The19thLaw
Well-known member
which is more reliable?
Especially if we are trying to figure out themes of a Saturn return.
Especially if we are trying to figure out themes of a Saturn return.
Do you guys use placidus or whole sign for natal charts?
- Thread starter The19thLaw
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VirgoLife
Well-known member
Yea I wonder that too a lot because sometimes your planets go to the next house. I heard whole signs is more reliable because everything starts at 0, and a lot of professional astrologers use it. My chart doesn't change in whole signs except Pluto. I like using whole signs in Persona charts sometimes. I would use both because some people relate more when the planet goes to the next house. My Pluto is in the 9th house but it goes to the 10th house in whole signs and I definitely relate more to Pluto in the 10th house. 
IleneK
Premium Member
I think you may best make that determination by experimenting with your own chart.
And you can do that by following transits to the cusp of a house in your chart in the house systems of interest.
Good transits to follow and then see if you feel/experience their contact to a house cusp are Mars and Sun. Also progressed Moon.
Some more sensitive folks can follow the transiting Moon. Tr Moon’s contact to house cusps happens every few days so you can get a lot of data by following Tr Moon.
I would add that for me, I always look at the house system of my choice along with whole sign houses..
And you can do that by following transits to the cusp of a house in your chart in the house systems of interest.
Good transits to follow and then see if you feel/experience their contact to a house cusp are Mars and Sun. Also progressed Moon.
Some more sensitive folks can follow the transiting Moon. Tr Moon’s contact to house cusps happens every few days so you can get a lot of data by following Tr Moon.
I would add that for me, I always look at the house system of my choice along with whole sign houses..
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MoonlightSonata
Well-known member
I've used both. And for a while, I preferred WS because I think I liked the fact that it pushed a stellium into another house. But I think the Placidus placements are more "me" and ring truer whether I like it or not.
StarryLady
New member
I have often wondered about using whole signs I might have a look and see what difference it makes.
waybread
Well-known member
Usually I would use Placidus. It is very sensitive to timing.
But this is not an asset if the birth time cannot be accurately pinned down. For example, if the birth certificate does not list a time, and Mom says her son was born "around 1:00" which could go 15 or 20 minutes either way (and possibly change the ascendant sign) Placidus can give a fake sense of planets' locations in houses.
Then as Ilene said, just see which system seems like the most accurate representation of your life. Some people respond better to one system or another. For example, Warren Buffet's life history is pretty well known. Placidus doesn't explain it very well, but the whole signs system does.
Astrologer Alice Portman did a lot of research on the British royal family, whose birth times are well known going back centuries. She found their lives were best explained using Regiomontanus.
A big caveat is people born at high latitudes at certain times of year. Quadrant house systems like Placidus look very skewed for people born near the Arctic Circle-- or even sometimes above 55 degrees north. Equal house and whole signs systems at least give you something to work with.
I don't see this is a traditional vs. modern debate, because most of the quadrant house systems were invented before 1700.
But this is not an asset if the birth time cannot be accurately pinned down. For example, if the birth certificate does not list a time, and Mom says her son was born "around 1:00" which could go 15 or 20 minutes either way (and possibly change the ascendant sign) Placidus can give a fake sense of planets' locations in houses.
Then as Ilene said, just see which system seems like the most accurate representation of your life. Some people respond better to one system or another. For example, Warren Buffet's life history is pretty well known. Placidus doesn't explain it very well, but the whole signs system does.
Astrologer Alice Portman did a lot of research on the British royal family, whose birth times are well known going back centuries. She found their lives were best explained using Regiomontanus.
A big caveat is people born at high latitudes at certain times of year. Quadrant house systems like Placidus look very skewed for people born near the Arctic Circle-- or even sometimes above 55 degrees north. Equal house and whole signs systems at least give you something to work with.
I don't see this is a traditional vs. modern debate, because most of the quadrant house systems were invented before 1700.
JUPITERASC
Well-known member
Osamenor
Staff member
You'd have the same problem with whole sign if the window of possibility for the birth time allows for more than one possible rising sign. When you don't know for sure what the rising sign is, you can't be certain which sign is which house. In some cases, using whole sign would make for an even greater discrepancy than Placidus.
The only time whole sign would be more accurate for an uncertain birth time is when you do know for certain that the birth took place within a window of time when the same sign rose throughout. Then you can be certain of the rising sign even if you don't know what degree the ascendant is at.