Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

RULING PLANET

In Astrology, the Planet that is predominant for each sign of the Zodiac, that is, the planet that appears in the ecliptic (the annual path that the Sun apparently forms in the heavens) at the time of the sign. Each planet rules one sign, except Venus and Mercury, which each rule two.

There are additional features and weightings given to the rulings, known as exaltation, detriment and fall. Each planet is exalted when it is in a particular sign from which it works well and with which there is a notable similarity, resulting in more significance being attributed to it in an interpretation. Each planet also has a sign of detriment, when the planet is said to be debilitated. The sign opposite to exaltation is called the fall sign. This is when the planet is thought to be weak.

Before William Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781, there were only seven planets (including the Sun and Moon) and therefore three further planets ruled two signs: Saturn ruled Aquarius as well as Capricorn, Jupiter ruled Pisces as well as Sagittarius, and Mars ruled Scorpio as well as Aries.

see also: ASTROLOGY

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc