DIGNIFIED, EXALTED, DETRIMENT, FALL.

Astrology is the study of energetic shifts on Earth, and sometimes energies of the planets manifest more favorably in certain signs than in others.  It's not that the energy of the planet or sign alone is "bad".  It's just that certain planets are better at doing their jobs in certain signs than in others. Like, if you're shopping and looking for certain items, you might have better luck in one store than another. 

For example, let's say your energy is craving an arugula salad with a side of gluten free bread.  If you go to a hardware store, you might find a vending machine for soda, but not an arugula salad. Does this mean the hardware store is "bad"? Only if you want a salad.  Likewise, you wouldn't go to Whole Foods Market for lumber.

Let's say the Moon is a gourmet chef, and that the Sun is a football player.  Let's say the sign Taurus is actually a chef's kitchen in a high class restaurant, and that the sign Aries is a training field on a military base. Which one would be better in the kitchen, and which one is better on the field?

When a planet is "dignified", it's in its ruling sign and feels at home.

When a planet is "exalted", it's in the sign where it is working its best magic.

When a planet is in "detriment" it's in the opposite of its ruling sign, and is homesick.

When a planet is in its "fall", it struggles to shine, and feels in crisis.

Dignified, Exalted, Detriment, Fall:

Sun: 

Dignified in Leo--Leadership, creative, open hearted, "I am the king of my world". 

Exalted in Aries--"I am who I am and I know myself well. My body and willpower are strong."

Detriment in Aquarius--"Who are these Earthlings and why can't I relate to them?"

Fall in Libra--"It's getting darker outside and I feel codependent". 

Note: The Sun enters the Fall Equinox on the first day of Libra, and enters the Spring Equinox on the first day of Aries.

Moon:

Dignified in Cancer--"I'm comfortable with my emotions. Would you like a grilled cheese sandwich?"

Exalted in Taurus--"I'm emotionally and financially stable and I have good taste."

Detriment in Capricorn--"Only my needs matter, I don't like emotions, and I'm the boss."

Fall in Scorpio--"I'm really uncomfortable and paranoid, I don't trust you, and that's why I'm a control freak."

Mercury:

Dignified in Gemini and Virgo--"I am logical, I send the message, I see the details, I'm taking an accurate inventory."

Exalted in Aquarius--"I am rational and share my overflowing wisdom and intelligence in a simple way with others."

Detriment in Sagittarius and Pisces--Blowing the details out of proportion, exaggerations, confusion, lying by omission.

Fall in Leo--"I believe everything that I think. So, I'm always right. I speak from my ego, and only my opinion counts."

Venus:

Dignified in Taurus and Libra--"I know what is valuable, and I know what I'm worth. I'm good with money and with dealing with people. I value my relationships and I'm very polite."

Exalted in Pisces--"I love you unconditionally and I never hold a grudge. I am otherworldly and glamorous. I'm a Unicorn. I'm a Mermaid."

Detriment in Scorpio and Aries--"I'm afraid to love anyone but myself, because there are no rules and love is war! I just want to be alone, but I also just want to be validated!"

Fall in Virgo--"I will always find something wrong with you. Everyone is too imperfect to love. I don't want anyone telling me how to live my life or who I should love, either."

Mars: 

Dignified in Aries and Scorpio--"I am full of energy, I own my personal power, and I'm sexy!"

Exalted in Capricorn--"I can channel and control my energy to build a strong empire."

Detriment in Libra and Taurus--"I am codependent, stubborn, and stingy."

Fall in Cancer--"I'm motivated by emotions, but not in a good way. I'm impulsive and eat too much junk food."

Jupiter: 

Dignified in Sagittarius and Pisces--"We see the big picture and it's beautiful. We share an abundance of optimism and healing energy with the world." 

Exalted in Cancer--Everyone's needs are met, and everyone feels at home and nurtured. No one is lacking. "Cake and pillow-forts for everyone!"

Detriment in Gemini and Virgo--Gossipy and Picky, respectively. Can't see the forest for the trees.

Fall in Capricorn--Fear of lack, scarcity, loneliness. "I'm so cold and hungry, and I have nothing left give."

Saturn:

Dignified in Capricorn and Aquarius--"Responsibility equals freedom."

Exalted in Libra--"Justice, fairness, peace, partnerships, marriage, rule of law, civility." 

Detriment in Cancer and Leo--Difficulty adulting because they felt robbed of a childhood. (Cancer rules babies, Leo rules children). "My parents didn't nurture or love me enough!"

Fall in Aries--"I feel like I'm not allowed to be me! And I really resent authority for this!"

The outer planets: Uranus, Neptune and Capricorn, are said to only have dignities and detriments, (and are not officially exalted or in fall in any sign).

The outer planets rule the collective unconscious, generations and public events, and it generally takes longer to analyze their effects. 

Here are my suggestions as to which signs I believe they may be in exaltation and fall and why.

Uranus:

Dignified in Aquarius (Wisdom and the ability to share it, altruism), detriment in Leo (the ego eclipses the wisdom).

Uranus' Suggested Exaltation: Scorpio--The ability to detach from crises and see what needs to be done to transform from crises.

Uranus' Suggested Fall: Taurus--Obsession with materialism, resisting necessary change, values are set in the wrong place. Altruism is devalued. 

