Day vs. Night Charts: The Keys to Understanding Sect in Traditional Astrology
In traditional astrology, an ancient doctrine called “Sect” outlines the power structure of the chart, based on whether the chart is a day chart or a night chart. The distinction between whether you were born during the day or at night defines the qualitative strengths of the traditional planets in your chart in relation to one another.
Traditional Astrologers look at whether the Sun is above or below the horizon line to determine whether you have a day chart or a night chart. This distinction, called “Sect” qualitatively alters the strength of all of the traditional planets in your natal chart. Traditional astrologers use the concept of sect to identify where each of the planets in your chart sits on the spectrum of benefic to malefic.
Sometimes called diurnal charts or nocturnal charts, day charts and night charts have clear differences in how helpful planets will be for the native.
What Is Sect?
Sect is a concept of classification in traditional astrology which establishes the difference between day charts and night charts, thereby changing the qualities and strengths of each of the planets.
Sect is a primary concept in traditional astrology and is a critical consideration to most traditional and especially Hellenistic (deriving from Hellenic Greece) astrological techniques. Unfortunately, Sect was largely left out of modern astrology and is a missing component in many astrologer’s toolkits today. Fortunately, over the past two or three decades, as new translations and traditional astrological sourcebooks are being made more widely available, sect is experiencing a revival and reintegration into many professional astrological practices.
Qualities, Nature, Gender and Sect are the four primary categorical classifications that traditional astrologers use to assess planetary condition in a chart.
In addition to being a primary consideration in reading a natal chart, sect will also come into play in most traditional techniques including lot calculations, astrological elections, annual profections, firdaria, zodiacal releasing, etc. A well-seasoned traditional astrologer will account for sect when delineating pretty much any major traditional technique that you can think of.
Given the importance of Sect as an underlying consideration in traditional astrology, I’m going to lay out the basics for you in this article so you can begin to use sect in practice when looking at your own and other’s charts.
Key terms & phrases to know
Before we go any further explaining sect, there is some important vocabulary to know. Here is a quick glossary of terms:
Diurnal: of the day. The terms diurnal chart and day chart are often used interchangeably.
Nocturnal: of the night. the terms nocturnal chart and night chart are often used interchangeably.
Benefic: Benefic means good. The benefic planets in traditional astrology are Venus and Jupiter. These planets are said to bring good things to the life of the native. Apart from the planets which are inherently benefic, there are other factors that can contribute to a planet’s general beneficence.*
Malefic: Malefic means bad. The malefic planets in traditional astrology are Mars and Saturn. Mars and Saturn generally bring bad or difficult things to the life of the native. Apart from these planets which are inherently malefic, there are other factors that can contribute to a planet’s general maleficence.*
Luminaries: The luminaries in astrology are the Sun and the Moon. The term luminaries refers to the primary lights of the sky we see from earth.
Traditional planets: When astrologers say traditional planets they are referring to the 7 planets which are visible to the human eye from earth. The seven traditional planets include the luminaries. In order from closest to earth to furthest away, the seven traditional planets are:
Moon
Mercury
Venus
Sun
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Sect light: The luminary which rules the sect. If you have a day chart, the Sun is your sect light. If you have a night chart, the Moon is your sect light.
Of the sect: When we say a planet is “of the sect” we mean it is on the team of planets that align to the sect of the chart. Nocturnal planets are of the sect in a nocturnal chart whereas the diurnal planets are of the sect in a day chart.
Out of sect: Planets that are out of sect are not aligned to the sect of the chart. These are nocturnal planets in a day chart or diurnal planets in a night chart. For example, when we say something like “out of sect malefic” we mean the nocturnal malefic in a day chart or diurnal malefic in a night chart. In a day chart, Mars is the out of sect malefic. In a night chart, Saturn is the out of sect malefic.
