Astrology Class - What Is A Dispositor, and What Is Mutual Reception Between Two Planets? – Pt. 1

by Robert Wilkinson

Today we take a new look at a crucial factors in how practical Astrology works. Dispositorship is a primary factor in how any planet in any sign manifests, as it provides the background material to why the "inner lights" (planets) work as they do. Though each of the planets has their areas of influence, how that influence works is entirely dependent on what planet rules the sign they're in.

This fulfills a long standing promise I’ve made to my readers, and I promise I’ll keep this updated from time to time in the future. The concept of dispositorship, i.e. the rulership of a planet by another planet, is of paramount importance if we want to know how any given planet will express. That’s because planet A disposing planet B will indicate the “backdrop” to planet B, which will be the sign of planet A.

When a planet rules the sign another planet is in, we say it “disposes,” or is the dispositor of, that planet. It rules the sign expression of the planet it disposes. That's why it's important to know which signs a given planet rules.

It’s easy to see how the sign any planet occupies is affected by the planet that rules that sign. For example, a planet in Libra will be affected by where Venus is, since Venus rules Libra. Venus in turn is shaded by the sign of the planetary ruler of the sign it’s in, and so on. We call this a “chain of dispositors.” There are usually only 3 or 4 at the most in any given chain, but I’ve included an example further down that involves 5 planets in a chain.

When two planets occupy signs that are ruled by each other, it’s called “mutual reception.” An example of this would be Venus in Gemini and Mercury in Taurus. Venus rules Taurus, Mercury rules Gemini. This is a very powerful self-reinforcing energy that feeds into itself and cross-references each planet’s experience and expression.

When a planet is in its home sign (the sign it rules), it is its own “final dispositor.” Therefore it is the final dispositor of any "chain of dispositors" occupying a sign it rules. We’ll discuss chains of dispositors, mutual reception, and final dispositors later in the article.

If you are unfamiliar with the worldly and spiritual rulers of the various signs, please take a quick look at Astrology Class - The Rulership and Exile Positions of the Planets This will help you understand the two signs where a planet finds its “home,” and where it finds itself in “exile,” which are the signs opposite its home signs.

SO HOW DOES THIS WORK?

Let’s take Mars for an example. When Mars is in Libra, it is heavily affected by Venus, which rules Taurus. That makes the sign Venus occupies important in showing us the backdrop to how Mars in Libra energies express themselves.

Mars will be in Libra through late July 2014. That means the signs Venus will transit will show what’s behind all Mars activities as long as Mars is in Libra. Venus has been in Capricorn during the time Mars has been in Libra. That brings a Capricorn backdrop or quality to Mars, and when Venus is in Aquarius during March-April 2014 the backdrop of Mars will be more Aquarius.

Venus in Pisces will bring a Pisces shading to Mars in Libra in April and early May 2014, and then Venus in Aries will bring a more fiery quality to Mars in Libra in May 2014. Mars in Libra will have a more Taurus quality in June while Venus is in that sign, and a Gemini quality in late June through mid-July 2014 when Venus transits Gemini.

So while Mars in Libra will express one way when retrograde and another way when direct, as long as it is in Libra then Venus will “rule” the sign Mars is in, and therefore how it expresses itself. As Capricorn through Gemini are all signs in the hemisphere of “self” (Cancer through Sag are “not-self”), then it would seem that while Mars will always express through the filter of Libra, the not-self, behind it all Mars will be restructured while Venus is in Capricorn, move into greater view while Venus is in Aquarius, and become deeper and more aware of universals while Venus is in Pisces, to offer three examples.

You can see how dispositorship shows us how a planet in a sign operates! In another example, if a planet is in Gemini (or Virgo), Mercury's sign would make a big difference. When the Sun is in Gemini each year, Mercury could be in Taurus, Gemini, or Cancer.

Mercury in Taurus is a much different Mercury energy than when Mercury is in Gemini! And if the Sun is in Gemini and Mercury is in Taurus, it’s easy to see how Mercury's dispositor, Venus, would have a much different influence on Mercury if it were in Pisces rather than Aries!

WHAT IS A FINAL DISPOSITOR, A CHAIN OF DISPOSITORS, AND MUTUAL RECEPTION?

