the most positive effect or in which its properties are most clearly expressed, e.g., the Sun's domicile is in the sign of Leo.
E
EARTH SIGNS Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, also known as the earth triplicity.
ELEMENT Each of the four groups that represent an individual’s perception of the world. Every elementary group contains three signs. The astrological elements are fire, air, earth and water. Each element represents a particular way of perceiving the world: fire perceives spiritually, air perceives rationally, earth practically, and water emotionally.
EQUAL HOUSE DIVISION A system of house division where each house consists of 30°. If the Ascendant is at 23° Libra, this means that the cusp of the Second house is at 23° Scorpio, the cusp of the Third house is at 23° Sagittarius, etc.
EXALTATION A sign in which a planet has an extremely positive effect or in which the characteristics of the planet are very strongly expressed. The exaltation point happens in the astrological sign which allows the planet to have a high level of consciousness and where it can express its characteristics in an extremely positive way, e.g., the Sun is exalted in the sign of Aries.
EXCESS A relatively large amount of a particular element or modality in a chart.
F
FALL A sign in which a planet has an extremely weak effect or in which the characteristics of the planet are expressed with a lot of difficulty. The fall of a planet is in the sign opposite to the sign of its exaltation, e.g., the Sun is exalted in the sign of Aries and it is in its fall in the sign of Libra.
FIRE SIGNS Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, also known as the fire triplicity.
FIXED SIGNS Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, also known as the fixed quadruplicity.
FUNCTIONAL BENEFIC The planet that rules the positive houses and therefore acts as a benefic in a particular chart. Functional benefics are determined by the sign that is located on the Ascendant.
FUNCTIONAL MALEFIC The planet that rules the negative houses and therefore acts as a malefic in a particular chart. Functional malefics are determined by the sign that is located on the Ascendant.
H
HEMISPHERE Each of the "halves" of the astrological chart. If we divide the chart horizontally along the Ascendant - Descendant axis, we get two halves: the Northern and Southern Hemisphere; if we divide it vertically along the Midheaven - Nadir axis, we also get two halves: the Eastern and Western Hemisphere. The occupancy of the hemispheres by planets gives us more information about the individual.
HOUSE Each of the twelve sectors of the chart where the planets are located. Astrological houses are stationary, so the First house is always found in the same place in the chart, as are all the others. Each house covers a specific area of life. When there are planets located in a certain house, this tells us that the themes of the house are especially important in the individual’s life.
HOUSE DIVISION Mathematical division of the chart into twelve sectors or houses. There are several different systems of house division.
HOUSE PAIR Each of the six pairs of houses positioned opposite each other in the astrological chart. The house pairs are as follows: the First and the Seventh, the Second and the Eighth, the Third and the Ninth, the Fourth and the Tenth, the Fifth and the Eleventh, and the Sixth and the Twelfth. Each house pair deals with similar topics and related areas, but they tend to have the opposite approach to them.
HOUSE RULER The planet that rules the sign on the cusp of a house, e.g., if Aries is on the cusp, then the ruler of the house is Mars.
I
IC Abbreviation for Imum Coeli.
K
KOCH HOUSE DIVISION One of the systems of house division.
L
LUMINARIES The Sun and the Moon.
M
MALEFIC A planet whose influence is predominantly negative. Malefics are Saturn and Mars; Saturn is the Greater Malefic and Mars is the Lesser Malefic.
MC Abbreviation for Medium Coeli.
MIDHEAVEN The highest point of the astrological chart, also known as the MC or Medium Coeli. This is the cusp of the Tenth house. It represents the individual’s pursuit of success and their need for outer confirmation. The sign on the Midheaven tells us how an individual strives to achieve success and social status, and how they want to be seen by others. It can also show us which area the individual's career path will be related to.
MODALITY/QUALITY Each of the three groups that represent how an individual uses their energy and how they interact with their environment. Every group contains four signs. Astrological modalities are cardinal, fixed and mutable/changeable. Each modality represents a particular way of expressing the energy: cardinal signs are active and enterprising, fixed signs are unchanging and focused, and mutable signs are adaptable and versatile.
