posted May 02, 2023 04:07 PM
This is a concept that a few years ago I would not have been able to get at. Western astrological thinking is not very good at assessing planet strength in the natal chart. And that's what I'd learned — the standard pop western astrology (as seen in texts like The Only Way to Learn Astrology by McEvers-March).Saturn is conjunct and parallel the Sun in my chart and it is trine to the Moon and my Asc. So Saturn gets featured, emphasized by the conjunction and parallel to the Sun, especially, but it is not strong in my chart.
The learning curve of planetary energies can stretch across many, many lifetimes. Emphasis in the birth chart on a particular planet can indicate that the person is needing to learn its energy precisely because it is not as strong as other planetary energies. These are the things we consider between lives and the reason for planetary sojourns (as mentioned by Edgar Cayce and by Vedic astrology's planetary lokas). Those can be seen in the birth chart by the sidereal decan of the luminaries and/or by what planet is closest to the Asc or MC.
A strong Saturn, for example, will show as wisdom and strength. A weaker Saturn emphasized in the birth chart will lean a person to inhibition, fear, even a sour or depressive outlook. Saturn is not a killer of optimism, but the wisdom of experience and willingness to accept challenges.
Mars can be emphasized in the birth chart, but the person may still not enjoy competition or be an athlete. It may be precisely for those reasons the person needed Mars emphasized — to learn to be comfortable in that environment and with those energies within themselves. I've got that situation in my own birth chart. Tried to be an athlete, but did not have the physical constitution for it.
The Moon may be emphasized in the birth chart, but that does not give it strength. For example, my wife has Moon up high in the 9th and conjunct the MC. That placement is near the lowest strength positionally for the Moon, which is strongest down in 4th/at IC. But emphasis on the Moon like that can bring more awareness to one's feelings and the specific nature of those feelings by a greater openness to the emotions of others in the world at large, thus helping develop the Lunar nature and its receptivity.
Real planet strength (of the 7 traditional planets) is found most accurately in the six-fold composite rating system from Vedic/Jyotish known as Shadbala. You can see all the factors it covers here: http://www.dirah.org/shadbala.htm -- It is not a perfect system, but it contains more considerations and is more deep and reliable than any other system I've seen.
Planet strength cannot be reliably understood by considering just house, sign, and aspects.
I won't be able to answer any questions about the Vedic/Indian thinking given in Shadbala. I can offer some criticism related to how declinations are used, but it won't be of any practical use.
Our experiences, lifetimes, sojourns are all for learning each of the planetary energies so that we can access all of them in a balanced way. The aim is balance for fullest expression of the Soul as a creator. Life is an adventure, but we are engaging in a creative process in this dimension, learning as we go along.
Generally speaking, the energies are learned in order of their importance to life, starting with the luminaries and proceeding with the inner planets outward to Saturn and the trans-personals. Some astrologers speak of a 'skipped step' in the birth charts of some people (usually indicated by a planet square the Lunar Nodes). That may happen because the incomplete learning process over lifetimes left an imbalance that needs to be filled in.
Some people are surprised to find that a particular natal planet of theirs is low in strength in their birth chart. Let's take Mercury for example. Specifically, let's use the Albert Einstein as an example. Mercury rates lower in strength than all planets in his birth chart but Saturn (with which it is basically equal in strength). There is at least one clue as to why Mercury is low in strength in Einstein's chart: the close conjunction to Saturn. Mercury's nature is rather dual: it is receptive on a mental level, but also involves written and verbal communication. So Saturn's conjunction to it suggests Einstein's prior use of the Mercury energy focused too much on outward communication or speaking before understanding well enough. (Look at its placement in Aries.) So that aspect emphasized Saturn's discipline of Mercury for more internal purposes of deeper deliberative thought. You might call it problem solving. So you see, it is all about soul development and how a Soul can tap into their innate potentials to make a positive contribution to humanity.
Assessing planet strength is probably best understood by scaling it with the terms 'low strength' to 'high strength.' I think we need to be careful in our language on this because I don't want people getting stuck in a belief of "... my Mercury is 'weak' ... so I'm not smart, etc, etc." Mercury alone is not a indicator of total intelligence as you can see from the example of Einstein. Einstein's intelligence was not of the rational mode of linear logic, but of imagination (Neptune). Then there is the fact that no one is limited by what is in their birth chart. Clearly Einstein — who had trouble with mathematics and was a bit 'slow' in his younger years — did the work to develop his intelligence by pushing through his difficulties.
So remember, this is not comparative with others, but about achieving a relative balance among your own planet strengths. If Mercury is low compared to your other planets, it can be boosted or helped along by the traditional Mercury gems Emerald, Peridot, or Green Tourmaline. There may be others, but those are the traditional three used in Indian Jyotish for this. This is why I wear Peridot — because it is one of my three lowest planets (along with Moon & Saturn). Peridot benefits my mind and clears out mental irritations better than anything else. After I began wearing it daily I was able to delve deeper into astrological studies and research than I ever could before.
The priorities for planet strengths start with the Sun. If you have Sun in Libra and it is down low in your chart (2nd - 5th house areas), then it will rate pretty low. So your sense of self, will power, and confidence are going to benefit from boosting it, at least with some discretion, some of the time. Remember, Sun energy is core ego energy and needs to be increased gently to maintain its balance and benefic qualities. There are options for doing that: Ruby is the strongest (except for maybe Gold). Zoisite with Ruby inclusions is a gentler way of boosting Sun's strength, especially for sensitive people. Sunstone (especially from Oregon), Red Spinel, Rhodolite, and Garnet are other traditional options for boosting Solar energy in the native. For those who are more delicate and handle change more slowly, Rhyolite (which is what I use) may be a better option for someone with a low to moderate Sun strength.
The Earth sphere contains numerous material representations of all the planetary energies in this solar system because it has been designed first by a consciousness template to do so. Earth is school, so don't you think it would contain the learning materials we need to succeed?
Peace and healing,
Kannon
------------------
The Declcinations Guy
Soul Stars Astrology Gemstone Readings for energy balance and healing
Expert birth chart rectification
We were born for these times. We agreed to be here.
Lindaland
UBBFriend: Email This Page to Someone! 
posted May 02, 2023 04:07 PM
posted June 01, 2023 04:13 PM