Planetary Employment

In a previous segment we talked about how planets are conceptualized as people in medieval astrology. We also alluded to the fact that each of these planets have jobs to do in a chart. Determining what these jobs are and how well the planets are performing them is a key point in medieval chart interpretations.

Each planet is responsible for the affairs of the houses that it rules. This means if Sagittarius is on the cusp of the third house, it's ruler Jupiter is responsible for making third house things happen. The third house signifies siblings, extended family, and travel, so Jupiter is compelled to bring these things into the native's life as much as he possibly can.

Jupiter doesn't just rule one sign, though. He is also the domicile lord of Pisces and so must also manage the affairs of the house that finds Pisces on its cusp. If Sagittarius is on the third house cusp, then Pisces is most likely going to be found on the sixth house cusp. This means Jupiter must also bring about sixth house topics like illness, toil, stress, and small animals.

Planets can only do their jobs in a way that is aligned to their own nature. Jupiter can never function in a way that is like Mars. They are separate planets with their own methods of getting something done. Jupiter is a benefic planet who seeks to stabilize and confirm. This suggests that any area of life that Jupiter is attached to will be conventionally good and stable. Jupiter likes to say yes, and will say yes to the things he is supposed to manage. In this example, Jupiter will say yes to third and sixth house things. The native is likely to have good experiences with siblings and travel and can expect a helpful extended family. Unfortunately Jupiter must also work with the sixth houses topics and will bring about illnesses and toil that are similar to his nature, perhaps diseases of the liver or blood disorders since Jupiter naturally signifies both of these things in the body.

After determining what Jupiter is trying to accomplish, the next step is to see how well the planet is doing that job. This is something determined by essential dignity; in what manner is the job being done. If the planet is well dignified, the job is done well, with adequate resources and with stability. If the planet is ill-dignified we can expect the opposite.

A final piece to consider is that planets function in a way that links together houses in a chart based on the houses that they rule and the house they are placed in. While Jupiter in this chart is responsible for bringing about third and sixth house things, Jupiter must bring them about from within the first house. Jupiter's position here will have an effect on the native, their personality, and physical appearance (they will act and look more like Jupiter because of his placement), but Jupiter is also bringing siblings, travel, extended family, illness, and stress to the native. This can play out in a few ways; travel opportunities come to the native, siblings and family confide in or otherwise seek them out, or perhaps the native was born with or develops an illness that they will have to manage for most of their life.

This method of chart analysis is very different from modern methods which often simply seek to identify the house and sign placement of a planet. Jupiter in Libra has specific characteristics and will effect the first house in some manner, but attention isn't typically paid to the houses that a planet rules in modern chart analysis. This tends to make everyone's Jupiter more or less the same. Without the house rulerships to tell us what specific thing Jupiter is doing, everyone's Jupiter is just doing generic Jupiter things.

With this in mind, look through your own chart and see the houses and topics that the different planets rule and how they are connected in your own life experiences!