Imagine that there are twelve schools, each with three hundred students.
These schools are like the signs of the zodiac, with each school specializing in different subjects and skills.
The Aries school teaches its students how to be aggressive, fight, and succeed in war. The Aquarius school teaches science and is concerned with humanity. The Taurus school teaches finance, music, the arts, and so on.
DOMICILE
A planet in domicile is like the principal of a school.
Mercury is the principal of the Gemini school, where the students learn how to communicate, read, write, and work with information and data.
Mercury provides high-speed internet, mail and phone services, computer servers, and other communication or media resources to the students. Mercury is the director of the school, so he can guide its policies, manage the budget, and allocate resources accordingly.
EXALTATION
A planet in exaltation is like a person who is on the school board.
For example, Saturn serves on the Libra school board. When he visits the Libra school, Saturn is shown the utmost respect. All the creative goods of the school — the fine arts, beautiful designs, diplomacy, and integrity — are offered to Saturn. As a member of the Libra school board, Saturn is able to command, direct, and influence school policies.
TRIPLICITY
The schools are organized into four groups: the fire group, the earth group, the air group, and the water group. Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius form the fire group, and so on. Each group of schools is governed by three group leaders.
A planet in triplicity, like the Sun in Sagittarius and Jupiter in Aries, is like a group leader who is visiting a school that is part of his group. They have support in their community and simple administrative responsibilities, and take part in creating policies that apply to all schools within the group.
BOUND
Each school has five classrooms. The number of students in each classroom is different and depends on the school.
A planet in its own bound is like the teacher of a class.
The teacher is responsible for using the resources of the school and teaching the students of the class in their own unique style. This way the teacher has enough power to set the rules and regulations within the classroom and decide how they go about mentoring the students.
Take the Aries school for example. It has five classrooms.
Jupiter is the class teacher of the first classroom. There are sixty students in his classroom (corresponding to the first six degrees of Aries). Jupiter is a very liberal, generous, and optimistic teacher. He teaches his students the philosophy of war and different strategies to win wars. He makes sure his students are equipped with all the ammunition and firearms required for war.
Venus is the teacher of the second classroom in the Aries school. She has sixty students in her classroom (corresponding to the second six degrees of Aries). Being Venus, she is focused on love, peace, and social skills. Although the resources of the school are not optimal for her, she teaches her students how to be bold and proactive in their interactions with others. She cultivates a love for war and competition among her students. She may also teach how a little friendly competition can make relationships stronger.
Mercury is the teacher of the third classroom in the Aries school. He has eighty students in his classroom. Being Mercury, he is focused on communication skills. He teaches his students how to report on wars and prefers a communication style that is quick and straightforward. His students learn the role of messengers during wartime. He also equips his students with knowledge of different weapons.
Mars is the teacher of the fourth classroom in the Aries school. He has fifty students in his classroom. Note that Mars is also the principal of the Aries school. Mars is focused on aggression and war and teaches all kinds of direct and combative behavior. The resources of the school — weapons, ammunition, firearms, missiles, bombs — all are perfect for Mars and he can command and use them to the fullest.
Saturn is the teacher of the fifth and final classroom in the Aries school. He also has fifty students in his classroom. Being Saturn, he is focused on being economical and is a very strict teacher. Saturn teaches his students how to wage war with minimal resources and how to withstand long periods of frustration when one seems to be making no progress. Students are also taught guerilla and trench warfare, with defense prioritized in this classroom.
DECAN
The decan rulers are vocational teachers in the school. Each school has three vocational teachers that are responsible for 100 students each. The vocational teacher trains the students based on their expertise.
For example, Mars rules the first decan of Aries. In the Aries school, Mars is a vocational teacher who teaches the first 100 students martial skills. These students wear red uniforms and are given additional training related to combat and aggression.
The second decan of Aries is ruled by the Sun. In this example, the Sun is the vocational teacher who teaches the second 100 students in the Aries school. These students wear yellow uniforms and are given additional training related to fame, glory, and patriotism.
The third decan of Aries is ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter is the vocational teacher who teaches the last 100 students in the Aries school. These students wear orange uniforms and are given additional training related to being magnanimous, generous, philosophical, and optimistic.
Multiple Roles
One important thing to observe is the multiple roles each planet is playing.
For example, in the Aries school, Mars is the principal (domicile ruler) of the school, a class teacher (bound ruler), and a vocational teacher (decan ruler).
The Sun serves on the school’s board (exaltation) and also provides vocational training to 100 of the school’s students as a decan ruler.
From Lesson 7 – Essential Dignities – The ‘Beginning Traditional Natal Astrology’ Course
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