過去幾個月大部分時間都在準備「占星學中的基本尊貴」的課程上，我將於7月10日開始在開普勒占星學院教學。準備課程給了我一個很好的藉口去花很多時間研究小尊貴(the minor dignities)以及如何使用它們，而我發現了一些非常令人興奮的事情，想要分享一些研究時所找到的案例。
在這篇文章中，我想簡要介紹一下古典占星的基本尊貴法則如何為星圖詮釋添加相當多細節和細微的差別。
古典占星使用五種不同的行星先天尊貴， 有兩個主要尊貴-入廟與入旺，以及他們相應的無力-落陷和入弱。 儘管，在現代占星學中它們通常不被廣泛地認同或使用，但仍然保有這些行星尊貴法則。
此外，還有三個小尊貴，它們分別是三分性尊貴、界和外觀， 每個都有不同含義和不同程度的控制權， 我想在這裡提供一個如何使用它們的案例。
這是克拉拉·巴頓的星圖。
她是最著名的美國紅十字會創始人，內戰期間在野戰醫院做了大量工作。 除此之外，克拉拉‧巴頓還大量投入在公共教育的工作，並為推動女性參政權的主要發言人。
讓我們來看看她星圖中幾個最重要的行星尊貴。
(給古典占星師有關技巧方面的註記-我使用埃及界以及都勒斯的三分性主星法則)
我想先從火星開始，是她上升星座白羊座的主星，在古典占星中，該宮位的主星代表這個人，而火星位在六宮，與護理有關，當上升主星像這樣位在六宮時，你可以說她是個天生的護士，這是她的身分和職業；此外，火星位在六宮與軍隊有關 – 具體來說，她大部分的護理工作都是內戰期間在戰場上完成的。
在這張星圖中，火星具有三分性尊貴。 三分性與你從社群中的一般支持有關 – 你沒有主導這場秀，但是你正與當前的掌權者在同一個派對中， 因此，在火星得三分性尊貴是她被公認為團隊成員，在戰場上進行護理，與她一起工作的士兵認為她是成員之一，與他們站在同一邊。
接下來我想看一下界的尊貴。 界是較低層級的尊貴，與實際施行的方式有關，如果宮主星是公司經理，那麼界主星就是負責工作如何完成的現場監督者。
在克拉拉‧巴頓的星圖中，火星和金星是界互容- 火星在金星的界，金星在火星的界。 這張圖中的金星位在十二宮，與自我犧牲有關，也與醫院和療養院等大型機構有關。
行星互容具有相互支持的作用 – 就像他們每個人都承諾幫助對方一樣。 因此，互容代表行星具有強大支持的聯繫。 在這裡，我們看到在六宮中有一個行星，與位在十二宮中的行星互容，第六宮與第十二宮的軸線通常與護理有關，這裡的行星實際上一起工作。
這就是巴頓以護理人員進入的主要領域，在內戰的野戰醫院中取得了很大成就，並且做了很多護理工作。 她並不是這個星座的主星，所以她沒有主導，但她在更具體的層次上做了很多實際的工作。
現在我們需要看看土星，是這張圖中正要上升的行星。 土星位在白羊座，而土星位在那個星座是入弱的，但也有三分性尊貴。 我們已經談到一個具有三分性尊貴的行星是被公認的團隊成員，但入弱的行星卻是不受到尊重的，沒有被信任，沒有被傾聽。 我想到入弱就想到像羅德尼·丹格菲爾德的尊嚴 – 一個行星入弱並沒有獲得尊重。
克拉拉‧巴頓的生活中有一種重複的模式，她會反覆建立一個特定的組織或服務形式，當它變得足夠大和成功時，組織會將她的權力取走、交給其他男性或男性社群，並賦予更高的對待， 這是土星入弱很好的例子 – 沒有得到信任、沒有得到尊重、沒有得到傾聽。
所以模式是，克拉拉‧巴頓介入並做了一些非常有力的工作 – 建立一個社區學校或野戰醫院 – 火星具有三分性尊貴位在六宮與位在十二宮的金星有界互容， 然後從她這方取走給予另一個男人，而沒有給她一個照會或給予信任 – 土星入弱在一宮。
然而，入弱對於行星還有另一種可能性，入弱的行星也可能表現為一個人為弱勢團體倡導或發言，為一群沒有得到尊重或被傾聽的人、沒有得到他們應得到的尊重的人。 在克拉拉‧巴頓的案例中，這顯化在她作為倡導女性參政權運動的主要發言人，她為那些 – 沒有被尊重、沒有被傾聽、沒有權力的弱勢婦女說話 。
沿著同樣的脈絡，注意到土星與位在九宮射手座的水星有三分相位 – 象徵旅行和教學；水星是落陷的，但得到界的尊貴。再一次地，界的尊貴暗示進行工作、並且完全有能力完成工作，但有個不利的因素 – 行星落陷像局外人、不在自己的家， 這是巴頓作為一個女人、一個二等公民的情況，所以，水星在某些方面很強而在其他方面很弱，這完全符合克拉拉‧巴頓作為女性參政權運動發言人的情況。
我可以再更深入，但我想你可以透過真正關注整個「行星基本尊貴」能從中獲得多少細部意義上有些概念。
2016年6月16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。
作者即將在11月10日於台灣分會作線上演講，講座適合的程度：古占到現占所有階次皆適宜，須對行星尊貴之廟旺弱陷、三分性、外觀、界以及互容的原則有基礎認識。非常適合占星愛好者，以及任何正在執業的占星師作為解盤應用的進修。<報名活動請按這裡>
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。
英文原文請見分頁。
Using Essential Dignities
Much of my time over the last several months has been spent preparing for a class on Essential Dignities in astrology, that I will be teaching at Kepler college starting this coming July 10. (Here is a link to the Essential Dignities class on the Kepler site if you’re curious about it.)
