It is common to hear modern astrologers criticize the traditional astrology concepts of debility, detriment and fall.
For those of you who do not use these interpretive terms, a planet in a sign opposite to the one it rules is in detriment, and a planet opposite its exaltation sign is said to be in fall. To be in rulership or exaltation is called being dignified, and to be in detriment or fall is called being debilitated. In traditional astrology both detriment and fall will tend to hinder or create problems in the expression of that planet.
There is much criticism of the negative connotations of these terms, and much insistence that a planet in a debilitated state can be a strong asset in a chart. Let a planet just be as it is; any sign placement of any planet can be used positively.
What I maintain here is that the concepts of debility, detriment, and fall can give useful information as to how a planet will play out in a person’s life. They can provide useful information on how to deal with the planet’s expression.
To illustrate that, I want to take a detailed look at a debilitated planet I know very well from experience – Mercury in Pisces in my own natal chart.
Mercury in Pisces is in both detriment and fall, so it is doubly debilitated.
Now obviously this does not mean I am not intelligent or that I cannot communicate verbally – I was a top student and national merit scholar in school, and I make my living as a computer trainer. Also, I have written a book on traditional astrology that has received very good reviews, I am sitting here writing this entry in my online journal, and you are reading it.
So, that completely discredits the notion that a planet in detriment and fall cannot express positively.
However, I want consider the meanings of those two terms here, detriment and fall, and see how they have played out in my life.
A planet in detriment is said to be out of control, scattered, not in its element. Projects started tend to fall apart and come to nothing. There is a lack of ease, comfort, at-home-ness.
A planet in fall is said to be not respected, not heard or listened to, accorded little honor – I call it the Rodney Dangerfield of debility.
Can I see evidence of these problems with detriment and fall? You betcha, and I wish I had been conscious of them a lot earlier in my life; it would have saved me a lot of grief.
Detriment – I can’t count the number of book projects I have started writing and not finished. When I read my attention often jumps all over the place, and I will pick up one book, read a couple of pages, then put it down and jump over to another.
Another characteristic of Mercury in detriment, is playing loose with the truth, lying and being deceitful. When I was younger you could describe me as an oblivious liar – I thought of myself as basically truthful but didn’t mind stretching things a bit – or a lot – to make myself look good. I got myself in trouble with that.
Fall – I have often had the experience of feeling like I was being ignored, not taken seriously, not listened to. Have you ever had the experience in a meeting of making a suggestion and having it blown off, then having someone else make exactly the same suggestion a little later and have it be welcomed? I’ve been through that a lot – and, btw, I understand that is a common experience of women in the business world in a meeting made up mostly of men.
Internally I have always felt that the way I think was kind of odd, out of sync with the world around me, so I felt misunderstood, not listened to. After one too many funny looks when I said something I was thinking, I learned to keep my mouth shut. I also learned how to play the game of fitting in with the world around me.
Have I made this difficulty work in my favor? Yes, I think so. Precisely because issues with Mercury were a problem, a sore spot, I spent a great deal of time and effort studying and working on all aspects of the mind and communication, verbal and non-verbal both. Over the years I think this has given the ability to articulate what I am thinking and feeling quite clearly, and also to listen carefully to how others communicate, to really hear what they are saying.
I try to speak only truthfully, but I am often aware if the desire or tendency to clean things up a bit to look better. Do I think I am completely truthful? No, but I think the “stretches” get less frequent and less stretchy.
Do I look at the world a bit differently than most people around me? Yes, I do, and after much work I have gotten pretty good at communicating what I am thinking in a way that is now often well received, precisely because it is different, a bit odd, a bit out of the norm.
That was a long hard road, especially when I was younger and wasn’t very aware of what is going on.
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Now, let’s take this and put it in the context of my visiting an astrologer for a reading.
A good, positive-slanted modern astrologer would talk about how intuitive and artistic I was, maybe how spiritual and sensitive. One astrologer dwelt on how I often used humor to communicate my ideas, and that is true.
I could walk out of a reading like that feeling vaguely puffed up at how very spiritual and evolved I was.
It would have been very useful to me if I’d found an astrologer who had talked about the problems – you don’t feel respected or taken seriously, you feel odd or misunderstood, you don’t always talk in ways that other people understand, your mind can get scattered and jump all over the place, you start a ton of projects you don’t finish and can stand to work on consistency and discipline, you can be deceitful and a liar sometimes, and so on.
