Essential Dignities and Debilities System: The Hidden Elegance of a Resurrected System
Part 2: The Astrological Decans
The wheels shown in this article are part of an astrology design system I've been developing as groundwork for a future software program. One of the reasons this article was delayed was because I was focused on creating the design system. As it happens, taking that time gave me the visual tools and associations I needed, but didn’t know I needed, to help me articulate these concepts.
In the first part of this series, we covered what the decans were and are. In the past, they were specific stars in the sky that were regarded as gods. Their rising and setting served as time markers through the night and year, which the Egyptians used to plan and conduct spiritual rites.
Over time, the decans were incorporated into the Hellenistic tropical astrology system as 36 equal segments of the zodiac. These segments were achieved by dividing each sign into 3 equal segments of 10 degrees. This version of the decans is the one that was incorporated into the system of essential dignities and debilities in use today.
This system of essential dignities and debilities associates planets and signs in a systematic way to aid in evaluating how the energies of a planet might express in a given sign, or what might be possible for it. In this system, there are two primary essential dignities, three minor ones, and two debilities. The primary dignities are called domicile (or rulership) and exaltation. The minor dignities are called triplicity, term (or bound), and face (or decan). The debilities are called detriment and fall.
Although this article is part of the series on the decans, I will only be discussing the two primary essential dignities and the two debilities. Because I am still learning, I will not be sharing my thoughts on the nuanced meanings of these dignities at this time as I wouldn’t be able to do them justice at my current level of understanding. Instead, I will be focusing on the structure. Since, it can be argued, symbolic meaning arises from the underlying structure, focusing first on the structure will help to lay down solid foundations. This approach has the added benefit of conveying what appears to be the thoughtful, intelligent, and intentional elegance of the astrology system we have inherited.1
While my knowledge of the structure is also limited, I feel that what I present provides a solid introduction to the subject - an initial foundation from which more can be added and built up over time. Indeed, writing this article revealed more layers than I had understood before starting it. For those of you who want to dive deeper into the system than what I present, at the end of the article, I provide links to a few quality resources to get you started. If you are so inclined, I can also heartily recommend writing up what you have learned as, based on my experience, the process can help show up places where you are not yet clear and also deepen your understanding.
Given that this series is on the decans, I also wanted to include some insights I’ve been having on those. However, when I finished writing up the information on the primary dignities and debilities, it felt like that was already a lot to take in. Thus, I have decided to keep this article to the primary dignities and debilities. I will come back later with another article on the insights I’m having regarding the decans.
Finally, at the end of the article, I have included the four basic wheels for the essential dignities and debilities. These may be helpful as a quick reference.
The Primary Essential Dignities and Debilities
Domicile and Debility
Domicile
The primary essential dignities are domicile, which most modern astrologers know as rulership, and exaltation. If you know the basics of astrology, you most likely know the rulerships, or domicile signs. In this scheme, Mars rules Aries, or is in its domicile (at home) in Aries. Venus is in its domicile in Taurus. Mercury is in its domicile in Gemini. And so on.
I have stopped there, though, because the rulership scheme differs slightly between modern and traditional schools. In modern astrology, the modern, or outer, planets - Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto - are incorporated. In traditional astrology, only the 7 traditional planets, or those clearly visible to the naked eye, are included. That gives us two sets of rulerships, as shown in the graphics below:
In traditional astrology, each planet, except the Sun and Moon, rules two signs. The Sun and Moon rule one sign each, the Sun ruling Leo and the Moon ruling Cancer. As explained by Chris Brennan, the rest of the traditional planets are assigned rulership in an outward-radiating pattern from the Sun and Moon.2
Considering Mercury, it is the planet nearest the Sun and Moon and is in its domicile in Gemini and Virgo, the two signs that flank Cancer and Leo, as shown in the wheel on the left below. In these placements, we see a correlation between the planet and sign relationships: just as Mercury is closest to the Sun and Moon in the sky and in planetary order, Gemini and Virgo are closest to Cancer and Leo in the zodiac.
