A planet in exile does not a bad person make
A follow-up on how planetary dignity and human ethics are very distinct concepts.
This is a follow-up to A planet in domicile does not a good person make (which I would recommend you read first, if you haven’t already!), and I will preface with a similar caveat: I do not believe in the concept of a “bad person”. As I wrote previously, I believe people are fundamentally fallible, continually defined by their actions rather than something inherent about themselves, and that people can change, sometimes drastically.
I’m hoping to have convincingly demonstrated in the first article that essential dignity does not translate to sound ethics, and is most useful to assess power and privilege, rather than personal integrity and morals. Which is to say, just because someone has natal Venus in Taurus1 doesn’t mean they’re a beacon of sweetness and right relationship, for instance.
It’s also worth highlighting, again, that essential dignity is one of many factors that ought to be considered when assessing a planet’s condition. Accidental dignity, phase, aspects and chronocratorship will also play a major part into my own examination of a planet, for instance.
So sure, it’s natal Venus in Taurus, but is it direct? Is it visible? Is it angular? Is it currently activated by profection or another timing technique? Is it conjunct Mirach, Menkar or Algol2? What are the parans3 like? These are all worthwhile things to ponder!
In this article I want to discuss natal chart examples with planets which are not essentially dignified, for people that I would consider to have had a positive impact on their environment overall (or at minima, neutral / not actively toxic as far as I can tell). This is of course my own point of view, and not everybody might agree with me. I also wouldn’t describe these people as “good people”, on principle, because I find this qualifier essentialising. And to state the obvious, I don’t mean to pretend that I have authority to judge a famous person’s character from afar, in some kind of totalising way. Let’s just be real about a person’s overall legacy: everyone is faillible, but not everyone is on starving-millions-for-personal-gain level terrible.
Example chart #1: Audre Lorde
Audre Lorde was an American writer, professor, philosopher, intersectional feminist, poet and civil rights activist. She was a self-described "Black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, mother, warrior, poet" who dedicated her life and talents to confronting different forms of injustice, as she believed there could be “no hierarchy of oppressions among those who share the goals of liberation and a workable future for our children”. Lorde’s famous essay "The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House" is frequently quoted, and so is “Poetry is Not a luxury”.
The legacy section of Audre Lorde’s Wikipedia page is frankly enough to give me chills—she endures as a figure embodying fierce love and solidarity in the face of hardship and oppression.
To quote some of it:
The Audre Lorde Project, founded in 1994, is a Brooklyn-based organization for LGBT people of color. The organization concentrates on community organizing and radical nonviolent activism around progressive issues within New York City, especially relating to LGBT communities, AIDS and HIV activism, pro-immigrant activism, prison reform, and organizing among youth of color.
In June 2019, Lorde was one of the inaugural fifty American "pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes" inducted on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor within the Stonewall National Monument (SNM) in New York City's Stonewall Inn.
The Audre Lorde Award is an annual literary award presented by Publishing Triangle to honor works of lesbian poetry, first presented in 2001.
That’s some powerful, positive impact on humanity in my humble opinion, may she rest in power.
Audre Lorde was born on February 18th, 1934 at 21:00 in New York, NY (A rated, Scholfield).
Audre Lorde was born with 11° Libra rising, ruled by Venus retrograde at 8° Aquarius. Venus is considered afflicted when retrograde. Since this is a night chart, Venus is the most helpful planet, and is here hosted by the planet representing the biggest challenges: Saturn, ruler of Aquarius. So basically, Venus is in a pretty tough fucking spot here.
There are mitigations, as Venus is in planetary joy in the 5th whole sign House, angular if looking to Placidus houses, and in decanic dignity in Aquarius I. But Saturn, in copresence, is also conjunct the North Node and under the beams. The proximity of the Sun to the North Node and Saturn here tells us there was a Solar eclipse shortly before, and that it was close to Saturn. That’s very intense for a prenatal Lunation.
Looking at all seven visible planets in Lorde’s chart, essential dignity drastically varies. Saturn is in domicile and triplicity, and the Moon is exalted and in triplicity, fresh off her exaltation degree. But the Moon depends on afflicted Venus. The Sun is in exile, Mercury is in fall, and Jupiter also depends on afflicted Venus. To sum up, it’s a real mixed bag as far as essential dignity goes, and all in all, there are more difficult factors than not.
So how can we see this show up in Lorde’s life, in a way that’s so much more nuanced than “lack of essential dignity = bad person” or even “lack of essential dignity = shitty life”?
For one thing, Lorde has been so obviously teaching Venusian virtues of love and connection in unconventional, counter-current ways in a patriarchal, capital-obsessed context. A lesbian Black poet advocating for liberation for all! That sounds pretty spot-on for Venus retrograde in the “Mark of Exile” decan4, and for Mercury in Pisces5 copresent Mars in the 6th House of labour and solidarity6. There’s also something to be said there about the Sun in Aquarius, its place of exile—I’m reminded of what another Aquarius Sun, Hawk Grubb, has to say about this placement and “Exile’s insight”.
Overall, I think Lorde’s natal chart is a great one to look into to parse out the nuances of technically difficult placements, or very mixed planetary condition. It figures that her chart wouldn’t look easy-peasy because her life included significant struggle as a marginalised person. But I also do see testimony to her strength of character and the beauty of her contributions; and I find the interplay between Venus as chart ruler from a tight spot, and the exalted Moon in the 8th House of shared resources ruling the MC, fascinating in that regard7.
In conclusion, her chart is not as filled with essentially dignified planets as, say, that of the father of apartheid. And surprise, surprise, her legacy looks much brighter than his!
Let’s look at two more examples.