“To honor the self is to be in love with our own life, in love with our possibilities for growth and for experiencing joy, in love with the process of discovering and exploring our distinctively human potentialities.”
- Nathaniel Branden, Honoring the Self

Introduction

In the hand of cards we are dealt, we all have a winning combination and a losing one, and how we play the game of life depends on our free will. In every hand there is one exceptionally good card, and in the natal chart that planet is called the Lord of the Geniture. This simply means the ruler (Lord) of the chart and is the planet that has the most essential dignity. Every planet enjoys varying degrees of dignity or debility in each of the twelve signs through which it traverses, and the one with the most essential dignity gets to wear the badge of Lord of the Geniture (LoG). There are the few exceptions where the native does not have a LoG as none of the seven planets in the nativity have any essential dignity. Even though this may appear pretty dismal at the outset, the skilled astrologer can still find a positive and helpful way forward for the person, but this is done without the assistance of the biggest ally in the chart, the LoG.

Do we automatically use our LoG?

If everyone automatically accessed the best card they were allotted, the world in which we live would most certainly be different, so we can deduce that we do not automatically do so. The LoG may not be the most accessible planet in the chart as it could be posited in an unfortunate house and have little power to act, and human nature being what it is, we clutch at the planet that is the most easily accessible - this may possibly be the worst one in the nativity. We do not automatically honour the LoG because sometimes we simply do not know what it is or it is over-powered by planets more strongly placed and even by the circumstances of life itself. The life of the person does not unfold as a separate entity against the external circumstances into which he was born, it is dependant on it.

Why should we use our LoG?

Honouring the LoG is to utilise our best quality and only the foolish would consider using their worst planet as the tool to apply in order to lead a fulfilled and successful life. The LoG is the part of us that we should strive to access and to grow or mature into as it is the best part of our unique potential. Utilising it makes life easier, so why choose to cling to a planet that makes our life harder instead? We are provided with choices – the left fork or the right, one leads to unnecessary suffering which is self inflicted, the other to the ability to overcome suffering and to experience joy – which would you choose?

Vocation and the LoG

Astrology is an invaluable tool in the branch of vocational counselling. The abilities of the person, their skills’ potential and their area of passion are clearly depicted in the nativity. The LoG is one of the key factors in this assessment as it guides the astrologer towards the area of interest and it adds to the assessment of the efficacy of the person’s abilities. The LoG depicts the area of life where that person will find their niche, where they will achieve success proportionate to their level of effort and where they will be happy. The youth of today have so many diverse career choices, and as tertiary education is not optional in today’s competitive world, it is far more prudent to choose the most suitable field at the outset.

Health and the LoG

The nativity displays the medical fault line of the native, the area of vulnerability where the life-threatening illnesses will manifest. By strengthening the LoG and turning it into a power-house of vitality, we are provided with a forceful weapon with which to reinforce this fragile sphere of our entity. In alternative healing it is an automatic premise that the happier and more fulfilled the person, on all the base levels, the less likely it is that disease is able to manifest. The integration of all facets of the person produces a solid defence, a boundary or structure which is difficult to penetrate. The more scattered the integral facets of the person, the more easily disease is able to penetrate and manifest. Consciousness is a continuum and exists on many levels, and health is an unqualified desirable, no one with all their faculties intact would choose ill-health or dis-ease over wellness. The simple yet profound incorporation of the LoG into the personality and in daily life is a vital criterion in the attainment of well being and vitality.

How do we access our LoG

The first step is to locate it; we cannot access something which we don’t know exists. Once the LoG has been defined, the ways in which we can access it are multiple. If the planet is easily accessible by house placement, the incorporation of the LoG into the life is much easier, we simply reach out and form the integral connection. However if it is inaccessible, we may need to incorporate it via external sources, possibly even in the form of a marriage partner. Immaterial of how we incorporate it into our lives, the LoG is strengthened in many different ways – through imagery, ingestion of the foods which it rules, partaking of activities which fall under its jurisdiction, and so on. Everything that exists on earth, including the multiple facets of the human being, is ruled by one of the seven planets. Defining which planet is the LoG enables the person to incorporate that which it rules into the life. Imagery, the use of gem stones, colour therapy, etc are not new age inventions. These methodologies existed long before the age of enlightenment and were par for the course when prescriptions were issued by practitioners of physik in the days of Hippocrates.

The Lord of Manner and the LoG

The significator of manner in a nativity is the planet which defines the native’s mode of conduct and interaction. It is the way in which the person engages with the world and with others, the way in which he approaches life and its diverse problems, and the way in which he overcomes them. It is an integral part of the assessment of what the ancient authorities call the “ratio”, that person’s unique grip on and acknowledgment of their participation in their life. The Lord of Manner may or may not be the planet with the most essential dignity, so may or may not be the LoG as well. The two assessments are made independently of each other and are utilised in different ways. If the Lord of Manner is also the LoG, then the integration of the LoG is an automatic process, but the awareness and acknowledgement of the LoG still needs to be made manifest.

The LoG in action

Our example nativity yields the Lord of Manner as Saturn and the LoG as Venus. This person interacts with others and with his life in a Saturnine manner. Saturn is the ruler of boundaries, authority, time, solitariness, structure and so forth. The approach to life is grave, the manner austere, the person is controlling of himself and of others and there is little room for error. He is perceived by others as dictatorial, rigid and unyielding, but also as authoritative, wise and as a person with gravitas. Saturn, known as the great malefic, is not normally well received as he tends to highlight the lack of Saturnine qualities in others, and he brings with him the responsibilities which we are averse to shouldering. Our native therefore encounters tremendous resistance from others as people are not always able to meet the deadlines and fulfill the expectations set by this person, nor should they have to in the general sense of their individuality. When this person engages Venus, the LoG, to counteract the austere Saturn, and interacts with others and with life using Venus as an ally, the results are more often than not positive and beneficial.

Venus is the most feminine of planets, soft, tender and playful, and accessing her provides a softening of the severity and rigidity of Saturn. What is said by this person may still be Saturnine, but softening the words with a Venusian smile or adding laughter during the conversation immediately takes the edge off, which endears the person to others instead of alienating them. Venus can be strengthened by incorporating what she rules into the life, as often as possible, and eventually over time, she can be strengthened to work in tandem with the Lord of Manner. Eating Venusian foods such as chocolate (yes, this person has permission to do so), placing vases of freshly cut sweet-smelling flowers around the home, engaging in Venusian activities such as attending the theatre or the ballet, or simply squishing bare toes in the mud in a child-like manner, all strengthen and allow access to this LoG. This can be taken a step further and this person can incorporate strong Venusian type friends into his life, and if he is lucky enough to find a partner with a strong Venusian manner, so much the better.

Conclusion

The depths of the psyche which can be penetrated by astrology are boundless but is dependant on the skill of the astrologer and the sincere participation of the client. It is however a fruitless (and dangerous) exercise to establish and define the problem areas if the astrologer is unable to provide the solutions. Stripping the client bare and leaving them naked and vulnerable is not an option in the application of this celestial science. The LoG is the tunic that should be wrapped around the client, and it is then their responsibility to ensure that they strengthen the weave and fashion the cloth to suit their form.