OKAY SO. On to debilities! *Why* certain planets are debilitated in certain signs is a different thread, there's an easy way to remember which signs given planets are debilitated in (which has to do with why certain planets rule certain signs) #essentialdignities #astrology
There are two forms of debility: detriment and fall. When a planet is in one of its debilities, it is in a place where its natural tendencies cannot express themselves normally. A planet in debility is literally "out of its element," but there are two different flavors of this.
Imagine, say, someone like Kim Davis in a place like San Francisco. That's the kind of diametric opposition of natures we're talking about here. What flies in Trumplandia isn't going to go over well in the Castro (and vice versa).
Kim flies into a rage at all the "sinners" she sees around them and starts being just insufferable. Spin this illustration the other way and you get people like me in places like southwest Missouri: I'm hot, uncomfortable, and scared for my life most of the time.
Neither Kim in the Castro nor I in southwest Missouri can fully express either of our intrinsic natures because the environments limit us from doing so. This is precisely what happens when a planet is in one of its debilities.
All of this emerges in like manner from the dignity scheme I discussed earlier in the day: just as a planet has a given dignity with its attendant honors and responsibilities, so either of the two debilities have their own ways in which they limit a planet from expressing itself.
The first of these, detriment, is akin to what I already described with Kim in the Castro. Detriment occurs when a planet is in the sign opposite to one of the signs where it has rulership (in its place of opposition). #astrology #essentialdignities
So, let's go back to our Libra example from earlier! We know that Venus has rulership here, and Saturn has exaltation. However, Libra is on the opposite side of the Zodiac from Aries, which is one of the signs where Mars has rulership. So, Mars has _detriment_ here.
When Mars is in detriment, he cannot be one-pointed and focused and energetic. He cannot wage war directly as is his habit; his anger is fettered and diffused in ways that are either deadened or explosive. He can't connect with the priorities he sets in Aries.
Moreover, because Venus rules Libra and, if you remember, she sets the priorities for everything happening in Libra, by sheer nature, Mars can't cope with Venus' peacemaking initiative that requires all parties to come to a union of the mind (remember this).
So we say Mars is in detriment in Libra. His power is cooled, weakened, diffused, and made either explosive or impotent by turns instead of focused and directed. He is no peacemaker and so he stands awkwardly in the corner while Venus manages the peace talks.
But wait! This is where the magic of detriment lies. Mars is an outsider in Venus' council hall, but he brings a unique perspective from a foreign land that must be voiced in order for real peace to reign. Mars in Libra can spur Venus to fight for peace, which is a contradiction.
A planet in detriment can function as "sand in the oyster" that causes the planets who have dignity in a given sign to make the agenda of the sign's ruler manifest in a way that might be otherwise contradictory to the sign ruler's priorities.
So remember: detriment = out of the element, sand in the oyster! #essentialdignities #astrology
Now let's talk about the other debility, fall. Fall (also called "depression") occurs when a planet is in the sign opposite of the sign of its exaltation. Planets in fall often indicate the way fortunes have turned.
If a planet in exaltation is the exalted guest of the sign ruler, then a planet in fall is a planet that has accidentally sat down at the wrong table in the middle school cafeteria. The sign ruler says to the planet in fall, "you can't sit with us,"
So the expression of a planet in fall is as a victim of circumstance; yes, the planet is somewhat out of its element, but in a different way than the planet in detriment. The planet in fall is at the mercy of its sign ruler.
In horary charts, a planet in fall often indicates a situation that has emerged as a result of the mysterious mechanics we know as "shit happens." Remember, this is *different* than detriment in that the planet is more a victim of circumstance than a victim of open hostility.
But just as a planet in detriment can serve as an important outside influence ('sand in the oyster'), a planet in fall likewise can serve as a reality check: 'what have I done to end up in this situation?' A planet in fall is like a person in the first step of AA:
"We admitted that we were powerless to help ourselves." And that planet in fall can be the very thing, especially in a natal chart, that can spur us on to place special attention on the matters ruled by the planet in fall in the area where it is placed (speaking of houses here).
So! That's detriment and fall for you. The last thing to remember about the debilities is this, and it is crucial: the debilities have as much impact on the meanings of individual signs as the dignities. Remember this. Needlepoint it on a throw pillow.
Tomorrow, I'll talk about peregrination, which is the phenomenon when a planet has no dignity in a given sign and is considered a debility in its own right. I'll also talk about when a planet has mixed dignity AND debility (e.g., Venus in the third decan of Aries!)
Check back tomorrow for more! #astrology #essentialdignities And if you like this thread, be a dear and pop over to my website, take a look, and consider setting up a time with me to look at your chart! soulfriendastrology.com/contact
