Critical Degrees

Critical Degrees. Certain degrees of the zodiac are traditionally regarded as critical, meaning a planet placed there is emphasized and tends to act with extra strength or sensitivity. They come from an old system tied to the Moon's daily motion, and a planet on a critical degree is thought to be highlighted regardless of the sign it occupies. The critical degrees follow the three modalities. For the cardinal signs, Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn, they fall at zero, thirteen, and twenty-six degrees. For the fixed signs, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius, they fall around eight or nine and twenty-one or twenty-two degrees. For the mutable signs, Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces, they fall at four and seventeen degrees. A planet sitting on one of these degrees is given added weight in a reading. Sources differ slightly on the exact figures, so critical degrees are used as a guide rather than a strict rule. A planet on a critical degree often shows a theme that stands out strongly in a person's life. They offer one more way to spot which placements carry extra emphasis in a chart.