Best Way to Find Planetary Ruler in Birth Chart?

PisceanVeil

Member
Hello,

I've been looking into trying to determine the Planetary Ruler in a friend's birth chart.

Here is what "Llwellyn's A to Z Horoscope Maker" suggests, among other things:

Look to rulerships first. If a planet is in its own sign, it is strongest, next strongest in its sign of exaltation. Obviously detriments and falls don't help.

Next, take all planets in their own and exalted signs (or all planets not in detriments and falls if you have none in the former two) and look to see if any are in angular houses. Those are considered equal to being in a dominant or exalted planet; succedent is equal to being in detriment; cadent is equal to being in fall. Lastly, take the planets that are made up of the best combos of rulership and house quality, and look for favorable aspects. From these three things...rulership, house quality and aspects, you should be able to determine your ruling planet.

The other method I found was on a site called www.BobMarksAstrology.com, where you determine the chart's pattern (I can't even get that far with this chart), and from there follow a different formula for each chart to determine the rulership.

Does anyone find any credibility in either of these methods (if you're not familiar with the second method, it can be found at the site under astrology lessons, in the individual chart shapes' links, such as Funnel or Locomotive)? Is there a more common, tried-and-true method for finding a planetary ruler?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer me any advice on this matter.

~Tess
 

dr. farr

Well-known member
Pretty much, its been mostly either the ruler of the ascending sign (Modernist astrology), or the planet with most dignities (Traditional astrology, and also mainstream Vedic astrology as well, although we find the "astrodyne" analysis, from Modernist astrology, very similar to the Traditionalist and Vedic dignity analysis concepts); or, if any planet is the grand (or ultimate) dispositor of all other planets in the chart (this is also a Traditionalist Western method, originating with Morin de Villefranche in the 17th century)

Me? I am not satisfied with any of these generally accepted methods, although I tend to follow the "grand" or "ultimate dispositor" concept (Villefranche) WHEN it occurs in a chart (but often there is no grand dispositor in a given chart, so the grand/ultimate dispositor concept can't be applied)
One thing-regardless of any dignity analysis or rulership determination method (including ultimate/grand dispositor), IF the given planet is in a PITTED DEGREE, I immediately reject that planet from consideration as a potential ruler of the chart (see my posting, "Elevated and Pitted Degrees", in the Dignities subforum of the Natal astrology section)
 
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PisceanVeil

Member
I will have to look some of this information up, but it sounds very much like what I'm looking for. Thank you for providing your insight!
 
M

may28gemini

I go by the 1st method you mentioned.

There's an easier and faster way: you can go to astro.com and try the Pullen simple report and find out which planet is the strongest based upon the birth info that your provide.
 
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