古典占星使用5個階級的行星尊貴系統，現代占星學只保留了兩個主要的行星尊貴 – 廟和旺，但也未受到重視，也都失去了很多原有的意義。
現代占星對於行星次要尊貴的使用幾乎失傳，即使是那些使用它們的古典占星家也經常認為它們只具有較小的得分值、或是持續讓一個行星作為外來的(peregrine)，每個不同尊貴(廟‧旺‧三分性‧界‧外觀)具有不同涵義的感覺幾乎都消失了。
我一直廣泛地研究主要和次要尊貴的整套系統，發現即使是不同的次要尊貴，其行星所涉及的角色或地位都具有特定且細微差別的意義。
在本文中，我想看看最小的尊貴，即「外觀」的尊貴。想要思考如何能將微小尊貴的外觀應用於以下星盤的詮釋。
這個案例來自我朋友的星盤，一個我很熟悉、很佩服的人，我只採用示範中所提及的部分星盤。
白羊座是上升點，守護這張星盤的第1宮。金星落陷於1宮，但具有外觀的尊貴。
金星也與南交點合相，在古典占星中，南交點被認為具有土星的性質，它會減少或吸收附近任何行星的能量。金星在第1宮顯化為這個人有點害羞和謙虛。
在這裡我們考慮的另一個行星是太陽，它位於第12宮雙魚座。太陽在雙魚座是外來的，意味著它沒有尊貴或其他被定義的地位，而且它處於非常謙虛和不被看見的第12宮。
將行星一起觀察時，會發現金星和太陽旺宮互容 – 金星所在的白羊座為太陽的旺宮，太陽所在的雙魚座為金星的旺宮，這兩個行星相互重視並相互支持，因此它們的交互影響是強而有力的、被強化且放大的。
留意金星謙虛的品質是如何透過它與南交點的合相而被強化，並且和位在第12宮自我謙卑的太陽互容。
然而，這兩個行星也是不合意的，這意味著它們沒有任何整星座相位，因此它們看不見彼此，他們之間的關係是出於無法意識或控制，兩個行星之間沒有直接的意識交流。
現在，我們來看看外觀的尊貴如何適用這裡。
在古典的兩個主要和三個次要的行星尊貴系統中，除了外觀之外，所有尊貴都有一定的控制感或責任感 – 尤其在他們掌權的領域範圍。相比之下，外觀的次要尊貴有指定的地位，但它沒有力量、沒有影響力、沒有權威，它可能意味著你表面所表現的、外表或面孔，或者它可能意味著你執行服務、但沒有任何權威的情況 – 比如志願者職位。
此外，金星落陷 – 不在(金星自己的)家裡，無法控制，或者那可能意味著在金星處在不平衡或不適合的環境中。
現在讓我們把它們放在一起。
太陽在第12宮，這是一個自我犧牲、自我毀滅的宮位。它也可能表示人們被限制的某種機構或環境中工作 – 監獄、護理機構、醫院、療養院；或者，它也可能表示在那種情況下與人合作。
太陽位於第12宮可以表現為自我犧牲、自我奉獻；而與金星的互容，首先意味著這個人以自我犧牲的方式表達自己。由於這兩個行星是不合意的，這種自我犧牲的品質大多出於非個人意識 – 她沒有意識到自己是一位多麼善良和無私的人。
特別是，旺宮互容 – 入旺與權力的關係不大，更多時候是與價值、聲譽或認同有關，在這種情況下，與自我奉獻、自我犧牲、自我消融有關的價值觀，是受到這個人的高度重視和高度評價。她的自我意識（第1宮的行星）與她自我犧牲的價值觀（第12宮太陽）在互容中融合在一起。
金星得外觀尊貴顯示出 – 她做志願者工作，她沒有權威或認同。由於金星落陷，這項工作是在一個不熟悉的環境或不熟悉的一群人之中進行。
這個人做了大量的志願者工作，其中的一個職位涉及為那些已經入監過且被定罪的性犯罪者提供支持的團體工作 – 這與金星落陷，並與第12宮的自我犧牲傾向、以及第12宮和監獄之間的聯繫有所連結。
金星首先與12宮的太陽互容 – 這個人非常自我奉獻 – 但這兩個行星是不合意的 – 我很確定她並不知道她自己是多麼無私和樂於給予。
一個行星在她的第1宮表現其意，但在外觀尊貴的情況下，她是一個沒有權威或認可的志願者，在落陷的情況下，她並不是真正適合與她一起工作的人。
所有這些不同條件的混合 – 不合意、互容、外觀尊貴以及行星落陷的無力，全部整合起來貼切地描述了她這部分的生活狀況。
2016年10月06日 Charlie Obert版權所有
本文為作者Charlie Obert 授權 美國NCGR占星研究協會 台灣分會翻譯刊登。
作者介紹：查理．歐伯特（Charlie Obert）
查理．歐伯特(Charlie Obert)是古典占星家，在開普勒學院教授課程，被譽為是古典占星明日之星的其中一位，著有「古典本命占星學介紹」(Introduction to Traditional Natal Astrology)、「占星學中的行星尊貴」(Using Dignities in Astrology)和「流年週期：古典流年預測占星學」The Cycle of the Year: Traditional Predictive Astrology，謙虛、低調而專注古典占星的他，大部分餘暇時間都在閱讀哲學、歷史傳記以及喝茶。
可以透過他的網站https://studentofastrology.com 或電郵charlie@studentofastrology.com 與他聯繫。
編輯：Astrid
Dignity of Face
Traditional astrology uses a system of 5 levels of dignity or rulership. Modern astrology has kept only the two major dignities, rulership and exaltation, neither is emphasized very much, and both have lost much of their original significance.
