Accidental Dignity

Accidental Dignity. Accidental dignity describes how strong a planet is because of its situation in the chart, as opposed to essential dignity, which measures strength by sign. A planet can be powerfully placed by circumstance even when it is weak by sign, so the two kinds of dignity are weighed together to judge how well a planet can act. The main source of accidental dignity is house position. A planet in an angular house, especially the first or tenth, is strongly placed and able to make itself felt, while a planet in a cadent house works more quietly. Other circumstances add or subtract strength too. A planet moving swiftly and direct, sitting in its joy, free of the Sun's beams, or joined to a benefic gains accidental dignity, while one that is retrograde, slow, combust, or hemmed in by malefics loses it. Accidental dignity explains why a planet can be prominent in a life without being strong by sign, or quietly placed despite ruling its sign. Read alongside essential dignity, it completes the picture of a planet's condition. Accidental dignity answers how well a planet's circumstances let it act, whatever its sign.