OH YES I was going to talk about peregrine planets as my third little spiel on dignities and debilities! Basically, a peregrine planet is a "stranger in a strange land:" it is in a zodiacal position where it has absolutely no dignity. #astrology #essentialdignities #peregrine
A planet that is peregrine is like a vagabond, depending on the hospitality of the planet who rules the sign through which it sojourns. Peregrine planets tend towards opportunism and overstaying their welcome, looking for ways to get what they need and move on.
The word "peregrinus" in Latin means "stranger," "vagabond," or "pilgrim" depending on the context. And a planet can manifest as any of the three when he or she is peregrine. Benefic planets are more like to tend towards "pilgrim," while malefics tend toward "vagabond."
We might also use the word "refugee" depending on the other planetary connections involved in a planet's current zodiacal position.
Planets can be both peregrine and debilitated. If a planet is peregrine and debilitated, it is like an awful house guest you just can't get rid of: a real "if you give a moose a muffin" situation that is ready to take advantage of its host's hospitality with no qualms.
Let me give you an example: the Moon at 26º Sagittarius, for one. She has no dignity there, but neither is she debilitated. She depends entirely on Jupiter to get anything she needs and this can manifest as waffling around matters related to whatever Jupiter rules in the chart.
"Waffling" is a good Moon word, also a good Mercury word. Since the Moon is naturally inclined towards growth and nurture, she is naturally inclined to be a good guest, but can sometimes become obnoxious with her demands. Jupiter is more patient with them than, say, Mars.
By way of contrast, consider the Moon in Capricorn in a day chart: she has no dignity, and she is also in the sign of her detriment, so she is in "enemy territory" and a place utterly foreign to her. The only way she will be able to get anything she wants here is to appeal
either to Saturn or to Mars, with whom she has something of a tense relationship. But since she's so out of her element in Capricorn, she's like to be an awful house guest, driving her host bananas by breaking into tears about her hapless situation.
Peregrine planets are looked at by their host with the kind of suspicion often attributed to strangers and foreigners in the ancient world: they have no allegiance to their host. In horaries, they carry an "it'll do (for now)" vibe—they're ready to move on quickly.
Peregrine planets in a natal chart often indicate areas where we have a tendency to "make do" or individuals who float in and out of our lives with little sense of allegiance to our overall priorities (peregrine 7th rulers are a pain!). #peregrine #astrology