When a planet is in its home sign (the sign it rules), it is its own final dispositor. Therefore it is the the final dispositor of any "chain of dispositors" occupying a sign it rules. Moon in Cancer, Sun in Leo, Mars in Aries, Jupiter in Pisces, and Neptune in Pisces are all examples of when these planets were their own final dispositor.

An example of how a final dispositor is found was when Saturn in Libra was disposited by Venus in Aries, which in turn was disposited by Mars in Aries. Another example of this would be Moon in Scorpio disposited by Mars in Taurus disposited by Venus in Taurus. Or Sun in Gemini disposited by Mercury in Taurus, with Venus in Aries disposited by Mars in Scorpio. For this "final dispositor" circumstance to occur, a planet must occupy one of the two signs it rules.

Sometimes there is no final dispositor, in which case a chain of dispositors is set up with a group influencing each other through the qualities of what sign they’re in. An example of this would be Saturn in Libra disposited by Venus in Cancer disposited by the Moon in Capricorn disposited by Saturn in Libra with no other planet in one of its home signs.

This "chain of dispositors" rules a number of other planets, In the example, any planet in Taurus, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn, and Aquarius is ruled by one of the planets in the chain. Any other planet would be ruled by another planet, whether itself a final dispositor or part of another chain.

Another example of a chain of dispositors is Jupiter in Cancer disposed by Moon in Aquarius disposed by Saturn in Scorpio disposed by Mars in Libra disposed by Venus in Pisces. (In an interesting “coincidence,” the very specific example I gave occurs exactly during the Great Fracturing in late April 2014!)

Then there are those special situations when two planets dispose each other, such as Moon in Aquarius and Uranus in Cancer, or Jupiter in Gemini and Mercury in Sagittarius. This is called “mutual reception,” and is a very strong influence. It is as though the two planets feed each other, and grow stronger, for good or ill, in their ability to dominate those affairs in the chart.

You can find any and/or all of these at work in a chart, such as when one planet is the final dispositor for 2 or 3 others, two are in mutual reception, and 3 or 4 more form a chain of dispositors between them. In my own chart I have Jupiter in Pisces as its own final dispositor, Moon in Aquarius and Uranus in Cancer in mutual reception, and two other final dispositors of all the rest of my natal planets.

Mars is the final dispositor of my Mercury in Aries, Sun in Aries, Mars in Aries, Saturn in Virgo disposited by Mercury in Aries, and Pluto in Leo disposited by the Sun in Aries. I also have Venus in Taurus as final dispositor of my Neptune in Libra and Venus in Taurus. While this quantity of final dispositors (Venus, Mars, and Jupiter all in their home signs!) is rare, all birth charts have one or more chains of dispositors, mutual receptions, or final dispositors in a chart.

Other examples of mutual reception are when the Moon transits Sagittarius and Pisces while Jupiter is in Cancer, or when Mars is in Capricorn or Aquarius while Saturn is in Scorpio. Mercury in Cancer and Moon in Gemini or Virgo are in mutual reception, as are Venus in Aries when Mars is in Libra.

So you can see that during the year when planets are in Leo, they'll have more of the qualities of the sign the Sun is in, just like when planets are in Virgo they will be more the quality of the sign(s) Mercury occupies. When planets are in Libra they will take on the quality of whatever sign Venus is in, and when they are in Scorpio they will take on the quality of whatever sign Mars is in.

The upshot for 2014 is that for the first half of the year, Venus' influence will be very strong since Mars disposes of Saturn and Uranus and the inner planets as they transit Aries. Once Mars is in Scorpio from mid-July through late September 2014, it will be in its home sign, and become a final dispositor. After that, Mars in Sagittarius will be disposited by Jupiter in Leo, which means the sign the Sun is in will be important to seeing how both Mars and Jupiter operate.

In part 2, I’ll give you further analysis of what we can expect from the planetary positions in 2014 and examples of how the dispositors will operate. I’ll also include a few examples of how aspects between dispositors can work.

© Copyright 2007, 2014 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[RodJM]

Hi Robert,

I often wondered about the case of Saturn in Aquarius, being its traditional ruler but nowadays, Uranus is the ruler of this sign. So what if someone is born with Saturn in Aquarius, that is after the discovery of Uranus in the 18th century? Would Saturn still be the final dispositor?

[Elise]

Is the Ascendent on the chart to be read in this way as well?