Venus, the next planet outward, is given rulership of Taurus and Libra, the next two signs out from Leo and Cancer on the wheel. These placements are shown in the middle wheel above. Mars follows Venus in the sky and in the planetary order and is assigned rulership to Aries and Scorpio, the signs that flank Venus’ domicile signs, as shown in the wheel on the right above.
Jupiter comes after Mars in the sky and governs Pisces and Sagittarius, the next two signs out from the domicile signs of Mars, as shown in the wheel on the left below. Finally, Saturn, the traditional planet furthest out from the Sun, is domicile in Aquarius and Capricorn. Aquarius and Capricorn, as Obert points out, are the signs furthest away from Cancer and Leo, which can be seen in the wheel on the right below.3
Referring back to the first two wheels in this section showing the traditional and modern domiciles, I have used color to highlight the signs where the domicile assignments differ in these systems. The yellow color4 in the wheel shows that, in modern astrology, Pluto takes the place of Mars as the domicile lord of Scorpio. The red color shows that Uranus takes the place of Saturn as the domicile lord of Aquarius. Finally, the orange color shows that Neptune takes the place of Jupiter as the domicile lord of Pisces.
When looking at the subsequent wheels above, we can see how these modern assignments break the symmetry of the original system. Presumably, when the modernizing changes were made, astrologers were attempting to integrate newly discovered planets while at the same time attempting to break out of the superficial good-bad framework of the astrology passed on to them, a framework that was fragmented and probably not able to convey the depth of the original. To highlight the elegance of the original system, going forward in this article, when I mention the domicile rulerships, I will be referring to the traditional domicile scheme, not the modern scheme.5
With the domiciles identified, we can now look at the detriments, which are derived from the domiciles.6
Detriment
To determine the sign assignments for planets in their detriment, traditional astrologers reverse the domicile assignments. The Sun, for example, in its domicile in Leo, is found in its detriment in Aquarius, the sign opposite Leo on the wheel. Where the Moon rules Cancer, it is in its detriment in Capricorn, the sign opposite Cancer, and so on. For a visual, the wheel on the left shows the traditional planets in the signs of their detriment. For comparison, the wheel on the right shows the traditional planets in their domicile signs. The Sun is highlighted in green in both to show an example of the polar relationship between the planets in the scheme.
Here is a list of the detriments and their opposites (domiciles):
Sun - Aquarius [opposite Leo]
Moon - Capricorn [opposite Cancer]
Mercury - Sagittarius and Pisces [opposite Gemini and Virgo]
Venus - Scorpio and Aries [opposite Taurus and Libra]
Mars - Libra and Taurus [opposite Aries and Scorpio]
Jupiter - Virgo and Gemini [opposite Pisces and Sagittarius]
Saturn - Cancer and Leo [opposite Capricorn and Aquarius]
Notice that the Sun and Moon are in their detriment in Aquarius and Capricorn, respectively, the signs furthest away from Leo and Cancer. Notice also that these signs are ruled by the planets furthest away from the Sun, where the light is dimmest.7
A Note on the Wheel
Notice, also, how, in comparison to lists like the one above, wheels, as shown in the graphics, provide an intuitive way to communicate these relationships. While the list and wheels convey the same information, the lists conveys only the quantitative information while the wheels include a qualitative dimension in the form of spatial relationships. By communicating both quantitative and qualitative information, the wheel gives our mind more complete information, making it more readily graspable.
The wheel, in other words, provides a simple yet sophisticated teaching tool remarkable in its ability to convey complex information and nuanced relational meaning. By conveying both information (quantitative, left-brain) and context (qualititative, right-brain), it gives our mind the full grist it needs to progress in its understanding of life and experience.
The fact that astrology is based on the wheel suggests to me that it is one of the many wisdom traditions preserving and passing on knowledge down through the generations about the essence of creation, our place in it, and how to navigate and live in this realm in harmony.
Exaltation and Fall
The next pairing of dignity and debility is the essential dignity of exaltation and the debility of fall. Chris Brennan, citing Porphyry, a philosopher from the 3rd century C.E.,8 explains that most of the exaltation rulerships fall in the signs that are either sextile (60° apart from one another) or trine (120° apart from one another) to the signs of their domicile.9 We’ll look at the specifics of that scheme in more detail in the Sect section below.
