perfectionist, he does very well with social
issues, but not in business. He has a tendency to
be pessimistic.
—Michele DelemmeDOGDAY S
Dog days are a 40-day period, usually given as
July 3 to August 11, that is regarded as being the
hottest time of the year. This period was original-
ly calculated from the heliacal rising of Sirius, the
Dog Star, after which dog days received its name.
DOLPHIN
The dolphin is a traditional alternate name for
the sign Pisces.
DOMALDIGNITY
A planet is in its domal dignity when it is placed
in the sign it rules. Traditional astrology referred
to such a planet as domiciliated.
DOMICILE
In traditional astrology, a planet placed in the sign
that it rules was said to be in domicile, a word
derived from the Latin for home. Thus, a planet
in domicile (e.g., Mercury in Gemini, Mars in
Aries, etc.) is “at home,” a location that allows
the planet to express its nature freely. A planet in
domicile is in the sign of its dignity, and an alter-
native term for domicile is domal dignity. The term domicile is infrequently used in mod-
ern astrology; when it is, it is often used in a more general sense to denote location, as
when someone says that a certain planet is “domiciled” in a particular house.
DORYPHORY
A doryphory, or “spearbearer,” is a planet that rises shortly before the Sun rises—or
shortly afterthe Moon rises—in the same or in a contiguous sign.
DOUBLESIGNS
The double signs, also called the double-bodied signs or the bicorporeal signs, are Gemi-
ni, Pisces, and Sagittarius. This expression comes from the symbols for these signs: twins
THEASTROLOGYBOOK [207]
Double SignsAn antique garnet gem showing a dog surrounded by
solar ray, based on Roman superstition relating to the
“dog days” between July 3 and August 11, when warm
weather was thought to be caused by the rising and
setting of the dog star, Sirius. Reproduced by permission
of Fortean Picture Library.