Welcome Back! The Astrology A to Z series continues!
Next up we have the Letter J. There are surprisingly very few Astrology words or terms that start with the letter J, and I am going to save "Jupiter" for another time.
Today we will discuss the Planetary Joys.
Planetary Joys refers to a concept from ancient Hellenistic Astrology where the planets were said to "rejoice" in certain houses. This is different from a planet being in Rulership or Exalted - because that relates to what SIGN a planet is in, regardless of what HOUSE it is in. The Joys refer to a HOUSE in which a planet is "strong" or "happy" and "at home", no matter what sign it is in.
The Planetary Joys: Sun - 9th House Moon - 3rd House Mercury - 1st House
Venus - 5th House Mars - 6th House
Jupiter - 11th House
Saturn - 12th House
As you can see, this does not include the Outer Planets - Neptune, Uranus, or Pluto. This method only applies to the planets that can be seen with the naked eye, as they were the known planets at the time that Astrology was being developed. For this reason, houses 2, 4, 7, 8, and 10 do not have a Planetary Joy.
We do know that the planets joys in certain houses have certainly influenced the meaning of each house. In fact, the Planetary Joys are one of the main arguments AGAINST using the "Natural Rulership" system of Modern Astrology. (Also known as the 12 Letter Alphabet)
If you would like help in deconstructing your associations with the 12 Letter Alphabet, learning about the Planetary Joys is a good place to start.
Interested in why more and more astrologers are abandoning the concept of Natural Rulership and the 12 Letter Alphabet? You can also read more here: https://www.astro.com/astrology/in_twelveletter_e.htm
(NOTE - I was also trained with the 12 Letter Alphabet, and have probably even mentioned it in some way in my past blogs. I am not judging those who use it, but I am offering additional information. Personally I have started moving away from the 12 Letter Alphabet system after what I have learned, though I still see why many others would find value in it)
Here is another example of the meanings of the Houses, with the Planetary Joys included. You can see how the Planets in these houses would be symbolically "Rejoicing".
The place of Joy for a planet does not always mean that it is a good or pleasant place for the client. For example, Mars rejoices in the 6th House because the 6th House represents where we have to work hard. It is also the house of Injuries - and Mars rules over things like injuries and accidents.
A Phrase to remember is "What is good for the Planet is not always good for the Native". This relates to the way that sometimes, a planet can have a lot of Natural Dignity - it might be exalted or in rulership or in its house of joy - and that just means the PLANET is having an easy time expressing itself. Mars being empowered to be more Mars-like is not necessarily something that is good for the person under the influence of that chart! However, it does mean that Mars themes might be more prominent in that person's life.
When a planet is in it's house of Joy - it is seen as more potent and easily expresses itself. This the benefic planets are more benefic, but the malefic planets are more malefic.
Do you have any planets in your birth chart in their House of Joy? Can you think of how this planet has been found to be "Rejoicing" throughout your life?
If you want to l earn more about the Planetary Joys - this is an excellent pdf file. The Planetary Joys and the Origins of the Significations of the Houses and Triplicities
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