In simplistic terms, sextiles and trines are considered easy, or good, aspects. Thus, in this framing, planets in exaltation, i.e., in sextile or trine relationship with their domiciles, would be considered a good situation. But the reading of a chart is not so simple. There are myriad factors that need to be considered, not least of which is the intention of the Soul.
As one example, I have my Moon in its sign of exaltation (Taurus). For me, it is a mixed bag as I tend to land in home situations where I am beholden to someone else’s rules, which is not my favorite thing. While I’m fortunate to have a roof over my head, the experience seems to be compelling me to tune into what I like and don’t like, thus prompting Soul growth in the form of a desire to manifest something different.
Sect
Brennan also points out that the scheme for the exaltation sign assignments seems to draw on another technique in traditional astrology known as sect.10 The sect scheme permeates the traditional tropical astrology system, with planets, signs, and charts themselves all categorized based on it. In general terms, sect distinguishes between day (diurnal) and night (nocturnal), or yin and yang. Let’s look at how that works for the signs, planets, and charts.
Signs
Starting with the signs and, specifically, Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, each sign is assigned to a sect in alternating fashion: Aries is a day, or yang sign, Taurus is a night, or yin sign, Gemini is a day/yang sign, etc. The wheel on the left below shows this scheme as day/night, the center wheel shows it as yin/yang, and the wheel on the right shows the planet rulerships within this sect scheme.
Notice how, with the exception of the Sun and Moon, each planet is assigned rulership of one day sign and one night sign. Mars, for example, as we have seen, is assigned domicile rulership of Aries and Scorpio. We now know that Aries is a day sign and Scorpio is a night sign. Venus is assigned domicile ruler of Taurus and Libra, as we have seen. We now know that Taurus is a night sign and Libra is a day sign. As for the Sun and Moon, the Sun, clearly associated with daytime, is assigned only to Leo, a day sign. The Moon, clearly associated with the night, is assigned only to Cancer, a night sign.
To finish up with the sect of the signs, here is a list of the signs divided into day and night with associated planetary domicile rulers.
Day (Yang)
Aries [Mars]
Gemini [Mercury]
Leo [Sun]
Libra [Venus]
Sagittarius [Jupiter]
Aquarius [Saturn]
Night (Yin)
Taurus [Venus]
Cancer [Moon]
Virgo [Mercury]
Scorpio [Mars]
Capricorn [Saturn]
Pisces [Jupiter]
Planets
The planets are also catetegorized by sect, with the Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn categorized as day (or diurnal) planets and the Moon, Venus, and Mars categorized as night (or nocturnal) planets. It makes obvious sense that the Sun would be categorized as diurnal and the Moon as nocturnal. I am not sure, however, why the others are categorized as they are. Saturn as a day planet and Mars as a night planet, in particular, do not feel intuitive. However, the reason may have to do with another scheme, that of benefic and malefic. In this scheme, Venus and Jupiter are designated as benefics and Mars and Saturn are designated as malefics.
Using this filter, we see that one benefic and one malefic is assigned to each sect. For the benefics, Venus is assigned to the night and Jupiter to the day. For the malefics, Mars is assigned to the night and Saturn to the day. It so happens that the benefics and malefics are further defined as either greater (Jupiter and Saturn) or lesser (Venus and Mars). This distinction gives us a pattern where the lesser benefic (Venus) and lesser malefic (Mars) are assigned to the night and the greater benefic (Jupiter) and greater malefic (Saturn) are assigned to the day. That’s pretty tidy, so, while I can’t say for sure at this time, perhaps it explains the assignments.11 We’ll see another potential reason below.
Regarding Mercury, the one remaining planet, it is neutral in the sect scheme for the planets, neither day nor night. Perhaps its neutrality means that it can easily transit through both day and night signs, fitting with its mythology of being the only god who can move between the worlds without harm.
