Building a Better Birth Chart - A Practical Guide to Planetary Remediation
So, you’ve become familiar with your birth chart and learned that some of what it describes relates issues you struggle with in your life. While there is plenty of information available describing issues surrounding difficult placements and their associated negative outcomes, it can be a little more challenging finding resources on what to do about it. Let’s face it, we all have problems. Whether its relationship problems, poor spending habits, anger issues or bad breath, we all have something about ourselves or our lives we’d like to improve. But there are things you can do address the problems described by your chart and in your real life. Planetary remediation offers the tools to be able to turn your birth chart into a source of solutions, rather than a story about how your life is going to suck.
What is Planetary Remediation?
Simply put, planetary remediation identifies problem areas based on the condition of the planets in your birth chart and offers ways to manage, prevent or mitigate those problems according to the nature of the planet(s) causing them. There are many approaches to planetary remediation, but for the purposes of this guide I am going to focus on some relatively straightforward and accessible methods. The kind of remedial work you do with a given planet will depend on what kind of problem you're having with that planet. Issues with a planet can be quite complex, but can generally be sorted into three primary categories - issues that relate to a planet that is excessive or overactive, issues associated with a planet that is under-strength or weak and more complex issues that require some clean-up. The underlying goal is to bring about a state of balance by correcting where imbalance exists.
Excessive Planets and How to Identify Them
When planets are placed in a birth chart in such a way as to give them a lot of strength and influence, they can tend to point to ways in which more excessive versions of the planets significations show up in your life and character. Here are some of the ways a planet can become more likely to lean on the excessive side:
When dignified by being in one of its own signs of rulership i.e., Sun in Leo, Mars in Aries etc.
In a prominent House such as the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th
Ruling an important House such as the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th, especially the 1st and 10th.
Near one of the 4 angles of the chart: Ascendant, IC, MC or Descendant.
In more than one of its minor dignities, Triplicity, Face or Bound.
Involved in a mutual reception or sign exchange with another planet, especially if there is an applying aspect.
Certain planet aspect combinations can also contribute to a planet being more excessive depending on the planets involved (more on that when we explore each planet individually.)
Note: You will usually be looking for more than one of these factors to be in effect.
When a planet is, in a sense, too strong and empowered, we are more likely to lean on the qualities of that planet at the expense of others. Similarly, when our lives lack proper outlets for activates related to a particularly strong planet in our charts, we are more likely to express its qualities excessively and inappropriately.
Under-strength Planets and How to Identify Them
Under-strength planets tend to show up as a lack of the given planet’s qualities in our lives and character. In some cases, the weakness of a given planet can lead to the excess of another, especially those with significations antithetical to the weaker planet, i.e., the Sun and Saturn or Venus and Mars. Here are some of the ways a planet can be likely to be on the under-strength side of things:
In a sign opposite to one of its domiciles, also known as being in a sign of its detriment.
In a house unconfigured to the ascendant by aspect such as the 2nd, 8th, 12th or 6th, especially the 12th or 6th, and more so when not in aspect with the MC.
In a cadent house such as the 3rd, 6th, 9th or 12th, especially the 12th or 6th.
Certain planet/aspect combinations can also contribute to a planet being under-strength, or simply overwhelmed, depending on the planets involved (more on that when we explore each planet individually.)
Note: You will usually be looking for more than one of these factors to be in effect.
Sometimes a planet’s qualities will express in an under-strength way just by virtue of them playing a smaller role in our lives, or because our lives demand from us the qualities of other planets more.
Sometimes that’s OK. Sometimes that’s even a good thing.
Most of us, for example, don’t have lives that require a particularly strong Mars. It’s important to always look at your actual life and problems that you actually have. More often than not, you have and likely regularly already do things that would be considered forms of remediation for your chart.
