Keywords & Significators. 

The idea of using keywords as an aid to interpretation was the brainchild of the late Margaret Hone. This, together with her need to produce a logical scheme of analysis, helped lay the foundations for a more systematic approach to Astrology. Prior to this, astrology seemed to depend on a more haphazard approach in which the planetary placements and interplanetary aspects were interpreted by adopting previously made observations or intuitive understandings, such ideas being handed down through the generations. Even today, attempts are made by students to learn lists of ready made interpretations, a method doomed to failure I might add. The keyword system is much simpler and is capable of producing interpretations which are more in keeping with the nature of the chart in hand. By learning only a relatively small number of keywords even the novice can produce imaginative interpretations to rival anything found in a book. 

It should be noted that Margaret Hone did not invent keywords as such, these had been around for hundreds of years in the form of the Doctrine of Correspondences, an ancient collection of words and phrases attributed to the planets - a sort of filing cabinet in which just about everything in creation was filed away under planetary headings. Much was made of this by mediaeval magicians who would gather together items considered to be 'attuned' to a planet in the hope that this would somehow cause the planetary entities to behave themselves and come up with the goods, so to speak. Similar ideas still exist today, and not only in magic or superstition. Why is it that gold is so prized, for instance? 

We mere mortals who choose to study astrology have a much more immediate need - that of interpreting a chart quickly and efficiently. Here, the Doctrine comes into its own. But were do we find this information? Some attempts have been made to collect and collate this information, the most notable being the Rulership Book by Rex E, Bills, which I believe is still in print. Although a noble effort it is rather unwieldy in its present form. Without detracting from what the author has done, I have attempted to produce a more useful method of collating keywords based on the needs of present day astrologers. It is not intended to be a complete list of every possible keyword in existence; this would be virtually impossible. Instead, it attempts to list the most important keywords and keyphrases under definite headings in a logical pattern so that you may quickly locate the information you need. 

You will note I have diverged from the norm by dividing the subject matter into two distinct groups - Keywords and Significators. I regard this distinction as essential. Also, I have subdivided the words and placed them under distinct headings, the advantages of which will become apparent with use. 

Some words of explanation are needed.

PLANETS.

Each page is headed by the planet name and its symbol.

Principle. This word is not intended as a keyword but is given to show the basic principle through which the planetary urge expresses itself.

Main Significator. This indicates the general nature of the planet. Its main use is as an aid to memory; a peg, if you like, to hang other keywords on. In time, just bringing to mind a significator such as Self-expression will automatically suggest related keywords, such as confident, loving, conscientious, etc.

Significators. These are groups of keywords which act like nouns - they can be described, so they are different to keywords. The difference can be seen in the following example. Confident is a character trait and a keyword, it describes how someone behaves. Confidence is a facet of character which, in itself, can be described and is best considered to be a Significator. For instance; in the first case we could say that the subject is Confident - we are describing how the subject behaves. In the second case, we could say: his confidence is truly amazing, or, his confidence is remarkable in that it shines through regardless. In this case, a facet of the person's character is being described. Significators are grouped under distinct headings for ease of use. 

Keywords. These show how a person behaves or reacts to life - they describe what someone is or does. It is divided into three sections (General, Mentality, Emotions) each showing both positive and negative traits. Note that some rows are intentionally blank because there are no available keywords. With this grouping it is possible to pinpoint a trait at a glance. For example; If you were examining a chart for the emotional nature of a subject then you can see the likely traits planet by planet. The process of memorising keywords is also much easier with logical groupings like this.

For each Sign, we have a Main keyword together with positive and negative keywords listed under the same headings of General, Mentality & Emotions.

HOUSES.

Each House has a list of Main significators together with several Secondary significators.

A complete alphabetical listing of Significators used in this work.

Note: the more extreme keywords, such as sadistic or violent, are included because they are relevant to the planet in question. They should be used with care and only if there are other indications to back them up.

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