[PAGE 419] MIND AND THE RULING PLANET
CHAPTER XIX
MIND AND THE RULING PLANET
When we wish to study the character, disposition and temperament of any-
one we must first realize that the mind is the keystone of the arch of the
human personality. But character, disposition and temperament do not depend
so much upon the quality of mind, whether it be keen, sharp, and alert or
slow and plodding, as upon what channels it takes for its expression. In-
tellects of the first magnitude are sometimes put to perverted use to the
detriment of the community and the individual who thus misuses his divine
heritage, while a slow and very inferior mind may minister to many in lowly
but loving meekness and reap sheaves of soul-growth thereby. Thus it is not
sufficient to determine the quality of the mentality; we must also ascertain
what is the channel of its expression. To judge that or any other matter
thoroughly really involves consideration of the horoscope as a whole,
separately and apart from its bearing upon all other matters. But in a gen-
eral way the character and disposition may be learned fro the Sun, Moon,
Mercury, Ascendant and the ruling planets.
It has become the custom of many astrologers to take the lord of the
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rising sign as the ruler of the horoscope. That is correct in Medical As-
trology because the Ascendant represents the body, but when we want to judge
the character which is the combination of all the forces focused through the
horoscopical wheel of life the matter is different. Then we must find what
planet has the most dominant influence in the life and that is then the life
ruler regardless of whether or not it is the ruler of the Ascendant. To
find that planet look first to the lord of the Ascendant. If he is el-
evated, essentially dignified or angular and strongly aspected, remember, it
matters not whether the aspects are good or bad as long as they are close
and plentiful (for if it were only the good aspects that made the ruler then
there would be only good people in the world. But we know that there are
people of all shades of character and therefore it is necessary to select
the ruler according to the aspects, regardless of whether they are good or
bad), and above all, if the aspects are close, then the lord of the Ascen-
dant is also the ruling planet, for he will exercise the most potent influ-
ence in the life.
On the other hand if another planet is more highly elevated than the
ruler of the Ascendant, if it is exalted, essentially dignified or placed in
an angle and its aspects re more plentiful or closer than the aspects of the
lord of the Ascendant, the judge that that planet will be the ruler of the
horoscope and exercise a dominant influence in the life regardless of the
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fact that it is not the ruler of the rising sign.
But if there are two planets running neck-and-neck in the race for
rulership, so to speak, with no strongly marked difference in favor of one
or the other so that it is difficult to make a choice, do not utterly dis-
card one and choose the other, for then they will both be very active in the
life and must be classed as co-rulers.
THE INFLUENCE OF RULING PLANETS
WELL ASPECTED
THE SUN AS RULING PLANET
When the vital, courageous and ambitious well aspected Sun is ruler, it
gives dignity to the whole nature, a lofty price that would not stoop to do
anything small, mean or degrading, a fine and noble courage that may show
itself on occasion as much by disdainfully ignoring the attacks of an adver-
sary whom he considers too far beneath his notice as by a fight to the death
for a principle. There is an intense craving for recognition and leadership
which will make it very difficult for him to occupy a subordinate position;
also an intense warm-hearted, affectionate and demonstrative nature.
VENUS AS RULING PLANET
When the refined, luxurious and musical well aspected Venus is ruler of
the horoscope it gives tender, loving, even amorous nature which craves love
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as we all desire air, for love is the very life breath of such people. They
are extremely fond of children and usually have many pets which serve as av-
enues for their expression of love. They are also pleasure-loving and fond
of social intercourse, neat and artistic in their ideas and in the decora-
tion of their homes. They love jewelry and anything else that adds beauty
to the life; they are luxurious in all their tastes, very amiable and much
beloved by all; their greatest faults is an inordinate love of ease and an
aversion to soiling their hands.
