Introduction to Astrology Part 2: The Degrees as Character

If the houses of the zodiac wheel are the scenes in which the planets act then the degrees are the character performance that deliver. When you look at your birth chart you won’t just be greeted by the houses, signs and planets— you will see that every planet, every point has a degree. These are not random, they are the fine print of the cosmos and the performance by which all of the rest of the chart reads.

Each Zodiac spans 30 degrees. There are twelve signs, times thirty giving us the complete 360 of the sky. When you see your planet at a certain number that shows where within the sign the planet sits.Think of the degree as the line is delivery and the numerical value of that line as they way it is being being delivered and the planet is delivering that linein the zodiac costume they are wearing. It is the perspective, flavor and energy of the actor.

With each house holding thirty degrees there are patterns that appear amongst each numerical value, and each sign has degrees that they resonate with more.

Within this post we will be looking at the roles that all of the interpretations of degrees play.

In summary: Degree Theory → Delivery, Decan → Perspective, Chaldean Ruler → Stage Directions, Sabian Symbol → Subtext / Why

If you want to see a brief breakdown of these within the context of this conversation please check out:

The Degrees

First lets look at The Zero Degree. This Degree is the threshold. The degree of pure potential. This is the first step across the border of the previous hows, and brings a fresh, raw energy to the sign that sits in it. A planet here delivers its performance often with a bold, yet clumsy force.

On the opposite end, The Anaretic Degree— 29°— is the final lesson. Here Planets perform with a since of urgency, intensity and mastery, but there is also a pressure to do your best racing against the clock before the sign changes. It is a performance of a life tine, a culmination of death throes compressing its wisdom in its final breath.