The Almuten, or Lord of the Geniture, is that planet which surpasses all the other planets in the nativity by its essential and accidental strength.
The native will greatly incline, in temperament and disposition, toward the nature of this planet throughout the whole course of life.
- If Saturn is Almuten, the native will generally be melancholy, serious, and austere.
- If Jupiter is Almuten, the native will be honest, just, virtuous, and religious in his actions.
- If Mars is Almuten, the native will be rash, bold, and headstrong.
- If the Sun is Almuten, the native will be noble-minded, ambitious, and aspiring.
- If Venus is Almuten, the native will be courteous, friendly, pleasant, and much inclined to mirth and pleasure.
- If Mercury is Almuten, the native will be inclined to study, wit, curiosity, and many clever inventions.
- If the Moon is Almuten, the native will be changeable and seldom settled during the course of life.
To find the Almuten, proceed in this manner: first gather into a table the dignities and debilities of the planets, both essential and accidental, as taught earlier. Then subtract each planet’s debilities from its fortitudes. The planet that has the greatest number of dignities remaining after this subtraction shall be accepted as the Almuten, or Lord of the Geniture.
The Greek astrologers had another method for finding the Almuten of the figure. They carefully observed which planet had the greatest essential dignity in the places of Mercury and the Moon, and they made that planet Lord of the Geniture. Their reason was this: Mercury is the principal ruler of the mind and spirits, while the Moon governs the body.
But the former method — choosing the planet that is most strongly dignified in the whole figure — is the more certain one, and in my experience comes nearest to the truth.
For although Mercury and the Moon are the general significators of the mind and body, they cannot rightly be made Almuten of the figure unless they, or the planet chosen through them, are also dignified in the manner described above.
Note also: if two planets have equal dignity in the nativity, then that planet shall be accepted as Almuten which has the greatest essential dignity in the Ascendant. This is especially true if he is lord of the Ascendant, or if he casts friendly and benevolent rays to the Ascendant, its lord, or the Sun and Moon.
A Table of the Fortitudes and Debilities of the Planets