MERCURY AS RULING PLANET
When Mercury the planet of reason, expression and dexterity is the well
aspected life ruler it gives a keen, quick-witted mind which craves knowl-
edge as a thirsty man craves water and absorbs it as readily, a mind that
solves, apparently without effort, the most intricate problems. Thus there
is ability in the various branches of mental endeavor, science and lit-
erature, but these people are also very apt and forceful orators and have an
extraordinary dexterity so that they can usually turn their hands to any-
thing. They are fond of traveling and very successful as salesmen and
agents.
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THE MOON AS RULING PLANET
When the romantic, imaginative and restless well aspected Moon is the
life ruler, the people born unders its influence are indeed rolling stones
and far fields always look greenest to them. Therefore they have an over-
whelming desire for travel and change which generally does not permit them
to stay in one place longer than necessary to earn the money which will en-
able them to go to the next. They have a most vivid and fanciful imagina-
tion and a romantic nature entirely foreign to any practical endeavor; list-
less, restless and unstable as the tide that comes and goes, flotsam and
jetsam upon the sea of life. They are generally mediumistic, though usually
unconsciously so, but are otherwise quite harmless through utterly irrespon-
sible and untrustworthy where anything requiring an effort is concerned.
SATURN AS RULING PLANET
When the serious, sagacious and profound well aspected Saturn is life
ruler, the people born under its influence are of a profoundly thoughtful,
serious nature. They have a keen sense of responsibility and are full of
forethought, hence trustworthy and reliable advisors; they are systematic,
orderly, and have good executive ability, frugal in their tastes, thrifty
and saving; just to a degree, but their justice is cruel, hard and
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untempered but the slightest degree of mercy. They are chaste, sober and
exemplary in their lives but they have neither mercy nor pity for those who
are unable to overcome faults or habits or who otherwise become delinquent
to the laws of society. They care little or nothing for pleasure or the so-
ciety of others and generally keep their own counsel and company; they are
highly respected, esteemed and trusted in the community but neither care for
nor merit the LOVE of their fellow men.
JUPITER AS RULING PLANET
When the jovial, genial and generous well aspected Jupiter is life ruler,
the people born under his influence are ensouled by a great desire for
honor, respect and esteem in their community. Therefore they aspire to be
pillars in the church, legal lights, or to fill an honored position in the
pulpit; failing this they enter by preference one of the progressions as
lawyer or doctor. They are cordial, genial people with a jovial smile and a
hearty handshake that make one glad to meet them wherever the go, so they
are always welcome. They are law-abiding and just but inclined to temper
their justice with mercy; and while they themselves live lives beyond re-
proach they are kind, forgiving and lenient to those of a weaker morality
whose lives are smirched by sin and crime, hence they are philanthropic and
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always ready to give to charity and benevolent work. They are not only re-
spected and esteemed but beloved in the community where they reside.
MARS AS THE RULING PLANET
When the enthusiastic, energetic, constructive and militant Mars is the
well aspected life ruler, the people born under the influence of this dy-
namic rays are eager for the fray and battle of life. They are ensouled
with an ardent desire to conquer the world. To them it does not so much
matter what they do so long as it affords an adequate outlet for the con-
structive energy which, figuratively speaking, threatens to burst them un-
less released. The bigger and more difficult the undertaking, the more they
exult; hence they become the pioneers and pathfinders of civilization, the
engineers and contractors who build our cities and the highways and byways
that connect them, who develop the resources of the world and turn them over
to others to use. They are extremely impatient of restraint and will brook
no interference with their plans or methods. These people govern others and
bend them to their will by the whiplash of sheer force for they have neither
tact nor diplomacy but win by the merit of might. They earn money easily
and spend it as lavishly and foolishly. They are extremely extravagant and
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when reverses come they are down and out for the time being but they never
stay down, the indomitable inner force soon accomplishes rehabilitation and
with it the old reckless ways of living reassert themselves. They are gen-
erally foolhardy to a degree, hence liable to accidents and a violent end.