*A note on the terms benefic and malefic: while these terms are directly related to the concepts of “good” and “bad”, it is critical to understand these terms within the sociopolitical context in which they were used. Traditional astrology in ancient times was extremely focused on identifying individuals’s access to resources. One of the most important resources was food and many farmers and producers grew their crops based on planetary cycles. Each planet in traditional astrology has a natural temperament and quality. Venus and Jupiter, the benefic planets, are generally considered to be moderately warm and moist, which is a type of environment that encourages growth in most plants. On the other hand, Mars is considered to be extremely hot and dry while Saturn is considered to be extremely cold and dry. The quality of extreme dryness in either temperature (fire or frost) will burn or kill a crop. So when you think about benefic and malefic, you can also think about qualities that are growth-supporting (benefic) and qualifies that are growth-constricting (malefic).
How does Sect influence an astrological chart?
Now that you know the key terms for understanding Sect, let’s talk about what Sect does and how it functions.
Sect helps astrologers define which malefics are more constructive while also identifying which benefics are more and less beneficial to the native. In other words:
the difference between being born during the day or at night will change how much good Jupiter and Venus can each create in your life. Jupiter is more benefic/good in a day chart. Venus is more benefic/good in a night chart.
whether the Sun is above or below the horizon when you were born will alter where Mars and Saturn sit on the spectrum of constructive to destructive. Sect is the reason why malefic planets sometimes behave in more benefic ways and why benefic planets are sometimes less effective at bringing about good things in a person’s life.
Sometimes when we talk about sect, we can describe the two sects like two teams that are playing a game of soccer or football. The day team tends to work together and the night team works together to get a shot on goal. Let’s look at who is on the roster of each team:
Day/Diurnal Team: Sun, Jupiter, Saturn
Night/Nocturnal Team: Moon, Venus, Mars
We might say that when a team is playing a home game, they have the upper hand because they know the field with all of its bumps and holes, they have all of their local supporters and they feel at ease and comfortable in a place they know well. In a day chart, the diurnal sect is the home team. In a night chart, the nocturnal sect is the home team. The “away team” or the out of sect planets will feel more challenged. They might notice their passes don’t have the same umph behind them, their warm-up mix doesn’t play super loud because they don’t have the whole speaker system, and their goals don’t get as loud of an applause because their people couldn’t make it. The out of sect planets can still score and even win a game, but the ease and satisfaction might be moderate compared to the in sect team.
The planet Mercury is the only traditional planet who doesn’t strictly side with one team. Depending on the sect of the chart and a variety of other factors, Mercury will be inclined (or not!) to support planets on both the day team or the night team.
In addition to identifying the strength and relative constructiveness of the benefics and malefics, Sect also emphasizes or reduces the strength of each luminary.
in a night chart, the Moon is the sect light and will have more sway over the chart
in a day chart, the Sun is the sect light and will have more sway over the chart
Generally speaking, the Sect light also will create a certain tone of the chart. Nocturnal charts tend to create a tone that feels more nonlinear and geared towards multiplicity while Day charts tend to create a tone that feels more unified, dominant and cohesive. Once we establish the sect light, traditional astrologers will also look at the sign and placement of that luminary to gather more information about its potential strengths as well as ways the light might be obstructed. The placement of the sect light acts as a sort of anchor point in the chart. I often look to the house and sign of the sect light to understand the direction and tone of the native’s general energy and disposition. Sect adds a critical layer to distinguishing the overall importance and power that the Sun or Moon has in any given chart.
To review:
Alternate terms: diurnal/nocturnal, day/night birth.
Day team / Diurnal Sect = Sun, Jupiter, Saturn
Night team / Nocturnal Sect = Moon, Venus, Mars
Mercury plays for both teams
Why do ancient astrologers care about sect? Because it outlines the essential power structure of a chart, describing the qualitative strengths of the traditional planets in relation to one another.
