Counteraction by Placement
You’re probably familiar with this by another name and that name is dispositor. The Arabs, Persians and Renaissance astrologers mangled it and then Modern astrologers ruined it with their “final dispositor” nonsense. Yes, Final Dispositor is really impressive and official sounding but the Modern astrologers got people chasing their tails. There’s only one dispositor and it is the final dispositor.
The concept is simple. A star in a good place can be damaged if the domicile master is in a bad place. The opposite position is that a star in a bad place can be helped by the domicile master being in a good place.
If you’re not up-to-speed on houses, the Cliff’s Notes version is there is no conflict between the three “different traditions.” There’s only stupid people who don’t understand anything. Nechepso was merely pointing out the houses that reflect what people do everyday which are the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th. The cadent houses (3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th) are either leisure activities (the 3rd/9th) or those that cause harm (6th/12th). Stupid people dumbed that down to “cadent houses are bad” and then stupid people on steroids turned it into “cadent houses are weak.”
All houses are equal in strength. All signs are equal in strength. All stars are equal in strength. If you’re going to see everything in terms of strong or weak your interpretations will fail.
The tradition from Hermes does not conflict. He was simply pointing out the houses that are advantageous (1st, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th and 11th) and the houses without advantage (2nd, 3rd, 6th, 8th and 12th). The apparent “confusion” comes from sometimes including the 3rd House as a “good” house and sometimes not including it. You can see that in Valens and it doesn’t matter which translation (Mark Riley’s or Robert Schmidt with Robert Hand’s commentary).
It seems to us the solution is simple. Remember, they did not use house systems. Charts are cast and read in whole sign. That means the MC Point floats and can fall in the 10th House, the 11th House or the 9th House. When the MC Point falls in the 9th House it makes the 9th House a pseudo-angle or quasi-pivot point. We don’t really have a cool catchy name for it. When the MC Point falls in the 9th House, then by definition the IMC Point must fall in the 3rd House and that makes the 3rd House a pseudo-angle or quasi-pivot point so it becomes a “good” house.
The other tradition with the benefic houses (1st, 3rd, 5th, 9th, 10th and 11th) and the malefic houses (2nd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 12th) is based on the fact that the malefic houses are all related to injury, illness or death.
As you can see, those traditions do not conflict.
For purposes of clarification, as a beginner:
- When the MC Point falls in the 10th or 11th House then
- the 1st, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th and 11th Houses are advantageous houses
- the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 8th and 12th House are without advantage
- When the MC Point falls in the 9th House then
- the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th and 11th Houses are advantageous houses
- the 2nd, 6th, 8th and 12th Houses are without advantage
Okay, MC Point in the 10th House. Bad houses are the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 8th, and 12th Houses.
Kamala Harris
Jupiter is badly positioned in the Taurus 12th House which is a house without advantage. Venus is both domicile ruler and domicile master of the Taurus 12th House. Venus is located in the 4th House. The good placement of Venus counteracts the bad placement of Jupiter. We’re done. Stop right there. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200. That being said, Jupiter still takes a hit for being a diurnal star in a nocturnal sign ruled by a nocturnal star which is counteraction by sign.
Moon is well-positioned in the House of Good Fate occupied by Aries. Unfortunately, Mars as domicile ruler and master is poorly placed in the 3rd House counteracting Moon’s good placement.
Saturn in the 9th House. Good to go.
Mercury is badly placed in the 6th House. Mars is domicile ruler and domicile master of the Scorpio 3rd House. No joy. Mercury is badly placed. Period. End of story. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.
Sun is well-positioned in the House of Good Luck, the Libra 5th House. Domicile master Saturn is well-placed in the Aquarius 9th House and causes no harm to Sun. Good to go.
Venus is well-placed in the 4th House. Sadly, the good placement of Venus is counteracted by the bad placement of Mercury as domicile ruler and master of the Virgo 6th House (the House of Bad Luck).
Mars is in the 3rd House. Domicile master Sun in the House of Good Luck counteracts the bad placement of Mars.
Stars that are poorly positioned or which are badly positioned (in the 6th or 12th Houses) can be be helped if the domicile master is in a house with advantage.
Buddy Holly
Jupiter is domicile ruler and master of the Sagittarius 12th House. Jupiter is badly placed. End of story.
Mercury is domiciled with Venus in the Libra 10th House. Good to go but Mercury is counteracted by sign since he is a diurnal star in a diurnal sign ruled by a nocturnal star.
Saturn is the domicile master of the Virgo 9th House. Domicile ruler and exaltation ruler Mercury is in aversion. The other two stars of the earth trigon are Venus and Saturn and Venus is in aversion making Saturn the domicile master. Saturn’s placement in the 3rd House counteracts Sun’s good placement in the 9th House.
Mars is domicile master of the Leo 8th House and is badly placed in the 8th House.
The bad placement of Moon is counteracted by Mercury in the 10th House being the domicile ruler and master of Gemini.
Saturn’s bad placement in the Pisces 3rd House is made worse by domicile ruler and master Jupiter being in the House of Bad Fate. Note that Saturn is the domicile ruler and master of the Capricorn Ascendant. What does retrograde mean 100% of the time in 100% of charts? What does Sun opposition Saturn mean 100% of the time in 100% of the charts?
We haven’t covered this yet because we are laying the foundation of the rules for other concepts, but Moon is glorified by domicile master Mercury’s placement in the 10th House.
Note that Moon is in aversion to the Cancer 7th House. Exaltation ruler Jupiter is in aversion in the 12th House. We go to the water trigon. Moon and Jupiter are disqualified leaving Mars who’s in aversion in the 8th House. The water triplicity rulers are Moon, Venus and Mars, so Venus is the domicile master of the Cancer 7th House.
We haven’t covered affliction or glorification yet. Suffice to say that Sun in a right square to Jupiter and in the same degree glorifies Sun.
And still Buddy Holly died in a plane crash.
We have yet to find any mitigating WOW! X-Factor for Sun opposition Saturn.
What happens if a star is poorly (but not badly) placed and the Domicile master is also poorly (but not badly) placed?
Hey, there, nothing happens. Stars in good places with their dispositors in good places doesn’t change anything. Stars that are poorly placed or badly placed in the 6th or 12th and their dispositors are also poorly or badly placed doesn’t counteract those placements.
Basically, for stars that are poorly placed in the 2nd, 3rd or 8th Houses or badly placed in the 6th or 12th Houses you want the dispositors in a good place to counteract that.
For stars that are in a good place, you want their dispositors in a good place.
Ah okay. That makes sense. I assume that would put the star in bad condition for poorly placed and not counteracted or good condition if well placed and not counteracted (but also not elevated) correct?
Quick question. When a star is afflicted by counteraction by placement and it is negated, does the star remain neutral, in good condition (if it was in an advantageous house) or bad condition?