URANUS AS RULING PLANET
When the original, romantic and eccentric well aspected Uranus is life
ruler the character is idealistic, unconventional and utopian. These people
are generally out of patience with the conventional ways of living and de-
termined i their efforts and endeavors to break the shackles of society and
live a bohemian life. They are full of fads and given to usually beliefs,
too advanced for the majority. At the same time they are pioneers of a new
age in which many of the ideas we now consider utopian will be modified so
that they will be held by all. These people are also the inventors of the
world, in touch with the higher worlds where ideas merge from the Divine
Mind to impinge upon the minds of those who are sufficiently sensitive to
grasp them and bring them to birth for the use of humanity. The Uranians
are very headstrong and always ready with an argument to defend their ideas
and secure a convert to their cults; odd in dress, in food, in ideas, they
are a class apart.
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NEPTUNE AS RULING PLANET
When the occult and mystical well aspected Neptune is life ruler we have
a person of a most peculiar power whose chief mark is a strange expression
of the eye which must be seem to be appreciated. It is as if he looked
right through and through whatever is before him, but it is not necessary to
discuss this type for there are so few that they are very seldom encountered
by the average astrologer and only an occultist can know and judge another
occultist.
THE INFLUENCE OF THE AFFLICTED RULING PLANETS
When the life rulers are afflicted by the conjunction, parallel, square,
or opposition from the other planets, especially from the malefics--Saturn,
Mars, Uranus and Neptune--they affect the life in an inimical manner which
may be outlined as follows:
THE SUN AS RULING PLANET
When the cowardly and arrogant afflicted Sun is life ruler, people born
under his debilitating influence are egotistical in the extreme, full of
swagger, self-importance and arrogance. If they obtain authority over any-
one whom they think they can overawe they will rule such dependent with a
rod of iron, trample upon his tenderest feelings without a twinge of con-
science or compunction, but if they themselves come under the authority of
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another these spineless weaklings will then cringe, creep and cater to the
slightest whim of their master though they hate him with an intense hatred
that is only kept in check by their fear. They whine and wheedle at the
faintest frown though ready to spring and devour him if only they dared. It
is the signature of one of the most despicable characters in the gamut.
VENUS AS RULING PLANET
When the slovenly, slothful and lazy afflicted Venus is ruler of the
horoscope the persons are sensual and profligate, untidy and slatternly, of
depraved, perverted tastes and utterly disreputable in their conduct; they
are social parasites. They use loud and obscene language and are fond of
music of a clanging, jarring nature. They love revelry and debauch, their
affection expresses itself in coarse lusts, unbridled passion, free love and
moral perversion. They revel in spangles and tinsel, loud, clashing colors
and cheap imitations of beauty and worth.
MERCURY AS RULING PLANET
When the untruthful, dishonest and clumsy afflicted Mercury is life ruler
the people under his influence are either entirely mentally unsound so that
they must be confined for their own good in proper institutions, or they are
so cunning that they are able to hide their mental bias and prey upon
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society as thieves, pick-pockets, defaulters and criminals of similar na-
ture. They are notoriously untruthful and prefer misleading others to tell-
ing the truth, even where it is of no benefit to them. They are either dull
of comprehension or of such consummate cunning that they seem to be driven
by a resistless force to get the nest of some unsuspecting person. They ex-
cel as confidence men, badgers and in similar unsavory occupations, They
are thoroughly unreliable and dishonest in all their dealings; neurotic and
perverted, scabs on society. These people are also inveterate talkers and
always ready to criticize, slander or ruin the reputation of others. They
are a menace to society in all their activities.
THE MOON AS RULING PLANET
When the changeable and visionary afflicted Moon is life ruler it makes
the persons extremely restless and averse to labor of any kind, fidgety and
always on the move; if they cannot travel from one city to another, they
move from one house to another and from one situation to another as often as
possible and they infuse the same restlessness into whosoever they come in
contact with. If the afflictions are very severe the mind suffers and their
mental phases coincide with the changes of the orb of night.
