A Guide to Celestial Weather
Essential Dignity: the essential strength of a planet
Essential Dignity describes how well a planet can express its nature based on its position in the zodiac. Strong Dignity enhances its constructive qualities, while weak dignity can emphasise its more challenging ones — the Sun in Rulership may support feeling steady and engaged, while the Sun in Fall may make it easier to feel disconnected or drift.
Reading the Weather
Retrograde
Retrograde describes when a planet appears to move backward, often slowing or changing the planet’s influence — Mars Retrograde may make setting boundaries feel less straightforward or need revisiting.
UNderstanding Direction
Solar Relationships
Solar Relationships describe how a planet’s alignment with the Sun can positively elevate its qualities (Cazimi) or weaken and obscure them (Sunbeams and Combust) — Jupiter Combust can make planning feel muddled, whereas Jupiter Cazimi can help bring a clear sense of direction.
Solar Relationships are marked as below. Given the narrow window for Cazimi, it is seldom marked on the Calendar but there will be days that include Cazimi.
Under The Sunbeams — Between 17 and 8 degrees of The Sun. Combustion — within 8 degrees of The Sun. Cazimi — within 17 minutes of The Sun.
Interaction with other bodies
Celestial Movement
Powerful Influences
Fixed Stars
Fixed Stars are precise points in the heavens and influence a planet’s behaviour when they are closely aligned — a planet conjunct Regulus may carry themes of authority or prominence alongside their core qualities.
The Fixed Stars are taken at the following degrees and are marked where a planet is within 1 Degree either side. Regulus at 0 degrees 11 minutes of Virgo. Spica at 24 Degrees 12 minutes of Libra. Algol at 26 degrees 32 minutes of Taurus.
Hidden forces
Eclipses
Eclipses arise from the alignment of the Sun, Moon and Earth, marking periods of disruption or notable change.
