Five Prerogatives of Dominion

fyv pre-ROG-uh-tivz uhv duh-MIN-yun

greek: πέντε ἐξουσίαι (pente exousiai)

Definition

The Five Prerogatives are the five ways a planet can claim rulership over a given place in the chart — exousia (Greek ἐξουσία, "authority, prerogative"). A planet may be tied to a place by triplicity, by domicile (sign-rulership), by exaltation, by bound, or by phase-or-configuration (an authorized aspect). The planet linked by the most of these is chosen as the ruler. It is a ruler-selection procedure, not the table of essential dignities itself.

In Tradition

Ptolemy and Hephaistio set out the same five-way scheme. A planet eligible for dominion over a degree must connect to it by at least one prerogative. The candidate links are triplicity, house, exaltation, term, and phase-and-configuration; the planet holding the most is taken as the ruler. Ptolemy uses the scheme both for the Animodar rectification and as the general ruler-selection method. Hephaistio relies on it for prenatal-syzygy rectification and the length-of-life releasing-ruler. Some Hellenistic authors split phase from configuration into a sixth way, but these two count them together as the fifth.

In Practice

To find the ruler of any topic, locate the place that governs it. Then test each planet against that place on five counts: does it rule the triplicity, the domicile, the exaltation, or the bound, and does it configure the place by an authorized aspect? Tally the prerogatives. The one that holds the most is your ruler, and a planet claiming several is far stronger in that role than one claiming only one. This is how you select a single significator from several candidates — different work from simply scoring a planet on the dignity table.

Historical Origin

Ptolemy states the five prerogatives in Tetrabiblos III.3-4 (trans. J. M. Ashmand, pp. 120, 123), where they ground the Animodar method and the universal ruler-selection procedure. Hephaistio of Thebes gives the same enumeration in Apotelesmatics Book II (chapter 2, p. 20, and chapter 11, in Robert Schmidt's translation), used for rectification and the length-of-life releasing-ruler.

Etymology

Origin: Greek. Meaning: five authorities or prerogatives of rulership.

Further Reading

  • Claudius Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos
  • Chris Brennan, Hellenistic Astrology