I had to figure out all those things on my own, the long, slow and hard way.
So there is my point – debility, detriment and fall, are not judgemental terms, they are descriptive terms. Talking about problems or difficulties is not a put-down and does not mean you are destined to be second rate. It does mean that you have some work to do, and an increase in awareness is helpful and necessary to deal with the problems.
Trust me – I am Mercury in Pisces, and I know this point really, really well by now.
Excellent article. Thanks for this wonderful info.
I too have Mercury in Pisces and have experienced the same things you speak of. I think differently and sometimes I can’t say how I think because it goes counter to mainstream astrology. This same Mercury is trine to Jupiter which just makes my reading and studying a potluck of flitting from one thing to the next. Jack of all trades, master of none. I am also intuitive, have a great imagination which I have channeled into storytelling. Thanks for sharing your insights.
I have Moon at 8 degrees Capricorn, H8, intercept. I KNOW this is detriment by sign and fall by house. Has any Astrologer ever told me anything pertinent about this really unfortunate position of the Moon? No.
I have Mars in Capricorn at 27 degrees Capricorn, H9. How this exaltation helps or hinders the Moon is something I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO HAVE ANALYZED SOMEDAY. Maybe I’ll be able to do it myself after I get better at this stuff.
My mercury in Capricorn ! Is it good ?
Very relatable & informative article. I have the opposite but equal problem – Jupiter in Gemini & in my 10th. I can totally relate to most of this- being ignored, the lack of respect, difficulty to get through to & understood by others or begrudged when I do & am. I make quick, quirky connections that most people don’t understand, and flip from being obsessively into something, a book e.g., but suddenly switch to another book or activity. Often it seems to me people are speaking a foreign language; I have no idea of its importance or tone but am looked at askance if I ask a meaningful question. Ironically astrologers insist that it’s wonderful from just being in my 10th, though my life & career have not supported this, but they often are jealous nonetheless – double-jeopardy! However I do know of people who have used their ultra-mutability and interests to their benefit – journalism, writing, etc.For others life would have to be very long to pull their interests together in a cohesive, useful way. Also, unlike Mercury in Pisces, Jupiter can involve poor judgement & discernment, which also takes a lot of experience to learn. Well, happy mutual reception!
> My mercury in Capricorn ! Is it good ?
That depends on a whole lot of things – which house; what condition Saturn and Mars are in; aspects to that Mercury, and so on. It is also most likely not completely good or bad, but has a range of effects.
I too am conscious of struggling with the same as if Mercury was in it’s Pisces position of Detriment and Fall frustrations and unreliability problems with Mercury in Capricorn square to Neptune conjunct my Libra Ascendant as well. So why do we deal with and relate to the same life challenging things? To Modern astrologers wouldn’t my difficult Mercury to Neptune configuration be more apparent than yours?You could have great mind-related Neptunian perceptive gifts.
Great insights on Mercury in Fall, probably very good for a storyteller, specifically TALL TALES!!!
>> probably very good for a storyteller, specifically TALL TALES!!!
Yes, perfect!
Just love how you described your struggles with detriment and fall. The way you described them as things to work on rather than judge or label yourself gave these placements more hope and lots of satisfaction to be had once worked through and understood! I can completely relate. Thanks for fantastic writing.
This article is so relatable. Thank you for sharing this amazing insight. I too have Mercury in Pisces and often is not respected and heard in terms of communication. Fortunately, i’m aware of this from young age and have improved my communication a lot! And the perks is, now i’m able to get my point across effectively and at the same time full of imagination and creativity that sometimes astound people around me. I talk little but when i talk i shock people (have a dominant uranus in chart).
Well thank you! I too have had a rough life with this thing. I have Mercury RETROGRADE in Pisces combust Sun in the 9th house (My Sun is in Pisces). Wow. I never really understood why people always snickered at me. However, thankfully there have always been a few who really were amazed at me….knowing how gifted I am. I wrote a children’s poetry faerie tale book in 1993, finally published it, and get good feedback. But. I wish I got more. I am grateful though, for the good wishes and the sales I do get. Especially in academia. I am a teacher. Any more tips for the retrograde aspect of me?
Thanks for your comments. About the retrograde – I think you’re already doing it with your writing. Retrogrades can often work well with introspective kinds of creative activities, or just with that Mercury in Pisces. I know I couldn’t survive and stay sane without my journal and other writing.