Going back to the planets in their domicile signs from the first section, when we look at the domicile rulerships through the lens of sect, we see a distinct pattern: using the luminaries (Sun and Moon) as the touchpoint, we see that the domicile signs of the neutral and night planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars) are closest to the domicile signs of the luminaries, as shown in the wheel on left below. The domicile signs of the day planets (Jupiter, Saturn), on the other hand, are furthest from the domicile signs of the luminaries, as shown in the wheel on right below.12
I don’t yet have an intuitive understanding of the symbolism of this arrangement in that it would make more sense to me to designate the planets furthest from the luminaries as night and those closest as day. However, the scheme is worth noting because there is likely a sound and illuminating reason behind it.
Charts
Charts are also categorized as day or night depending on where the Sun is. If it is above the horizon (ascendant-descendant axis) it is a day chart. If it is below the horizon, it is a night chart. Using the chart’s sect, planet conditions can be further assessed, the details of which I have yet to learn and which go beyond the scope of this article.
Exaltations
In the system of exaltations, as mentioned previously, the exaltation signs of most of the planets are trine or sextile their domicile signs. Now that we know about sect, we can make a refinement to our understanding. For each diurnal planet (Sun, Jupiter, Saturn), its exaltation sign trines one of the signs it rules. For each nocturnal planet (Moon, Venus, Mars), its exaltation sign sextiles one of the signs it rules.13 Mercury, the neutral planet, is an exception to the rule. It’s exaltation sign is one of its domicile signs.
The wheel on the left below shows all the planets in their signs of exaltation. The wheel in the middle shows only the diurnal planets and the wheel on the right shows only the nocturnal planets. Before walking through the trine and sextile relationships between the exaltation and rulership signs as they relate to sect, let’s look at what the colors in the wheels below help to highlight.
First, notice that the exaltation signs for the day planets are square or opposed one another (90° or 180° apart). Aries, for example, is naturally square Cancer and opposed Libra. Cancer squares both Aries and Libra. For the night planets, the exaltation signs are sextile or trine one another (60° or 120° apart). Capricorn, for example, sextiles Pisces and trines Taurus, while Pisces sextiles both Capricorn and Taurus.
These aspect associations strike me as notable when contemplating sect. The square and opposition aspects are considered to be hard or challenging aspects, fitting with the dynamic, yang, action-oriented energy of the day. The sextile and trine aspects are considered to be soft or easy aspects, fitting with the resting, healing, yin energy of the night. Given these symbolic correlations, I am inclined to wonder if these sect-related aspect patterns in the exaltation scheme factor into why Saturn is designated a day planet and Mars a night planet or if they are coincidental secondary effects of another underlying pattern.14
To finish up this section, here is a list of the planets in their signs of exaltation, organized by sect:
Diurnal
Sun - Aries
Jupiter - Cancer
Saturn - Libra
Nocturnal
Moon - Taurus
Venus - Pisces
Mars - Capricorn
Neutral
Mercury - Virgo
Let’s finish by looking at each planet more closely through the filter of the aspect relationship between domicile and exaltation signs. We’ll start with the Sun and Moon since each rules only one sign.
Sun and Moon
The Sun, a diurnal, or day, planet, rules Leo. We know that the exaltation sign of diurnal planets is trine the domicile sign, so we should expect to find the Sun exalted in Aries or Sagittarius. In the exaltation scheme shown above, that is exactly what we find - the Sun is exalted in Aries. In the wheel on the left below, I have used a green background color to show the trine relationship between the Sun in Aries and its domicile sign, Leo.
Moving on to the Moon, it is a nocturnal planet that rules Cancer. Thus, we would expect to find its exaltation sign sextile Cancer. The signs that sextile Cancer are Taurus and Virgo. In the exaltation scheme shown previously, we find that the Moon is exalted in Taurus. In the chart on the right above, the Moon is shown in Taurus and the violet color highlights the sextile between Taurus and Cancer.