Etymology of sect
“Sect” comes from the greek word “hairesis” meaning “alliance” or “faction”, specifically in regards to a way of thinking like in a political party or, as mentioned above, a team. Sect is about power but it is also about belonging. Specifically, sect describes the alliances that are formed around philosophical approaches, principled ways of doing things and how the customs and bonds within complex allied systems influence one another. Much of traditional astrological doctrine is (unsurprisingly) founded upon ancient customs that were alive and well at the time they were written. Sect doctrine therefore represents status, influence, the willingness to share or limit resources, and determines friends and foes in a way that reflects the customs of Hellenistic Greece. I’ll dive more into these principles underlying sect in another article to be released shortly but for now, we’ll focus on how to use sect.
How to Tell If You Have a Day or Night Chart
Step-by-step instructions:
Look at your birth chart. I recommend using sites like astroseek.com, astro.com or apps such as the CHANI App or Time Passages to cast your chart.
Make sure that the chart calculation is set to whole sign houses. Sect is a concept rooted in ancient astrology so we will need to use a traditional house system to identify whether your chart is diurnal or nocturnal. The whole sign house system is the primary house system used in Hellenistic Astrology.
Find the horizon line. You can do this by drawing a line from the Ascendant to the Descendant. The Ascendant is the place on the eastern horizon (but is on the left side of the chart) and will often be marked on an astrological chart with the letters AC or AS. The descendant represents the point on the western horizon (but is on the right side of the chart) and will often be marked with the letters DC or DS.
Find the Sun. The Sun is usually symbolized by a circle with a dot inside. It looks like this: ☉
Find the Sun’s house placement.
Be cautious if you were born near sunrise or sunset! Some sources will say that if your Sun is in houses 7–12, you have a Day Chart but this is incorrect. The Sun must be above the horizon line to be considered a day chart or below the horizon line to be considered a night chart.
If the Sun is in houses 1–6 it is not automatically a Night Chart. If your Sun is in houses 8-12 you have a day chart. If your Sun is in houses 2-6 you have a night chart.
If your Sun is in houses 1 or 7 you have to make sure to discern whether the Sun is above or below the line. There is some debate amongst astrologers regarding the strength of sect when the Sun is very close to the Ascendant or Descendant. Sometimes the Sun will be right on or just below the Ascendant but the chart will act more like a Day chart. Sometimes the Sun will be just above the Descendant but the chart acts more like a night chart. If you are one of these special cases, I recommend reading my next article and also seeing a professional traditional astrologer to really tease out how sect operates in your chart.
Either way, it’s safe to say that people born around Sunrise and Sunset are special cases. Dawn and dusk are special times of day where the day and the night seem to merge and dissolve into one another so naturally we will treat them differently. One way to think about it would be to consider two ancient noble courts that normally don’t mix but they all come together once or twice a year for a special ritual. People born at this time of the day have potentially more blurry alliances at play and that will be reflected in the life of the native.
To review and practice on your chart. Circle one for each question:
Is the Sun above or below the horizon line in your chart? above/below
Do you have a day chart or a night chart? day/night
Who is the luminary of the sect? Moon/Sun
Who is the luminary out of sect? Moon/Sun
Who is the benefic of the sect? Venus/Jupiter
Who is the benefic out of sect? Venus/Jupiter
Who is the malefic of the sect? Mars/Saturn
Who is the malefic out of sect? Mars/Saturn
Here’s a mini cheat that will work for some but not all of you: think about your birth time. If you were born in the middle of the night, you have a night chart. If you were born in the daylight, after the Sun rose or before it set, then you have a day chart.
Why Sect Matters
Sect is important because it establishes the primary power structure of the natal chart. Sect splits every chart into two teams, the day team or the night team. In traditional astrology we also call these teams “diurnal” and “nocturnal” respectively.
The luminaries are the rulers of the two sects. The sect light (or luminary of the sect) guides the philosophical principles on which the chart operates and informs the alliances between and strengths of the planets.
The luminary of the sect lights the path of the natal promise. I’ll talk about this much further in a later article. For now, just know that the sect of a chart also plays a critical role in the primary calculations for Zodiacal Releasing, a Hellenistic timing technique that precisely pinpoints fated moments in the life of the native, the qualities of those moments and the areas of life activated.