Planets in Fall or Exaltation
Planets in the signs of their fall or exaltation don’t fit neatly into either of these categories. Exalted planets will tend to be strong, but naturally gravitate toward a more balanced expression of their significations, other factors aside. Planets in Fall are also usually not lacking in terms of strength, but they will tend to be expressed in a more unbalanced way, often with some significations being diminished while others are exaggerated or supercharged. Exalted planets will usually require little remediation as the nature of their experience in the sign - while not without challenges - is usually self-refining, not considering other factors of course. Planets in Fall, however, usually have a lot of energy, but also require a lot of energy and attention from us to navigate the issues they face in the sign, again, not considering other factors. Planets in fall will generally need to be cleaned-up a bit before attempting to strengthen or tone them down.
Planetary Days and Hours
Syncing your remedial practice to the corresponding planetary day and/or hour not only strengthens the remedial effects, but it’s also an easy way to organize and structure your practice. Giving yourself structure and holding yourself to a consistent schedule is vital if you want results, but it’s also an easy way to slide in a little Saturn remediation while you're at it. There are many free apps available that will help you track planetary hours, but it’s not very difficult to memorize the planetary days and simply keep track of them in your head.
And if you're looking for a simple, low investment way to get started and gain a little favor with the planetary Gods, try wearing an article of clothing that match’s the color associated with the planet on that planet’s day of the week.
Sunday - The day of the Sun.
Color: Yellow or Orange
Monday - The day of the Moon.
Color: White or Silver
Tuesday -The day of Mars.
Color: Red.
Wednesday - The day of Mercury.
Color: Mixed Colors, Blue or Grey
Thursday - The day of Jupiter.
Color: Purple or Green
Friday: The day of Venus.
Color: Turquoise, Light Blue or Light Green
Saturday: The day of Saturn.
Color: Black or Brown (Dark)
Remedial Intent
Generally speaking, remedial measures are aimed at influencing the expression of a planet in 3 ways. First is strengthening a planet that is weak and/or has more on its plate then it can handle. The second is cooling down or pacifying a planet that is too strong, this is usually most useful when the planet is in a position, either in the birth chart or by transit, to do damage to a particular area of life. The third, and probably most important, is cleaning or refining the expression of a planet that has an important job in the chart but is prone to acting up for one reason or another. This approach is especially useful when dealing with planets in the sign of their fall, or in an otherwise complicated condition. Often, refining a planet amounts to simply giving that planet opportunities to be itself. In practice, most remedial measures will have some level of refining influence on the expression of the planet’s nature, but it is nonetheless a useful distinction to make and be aware of when planning your remedial activities.
The Fourth Option
There is a fourth approach. While it can involve the other 3 in various ways, it’s worth treating as its own category. I like to call it the symbolic offering, or sacrificial lamb. This is a very old form of remediation, and it involves identifying a difficult placement or transit, and intentionally enacting a less problematic alternative version of what the symbol describes. This approach will need to be tailored to the specifics of the chart and/or transit in question and depending on your level of interpretive skill may require consulting with a professional astrologer.
Considerations Before Remediating
With remediation, as with most things, it tends to be most effective when you identify and focus on one problem at a time. Start with an issue you can identify in your life first, then look at your chart to see what planet most clearly speaks to that issue. Referring to your chart can help you gain awareness and insight on the specifics of the issue you're dealing with, but ultimately the planet you chose to work with will usually be the one that generally corresponds with the nature of the issue you want to address. You will then want to consider the role the planet you're working with has in your chart (the house it’s in, the house(s) it rules and its aspects with other planets) and what the consequences of juicing that planet up or toning it down might have on the rest of the chart.
Finally, - before moving on to each of the planets - for serious medical issues you should see a doctor or other healthcare professional. Planetary remediation should not be considered a substitute for medical care. What it is, is a tool for helping you make positive lifestyle choices which support your well-being, help you accomplish goals, develop skills and improve your quality of your life.
These practices are based on various Modern, Ancient and Vedic astrological source material, as well as some of my own intuitive conclusions and experience. However, I must give credit to Austin Coppock and his course on planetary remediation which informs much of the remedial framework outlined in this series. If you would like to learn more about planetary remediation, I can not recommend this course highly enough.
