#sects

An ancient tradition, the term “sect” means team or group (as it does when referring to a religious sect), and defines two groups of planets.

Diurnal planets include the Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn.

Nocturnal planets include the Moon, Venus, and Mars.

Mercury is inherently common, being either a morning or evening star and never straying far enough from the Sun to express individually. As a morning star (residing along the zodiacal wheel before the Sun, rising above the Eastern horizon before the Sun) Mercury is considered Diurnal. As an evening star (residing along the zodiacal wheel after the Sun, falling below the Western horizon after the Sun) Mercury is considered Nocturnal.

If you’ve heard of the term “day or night chart”, you likely already know a bit about the sects.

When the Sun is above the horizon (7th to 12th houses), the chart is determined to be a daytime chart, giving more power to the Diurnal planets. When the Sun is below the horizon (1st to 6th houses), the chart is determined to be a nighttime chart, giving more power to the Nocturnal planets. This qualitative measurement for the planets in a chart can help narrow down whether the planets will be more benefic or more malefic than traditionally disclosed.

For example, Jupiter in a Night chart might lean towards its more unhelpful or unlucky qualities. If Jupiter is found in the 5th house of a night chart, there may be an increased likelihood of a gambling addiction or other form of excessive escapism, this comes with a caution of evaluating the risk of retreating during difficult times and focusing on the balance between work and play.

The same can be replicated with malefic planets, such as Mars in the 8th house of a Night chart. While Mars is aggressive and often identifies accidents, it also points to the style of courage or bravery held by the individual. Mars in the 8th house of a night chart could identify the legacy of the individual being striking and infused with bravery, perhaps a strong position of intimate leadership, or the attainment of inheritances at a young age.

Jupiter Retrograde in Cancer: An Analysis

Jupiter has been exalted in Cancer since June 9. The womb of Cancer, positioned in the Nadir of the zodiac wheel, the midnight point of the north, is cold and moist, a nocturnal lunar sign of cardinal Water. One that is receptive, fertile, enveloping. Jupiter, being warm and moist, mingles with this element like a gentle flame warming milk without burning it. Moisture is their common ground. The moisture that nourishes him also renders him mutable, impressionable, maternal. Instead of the crowned king, we find the tender father, the teacher who weeps, the benefactor who dissolves in the feeling of the other. And, indeed, there is something “moody” about this, in the sense that his faith is no longer abstract but biological, uterine. The Moon imprints upon him the oscillation of memory and flesh.

This is only amplified when, like today, Jupiter turns retrograde in Cancer. Jupiter is right now stationed at 25 degrees of the sign, the threshold between his own Egyptian bound and the one of Saturn. He stares at the ice ahead and, instead of advancing, turns his eyes back towards the womb.

This retrogradation within his exaltation is a divine confession. Jupiter realises that an excess of nourishment – too much moisture – risks decaying into inertia, sentimentality, and dilution. Feeling the dry breath of Saturn, he halts, as if remembering that every abundance must know its limit.