Overall, Sect Doctrine is important because it is a key component to most traditional astrological technique. Sect is one of four primary categories of classification of the traditional planets, thereby making it a primary consideration when delineating a chart.
Sect tells us where to look for good things and where we might find hard and bad things in our lives. This is useful because we can emphasize themes related to the benefic of the sect to enhance our openness to goodness. We can also be more comfortable with challenges when they come up and do our best to mitigate events which might arise related to the malefic of the sect. As a quick reminder, the benefic of the sect is the planet that can do the most good and the malefic out of sect is a planet that can likely do the most harm. The planet’s strengths are altered depending on when you are born during the day or at night, as listed below.
Benefic Planets:
Jupiter is stronger in day charts.
Venus is stronger in night charts.
Malefic Planets:
Saturn is harsher in night charts, gentler in day charts.
Mars is harsher in day charts, gentler in night charts.
Celebrity Example Charts in Practice
DAY CHART: LADY GAGA
Quick Sect Outline
Diurnal chart
Sect Light: Sun
Of the sect benefic: Jupiter
Of the sect malefic: Saturn
Out of sect benefic: Venus
Out of sect malefic: Mars
Lady Gaga (born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) has her Sun in the 11th house of her chart, above the horizon, and was therefore born early in the day. She has a diurnal chart, or day chart. So we know that the Sun is her Sect Light, Jupiter is the stronger benefic and Saturn is the more constructive malefic while Mars is the more destructive malefic.
Sun in Aries in the 11th house: This placement screams visibility. The Sun here is powerful, exalted in Aries and in the house of good spirit. Lady Gaga is known for her wild, ostentatious displays, out-of this world costumes and her pristine choreography replete with tons of dancers. The 11th house deals with audiences and big groups, further emphasizing her visiblity. Meanwhile, her Moon is in the 6th house in Scorpio. While we certainly see the darker aspects of her Scorpio Moon play themselves out in her art, the Moon is very much hidden in the 6th house than the Sun. The way her Sun dominates her chart speaks to her consistent prominence as an artist.
Saturn in Sagittarius in the 7th house: While Saturn is a malefic planet, it is more constructive in a day chart. Saturn in Sagittarius can be a bit of a hierophant, a theme we see repeatedly worked in Lady Gaga’s elaborate music videos. References to Catholicism and witchcraft abound. Moreover, Saturn is receiving a trine from the Sun in the 11th house, further emphasizing their collaboration. Saturn tends to place limits on things but in Sagittarius, Saturn has possibility and opportunity as a resource. This underlines Lady Gaga’s constant response to being told she couldn’t do things - to do it anyway, bigger and better and rewrite the structure of culture as she goes.
Mars in Capricorn in the 8th house: Mars is exalted in Capricorn and is definitely strategic here. Still, Mars is the out of sect malefic, ruling the 6th and 11th houses and both of Lady Gaga’s luminaries. Because the luminaries often deal with energy and especially the Moon in the 6th house references the body we might say that Lady Gaga has constantly had to negotiate the limits of her body in her artmaking. Sure enough, she has had to navigated severe pain from fybromyalgia, the psychological impacts of sexual assault as a teenager, eating disorders, and a host of mental health struggles. Mars placement in Capricorn has helped her manage these challenges with time and devotion but not escape them entirely because it rules the 6th house as the out-of-sect malefic. As the ruler of the 11th house of audiences from the 8th house (shared resources), Mars in Capricorn also reflects the challenges she has experienced in collaborations, such as the backlash she received from working with R. Kelly in 2013.
Jupiter in Pisces in the 10th house: Jupiter is domicile in Pisces and is the benefic of the sect. It is also on her mid-heaven in the 10th house of visibility and career success. Jupiter here is extremely well-placed and that much stronger as the benefic of the sect. Jupiter reflects the insane growth of Lady Gaga’s career, especially emerging from her extravagant and fantastical scenes and costumes. Jupiter sits in a firm square to Saturn which it rules in Sagittarius but because they belong to the sect of the chart, the square creates a positive tension. Sure enough Lady Gaga is known for some of the most outlandish and structured costumes, always with an underlying message, such as her iconic 2010 flank steak dress which she described as a protest again the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy saying "If we don't stand up for what we believe in... pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones”. Additionally, Jupiter in Pisces has a compassionate bent, highlighting Lady Gaga’s alliance with outcasts and the enduring empathetic adoration she receives from her fanbase.
