Dec 9, 2023
One topic I debate with consistently is the idea of Outer Planets, their usage, and what signs they rule, if any says this by Blaze Maximus in astrobymax.com. I find that Traditional Astrologers can get too caught up in the dogma of using the seven inner planets (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, The Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon) and turn a blind eye to our outer friends, when they hold an immense amount of potency and the ability to further enrich delineations and our understanding of Astrology as a whole.
Let us first define the term “Outer Planet” before moving forward. The word out, as an adverb, is defined as “situated far or at a particular distance from somewhere“, but the definition of out as a noun is a little different: “in a state of unconsciousness“. As a verb, the word out is defined as “become known; emerge”. Taking all of these definitions into consideration, the word out is implicit of the concept of something being alien and unfamiliar. When we look at the suffix er, it is descriptive of “the comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs”. We are then led to piece together the definition of the word “outer” as being defined as the degree of alienation of something that lives within one’s consciousness. Piecing together the word planet, we come to the conclusion that the definition of what an Outer Planet, which can now be defined as:
“Outer Planet: the degree of alienation of planets that lives within one’s consciousness”
~ Max Hiigli
From this definition alone, we are looking at the fundamental nature of which Outer Planets operate from. They don’t live within one’s consciousness, due to the degree of what is defined as consciousness in Astrology: the idea of visibility. If you can see it: it’s real for you. That’s what visibility is about, subjectivity— and this the whole premise that Astrology is built off of: subjectivity, because the only reason why Astrology works is because we are looking at how the celestial bodies influence life on Earth. To remove the idea of visibility from Astrology, removes the notion of subjectivity, and because Astrology is a subjective art: removing visibility is the invalidation of the Astrological Art as a whole. So how do Outer Planets play a roll here, well Outer Planets are not visible with a naked eye, and this is how Astrology was practiced and developed, because of the notion that if you could see it and experience it, it was true for you. The planets that are visible are: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, The Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon, and thus we can actually experience these planets subjectively because we can track their motion throughout the sky without the need for a telescope or device to enhance what we cannot perceive. This isn’t to say that because we don’t experience subjectivity of an issue that it isn’t real, because our level of subjectivity is in a bubble. We all live in a bubble. No matter how “woke” you think you may be: you are only woke and cognizant of what is in your range of cognition, but to think being woke is equated with understanding of things as a whole is naive and asinine. We will never be understanding of any situation as a whole, although this does not mean we should not try to expand our field of perception.
What Outer Planets do is they decentralize subjectivity by being planets that are not observable and trackable with the naked eye, and are more about objectivity. From my perspective, objectivity is the ability to look at something in a state of consciousness that is separate from one’s own subjectivity and panning out to look at how our subjective experience is a part of a much larger change and sequence of events that we are individual experiencing. Outer Planets show how there is some greater occurrence that forces those to collectively experience this occurrence, and then perceive it through the subjectivity of the human experience. One analogy that is great for this is an earthquake. During an earthquake, some might experience the catastrophe to a much greater degree than others, who may be virtually unharmed by it. The earthquake is an outer and objective, but the experience of that earthquake and what it does to you in a state of immediacy is subjective. Outer Planets are here to provide objective perspective on that which is not consciously able to be understood through subjectivity until after that movement has passed. Our outer planets are: Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. We could even take this a step further and classify other dwarf planets as outer planets, even though they aren’t Astronomically considered planets, in Astrology, the word planet is defined as “wandering star”. Anything that wanders is a planet. However, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are the primary outer planets. They are indicative of objective change on Earth that we are all collectively and unconsciously contributing to, but vary to degrees and methodology of transfigurations, but they are ultimately showing the progression of the world and humanity that can be experienced subjectively, when aspected to certain planets, but also how we are all participatory in theses transmutations of society.
How to Use Outer Planets
On the subject of how Outer Planets should be used is a complicated one, because, we’ve been able to see the effects of planets like Uranus and Neptune and their progression through the entire zodiac since their discovery, however with Pluto we have a different case. Since Pluto’s discovery in 1930, it has not made a full revolution around the Sun, nor Zodiac, and thus, we have not had the chance to grasp a complete understanding of how to use Pluto, and will not have a complete understanding within our lifetime (current year: 2020). The progression of outer planets through the zodiac takes such a long time that in order to understand that planet in it’s entirely, it needs to have the ability to move through the entire zodiac and its effects manifest in order to see the range in ways this planet can behave. I do think in the future we will have a much better understanding of the way outer planets work, but in this current moment in time: they are still very fresh and we lack complete perspective on them. With that being said, it doesn’t mean we cannot explore ideas of how they work, and in fact, doing so will help develop our understanding of them even further, to help aid future generations of Astrologers.