The use of the minor dignities has pretty much been lost to modern astrology. Even those traditional astrologers who do use them often consider them only as having a small point value or as keeping a planet from being peregrine. The sense of the different dignities each having a distinct meaning has been pretty much lost.
I have been working extensively with the full system of major and minor dignities, and I find that even the different minor dignities each have a specific sort of nuance of meaning in terms of the role or position in society of the planet in question.
In this essay I want to look at the least of the minor dignities, that of face. I want to consider how the minor dignity of face can be interpreted in the context of a chart.
This example is from the chart of a friend of mine, a person I know pretty well who I admire. I am including only the portion of the chart that applies to our example interpretation.
Aries is the Ascendant, and is the first house in this chart. Venus is in the first house, in detriment. Venus also has dignity by Face.
Venus is also conjunct the South Node. In traditional astrology the South Node is considered to be of the nature of Saturn, and it diminishes or sucks the energy out of any planet that is near it. Venus here in the first house manifests as this person being somewhat shy and self-effacing.
The other planet we are considering here is the Sun, which is in Pisces in the 12th house. The Sun is peregrine in Pisces meaning it has no dignity or assigned place, and it is in the very self-effacing and invisible 12th house.
Looking at the planets together, note that Venus and Sun have mutual reception by exaltation – Sun is exalted in Aries where Venus is, and Venus is exalted in Pisces where the Sun is. The two planets value and support each other, so their mutual influence is strengthening.
Notice how the self-effacing quality of Venus is reinforced by her being conjunct the South Node, and also being in mutual reception with the Sun in the self-effacing 12th house.
However, the two planets are also averse, meaning they do not have any whole sign aspect, so they don’t see each other. There is something about their relationship that is out of awareness or control. There is no direct conscious communication between the two planets.
Now we will look at how the dignity of face fits here.
In the traditional system of 2 major and 3 minor dignities all of the dignities other than Face have some sense of control or responsibility – there is a domain and level of life where they have power. By contrast, with the minor dignity of face you have an assigned place, but it has no power, no clout, no authority. It can mean something superficial, an appearance or face you are putting on, or it can mean a situation in which you perform a service but don’t have any authority – like a volunteer position.
In addition, Venus in detriment – so not at home, not in control, or in an environment where Venus is off-balance or doesn’t fit that well.
Now let’s put it all together.
Sun is in 12th house, which is a house of self-sacrifice, self-undoing. It can also signifiy work in some kind of institution or environment where people are confined – a prison, a care facility, a hospital, a nursing home. Or, it can also signify work with people in that situation.
Sun in 12th can express as self-sacrifice, self-giving. In mutual reception with Venus in the first, that would mean this person expresses herself in self-sacrificing sorts of ways. With the two planets being averse, this self-sacrificing quality is mostly out of the person’s awareness – she doesn’t realize how very giving and unselfish a person she is.
Specifically, with mutual reception by exaltation – exaltation has less to do with power, and more to do with value or reputation, or recognition. In this case, values having to do with self-giving, self-sacrifice, self-obliteration, are highly valued, highly exalted, by this person. Her sense of self (1st house planet) and her self-sacrificing values (12th house sun) are blended together in the mutual reception.
Venus in face plays out as her doing volunteer work where she has no authority or recognition. With Venus in detriment, this work is in an environment, or a group of people, where she is not at home.
This person does a lot of volunteer work, and one of her positions involves working in a support group for convicted sex offenders who have spent prison time – that ties in Venus in detriment, and in ties in the 12th house self-sacrificing tendency, and the connection between the 12th house and prisons.
Venus in first mutual reception Sun in 12th – the person is very self-giving – but the two planets are averse – I am pretty sure she is not aware of just how unselfish and giving she really is.
A planet in her first house, expresses in a first house sort of way, in a Face sort of position where she is a volunteer with no authority or recognition, in detriment, where she does not really fit in with the people she works with.
The mix of all these different conditions – aversion, mutual reception, dignity by face, and debility by detriment – all combine to describe this part of her life situation very well.
© Charlie Obert