Mercury Pisces here. I used to have a bad habit of lying to myself. It’s less often now, and I’m still working on that. Good thing I have a stone cold Capricorn Moon and detatched Aquarius Sun to handle all that crap. I now view my detriments and falls as places of strength, and they are why I’m still here. Love your article. Thank you. I’m bookmarking and will be reading more.
Wow thanks for this – Mercury in Pisces with Gemini Rising here.
I experienced that part you mentioned – about being ignored and not taken seriously, a lot actually! I soon learned to assert myself with my 3rd house Mars which makes me come across as aggressive sometimes but at least I’m heard.
Another thing I noticed about this Mercury in Pisces is the tendency to get bored of things mid-way and not finish it – especially my writing. Its a challenge I’m determined to transform though. I’m relying heavily on my Virgo Saturn to help out.
Hi Charles,
That was quite an example of what Detriment and Fall are related with situations in the real world!
What about detriment sun? Is that why Aquarian attributes have us described as detached and searching? Before now, I’ve loved every minute of how my mind works in all it’s marvelous ways. (I too also learned how to play the game of fitting in with the world around me). It must be my transits. I’m in my early 50s, and it’s only been the last year or so that I suddenly feel out-of-place.
Yes I think it applies to detriment Sun. Take into account that traditional astrology does NOT identify the person with their Sun sign. For instance I was born March 7 but I do not take that to mean that “I am a Pisces”.
Traditional looks at the whole chart, but places special emphasis on the Ascendant ruler, for the person. So for me I have Capricorn rising, so I am best described by Saturn in the chart.
Try looking at your chart that way and see if you get new insights.
I have Mercury in Pisces conjunct the Moon by 3 degrees in the 3rd house. I can relate to your descriptions. My mother called me “scatterbrain” as a child, probably because of my facility in shifting attention to different things, and wanted me to follow a routine more. I don’t like routine so much and I suffer in repetitive office jobs. Teaching suits me, and now I am an author, lecturer, and editor – loving divergent and exploratory interpretations of astrology that are not stuck in cliched and overworked keywords.
Omg reading this was like reading something I wrote myself!! The similarities we’ve experience are insane! I’m obviously also a Pisces Mercury, but it’s also in my 3H, and it happens to be loosely conjunct my sun and at the bottom of a grand mutable cross. So I’ve always had a hard time understanding all that going on in that area of my chart. Very conflicting stuff happening. Mercury is in the worst sign it can be, but in its house of rulership! When the sun is so close it’s supposed to combust planets within 10 degrees and make mercury less affective but communication has always been so important to me and I tend to do well with it. I’m also, like you, of high intelligence, but feel as tho I have a hard time being heard and often feel misunderstood or no matter how hard I try to explain others just can’t or don’t understand what I’m trying to put out there. I always blamed that on my Chiron in Gemini, so it’s interring to hear that could also be just the Pisces Merc too. Anyway, thanks for sharing! Your insight is fantastic!
Great helpful and distilled article! Thank you Charles!
I cannot thank you enough for writing this article! As a new student of astrology, I have been worried about my 3rd house with Mercury in Pisces. I’ve just learned debilitation and have been hoping It doesn’t mean I’m an idiot! Just kidding. That’s my Mercury using humor I guess. You described it perfectly. I am halfway through 12 books or more. I get really excited about things and then don’t finish. I’m guessing maybe my ADHD is Mercury related. I frequently give a friend of mine advice (based on the little astrology I know) and then later she’ll tell me about something wonderful that her neighbor told her which is the same exact thing I told her the week before. I have to repeat myself a lot because I’m not heard the first time. I’m curious how to handle that type of thing. Do I need to speak louder? Or just get used to it? I must admit it drives me crazy. I’m Capricorn rising and I expect everyone to listen as well as I do. Man oh man! Well, at least I know why. But I would love to get some advice on how to mitigate it. If possible.
Thanks,
Tina
PS I have 3 of your books. I’ll be sure to make sure I read them all the way through!! 😁
Tina,
Thanks for your comment. For what it’s worth, I also have Capricorn rising.
About what to do about debilitated Mercury – a lot depends on the rest of the chart. I can tell you that, in my case, it took a lot of deliberate work studying communication and language, to get to a point I could use the Mercury to advantage. Saturn, my Ascendant ruler, is strong in my chart, so in my case things get better as I get older, and Saturn sorts of qualities work to my advantage.
