The Chart Ruler
The Chart Ruler
The Chart Ruler
Amy Herring, 2006 http://www.heavenlytruth.com Do not reproduce in full or part without written permission from the author.
aspect to their personality hence the reason Saturn rules Capricorn, because they fit well together. In the cases of the chart ruler being a planet conjunct the ascendant, though, it becomes a little more important to consider the chart rulers influence. If someone is Capricorn rising with Venus on the ascendant, the person will seem much more Venusian than a regular Capricorn rising person might appear someone who has more of a graceful charm and appeal about them. It can also be important to consider the ruler when you have someone with a rising sign that seems discordant with what you know about them. What about the Aries rising person who is soft spoken or the Gemini rising person who doesnt seem to say much? Finding out more about the house and sign position of the chart ruler can fill out more of the story. The rulers house and sign An Aries rising person who doesnt seem to be characterized by the typical Martial bold energy is a perfect example of the complexity the chart ruler analysis can add to the picture. If this person had Mars in Sagittarius, they may display the sort of bold energy that seems like Aries, because Sagittarius is a fellow fire sign. However, if this person has Mars perhaps in Taurus or Scorpio, they are not likely to be as demonstrative or bold. Their technique of displaying their boldness will depend on what motivates the sign that the chart ruler is in. Taurus is much more laid back than Aries, and doesnt tend to get its hair on fire in the same way. Scorpio is much more guarded than Aries so wouldnt be as revealing as pure Aries rising might be. The chart rulers house position can give you even more information. The ascendant, as Ive said before, is how we appear to others, how we approach life and the world our front door. But it also has a great deal to do with how we act on the world. Its our style of initiating contact with the world. The ascendant is always in action, from our most briefest and inconsequential interactions to our most important ones. Mars can be said to be the planet of action, and that wouldnt be incorrect to say, but Mars is just as much about what motivates you to act and how you attack and defend. The ascendant is the membrane in constant contact with the world around you. Looking at the house position of the chart ruler can tell you a great deal about where the person in question projects him or herself in the activity of self-formation, in terms of the ego-inaction. The solar house may be the bank vault where the energy of life is stored, but the house position of the ruler tells you where it is primarily spent. (Alan Oken Rulers of the Horoscope) Returning to the previous example of Capricorn rising with Saturn as the chart ruler, we can add complexity by learning that Saturn is in Cancer in the 6th house. Cancer can tell us the sorts of things that a Capricorn rising person would feel a natural sense of duty toward. So they would apply their Capricorn rising nature of hard work and achievement toward Cancerian things, such as feeling a natural duty to take care of ones family, perhaps even acting as the patriarch or matriarch toward their loved ones, even if they are the youngest in the bunch. They naturally attune their responsible nature with the understanding that we need to protect each other. The 6th
Amy Herring, 2006 http://www.heavenlytruth.com Do not reproduce in full or part without written permission from the author.
house can tell us more about the circumstances in which this person often finds themselves and the activities that they undertake to achieve their Capricorn and Saturn in Cancer style goals. This person would spend a lot of their energy immersed in the tasks of daily living. They would feel identified with the process of perfecting oneself in order to accomplish the tasks that they have set for themselves. So the Capricorn rising person who has Saturn in Cancer and wants to look after their loved ones would probably take that obligation very seriously and set out to learn the skills that they need to do so properly. If one were to take care of their elderly parents, for example, they might find themselves taking classes on the nature of such care or learning about issues such as retirement and health care far sooner than they might ever have considered learning for themselves. There is also a general urge for them to improve themselves (the 6th house corresponds with the attitude of service as well as self-improvement for the sake of that performing that service), hence the desire to work harder at the tasks they have set out to achieve. It is not enough to do it, but it must be done well and with sufficient knowledge. This is a complex subject with a myriad of different possibilities. When analyzing the nature of the chart ruler, focus on the rising sign, and then bring in the chart rulers house and sign, which will add to but not replace the story of the rising sign. Try it in your own chart!