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SATURN AS RULING PLANET
When the morbid, melancholy and malicious afflicted Saturn is life ruler
he robs life of all joy and brightness so that these people become recluses
and melancholy misanthropes; so miserly and avaricious that they will starve
themselves and forego the comforts of life even when they have ample means
to satisfy them. They are cruel, hard and suspicious of the acts and mo-
tives of others and if they take up work as a detective they become human
ferrets, blood-hounds who will hound their prey to death and gloat over his
misery. If anyone frustrates such people they will hold spite forever and
aim to get even, if it takes a lifetime. But the end of these people is al-
ways bad, sometime or other they overreach and fall into the trap they have
set for others. They usually die an ignoble death and the world gives a
sigh of relief when they pass out.
JUPITER AS RULING PLANET
When the indolent, bombastic and egotistical afflicted Jupiter is the
life ruler the person is often a parasite on the social tree, a gambler,
confidence man and speculator, sporty, fond of display and ostentation; he
wears loud clothing, paste diamonds and cheap jewelry. He is usually met
with in pool rooms, on race tracks and in similar places; playing poker or
playing the ponies are among his favorite means of earning a living; he is
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very loud and egotistical anxious to attract attention no matter how; he of-
ten figures in court proceedings on account of shady transactions or immoral
conduct or unpaid bills, for he is an adept at obtaining credit for every-
thing he wants and never pays the price of his expensive tastes if there is
any way of avoiding a settlement of his debts. Among the laboring class he
usually figures as a demagogue and agitator, inciting to strikes and riots,
but he is always ready to sell out a striking union to the employers. We
find them among the typical Italian padrones, as keepers of sweat-shops, and
in similar occupations.
MARS AS RULING PLANET
When the arrogant, egotistical and foolhardy afflicted Mars is life ruler
the person is an egotist of the first water, bound to attain to his wishes
by force or destruction if other means fail; in fact he prefers to bulldoze
others to do his will rather than to have them submit without a struggle.
He is a first-rate slave driver, section boss on the railway, in a construc-
tion camp and similar places, a liar, braggart, bouncer, or pugilist, a
daredevil wiling to risk his life and the lives of others at any moment and
in any undertaking.
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URANUS AS RULING PLANET
When the stubborn, erratic and independent afflicted Uranus if life ruler
the mentality is usually so obsessed in one direction or another that such
people become fanatics and generally also there is an excessive sensuality
and perverted taste. They are always ready and anxious for an argument as a
means of airing their ideas but they are so hypnotized by their own par-
ticular fad that they are never convinced and can never see when the argu-
ment goes against them. They always espouse the most radical and unconven-
tional ideas.
NEPTUNE AS RULING PLANET
When the mediumistic, neurotic and self-indulgent afflicted Neptune is
life ruler, the persons are of a dreamy, neurotic and negative nature, apt
to become the medium of disembodied spirits or even obsessed by them. They
are likely to evolve psychic powers of a low grade such as involuntary
clairvoyance, crystal gazing, etc., and if they are unable to develop these
faculties they often simulate mediumship and other psychic gifts for the
purpose of duping or defrauding others. They have a strong faculty of
imitation and easily become adepts at deception.
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THE SIGNS AS MENTAL SIGNIFICATORS
When the CARDINAL Signs, Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, are on the
angles, that is to say, the Ascendant, Midheaven, Fourth and Seventh Houses,
it is a general indication that the person is mentally alert, quick to grasp
an idea, active and enthusiastic in whatever work he undertakes; one who has
organizing and executive ability and is capable of carrying whatever enter-
prise he may start to success; a bold, brave indomitable spirit. This is
especially true when many planets are in Cardinal Signs and these people may
be classed as the business men of the world.
When the FIXED Signs, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius are on the angles
it indicates a thoughtful but slow and plodding type of mind which requires
time to come to a decision. They always look before they leap but when they
have made up their minds they adhere to the course mapped out with a remark-
able patience and perseverance which in the end insure success. They are
very reliable and can be depended upon to keep their word and meet their ob-
ligations. Their principal fault is that they are too apt to get into a rut
and become narrow-minded. They are very original and may be classed as the
inventors of the world. These delineations are especially true when many
planets are in Fixed Signs.
