Planets in astrology: signs, houses, and dignities
A birth chart places ten planets, from the Sun to Pluto, and three calculated points: the two lunar nodes and Lilith.
- planets
- dignities
- signs
- houses
By Thomas Guilhot · updated
The planets at a glance
The planet says which function is at work, the sign how it expresses itself, the house in which area of life.
- Ten planets
- From the Sun to Pluto, luminaries included
- Three points
- North and South Nodes, Lilith
- Four dignities
- Domicile, exaltation, detriment, fall
- Reading
- Planet: what; sign: how; house: where
In a sign
Each planet in each sign
Essential dignities according to Ptolemy (Tetrabiblos I, 17–19): domicile and exaltation are said to strengthen the planet, detriment and fall to hinder it. Modern rulerships of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are flagged.
- DomDomicile
- ExaExaltation
- DetDetriment
- FallFall
- ·No major dignity
| Aries | Taurus | Gemini | Cancer | Leo | Virgo | Libra | Scorpio | Sagittarius | Capricorn | Aquarius | Pisces | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | Exa | · | · | · | Dom | · | Fall | · | · | · | Det | · |
| Moon | · | Exa | · | Dom | · | · | · | Fall | · | Det | · | · |
| Mercury | · | · | Dom | · | · | Dom+Exa | · | · | Det | · | · | Det+Fall |
| Venus | Det | Dom | · | · | · | Fall | Dom | Det | · | · | · | Exa |
| Mars | Dom | Det | · | Fall | · | · | Det | Dom | · | Exa | · | · |
| Jupiter | · | · | Det | Exa | · | Det | · | · | Dom | Fall | · | Dom |
| Saturn | Fall | · | · | Det | Det | · | Exa | · | · | Dom | Dom | · |
| Uranus | · | · | · | · | Det | · | · | · | · | · | Dom | · |
| Neptune | · | · | · | · | · | Det | · | · | · | · | · | Dom |
| Pluto | · | Det | · | · | · | · | · | Dom | · | · | · | · |
| North Node | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| South Node | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Lilith | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
- Sun in AriesExaltation
- Sun in TaurusNo major dignity
- Sun in GeminiNo major dignity
- Sun in CancerNo major dignity
- Sun in LeoDomicile
- Sun in VirgoNo major dignity
- Sun in LibraFall
- Sun in ScorpioNo major dignity
- Sun in SagittariusNo major dignity
- Sun in CapricornNo major dignity
- Sun in AquariusDetriment
- Sun in PiscesNo major dignity
In a house
Each planet in each house
The house says where the planet acts; it is calculated from the time and place of birth. In green: the planet’s joy (Hellenistic tradition).
| 1st house | 2nd house | 3rd house | 4th house | 5th house | 6th house | 7th house | 8th house | 9th house | 10th house | 11th house | 12th house | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Moon | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Mercury | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Venus | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Mars | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Jupiter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Saturn | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Uranus | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Neptune | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Pluto | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| North Node | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| South Node | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Lilith | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
- Sun in the 1st houseSelf and appearance
- Sun in the 2nd houseResources and values
- Sun in the 3rd houseExchanges and close ones
- Sun in the 4th houseHome and roots
- Sun in the 5th houseCreativity and pleasures
- Sun in the 6th houseDaily life and service
- Sun in the 7th houseRelationships and alliances
- Sun in the 8th houseSharing and transformations
- Sun in the 9th houseJoy of the planet
- Sun in the 10th houseCalling and public role
- Sun in the 11th houseFriendships and projects
- Sun in the 12th houseInner life
Planet, sign, house: what, how, where
An astrological reading rests on three questions. The planet answers “what”: identity for the Sun, needs for the Moon, thought for Mercury, attraction for Venus, action for Mars, and so on. The sign answers “how”: Mars in Taurus advances slowly and never lets go, Mars in Gemini fights with words. The house answers “where”: the same planet does not act the same way in the home as in a career.
The dignities add a nuance inherited from Ptolemy: in its domicile or its exaltation, a planet is said to be at ease; in detriment or fall, it would have to make do. This is not a value judgment. A planet in detriment often learns more inventive paths. The houses, for their part, require the time of birth; without it, you read the signs.
Frequently asked questions about the planets
How many planets are there in astrology?
Current Western astrology uses ten “planets”: the two luminaries, Sun and Moon, then Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, visible to the naked eye and known since antiquity, and finally Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, discovered between 1781 and 1930. Three calculated points are often added, the lunar nodes and Lilith. The word “planet” keeps its ancient sense here of a wandering star.
What is a planetary dignity?
A dignity measures, according to tradition, the accord between a planet and the sign it is passing through. The domicile is the sign it rules, the exaltation the one where it would be honored; opposite them lie detriment and fall, where it would be hampered. Ptolemy sets out the list in the Tetrabiblos. Elsewhere, the planet is said to be peregrine: neither strengthened nor weakened.
Why is Pluto still a planet in astrology?
The astronomers gathered in Prague in 2006 classed Pluto among the dwarf planets, because it does not clear the neighborhood around its orbit. Astrologers kept it for a practical reason: since 1930, decades of interpretation have been built around it, and a symbol is not measured in kilometers. Versana therefore uses it, while recalling its astronomical status.