Using my chart:

Libra Asc
Venus in Sagittarius
Jupiter in Aquarius
Saturn in Sagittarius

So by the Ascendent would my whole chart colored by the Saturn/Jupiter mutual reception?

The only other dispositor in my chart is Mars/Pluto in Scorpio. Would have a stellium (Mercury, Saturn, Uranus, Venus, Sun) in Sagittarius give more weight to the Aquarian flavor of the chart? Or does having Saturn (some people read Uranus as Aquarius too, correct?) in Sagittarius give it a more Sagittarian flavor?

Thanks kindly!

[debbie]

Interesting, will read again another time I dont have much grasp of this area, but mars is square natal uranus while merc opposing, my mind has got "tigger syndrome" boinging all over the place and focus is just a myth right now lol!

[Robert]

Hi Rod - Well, the old rulerships didn't just end simply because we found some new planets! That's why I make the distinction between worldly rulers and spiritual rulers. Saturn is the worldly ruler of Capricorn and Aquarius, while Uranus is the spiritual ruler of those signs. Jupiter is the worldly ruler of Sag and Pisces, while Neptune is the spiritual ruler of both. Mars is the worldly ruler of Scorpio and Aries, while Pluto is the spiritual ruler of those signs. Yes, I believe that Uranus rules Capricorn, Neptune rules Sagittarius, and most definitely have found Pluto to rule Aries!

And because they are all transpersonal planets, they don't really operate in worldly realms except through their respective "lower octave" planets; Uranus through Mercury, Neptune through Venus, and Pluto through Mars. At least, that's what I learned back at the beginning. Never found it not to work, even though the octave relationships have different proponents, like Heindel. I probably would have assigned Jupiter as the lower octave to Neptune, but that's way beyond the scope of what we're talking about.

hi debbie - Yes, but it's a great time for inspired thinking, or the ability to read/write some things very quickly!! Innovate, let the ideas come forth in a flood, and then put them all together when Mercury is RX in Aquarius.

[Robert]

Hi Elise - Your comment got lost before I found it. The mutual reception is the ruling loop for your planets except for Mars/Pluto. It is an independent self-reinforcing relationship between Jupiter and Saturn within you. You have a lot of Sag, including your light, mind, relations, duties, and genius. That's the primary energy of expression. Behind that, the ruler Jupiter brings a backdrop of Aquarian energy to that Sag expression. It's as though your primary key is G sharp, but you're weaving in notes from the key of A sharp as a backdrop quality to the song. While Saturn and Uranus have Capricorn/Aquarius qualities, if they're in Sag, that's how they express those qualities.

[adriana]

Hi Robert,
does it change if one of the two planets in mutual reception is retrograde? And does the aspect they make to each other influence something- E.g. what happens when they are inconjunct or opposite(by sign or by aspect)?
saturn leo 29°, sun capricorn 29°; venus cap 28°, mars in leo 2°, asc leo 1°
Thank you.

[Robert]

Hi adriana - No, retrogrades merely show function, not foreground/background. The dialog in a play is an entirely different thing than the set design. And yes, aspects do influence their function. I discuss that briefly in part 2 coming tomorrow.

Oppositions create tugs of war, butting heads, see-saw motion, or awareness through understanding both poles of the opposition. Your oppositions can be resolved via illuminated gracious mature organized self-adjustment (Sun/Venus in Cap in 6th). The Sun quincunx Saturn usually shows that you must adjust to the authorities and systems in which you find yourself, with the light showing you how to structure your mature heart energy, and your fears showing you how to take the power. Growth is through healthy Gemini and Pisces function.

So your whole life, when confronted with adjustments required by the system, or men, or those in power, you need to see many different ways to communicate, many different approaches to group or collective situations, and a lot of compassion, as well learning when you're getting signs and signals showing something is about to end.

[Elise]

Thank you Robert. I think I understand.

One more question, if you have a moment. Do you read the angles on the chart in terms of dispositorship as well? Are the Ascendant and Midheaven flavored by the location of the ruling energy?

[RodJM]

Hi Robert,

Thanks for clearing that up. However, I was meditating on this concept and wondered about the case of Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Virgo and Libra.
Do they have higher octave (spiritual) rulers like the rest of the signs?