When the COMMON Signs, Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces, are on the
angles the mind is flighty and superficial, wavering and versatile. These
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people are often very quick to grasp a point and form a decision, but just
as ready to forget and change their minds. They are adepts at imitation and
often pretend to virtues or abilities entirely foreign to their nature.
They are easily swayed by the winds of emotion; one moment they may be
highly elated over some small matter and the next a trifling trouble bows
them down to earth. They are inconstant and unreliable in all their
dealings with others because they do not know their minds two minutes in
succession. They constitute the agents and middlemen of the world, where
they occupy a subordinate or serving position. These delineations are par-
ticularly apt when many planets are in Common Signs.
MENTAL EFFECT OF THE RISING SUN
When there are no planets on the Ascendant the rising sign has consider-
able influence on the type of mind.
ARIES rising gives an energetic, enthusiastic and ambitious type of mind,
but inclined to rash and impulsive acts and a quick temper.
TAURUS rising gives a stubborn, headstrong and selfish nature, envious, cov-
etous and malicious when angered.
GEMINI rising gives a quick, alert and versatile mind, easily adaptable to
conditions but so fluidic that it lacks the ability absolutely essential to
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sustained effort and lasting success.
CANCER rising gives a negative, imaginative and receptive type of mind,
sometimes of a rather morbid nature, reserved and mistrustful; but when such
a person has made up his mind to do something he is usually very tenacious
in his adherence to his ideas; sympathetic, hospitable and kind.
LEO rising gives a frank, open, ambitious mind; a powerful will and a proud,
honorable and kind disposition but inclined to be hasty, quick-tempered,
sensual and apt to go to extremes.
VIRGO gives a critical, scheming and ingenious mind, able to evolve ideas
galore but usually lacking the initiative to carry them out unless prodded
by others. These people are very selfish, self-centered and reserved. They
do not take other people into their confidence and they seldom become really
familiar with anyone.
LIBRA rising gives an easy-going but kindly and sympathetic type of mind
which is unable to grasp or cope with the exigencies of existence. There-
fore these people drift along the stream of life, taking as much of the
sweet as they can get and using every effort to avoid the bitter. They
crave approbation and in return adore their friends and are usually bound up
in them.
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SCORPIO rising gives a dual type of mind. This is one of the most mystical
of the twelve signs. Some times it is symbolized as an eagle representing
the lofty, aspiring type soaring as does the eagle into the ether. At other
times it is typified as a serpent which crawls in the dust, and again as a
scorpion. There is also considerable occult significance in the fact that
the serpent has the sting in its head and the scorpion has it in its tail.
But for the present purpose we will judge the two latter as one.
The Scorpio type of mind denoted by the eagle is thoughtful, reserved and
inclined to lofty ideals' dignified in demeanor, proud and with perfect con-
trol of the temper. These people are very reserved and generally keep their
own counsel.
The other type when Scorpio is represented by the serpent is entirely
different; deceitful, shrewd and secretive; past finding out; sensual and
unforgiving; jealous and passionate, with a very sharp tongue and fiery tem-
per.
SAGITTARIUS rising gives an energetic, aspiring, benevolent mind but rather
lacking in ambition. These people are usually of an ardent, affectionate
disposition and sometimes very demonstrative.
CAPRICORN rising gives a tactful, diplomatic, deep and thoughtful type of
mind but selfish, envious and covetous. These people are apt to get into a
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rut and become very narrow, and when they are crossed they hold spite and
plan revenge. They are self-reliant and persistent in whatever they under-
take.
AQUARIUS rising gives a good intellect, a friendly, sympathetic and humane
disposition, but these people are very original and independent; they will
brook no interference with their vagaries and pursue their own course re-
gardless of what others say or think, sometimes even against their own rea-
son and just to assert their independence.
PISCES rising gives a sentimental and romantic type of mind, inclined to
worry and restlessness, apt to turn to the occult, and to mystical ideas.
The mind is very sensitive and often takes in the conditions of others with
the effect of unsettling and troubling the person.
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