What exactly do domicile, exaltation, and fall describe?
What domicile, exaltation, and fall mean, and how dispositors and other support affect expression.
Domicile, exaltation, and fall
Domicile means a planet occupies a sign it rules; exaltation and fall are another set of traditional positional relationships. These conditions help show how a planet performs its assigned functions in its current environment.
An exalted or debilitated planet may rule different houses and receive support or restraint from other planets. Dignity describes its own condition; rulerships and connections show what that condition affects.
Signs and exact degrees
Some discussions use exaltation by whole sign, while some calculations also require exact exaltation and debilitation points and distances. When viewing a score, confirm which convention it uses.
Traditions differ on the domicile and exaltation of Rahu and Ketu. Our entries on the nine grahas retain this distinction; readings of the nodes consider their sign rulers, planets in the same sign and relevant connections.
Dispositors and other support
The effects of dispositors and other planets further modify support and resistance. For example, a planet may be in good condition itself, but if the dispositor it depends on is afflicted, difficulties may still arise when bringing matters to fruition.
In a chart reading, consider placement, condition, and areas of responsibility together: how much capacity a planet has, what that capacity serves, and which conditions affect the outcome.
References
- Reference framework: Ernst Wilhelm’s Indian astrology courses; see each topic for the specific method.
- Zodiac and lunar mansion conventions used on this site
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