Neptune:

Dignified in Pisces (forgiveness, unconditional love, healing music, art for art's sake), detriment in Virgo (unhealthy habits, unsustainable health care, slavery/slave wages).

Neptune's Suggested Exaltation: Leo--Ultimate creative expression from the heart, inventing new forms of art and music, the first "bohemian" movement, blessing one's inner child, compassionate leadership.

Neptune's Suggested Fall: Aquarius--Escapism through social media, overly dependent on technology, using technology to deceive large groups of people, identity theft, computer hackers, technological breakdowns.

Pluto:

Dignified in Scorpio (not afraid to look at the "dark side" and transform from a crisis), detriment in Taurus (hoarding of wealth, theft, fascism, oppression of females).

Pluto's Suggested Exaltations:  

Cancer--Transformation of "homeland" and the matriarchy, reduction of famine, suburbs invented, transforms how we get our food (industrial farms, refrigeration). 

Libra--Transformation through balance and societal reforms. Those born in the Pluto in Libra generation are a bridge between the older generations and the younger generations. Pluto in Libra can let go of traditions that no longer work, but holds onto traditions that are practical and balanced. 

Aquarius--Transformation of society through wisdom. Sharing of resources. Revolutionary, progressive society. Using tax dollars to develop new technology to explore new frontiers (i.e. creating public transportation, space travel).

Pluto's Suggested Falls:

Capricorn--The breakdown of societal structures. Architecture dissolving. Weak structures. The destruction of "the patriarchy". Disorganized rebellion. 

Aries--Endless wars, destruction of society through selfishness and inability to work with other generations. 

Leo--"Mine, mine, mine". The "Me" Generation. Passionate and creative, but can be selfish and narcissistic. Like Pluto in Aries, does not play well with other generations. Inspirational leaders who evolved into controlling "kings".  

Where do you think the outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) are exalted or in fall?

 Currently, astrologers don't have a consensus, but we can speculate. Pluto has been said to be exalted in Aries, as well. I like to look at both what was going on in the world during a particular Pluto transit. Pluto in Aries was a time of pioneering, but there were also Civil Wars. However, no one who was born with Pluto in Aries is alive today so it's hard to know. 

The Baby Boomer generation is always promoting Pluto in Leo as exalted.  However, Pluto in Leo only worked for people with Pluto in Leo.  For everyone else, 1939-1958 was not necessarily the best time to be alive (Dust bowl, depression, WWII, rise of fascism, Korean War, women had few rights, etc.)

Pluto is the one that is most difficult to place, but I'm leaning towards Pluto in Libra being exalted. This would be manifested in the "Ex-ennial" generation born between 1972-1984.  The Cold War peaked, but it was a relatively peaceful time to be alive. They have one foot in the analog world, and one foot in the digital world. They are more generous than the baby boomers (Pluto in Leo), less jaded than Gen-X (Pluto in Virgo) and not quite as angry or "screwed" as the Millennials (Pluto in Scorpio), and had access to more resources than Gen Z (Pluto in Sagittarius). 

More on detriment and dignities by Astrologer Steven Forrest here. Want to learn more about Astrology? Set up a time with me for an astrology lesson here.

There are so many misconceptions about Astrology. 

The one that gets the most traction (and gets on my nerves the most) is that your "sign" is no longer your "sign" in Astrology anymore. 

This misconception is so far-reaching, that even NASA has jumped on this inaccurate bandwagon in associating the position of the constellations with modern Astrology as a way to discredit Astrology. 

Now, I have no interest in proselytizing or converting non-believers into star-worshipping gurus.  However, if one is going to attempt to discredit astrology, one should get the facts about it right!

Western Astrology is NOT based on the position of planets within constellations! 

Western Astrology is based on the position of the planets within the SEASONS: The equinoxes and the solstices. 

Non-Astrologers are unaware, that there are THREE different Zodiacs used by both Astronomers and Astrologers: 

The Tropical Zodiac.

The Sidereal Zodiac.

The Constellation Zodiac.

Western Astrology is based on the Tropical Zodiac, which determines the seasons.  

The Sidereal Zodiac is based on the placement of the star Spica. 

The Constellation Zodiac is based on the positions of the constellations.

Fear not!  Your sign is your sign and it doesn't change under the Tropical Zodiac. Your sign is not based on the placement of Spica and your sign is not based on the placement of the constellations.

WHAT ASTROLOGY IS NOT:

Not based on constellations.

Not based on just the Sun in the 12 "signs".

Not a generalization.

Not a superstition.

Not fortune-telling.

Not literal.

Not a religion.

Does not eliminate free-will.

WHAT ASTROLOGY IS:

Is a guide for life here on Earth.

Shows us our place within the cosmos.

Is based on the seasons.

Is the study of energy.

Is the study of "energetic weather".

Is the study of human responses to energy.

Is based on the concept "As above, so below".

Astrologers use the Tropical Zodiac, which is the same Zodiac Astronomers use to determine when the seasons begin.  Both Astrologers and Astronomers know that Ptolemy was wrong when he believed that the Earth was the center of the Universe.  However, Astronomers and Astrologers still use Ptolemy's accurate calculations to determine the Winter and Summer Solstices, and the Spring and Fall Equinoxes.

Want to learn more? Click here for an in-depth article on the three different zodiacs at Astrology.com  Want to learn how to read charts? Click on "about me" and let's set up a lesson time!

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