How does one determine sect? By this I mean with my own chart of course.
Sect is a particular passion of mine.
The overall "sect" of the chart is determined by the lights, and for all intents and purposes if the Sun is on or above the horizon then the chart is diurnal; below and the chart is nocturnal. From there it gets a bit more complicated.
Looking at it after doing some light reading on sect has made me wonder about Saturn and Jupiter. Both are strong in my chart, yet, being Diurnal planets in a nocturnal chart....does this make them out of sect?
It depends. Like I said, it gets a bit more complicated. The word "sect" itself comes from the Greek
haíresis, and carries implications of religious thoughts and "us vs. them" ideology. The word heresy is derived from this, and carries similar meanings. It gets even more complicated because astrologers after the Greeks conflated "sect" with "domain," brought us my little buddies Hayz and Halb, and yeah. Let's see if we can make it easier...
If the Sun is above (or, to me, because the twilight issue is an essential one) within 5* of the ASC according to
diurnal motion, the Sun is sect light and the in-sect planets are Jupiter and Saturn. We all know that Mercury is tricky, but if Mercury rises before the Sun he is diurnal, after he is nocturnal. If the Sun is more than 5* by
diurnal motion below the horizon, the Moon is sect light and the in-sect planets are Mars and Venus.
Ok, but WHY are these planets given these particular sects? The Sun and Moon make sense (duh), but why are Jupiter and Saturn aligned with the Sun and Venus and Mars with the Moon? The reason is largely due to planetary nature. We know that Jupiter is a hot and moist planet, and the nighttime reduces the heat/expansion. To get the maximum out of the greater benefic, he prefers when the Sun is out (with a caveat, which we will get to.) Saturn is cold and dry, but it is the excessive coldness we want to temper, so we prefer a solar-heated Saturn. Conversely, Mars is by nature excessivly hot and dry, and putting him in the nighttime sect tempers his heat. Venus is naturally cool (a temperate coldness) and moist and prefers the night...see how that works?
The sect light will tell us which planets are on team native, and which planets are on team "other people doing things to native."
From there we get to hayz and halb. Because once we determine the sect of the chart as a whole, we have to figure out how these planets are going to behave. This is where the ideas of sect got conflated with domain. Diurnal planets want to be on the same side of the horizon as the Sun, nocturnal planets on the opposite side. Makes sense? Hayz is when a diurnal planet is above the horizon in a day chart and in a sign that agrees with its gender. Or if a nocturnal planet is above the horizon in a nighttime chart and in a sign that agrees with its gender. Halb is simply if a planet is configured on the proper side of the horizon according to sect.
Again,
why does this matter? It has to do with with domain, or more appropriately what is called "similitude." You can google the etymology and find the biblical/religious references for yourself. For the purposes of astrology (note to those who can't understand peregrine planets, here's where we figure it out.) Planets want to be on the proper side of the horizon according to their sect (haireses) and in signs, quadrants, even drilling down to degrees that agree with their gender. In those places, even though the might not have essential dignity, they have similarity, or are in a place that largely agrees with their nature. If they are found otherwise, then they must act against their nature, which puts them at a distinct disadvantage.
And I know Mars is comfy in a night chart, so that would make my own Mars in sect but in the 12th house, so I'm not too sure how comfy he is, even though in it's home sign of Aries.
Conflating different concepts here. Mars in Aries (domicile) in a night chart, on the right side of the horizon (and the 12th is part of a masculine quadrant) is extremely cozy. He's also extremely cadent. There is a difference between capability (this is a completely competent Mars) and actual ability to act. I've used this analogy before, but a planet that is capable to act but unable to do so is like a piano prodigy who never has access to a piano. All sizzle and no steak.
Or are Saturn and Jupiter in sect do to the fact that they inhabit feminine signs?
Saturn sits in Capricorn, rx, while Jupiter sits in Cancer.
Each planet, while the ruler of three (except the lights) signs if we include exaltation, has a particular sign in which they "rejoice." I'd say it has less to do with feminine vs. masculine and more to do with the idea that Saturn prefers Capricorn at night and Jupiter is exalted in Cancer. And this brings up a whole other can of worms. Saturn rx in Cap is very happily being Saturn and rejecting/returning all comers because he is retrograde. Like the slap happy postman who stamps "return to sender" on every piece of mail. Jupiter in Cancer is exalted, which means he has the ability to bring about his significations as long as he isn't cadent (though the square from Saturn seems, without looking at an actual chart, to be a bit of an impediment), but they probably won't be as long lasting. More like...easy come, easy go.
Huh. I'm confusing myself now. Maybe I should have made a thread for this.
JUPITERASC pointed out that this should be a thread. It's good to pm a mod every now and then.
In that post, cadent and sorry are two entirely different circumstances. Punctuation is lacking.