Preparing for the class gave me a good excuse to spend a lot of time researching the minor dignities and how they can be used. I am finding some really exciting things, and I want to share a sample of what I am finding here.
In this essay I want to give a brief demonstration of how the traditional system of essential dignites can be used to add quite a bit of detail and nuance to the interpretation of a chart.
Traditional astrology uses five different essential dignities. There are the two major dignities, rulership and exaltation, and their corresponding debilities, detriment and fall. Modern astrology still has these dignities, although they are often not widely recognized or used.
In addition, there are three minor dignities, named triplicity, term and face. Each has a different meaning and different level of control. I want to give an example here of how they might be used.
This is the chart of Clara Barton.
She is most famous as the founder of the American Red Cross, and did extensive work in field hospitals during the Civil War. In addition to that, Clara Barton also did extensive work in public education, and also became a major spokesperson for the women’s suffrage movement.
Let’s look at the dignities for a couple of the most important planets in her chart.
(Technical side note for traditional astrologers – I use the Egyptian terms, and all three of the Dorothean triplicity rulers.)
I want to start with Mars, the Lord of her rising sign, Aries. In traditional astrology the Lord of the first house represents the person, and Mars is in the sixth house, which is associated with nursing – with the Lord of the Ascendant in the 6th house like this you could say she was born to be a nurse, it is her identity and vocation. In addition, Mars in the 6th house is associated with the military – specifically, much of her nursing work was done during the Civil War on the battlefields.
In this chart Mars has dignity by triplicity. Triplicity has to do with general support from the community, of the side you are on – you’re not running the show, but you are in the same party that is currently in power. So, Mars in triplicity is her working as a recognized team player with the army doing nursing on the battlefields. The soldiers she worked with recognized her as one of them, on their side.
Next I want to look at the dignity of term. Term is a low level dignity and has to do with how things are actually implemented. If the house ruler is company manager, then the term ruler is the field supervisor who is in charge of how the work gets done.
In Clara Barton’s chart, Mars and Venus have mutual reception by term – Mars is in the terms of Venus, and Venus is in the terms of Mars. Venus in this chart is in the 12th house, which is associated with self-sacrifice, and also with large institutions like hospitals and nursing homes.
Planets that are in mutual reception have a mutually supportive role – it is like they are each pledged to help the other. Consequently, mutual receptions show places that planets have a strong supportive bond. Here we have a planet in the 6th house in mutual reception by term with one in the 12th house. The 6th to 12th house axis is often associated with nursing, and here in terms the planets work together at a practical level.
This plays out as nursing being a main area where Barton went in and accomplished a lot in implementing the field hospitals in the Civil War, and doing much of the nursing work herself. She is not ruler of the sign so she doesn’t run the show, but she does a lot at the more specific level of doing the actual work.
Now we need to look at Saturn, the rising planet in this chart. Saturn is in Aries, and in that sign Saturn is in fall, but also has dignity by triplicity. We already talked about a triplicity planet as being a recognized member of a team. A planet in fall is one that is not respected, not given credit, not listened to. I think of fall as the Rodney Dangerfield of dignities – a planet in fall don’t get no respect.
There is a repeating pattern in Clara Barton’s life. Repeatedly, she would go and build up a particular organization or form of service. When it became big and successful enough, the powers that be took the organization away from her and gave it to a man or community of men, often at much higher pay. That is a good example of Saturn in fall – not being given credit, not being respected, not being listened to.
So the pattern is, Clara Barton goes in and does some really powerful work – building up a community school, or a field hospital – Mars in triplicity in 6th mutual reception by term with Venus in 12th – and then it is taken away from her and given to a man, without her being given a voice or given credit – Saturn in fall in the first.
However, there is another possible side to a planet in fall. A planet in fall can also express as a person who becomes an advocate or spokesperson for a community in fall, a group of people who are not respected or listened to, not given the dignity they deserve. In Clara Barton’s case, this expressed as her being a major spokesperson in the Women’s Suffrage movement, speaking for women who as a group were in fall – not respected, not listened to, with no power.
Along the same lines, notice that Saturn is trine to Mercury in Sagittarius in the 9th house – travel and teaching. Mercury is in detriment but has dignity by term. Again there is the dignity in t term, going and doing the work, and being thoroughly competent at getting it done – and again there is the detriment, a planet who is an outsider, not at home – that’s Barton as a woman, a second class citizen. Mercury is strong in some ways and weak in others, and that perfectly matches Clara Barton’s situation as women’s suffrage spokesperson.
I could go much further, but I think you get the idea of how much detailed meaning you can get by really looking at the full system of essential dignities.
If use of the dignities like this is interesting to you, please consider checking out my Essential Dignities class offered through Kepler College later this summer.
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The featured image photo of Clara Barton is Public Domain, and is at the following url: Clara Barton at Wikimedia.
© Charlie Obert