People often ask the question on how to use Outer Planets in context with other planets via aspect. My answer for this is that Outer Planets effects are most potency when in a tight orb to another planets. My rationale behind this is the fact that outer planets take up less astronomical space in the sky so there affects will have less potency when using a wide orb. I am an avid use of sign based aspects, but when we talk about Outer Planets, I don’t think sign based aspects are applicable here. Referring back to the idea of visibility being symbolic of an energy being within one’s consciousness, outer planets are not in our conscious actively, because we are apart of their consciousness, or some greater consciousness, therefore we cannot come into understanding that they are in our consciousness unless they are visible. One instance in which outer planets can become visible are when they are aspected to another planet; the whole idea of aspects is that planets are able to see each other. Using the five major aspects (Conjunction, Sextile, Square, Trine, and Opposition) will solidify the meanings and significations of that outer planet into the consciousness of the individual, thus acting as a gateway for the objective to then be experienced subjectively. I should add, I think this is true for all planets when in aspect, that they must be within a really tight orb. Unaspected outer planets that are also not on an angle render little to no influence over the native, unless activated in some way, whether it be via transits, progressions, solar return, or a number of other predictive techniques. I am also inclined to say that outer planets become more relevant if that outer planet is aspected to the native’s sect light, as they are the two emitters of light in the Solar System, however this is not completely true. We can look at the Saturn/Pluto conjunction of January 2020 as reference that even though Saturn is not a sect light, the potency of that outer planets transits were not dialed down. Just a thought, but taking other planetary consideration is extremely important when denoting how important it is when an outer planets in aspect. I usually use an orb of 0-3° for outer planets; the tighter, the better, and the more subjective potency the experience of the planet will render.
On the question of what is the nature of these outer planets, outer planets are often ascribed traits that are sugar-coated to make people feel better about them. I strongly disagree with this. To sugar-coat a planet’s significations is to cover up the essence of a planet because one does not want to face the harsh reality that it may bring. Multiple people can have different perspectives of one thing, but the nature of that thing will always be static no matter how many perspectives try to dictate the narrative of it. With this being said: outer planets are malefic in nature and cause disruption, confusion, and other malefic influences, depending on the planet in question. The rationale is that Saturn, the planet known to rule restrictions, boundaries, and limitations is the last planet to have authority and complete control over all the planets that succeed it. It is the marker of what is visible and anything past Saturn is invisible. Being that the outer planets are outside the realm of Saturn, who rules restrictions and boundaries, we can see that the nature of these outer planets are that they know no boundaries, nor care about any boundaries. Not even Saturn can have control over them, and when Saturn attempts to bind these outer planets, it increases the malevolence of that outer planet, forcing it to act out. There is nothing beneficial— the act of something working to qualitatively improve the native’s life, and make it easier for them to achieve their goals— that comes from outer planets. Additionally, outer planets are then planets that have complete dominion over planets they come into contact with and alter their world, because they are of a power outside of the set limitations of safety set by Saturn. Outer planets are not to be glorified, because they are malevolent in nature.
Can outer planets personify the individual? To this, there is some ambiguity on this topic that I cannot fully understand at this moment. My understanding of the experience of subjectivity for outer planets is that they are like federal government, in which these planets are not necessarily in our control, but we can feel the ripples of their actions projected onto us. There was a discussion on Twitter, based on a tweet, in which I brought up that natives cannot be Uranian, Neptunian, or Plutonian, but others brought up a great point that when a planet is in the 1st house, the native will embody the qualities of those planets. This argument is very tricky in terms of the philosophy I subscribe to about the 1st house, and my inclination is to agree with this statement: if you have any planets in the 1st house, you will then take on the qualities of those planets. However, I feel that outer planets work a little differently here. Ari, @lovejustlied on Twitter, explained it beautifully in their tweet.
Image: The outer planets – universetoday.com
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#outer #planets #Jupiter #Saturn #Uranus #astrology #Neptune #astrologers #starzpsychics
