for which there is no place in the ancient scheme of rulerships.
This ancient scheme was based on the reasoning that since Leo is deemed the most regal of
the signs, the Sun must naturally be its ruler. Similarly Cancer, as the most maternal of signs,
should be ruled by the Moon. The planets, beginning with Mercury and moving outward from
the Sun, were then ascribed to the next adjacent pairs: Mercury, to Gemini and Virgo; Venus,
to Taurus and Libra; Mars, to Aries and Scorpio; Jupiter, to Sagittarius and Pisces; and
Saturn, to Capricorn and Aquarius. A planet in a sign of which it is the Ruler is said to be in
its own sign. In the case of the dual rulerships, the Positive sign is its "day home" and the
Negative sign its "night home." The use of "day house" is unfortunate in that "house" is a
subdivision of a 24-hour orbit, while the sign over which the planet is presumed to rule is a
subdivision of a 365-day orbit.
Many modern authorities have broken down this scheme by ascribing Uranus to the rulership
or co-rulership of Aquarius, Neptune to Pisces, and Pluto variously to Aries or Scorpio.
Others deem these distant planets to represent a second octave, indicating higher concepts,
and conferring greater possibilities upon those sufficiently developed to be able to handle a
high-tension current, but threatening catastrophe to elemental and undisciplined types. On
this theory, Uranus would be the super-ruler of Gemini and Virgo; Neptune of Taurus and
Libra; and Pluto of Aries and Scorpio - leaving the second octave planets of Jupiter and
Saturn yet to be discovered.
The use of "ruler" in connection with the Houses, is confusing, and the rule generally
recommended is: "Lord of a House; Ruler of a Sign." As indicating anatomical and
geographical areas it is more precise to say "has dominion over" than to say "ruled by."
The Lord of a House is deemed to be the Ruler of the Sign that occupies the cusp. The Lord
of the Nativity, or as often termed the Ruler of the Horoscope, is variously the most strongly
placed planet in the map, especially that planet which is in the First House and close to the
ascending degree. Lacking a planet so placed, the Ruler of the ascending sign is the Lord of
the Nativity.
It is presumed by some that the Arabians employed a system of House rulerships which
consists of the planets arranged in converse order: the Sun as Lord of the First House; Moon,
of the Twelfth; Mercury, the Eleventh; Venus, the Tenth; Mars, the Ninth; Jupiter, the Eighth;
Saturn, the Seventh; Uranus, the Sixth; Neptune, the Fifth; Pluto, the Fourth; with three as yet
undiscovered planets for the remaining Houses.