Evolutionary Rulership

An evolutionary view of rulership– alternative language and a more complete application.

As my understanding of astrology has grown, especially from an evolutionary perspective, the concept of planetary rulership feels both confusing and incomplete.When I sit with a client and explain why I’m using this other planet, the signs ruler, to do the interpretation, it almost always confuses them, using two planets complicates it even more. As an engineer it has always felt incomplete that there are classic rulers for all signs and we have modern rulers for only 3 signs. What makes Scorpio, Aquarius and Pisces special. I would like to propose an alternative language and a more complete application.

Concept

As we live our lives it is an interplay between the things we do in the world and the ways we internalize our experiences. From an intellectual perspective it is the interplay of evolution and involution, with the evolutionary perspective being the process of reconciling the two. The word Evolution is often associated with Darwin’s Theory of Evolution (1), yet tracing the word back to its Latin roots, Evolutio, opening out. The roots of the word involution can be traced back to the Latin Involvere, to roll into. It is here we can develop the perspective of moving out from and into our psyche.

Looking at the history of astrology it is a mirror not only of our individual psyche, it also mirrors the social evolution of our collective society. With the introduction of the modern rulers a major shift in the social collective was happening, the first inklings that there was something deeper inside us. From a very obvious perspective the classical rulers are visible to the naked eye, the modern rulers require effort to be seen…Uranus being on the very edge of visibility when the sky conditions are perfect and we know where to look. With the discovery of Eris we a whole new category of objects called Trans Neptunian Objects.

As individuals we were beginning the process of what Carl Jung called individuation. Uranus was discovered in the time when we were breaking away from monarchies and the beginning of self governing systems, changing the external expression of our individuation. Neptune ushered in the age where access to the divine was available outside traditional religious institutions and new forms of spirituality became more visible. Pluto appearing as the awareness of the role of the subconscious and unconscious mind became a part of our society. The common ground among them is they all represent an inner process. The shift in astrological perspective I’m proposing is the classic rulers represent evolution, outward, expression and the modern rulers represent involution, inward, expression. The language I use for these processes is the Activator and the Integrator.

Now when I sit with a client I refer to the classic ruler as the Activator and the modern ruler as the Integrator of the sign. Using this paradigm let’s consider a person with a Pisces Sun. Where Jupiter lies by sign and house that Sun will be actively expressed. Where Neptune lies by sign and house experiences will be integrated into the Sun. It provides a clarity to the client, offering guidance for outward expression and integration of experience.

Completeness

Once again, what makes Scorpio, Aquarius and Pisces special. Why are there not, in my language, Integrators for all signs? When you look at what has happened over the last 100 years in astronomy we are discovering more and more celestial objects. Do they play a role, of course they do. How do we determine their role, through a postulated meaning that is tested through application to real charts, confirmation through individuals life experience and changes in society at large.

As my understanding and practice of astrology has deepened I began to use other celestial bodies in the role of Integrator in my clients chart. At first, more of an inquiry with the client. Later, part of the counsel I would offer the client. Looking at the timing and location of discovery as a possible indicators of meaning, and considering the mythology associated with the naming of the object and the changes in society at large.

My first foray into this model started with using Chiron as the Integrator of Virgo. Understanding that Chiron orbits between Saturn and Uranus, sometimes inside Saturn, sometimes beyond Uranus. Could it be the bridge between the conscious and unconscious minds? I think about the old adage where the patient talks to the doctor:

Patient: “Doctor, it hurts when I do this”

Doctor: “Then stop doing it.”

Mythologically, Chiron is often called “The Wounded Healer”, representing the need for others to support our healing work. It is a good representation of how growth can happen through mentorship, how we gain wisdom, how we learn lessons, develop our skills. One might say it is the journey of the Craftperson, from Apprentice to Journeyman to Master. All of this sounds like the integration of Virgo. It is how we develop life skills which can be of service to others in the world. When we do our Chiron in a conscious way we become wise, when it operates unconsciously we are victimized over and over again. Some might say making the same mistake over and over again, expecting a different result. From a life perspective, it culminates in life in our early 50’s when we reach our Chiron return, being able to digest a lifetime of experiences, preparing us for the second Saturn return, entry into eldership and the mentoring of others.

As this approach was resonating with my clients experiences I began to think about Integrators for the remaining signs. Acknowledging that there are multitudes of astronomical objects being discovered with the asteroids, dwarf planets and trans neptunian objects. I believe they all play some type of integrative role. I’ve restricted myself to objects that can have influence in a personal or societal lifetime. What I’ve been focusing on is things that represent major psychological landscapes. This is expressed in practice by using the object in an actual readings where it plays a role of Integrator for the Sun, Moon, and Rising signs or from the evolutionary perspective is connected to the North/South Nodes of the Moon. Using other bodies that make aspects to it to build a counseling story for the client. I then get direct feedback from my client as to the accuracy of the message in the chart.

