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Exaltation

From AstrologyNotes

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Exaltation refers to a type of planetary dignity in which the energy of the planet is idealized and somewhat "blown out of proportion". Astrologer William Lilly likened exaltation to an honored guest in the home, compared to being the actual owner and ruler of the home. In its sign of rulership, a planet has strength, dignity, self control and honor. When a planet is in its exaltation, however, it lacks the self-control and inner strength of a planet in full dignity but exalts its higher and more idealized characteristics. For example, Venus in Taurus (its sign of rulership) denotes a person with strong self-esteem, good taste in art, skill at growing money and other material assets, and an innate ability to develop comfort and beauty in their environment and to maintain a stable life. Venus in Pisces (its exaltation) is much less practical, but exhibits far more devotion and idealistic love. A person with this placement is more dependent on others to provide self-esteem, material assets and the trappings of beauty. Whereas Venus in Taurus attracts through passion, self-possession and persistence, Venus in Pisces attracts through dreaminess, devotion and helplessness. In a sense, a planet in exaltation gives up some of the "lower" and more practical characteristics of a sign in order to concentrate on the "higher" characteristics, much like a monk retreats to a monastery, a scholar to their library or an artist to their studio.

There is some debate apparently as to what signs denote a planet's sign of exaltation, particularly with the more recently discovered outer planets. Originally there was something of a pattern, pointed out by Porphyry, in which all planets aspected their sign of exaltation by either trine or sextile (depending on sect). The exception was Mercury, but that was an understandable exception since Mercury's sect varies. However, continued thought on the matter combined with the discovery of the outer planets has made the sign of exaltation less clear. For example, author Martin Seymour-Smith has claimed that Mercury is exalted in Aquarius, and since Mercury in Aquarius and Mercury in Virgo are both very strong placements, it is hard to know which sign to choose. Ultimately, the deciding factor should be whether a planet actually does exhibit the most exalted behavior in that sign, not whether it fits some predefined notion of mathematical correctness. Listed below are the most commonly accepted designations.

Planet	Dignity	Exaltation	Detriment	Fall
Sun	Leo	Aries	Aquarius	Libra
Moon	Cancer	Taurus	Capricorn	Scorpio
Mercury	Gemini	Virgo	Sagittarius	Pisces
Venus	Taurus	Pisces	Aries	Virgo
Mars	Aries	Capricorn	Libra	Cancer
Jupiter	Sagittarius	Cancer	Gemini	Capricorn
Saturn	Capricorn	Libra	Cancer	Aries
Uranus	Aquarius	Scorpio	Leo	Taurus
Neptune	Pisces	Cancer	Virgo	Capricorn
Pluto	Scorpio	Leo	Taurus	Aquarius