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Astrology course — Method

Significators: who represents what

Before any interpretation, you must know which planet represents which person, which object, which question. It is the founding gesture of traditional astrology.

Principal significator & co-significatorNatural significators by domainA step-by-step method of attributionStrength, receptions & almuten

Definition

A significator is the planet that represents an actor or a thing in a chart: it is identified from the house that governs the subject, before any interpretation.

Before interpreting anything, the traditional astrologer asks a simple question: who represents whom? The querent, the partner, money, a journey… each has its significator. This course teaches you to assign them correctly, to distinguish principal significator, co-significator and natural significator, then to judge their strength.

What is a significator?

Summary

  • A significator is the planet (or point) that “represents” an actor or a thing in a chart: the querent, a partner, money, a journey…
  • Correctly identifying the significators is the step that precedes any interpretation: without it, you read at random.
  • The principle is universal (natal, horary, electional), but it is in horary astrology that it is the most rigorous.

What it is not

  • Simply an “important planet” in the chart.
  • A fixed symbol: the same star can mean different things depending on the question.
  • A definitive label: a significator is chosen according to the precise subject.

The four types of significator

Several planets can signify the same subject, in different capacities. We distinguish four broad categories.

Principal significator

principal

The ruler of the house that governs the subject. For the querent: ruler of the first house. For money: ruler of the second house, etc.

The ruler of the subject’s house.

Co-significator — the Moon

lune

The Moon almost always accompanies the querent and describes the unfolding of the matter. It is the second significator of the querent.

The Moon, witness of the course.

Natural significator

naturel

A planet naturally symbolises a domain, independently of the houses: Venus for love, Mercury for writings, Mars for conflicts.

The planet’s own symbolism.

Almuten

almuten

The planet that holds the most essential dignities over a given degree (Ascendant, Moon…). It can reinforce or arbitrate between significators.

The “weighted ruler” of a point.

Method: assigning a significator

Assigning a significator always follows the same sequence, from the subject to the planet.

Steps

  • 1) State the subject precisely: who or what do I need to represent?
  • 2) Find the house that governs this subject (e.g. partner → VII, career → X).
  • 3) Take the ruler of that house: this is the principal significator.
  • 4) Add the Moon as co-significator (especially for the querent).
  • 5) Identify the natural significator of the domain to confirm or nuance.
  • 6) Then assess the strength of these significators (dignities, houses, aspects).

A planet can hold several roles at once: if Venus is both the natural significator of love AND ruler of the seventh house, the testimony is doubly strong.

Querent and quesited: the two poles

In horary astrology, two poles are always set against each other: the one who asks the question and what they are asking about.

The querent (the one who asks)

The first house and its ruler, plus the Moon. It is “me” in the question.

The quesited (what is asked)

The house of the subject and its ruler. It is “the other” or “the thing”.

The relationship between them

An applying aspect between the two significators (or via the Moon) shows how the matter comes together.

Table of natural significators

Here are the most commonly used natural significators. They support the ruler of the house.

Love, affection, pleasure

Venus

Desire, conflict, surgery, action

Mars

Writings, contracts, messages, commerce

Mercury

Money, luck, expansion, justice

Jupiter

Time, limits, bereavements, real estate, the old

Saturn

Authority, father, vitality, honours

Sun

Mother, crowds, fluids, short journeys, daily life

Moon

Ruptures, the unexpected, technology, freedom

Uranus

Illusion, the sea, secrets, spirituality, the blurred

Neptune

Power, transformation, debts, the depths

Pluto

The strength of a significator

Once the significators are identified, you judge their capacity to act. A good but weak significator promises without being able to deliver.

Essential dignity

  • Essential dignities (domicile, exaltation, triplicity…): the planet’s own quality.
  • Detriment or fall: a weakened, ill-disposed significator.
  • Peregrine: without resources, it “wanders”.

Accidental dignity

  • House occupied: angular (strong, acting) / succedent / cadent (without grip).
  • Speed and direction: direct and fast (effective) vs retrograde or slow (withdrawal, hesitation).
  • Combustion (too close to the Sun): an overwhelmed, blinded significator.
  • Aspects received from the benefics (Jupiter, Venus) or the malefics (Mars, Saturn).

For the detail of the dignities, see the course dedicated to planetary rulerships. See the planetary rulerships →

The accidental testimonies of a subject

Beyond the ruler of the house, other planets bring their testimony on a subject.

Planet occupying the house

A planet placed in the subject’s house strongly “colours” it, sometimes as much as its ruler.

Planet aspecting the significator

The aspects received describe the external influences on the actor represented.

Natural ruler present

If the natural significator of the domain is also involved, the testimony is reinforced.

Significators of third parties: turning the houses

For third parties (my friend’s sister, my partner’s money…), you “turn” the chart: the third party’s house becomes the new first house, and you take the significators from there.

Examples

  • The spouse’s money: the second house from the seventh = the radical eighth house.
  • My child’s work: the sixth house from the fifth = the radical tenth house.
  • You then take the ruler of the derived house as the significator of the subject.

See the course on derived houses for the complete method. See the derived houses →

Examples of assigning significators

“Does he love me?”

Querent = ruler of I + Moon. The beloved = ruler of VII. Natural significator: Venus. If Venus is also ruler of the VII, the testimony of love is doubled; you then read the aspect between the two significators.

“Will I recover this money?”

My money = ruler of the second house + Jupiter (natural significator). You look at whether the ruler of the II is returning toward the ruler of I (money coming back) or moving away from it (loss).

“Will I get the job?”

Me = ruler of I. The job/employer = ruler of the X + Sun. A career significator that is dignified and angular, in an applying aspect with the ruler of I, argues for a yes.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Choosing a significator before having precisely defined the subject.
  • Forgetting the Moon as co-significator of the querent.
  • Confusing natural significator and ruler of the house (they complement each other).
  • Judging a promise without checking the strength of the significator.
  • For a third party, reading the radical chart instead of turning the houses.
  • Multiplying significators until you can “prove” anything at all.

Frequently asked questions about significators

What is a significator in astrology?

It is the planet or point that represents an actor or a thing in a chart: the querent, a partner, money, a journey. It is identified before any interpretation.

How do you find the significator of a subject?

You identify the house that governs the subject, then take the ruler of that house. You add the Moon and the natural significator of the domain.

What is the difference between a principal and a natural significator?

The principal is the ruler of the subject’s house, specific to each chart. The natural is the fixed symbolism of a planet (Venus = love) valid everywhere.

Why is the Moon a co-significator?

Because it accompanies the querent and describes the unfolding of the matter. In horary, it is almost always the second significator of the querent.

What is the almuten?

The planet that holds the most essential dignities over a given degree (often the Ascendant). It can reinforce or arbitrate between the principal significators.

Can a planet be several significators at once?

Yes. If a planet holds several roles (ruler of a house + natural significator), its testimony is all the more reinforced.

Frequently asked questions about significators

Is the ruler of the house always the principal significator?+

Yes, this is the basic rule: you take the ruler of the house that governs the subject. You then complete it with the Moon and the natural significator of the domain to refine the reading.

How do you represent someone other than the querent?+

You use the house that describes them (VII for the partner or adversary, X for the employer, III for siblings…) and take the ruler of that house as the significator of that person.

Do you need to master the dignities to use significators?+

Identifying the significators is enough to know “who is who”. But to judge whether they can act, you must assess their strength through the essential and accidental dignities: that is the next step of the analysis.

Are significators used only in horary astrology?+

No. The principle also applies in the natal chart and in electional astrology. But it is in horary that the attribution of significators is the most codified and the most decisive for the judgement.