As I mentioned above about Saturn in Aquarius (which I have in my natal chart), and if I (or anyone else) has Capricorn Asc. and no other planets in there own sign of rulership, It would be safe to say, Saturn is the final dispositor of my natal chart? Apart from that, Venus in Virgo and Mercury in Libra make a mutual reception even though they don't actually aspect each other (42 degrees separation)

Hope this helps others in interpreting natal charts!

Thanks & much appreciated.

[debbie]

thanks Robert will do!

[Robert]

Hi Elise - Yes, the ruler of the Ascendant is of prime importance in how the self expresses itself at any given time in life. It is often the "hyleg," or "giver of life," along with any planet in the first, according to the old texts. The sign and house of the ruler of the MC shows where the public/professional focus is, though of course this is only one factor in that arena, even if it is important.

Hi Rod - First, the easy answer! Yes, Saturn is A final dispositor in your chart, with Mercury and Venus in MR being the other "final dispositor" that operates independently of your Saturn (since neither of them reference it in your natal map.) Also 42 degrees, depending on the speed each is moving (are they forming or separating?) is usually a novile or semisquare. You will see them in operation as a dual pulse of activity each time they are aspected by another planet.

As for the spiritual rulers of the signs. Yes, but all of this is my unique work of almost 40 years. I know of no one else in the world who has done this sort of investigation. I plan to offer a class on this via webinar, since I believe it's crucial to understanding what we will find and learn to master as we walk our Higher Way.

My findings stem from something that piqued my curiosity around 1975-76 which I've developed since then. In 1973 my friend Carl Payne Tobey wrote about Pluto being the "true" ruler of Aries, and not Scorpio. He also posited planet Y (as he termed it) for the ruler of Taurus, and planet Z for the ruler of Gemini.

Carl didn't get into the worldly v spiritual rulers of the signs. That's entirely me, trying to resolve the FACT that Jupiter was ruler of Pisces for as long as western Astrology has existed, and then by some strange magic poofery Jupiter no longer ruled Pisces, and instead Neptune did. I figured that was impossible. Saturn ruled Aquarius from antiquity through the 18th century, and then not since? Ridiculous notion!!

I did take a look at the rulers of antiquity, and one half of the signs perfectly mirrors the other half of the signs and their rulers. Carl's original work noted that after Saturn and Capricorn "they" placed Uranus as ruling Aquarius and Neptune as ruling Pisces. Carl felt that should imply Pluto ruling Aries, which I can absolutely agree with, given what things in this world Pluto actually does symbolize, like seeds, spring cleaning, etc.

But if you simultaneously place Pluto in both Aries and Scorpio, it creates an interesting set of voids where it's easy to see how Uranus and Neptune fit easily into Cap and Sag, with TransPluto ruling Taurus and Libra. And throughout the 40 year journey of discovery, I've tried to stay open to how these things can be expanded and clarified without getting too comfortable in what I've already found.

Carl also set me to investigating the "Leo clockwise" chart system, which led me to some very intriguing insights about house-sign associations. The clockwise system was prominent in a ancient zodiacs, and it is hinted in the Secret Doctrine that the counterclockwise system was promoted so that would-be astrologers of the times didn't do more damage than they already did in their profound ignorance. It seems entering the Kali Yuga required some prophylactic measures! And of course, all this is subject material for articles and classes if enough people are interested......

[RodJM]

Hi Robert,

Thanks for the comprehensive response, much appreciated indeed.
I'll pickup more in your second article on this no doubt, but to throw a cat amongst the pigeons (so to speak), if my natal Mercury conjunct Sun (Libra) which in turn trines Saturn and that trines NN in Gemini, one could say a grand air trine, albeit from a spiritual perspective because of the NN. Complicating this is Uranus/Pluto/Venus/MC conjunction...

I'm really into evolutionary astrology big time! Its the only way that I can get satisfactory answers as to the "why" of human behavior and motivations... but to me it has to be an observable phenomenon even amongst non-believers...

[debbie]

Actually your comment is even more relevant having just felt the need to look at my progressed chart only to see that progressed Sun/Merc/BML are all conjunct natal Uranus and progressed Uranus/Nth node are conjunct Natal Mars, while progressed Mars is conjunct progressed MC, sooo that all simply emphasises why I am so much more open to really out there ideas that actually resonate in some known yet unknown manner. Only sharing so you can feel some sympathy for those I am currently staying with lol!