I now present my identification of the Activators and Integrators for all 12 signs. There are some which I feel very confident with and work with in my chart interpretation, marked with a plus (+). Others are ones I propose as possibilities, marked wint a (?) and have only begun to use in very circumspect situations. There are a few for which I have yet to identify the Integrato

Sign	Activator	Integrator
Aries	Mars	Eris (+)
Taurus	Venus	Ceres(+)
Gemini	Mercury	TBD
Cancer	Moon	Vesta
Leo	Sun	Haumea (?)
Virgo	Mercury	Chiron
Libra	Venus	Juno
Scorpio	Mars	Pluto (+)
Sagittarius	Jupiter	Pallas
Capricorn	Saturn	TBD
Aquarius	Saturn	Uranus (+)
Pisces	Jupiter	Neptune (+)

Explanations

I’ve already given an explanation as to why I believe Chiron is the integrator of Virgo. What follows is the argument I’m making for the other integrators I’ve proposed.

Aries/Eris – As the goddess of discord Eris clearly starts with an internal experience. How many ways do we feel discordant inside. Being discovered only recently, resulting in the demotion of Pluto from planetary status and the discord that created in the astronomical community. How often do we have to face our own internal discord when faced with challenging life situations. The story of the Apple of Discord (3) shows the way we project outside our self the unintegrated discord we feel. It has the Aries quality of anger, resentment and revenge, where we compete with others. There are no shortage of stories about the consequences of rivalry impacting us individually and collectively. Do not all wars fit into come under this landscape. When you look at the growth of protest movements in the 60’s, people were against something, this is now evolved to people taking a stand for something. The Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements are an example of the integration of Eris. As we integrate this aspect of our self we become strong, developing the capacity to withstand the external challenges we face. We no longer seek to compete with those outside our self, rather, competing with our self and improving our internal capacity. We have the potential to cooperate from a place of radical inclusion…who’s not at the party?

Taurus/Ceres – Understanding the myth of Ceres we see the mythology of the story of Persephone being taken into the underworld. Clearly this could be tied to our own underworld which lives inside. Association with the 2nd house places it in opposition to the 8th house where Pluto has its home. As an internal representation it is associated with meeting our basic needs and the instinctual nature of Taurus. Where does our internal sense of safety come from?. What are the things we value, especially our self and our unique gifts. This is the birthplace of our self confidence. Looking back to our youth, the resources available in our life and how we were nurtured. (4) How were our basic, instinctual needs met. Are we nurturing our inner child? It is a reflection of our internal mindset around values, confidence and scarcity.

Gemini/TBD – At this point I haven’t found an object that resonates strongly as he Integrator for Gemini.

Cancer/Vesta – As the goddess of home and hearth we can see the first possible connection to Cancer. Delving deeper into the mythology (5) it is a reference to the sacred flame…our inner flame. Bringing this perspective of the inner experience, what lights and feeds the flame of our soul. It fits naturally with the 4th house and base of the chart as it’s light and heat for the rest of the chart. Through inner reflection we can connect with our flame…as we examine what we are doing in our life we can see if it dampens or feeds our flame.

Leo/Haumea – The Hawaiian goddess of fertility and childbirth (6). How does our inner world give birth to our perceptions of the world and the expression of new ideas? How much of our creative expression is built upon a prior generations of ideas. It fits with the 5th house of children and creative expression. What are we giving birth to in the world and where did the seeds of creativity come from?

Libra/Juno – The mythology of Juno as the patron saint of married woman immediately brings our attention to the 7th house and Libra. Going beyond the institution of marriage let’s consider those relationships we are drawn too…from an evolutionary perspective what we might call soul relationships (7). There are no shortage of past life relationships where we have incomplete business. Do we feel that attraction as the impetus to complete our business together. At the deepest level I believe we have two desires, to be whole and to create. The challenge is when we follow our desire we don’t know which the motivation. It is only when we reclaim what we project onto others can we move towards wholeness or co-create with another. The world is shifting from one of procreation, the joining of genes, to a world of cocreation, the joining of genius. Reclaiming our projections is our deep inner work…who do we project onto?

Sagittarius/Pallas – Pallas Athene is one of the asteroids that are often associated with the awakening feminine (4). In this context it fits well as a more receptive energy. The legend has her being born from her fathers crown chakra, what some would call the channel to our high self. It can be the place we receive inspiration or where ideas are born. The question, is the idea brilliant or is it some hair brained scheme. The dogma associated with Sagittarius makes this a prime candidate to integrate the source of our beliefs.

Capricorn/TBD

Closing

I invite other astrologers to adopt this paradigm and join me in the exploration of Integrators in astrology. As I continue to expand my astrological understanding and practice I will continue to validate this structure. I offer one caution, if we expand this too far in application within the chart it can lead to overwhelm for the client. Using this in a limited way as I described above is highly valuable. Using it in aspect evaluation is much more problematical. It is incumbent upon us as astrologers to provide our clients with useful counsel

Footnotes

1 – https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/05/08/evolution-etymology/

2 – https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/involution

3 – https://mauricefernandez.com/dwarf-planets-eris-haumea-and-makemake-in-astrology/

4 – http://www.4evolutionaryastrology.com/divinefeminine.html

5 – http://www.inspiralnexus.com/2014/04/rhythms-of-vesta/

6 – https://www.lovebigisland.com/hawaii-blog/haumea/