Remaining Diurnal Planets
Now let’s look at the other two diurnal planets - Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter rules both Sagittarius, a fire sign, and Pisces, a water sign. Because it is a diurnal planet, we should expect it to be in its exaltation in a sign that is trine either Sagittarius or Pisces, which is to say another fire or water sign. When we look at the exaltation scheme, we find just that - it is exalted in Cancer, a water sign naturally trine Pisces. In the wheel on the right below, orange is used to highlight the trine relationship between Pisces and Cancer.
Turning our attention to Saturn, we know that it rules Capricorn, an earth sign, and Aquarius, an air sign. Because it is a diurnal planet, we should expect it to be in its exaltation in a sign that trines either of those two signs, which would be another earth or air sign. Referring back to the wheel above showing the exaltations, we see that Saturn is exalted in Libra, an air sign that naturally trines Aquarius. In the wheel on the right above, red is used to show the natural trine relationship between Aquarius and Libra.
Remaining Nocturnal Planets
We can now look at the remaining two nocturnal planets, Venus and Mars. As with the Moon, we should see a sextile relationship between the rulership sign and the exaltation sign.
Let’s start with Venus. It rules Taurus and Libra. Thus, we should expect its sign of exaltation to be sextile one of these signs. Looking at the wheel showing each planet in its sign of exaltation, we see that Venus is exalted in Pisces. Pisces naturally sextiles Taurus, as shown using the blue highlight color in the wheel on the left below.
Mars remains. It rules Aries and Scorpio. Looking at its sign of exaltation - Capricorn - we see that it naturally sextiles Scorpio, as shown using the yellow highlight color in the wheel on the right above. Thus, its exaltation placement fits the pattern.
Mercury
Mercury, being neutral in the scheme of sect, does not follow the same pattern. In the exaltation scheme, we find it exalted in Virgo, one of the signs it rules. At this time, I don’t know how or why that decision was made. Even more interesting, Mercury is not given a sign in the Fall scheme, which we will look at next. At this time, I also don’t know why that is so.
Fall
Planets are in their fall in the signs opposite their signs of exaltation, as shown in the two charts below, with the planets in their fall on the left and in their exaltation on the right for comparison. Saturn is highlighted to demonstrate the pattern. In the left wheel, we see it in Aries, the sign of its fall. In the right wheel, we see it in Libra, the sign directly opposite Aries and the sign of its exaltation. The same pattern persists for each planet except Mercury, the neutral planet.
While we would expect to find Mercury in its fall in Pisces, the sign opposite its exaltation sign of Virgo, it is not assigned a fall sign. Thus, in the wheel on the left, Mercury is not shown. As with the reason for it not being assigned a sign for its fall, I don’t know at this time why that is.
Conclusion
That wraps up the presentation on the essential dignities and debilities. We can see that it is an elegant scheme that suggests conscious, thoughtful care having been put into the creation of this system that has been passed down to us from the ancients.15
While I did not cover the symbolic meanings of these dignities and debilities, it appears they are equally thoughtful and nuanced, providing a way for assessing the condition of planets in a chart. While not the only tool for this purpose, it is one of them that can enhance our interpretive skills when understood and skillfully incorporated. The brief example I shared of my personal experience with an exalted Moon sheds some light on how they might help us see subtle and meaningful hues in the planet positions.
Going forward, I plan to share the insights I have been having on the decans. These insights relate to my strong desire to work with astrology in a practical way - to see it as a path that can help us incorporate life practices in ways that support our human path of unfolding, the path, I believe of spirit in human form, while we are here in these forms.
If able, I will also share what I know about the schemes underlying the minor essential dignities - the triplicities, terms (bounds), and faces (decans). However, the resources listed below can get you started on all of the essential dignities and debilities, including the minor ones.
For easy comparison, the next section called At a Glance includes the four wheels showing all the primary essential dignities and debilities.
At a Glance
Primary Essential Dignities and Debilities
References
Brennan, Chris. “Porphyry of Tyre.” Hellenisticastrology.com. Accessed April 26, 2025. https://www.hellenisticastrology.com/astrologers/porphyry-of-tyre/
Brennan, Chris, and Charlie Obert.“ Essential Dignities and Debilities in Astrology. The Astrology Podcast.” Video podcast, The Astrology Podcast, May 10, 2018.
