How to determine the strongest planet(s) in a chart

In order to interpret charts, it is very important to

determine the strongest influences within the chart.
Among the factors that will have the most influence on a
person are:

A. The strongest aspects in the chart, especially the

strongest energetic aspects (conjunction, square,
opposition, and to a lesser degree semisquare and
sesquare).

B. Clusters of planets in one place (called stellia), i.e. in

one sign or all conjunct within orb.

C. Overall chart patterns like T-squares in Western

astrology and Yogas in Vedic astrology.

D. The weakest planets in the chart (e.g. combust, weak by

sign, etc.) have significant disruptive effects on life themes.

However, the strongest planets in a person's chart often

represent pre-eminent influences, and therefore it
becomes vital to be able to ascertain what planets are
strongest.

Principles of Planetary Strength

1. Planets that are conjunct or square the

Ascendant within 5 degrees (and preferably less) are
among the strongest planets in the chart. Planets tightly
opposed the Ascendant may have strength too, but usually
to a lesser extent.
2. Planets that have no planets on either side of them for at
least 60 degrees (two signs) become "bucket handles" and
have great impact.

3. Planets that are retrograde are very strong and "Full",

i.e. closest to the Earth and visibly largest, and have a
major impact (with the exception of the "invisible" planets
Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto which are retrograde quite
often).

4. The Moon when it is within one sign of Full is very

strong.

5. Planets with essential dignity, i.e. in their own sign

(rulership) or exaltation, are very strong.

Important note: I have been practicing Western astrology

for 35 years and Vedic astrology the past 13 years and
have come to realize that planetary strength should be
ascertained using the Sidereal Zodiac (with the Lahiri
ayanamsha) and not the Tropical Zodiac. For years, as a
Western astrologer, I tried to use strength-via-sign-
placement in the Tropical Zodiac and never got effective
results. As soon as I started using the Sidereal Zodiac, it
became immediately apparent that this approach worked.

6. Planets with directional strength are very strong.

Mercury and Jupiter are strongest when in the First
House, Venus and Moon when in the Fourth house, Mars
and the Sun (and the South Node) when in the Tenth
House, and Saturn (and the North Node) when in the
Seventh House.
7. Because every chart is unique, there will arise other
considerations that will make a particular planet strong in
a specific chart beyond the above-listed factors.

Application of Planetary Strength

I. Strong planets influence all planets that they aspect, and

all houses that they aspect. (Note: in both Vedic and
Hellenistic astrology, planets aspect empty houses, not just
planets.)

II. Strong planets will magnify the potency of planetary

patterns (as introduced in point C above).

III. Strong planets in the birth chart will also be more

influential as transiting planets. (The principle being that
transiting planets affect different charts differently,
partially due to each planet's strength in the birth chart.)

IV. In comparing the effects and influence of two or more

planets in conjunction, the strongest planet wins.

V. The strongest of: the house occupants, planets that

aspect a house, and the house ruler will have the most
influence on the themes of that house.

VI. The strongest planet to influence the First House often

has the greatest effect on a person's life. This includes the
aforementioned First House occupants, planets that aspect
the First House, the First House ruler, and the planets that
aspect the First House ruler.
The above principles just touch on a few of the many
effects of strong planets upon a chart.

Examples
Meryl Streep's chart illustrates many of the principles of
this article. Her Jupiter is strong because it is retrograde,
close to the Descendant, and alone in half the sky (a bucket
handle). Yes, it is at the descendant, which I said gives it
less strength, and yes, it is in its weakest sign in the Vedic
chart.

But in a way, this is fortunate for us, because it invites me

to share a principle that I have learned from my Vedic
guru Hart de Fouw: a planet's weakness does not affect its
strength. A planet that is strong and weak will manifest
both strength and weakness. You don't "mush" the two
together and call it mediocre. [Which is why all formulaeic
methods of determining planetary strength, like
Astrodynes, fail miserably. They ignore this principle.}]

Even if you did "mush" the strength and weakness

together, you would be adding two-and-a-half strengths
(bucket handle, retrograde, and 1/2 at the Descendant) to
only one weakness, and still end up with Jupiter being the
strongest planet in the chart.

I think the following quote attributed to Ms. Streep sums

up her Jupiterian wisdom, openness, etc.:

"Listening is everything. Listening is the whole deal.

That's what I think. And I mean that in terms of before
you work, after you work, in between work, with your
children, with your husband, with your friends, with your
mother, with your father. It's everything. And it's where
you learn everything." [From the IMDB.COM bio]
Tom Hanks provides us with additional practice. It is
apparent, even from the Western chart, that Tom's Venus
is pre-eminent, because it is at the top of the
chart and retrograde, closest to the Ascendant's degree.
We may also include retrograde Saturn among the strong
planets, and even Mars, although it is farther from an
angle, and the angle is the Decendant, to boot.

In the Vedic chart, Venus is additionally in its own sign,

confirming even more strongly its pre-eminence. Note too,
however, that the Moon is in its own sign of Cancer, and is
therefore quite strong in a way that is not apparent in the
Western chart.

It is clear that Tom Hanks embodies many of the qualities

of Venus: he's a "soft" man, keeps a lot inside (according
to his wife in the IMDB quote: "My wife keeps on telling
me my worst fault is that I keep things to myself and
appear relaxed", is charming and likeable, is creative (has
written scripts and even music), and is, to quote an
interview with Lynn Barber in the at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/ "Nice nice nice nice nice"
[Nice is a Venus word] and was "charming and courteous
and friendly and helpful" during the interview even
though he had a nasty cold at the time and she deliberately
tried to needle him.