Dispositor

Dispositor. A planet's dispositor is the ruler of the sign that planet sits in. If your Venus is in Aries, and Aries is ruled by Mars, then Mars is the dispositor of your Venus. The dispositor has a kind of authority over its guest, much like a landlord, so the planet in the sign depends in part on the condition and placement of the one that rules it. Following these links creates a chain. Venus might depend on Mars, which depends on whatever rules the sign Mars is in, and so on. Tracing the chain shows how the planets in a chart lean on one another and where the real influence gathers. Sometimes a chain leads to a final dispositor, a single planet that every other planet answers to in the end. This happens when a planet sits in its own sign and so disposes of itself, becoming the endpoint for the others. A final dispositor is a commanding focal point in a chart. In other charts the chains loop back on themselves with no final dispositor, which suggests a more evenly balanced spread of influence with no single planet in charge.