Planet Details (Placements)

Every planet carries six layers of detail that combine into a single coherent statement about its expression. The sign reveals how the planet expresses itself (Mars in Aries acts directly; Mars in Pisces dissolves boundaries). The exact degree shows whether it sits at a critical or anaretic late degree, where the expression is heightened or fading. The house places the planet's action in a life area. Dignity tells you whether the planet is at home (domicile), at its peak (exaltation), out of place (detriment), or weakened (fall). Retrograde status flips outward expression inward — a retrograde planet processes its theme through reflection rather than action. Velocity (fast, slow, stationary) measures how forcefully the planet is moving; stationary planets are the most potent. Declination, the distance north or south of the celestial equator, creates parallels and contraparallels — the third aspect dimension often overlooked in modern practice.

Planet details are the raw material of your chart. Reading all six layers together — instead of relying on summary labels — is what separates a deep practitioner read from a surface one. A Mars in Pisces, retrograde, near a stationary degree behaves nothing like a Mars in Aries that is fast and direct, even though both are 'Mars in your chart.'