Brennan, Chris, and Benjamin Dykes. "Exaltations in Astrology: Origins and Meanings Explained." Video podcast, The Astrology Podcast, May 16, 2020.
For Further Exploration
The following are a few resources in addition to the references listed above to get you started with the essential dignities and debilities. There is much more out there, but these are solid places to start and will lead you to more resources.
Brennan, Chris, and Benjamin Dykes. "Detriments in Astrology: Origins and Meanings Explained." Video podcast, The Astrology Podcast, July 28, 2020.
Houlding, Deborah. "Understanding Planetary Dignity and Debility, 1: Introducing Dignity." Skyscript.co.uk. Accessed April 25, 2025. https://www.skyscript.co.uk/dignities.html (Houlding’s website, skyscript.co.uk, has a wealth of information on all things traditional astrology, including some free translations of early texts.)
Lehman, Lee. "Before There Were Dignities." Video, J. Lee Lehman, Ph.D. - topic, June 9, 2015. (This video is the first in a series of 13 short video talks on the dignities and debilities. The link will take you to this video in the playlist.)
Obert, Charlie. "Dignities and Debilities in Astrology." Video lecture, Kepler College, May 24, 2022.
Notes
Brennan and Dykes (2020a), in their discussion on the exaltations, discuss the likelihood that the system we have inherited was intentionally created. (See timestamps 0:22:22 - 0:24:27 and 0:30:20 - 0:32:22).
See Brennan and Obert (2018), timestamp 0:26:30 - 0:26:43.
See Brennan and Obert (2018), timestamp 0:26:44 - 0:26:52.
The colors I’m using for the backgrounds of the wheel sections throughout the article are intentional and I will be discussing them in detail in a future article on the decans. Here I will say briefly that they indicate the chakra color associated with a given traditional planet. Yellow, for example, the color I have given to Mars, is traditionally associated with the 3rd chakra. A case can be made for Mars being associated with the 3rd chakra, thus I have given it the color of this chakra rather than the more obvious red. Orange is the color traditionally associated with the 2nd chakra. I have given Jupiter this color instead of green, the color I would otherwise intuitively associate with it, because a case can be made for Jupiter being associated with the 2nd chakra. I plan to list out the rest of the chakra and planet associations in more detail in another article along with more detailed reasons for these associations.
My statement about the modern rulerships breaking the symmetry of the traditional system and my decision to only use the traditional rulerships for this article do not mean that I think the use of modern planets should be rejected. It is simply to emphasize that there is a lot to learn from the traditional conceptions. The more I go along in life, the more I see that foundations are everything. When they are not properly built, we miss out on things, resulting in less robust understanding, grounding, systems, and results. In terms of throwing out the old, it makes sense to me that the more we understand it, the better decisions we can make regarding it. Indeed, perhaps one of the reasons for the lurching tendencies of our modern human societies is the failure to take time to understand what came before. Lacking this understanding, we don’t understand the moment and what’s needed in it to take us into the future in sustainable ways. Perhaps wisdom traditions soundly understood, including astrology, can help us restore our understanding and balance.
In re-listening to Brennan and Obert (2018), they affirm that the domicile and detriment sign assignments are the foundation for all the dignities and debilities. (See timestamp 1:05:13 - 1:05:58).
See footnote 3.
For the Porphyry biographical information, see Brennan (Accessed April 26, 2025).
For Brennan’s explanation, citing Porphyry, of the trine and sextile relationships between exaltation and domicile signs, see Brennan and Dykes (2020), timestamp 0:29:56 - 00:30:19.
See Brennan and Dykes (2020), timestamp: 0:29:56 - 00:30:32.
No doubt, this puzzle has already been solved, but when I don’t know an answer, I find it helpful to explore possibilities. Then, when I find the answer, I’ve already set up some scaffolding to make sense of it.
Claude.ai pointed this pattern out to me.
Brennan makes this point in the reference and timestamp given in footnote 10.
See footnote 11.
See footnote 1.