MUTABLE/CHANGEABLE SIGNS Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces, also known as the mutable quadruplicity.
N
NADIR The lowest point of the astrological chart, also known as the IC or Imum Coeli. This is the cusp of the Fourth house. It represents the individual’s roots and their basic need for security. The sign on the IC tells us what kind of circumstances the individual grew up in and how easily they can identify with their family. It also shows us what kind of home the individual creates as an adult.
NEGATIVE SIGNS Signs that have a negative polarity, i.e., Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn and Pisces.
O
ORB Deviation from the exactness of an aspect. When two planets are in aspect, there is an exact angular distance between them. Planets that form an angle of 180° are in opposition, but they are considered to be in opposition even if the angle formed between them is not completely accurate, as long as it is between 172° and 188°. The orb of the aspect in this case is 8°. Different orbs are allowed for different angles.
ORBITAL REVOLUTION The time a planet needs to complete one orbit around the Sun, or a Moon around a planet.
P
PLACIDUS HOUSE DIVISION One of the systems of house division.
PLANET A celestial body that represents a certain psychological need in astrology. Astrological planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto (which astronomers consider to be a dwarf planet). Both luminaries, the Sun and the Moon, are also considered to be planets in astrology.
PLANETARY RULER/DISPOSITOR The planet that naturally rules the sign in which a particular planet is located in the chart, becomes its ruler. For example, if the Sun is located in the sign of Gemini in a birth chart, the ruler of this Sun becomes Mercury, which naturally rules the sign of Gemini. The dispositor gives us more detailed information about the state of a planet in a birth chart.
POLARITY Each of the two groups that represent an individual’s natural expression of energy. Each group contains six signs. The astrological polarities are positive and negative. The polarities represent two different expressions of energy: positive signs are extroverted and initiative, while negative signs are introverted and receptive.
PORPHYRY HOUSE DIVISION One of the systems of house division.
POSITIVE SIGNS Signs that have a positive polarity, i.e., Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius and Aquarius.
Q
QUADRANT Each of the "quarters" of the astrological chart. If we divide the chart horizontally along the Ascendant - Descendant axis and vertically along the Midheaven - Nadir axis, we get four sectors. Each of them contains three houses, of which one is angular, one succedent, and one cadent. The occupancy of quadrants by planets gives us more information about the individual.
QUADRUPLICITY A group of four signs that share the same modality.
R
REGIOMONTANUS HOUSE DIVISION One of the systems of house division.
RETROGRADE MOTION The apparent movement of a planet backwards. When a planet is moving slower than the Earth, it appears to be moving backwards from the Earth’s point of view. This phenomenon is called retrograde motion. During the retrogradation phase, the planets have a slightly different impact than usual.
RETROGRADE PLANET A planet that is in retrograde motion.
S
SIGN Each of the twelve personality archetypes.
SIGN RULER The planet that is the natural ruler of a sign, e.g., the Sun is the ruler of Leo, the Moon is the ruler of Cancer, etc. The planet in its sign is dignified and expresses its characteristics positively.
SIGNIFICATOR A planet that archetypically represents certain characteristics or attitudes of an individual, e.g., the Sun is the significator of vitality and ego, Venus is the significator of an individual's attitude towards relationships and material goods, etc.
STATIONARY PLANET When a planet transitions from direct motion to retrograde motion or vice versa, for a short time it looks as if it is standing still. We call this phenomenon a stationary planet.
SUCCEDENT HOUSES The Second, the Fifth, the Eighth and the Eleventh house.
SYSTEM OF HOUSE DIVISION Each of the existing mathematical calculations that can be used to divide the chart into twelve sectors or houses.
T
TRIPLICITY A group of three signs that share the same element.
W
WATER SIGNS Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces, also known as the water triplicity.
WHOLE SIGN HOUSE DIVISION One of the oldest systems of house division, where each sign (consisting of 30°) occupies one house. If the Ascendant is at 29° Aquarius, this means that the First house is in the sign of Aquarius (the exact degree of the Ascendant is marked inside the First house), the Second house is in the sign of Pisces, the Third house is in Aries, etc.