I think you’ll find the material in my Dignities book will give you some food for thought on that.
One other thing – I find that, to learn things, I need to go over them multiple times – it often takes multiple passes to get things to stick.
I cannot express how grateful I am for this article Charlie, thank you for taking the time to research this, apply it to yourself, analyse it, and share it! I’ve said it time and time again when people realize I have a Mercury in Pisces, they will often put emphasis on the fall and detriment position rather then extract the positive aspects of this natal placement. Some of these people have even went as far as saying I was doomed in all communication because mercury is retrograde in my 5H conujct my Pisces Sun in the 6H – which I obviously didn’t feel was in alignment with myself or any other fellow Mercury in Pisces. I always perceived this placement as a need to bring all information within, to gather and paint the picture we want to share in our communications with others. When we are engaged in our communication we are quite detail oriented and for myself personally, I need as much information as possible when I am learning and/or teaching something, communicating and/or expressing myself. This was a great read, the comments were amazing! Thank you for sharing this 🔮💜
Another Mercury in Pisces here! I can relate to many of the things you and others have written. My Mercury is in my 4th house and my whole life I have felt misunderstood, by my family especially. I was painfully shy as a small child and rather than encourage me, the adults would criticize me further for it, which exacerbated the problem and made me feel even more self conscious about speaking. Someone once asked my grandmother if I was mute or deaf when I was 4. I didn’t even know what that meant, but once I knew, I would pretend to be mute or deaf when I would meet new people as a cop-out. I also had a problem of stuttering that has almost disappeared as I have aged (now in my 40s), but I have put extra efforts into working on my communication skills over the years. I have always excelled in writing and am much better communicating if I can write over speaking. I still struggle with public speaking, something I have dealt with my whole life and it has always bothered me, so much that I took a class in Improv–the horror of having to think and speak on the fly in front of an audience! I somehow survived it! :-)
Thanks so much for your writing!!
Thank you for your honesty. I’m sure that wasn’t easy to face and express publicly. You should be proud of your bravery. I think most people that struggle with honesty lie to themselves about their dishonesty their whole lives.
This is so helpful, i feel comprehended on a level i didn’t know possible! I also have this situation in my chart – Jupiter in Gemini in the 10th house. I would have thought Jupiter would have liked Gemini… thinking mythologically. I agree with the point put forth in this article that it would be useful for astrologers to identify these area’s in peoples charts as areas for growth. I have a lot of planets in detriment and retrograde in my chart. Maybe thats why i feel so burned out.
Does degree also counts ? Eg <10
No, not really.
Thank you thank you..now I have some work to do. I was just here saying how come I’m not focused on putting in the work for something that I feel that’s great. I I intuitively receive the messages on what to do and here comes distraction..smh.
Thanks again for the article
My mercury is in Pisces also. Along with Jupiter. I’m a Virgo rising @28°. Pisces is my 6th house of health. I have decomposited liver cirrhosis. And as far as mercury being in Pisces I totally agree with you I have felt the same way and I’m still feeling it am I social life and family life.
This is a wonderful post, and I’ve bookmarked it to share with anyone I hear complaining about traditional astrology’s “fatalism” :) Most of my planets are debilitated in some way (Moon, Venus, and Mars in Fall; Saturn in Detriment; Jupiter Retrograde and Peregrine). So I’ve had a number of difficulties, LOL. Your descriptions of Fall and Detriment give me some interesting new ways of thinking about my planets with those debilities. I’m finding traditional astrology to be a rabbit hole of useful insights into how I might deal with these problems in a way that modern astrology never has. (One can’t evaluate strengths and weaknesses if one considers everything to be a strength…) And it has also clarified my distinctive strengths – the Sun and Mercury which are not in terrible shape – that is, instead of taking them for granted, I can think about how to take advantage of their relative strength.
Finally, an explanation! And people who relate!! I felt so alone in my experiences for so long and without any explanation.
I’m wondering if you could give an example of something an honest astrologer could say about how you could work through or improve your Mercury in Pisces?
It depends on the chart. If I remember correctly I talked about that with my chart.
Look at planets that have dignity where Mercury is – at least Jupiter and Venus – and use the minor dignities if you know them.
Also look at any planets that make an aspect to Mercury to see if their quality could help.