Finally, Jupiter in Pisces in her 10th house speaks to her fluid ability to move between mediums, as a musical artist, a dancer, and even an actress, winning her awards such a BAFTA, two Critics Choice Awards, an Academy Award, an Emmy, two Golden Globes and more Grammys than I can count on two hands.
NIGHT CHART: CHARLI XCX
Quick Sect Outline
Nocturnal chart
Sect Light: Moon
Of the sect benefic: Venus
Of the sect malefic: Mars
Out of sect benefic: Jupiter
Out of sect malefic: Saturn
Charli xcx (born Emma Aitchison) has her Sun in the 2nd house in Leo, firmly below the horizon line so she has a nocturnal chart. While her Sun is domicile in Leo, the Moon is the Sect Light and it is also her chart ruler, therefore making it the stronger luminary in her chart. Venus is the benefic of the sect and Mars is the malefic of the sect and therefore more constructive. Saturn is the out-of-sect malefic.
Moon in Virgo in the 3rd house: Charli xcx has a Virgo Moon that is rejoicing by house in the 3rd house of her chart. The 3rd house deals with close sibling-like community, collaboration, intuition and praxis. It’s not a bad house but not a particularly good house either. The third house can be very obscure and really tends to rely on the planets within it and the planet which rules it for the quality of its significations. We see a lot of parallels between the 3rd house and the Moon, which tends to go through phases and mood swings if you will, and to emphasize the qualities and temperaments of the planets it comes into contact with. Therefore the 3rd house has a mutable but also a lunar quality and the Moon is generally very happy in this place in a chart. Again, the 3rd house most primarily deals with community and kin relationships. One of the most striking things about Charli xcx long music career is the quantity of collaborations she’s done with other artists. Charli xcx is known for her revolving crew of creative friends, many of them in the queer community. Because the Moon is the both the Sect light and the Ascendant ruler as well as waxing, and rejoicing by house and co-present with benefic Jupiter, it is a strong force for busying oneself with many projects, tasks and connections. Charli xcx has had a very long and full music career as a lesser known artist until she arguably reached an “overnight” success in 2024 with the release of her album “brat”. We might say that success came from the many phases and albums she went through, her consistent praxis changing up her vibe and willingness to adapt and try new things with new people.
Saturn in Aquarius in the 8th house: As a nocturnal chart, the most challenging planet in this chart is Saturn because it is the out of sect malefic. While Saturn is in domicile in Aquarius, it is also in the 8th house opposing her Sun. This speaks to some of the challenges of securing financial resources and support from labels as a woman in the music industry. Saturn is the furthest planet from the Sun and is generally strong in Aquarius. However, because Saturn rules her 7th house of one to one partnerships in addition to her 8th house of shared resources, inheritance, debt and investments, we might say that this also has put Charli xcx in relationships with powerful people, and made both friends and enemies fairly boundaried in their willingness to share and invest in her work. Moreover, Saturn’s opposition to the Sun in her chart speaks to the experience of being pitted against other female artists in the music industry, suffering the stream of gossip from the public as well as is navigating the fallouts of fame and competition within the industry. Relatedly, as Saturn rules the 7th house of partnership and the 8th house of other people’s money we can see that Charli xcx has experienced pressure from her supposed “supporters”. In 2021 she reportedly walked out of a meeting with her then-label after being pressed to be more “authentic” and make more content on social media. As the Sun represents fame and is the out of sect luminary, the opposition between the Sun and Saturn continues to create performance pressure in a harmful way. We can also see that significant relationships have been a source of distress, especially during her first Saturn return while she navigated the end of a long-term (Saturn) relationship that was riddled with the challenges of long distance (Saturn) as she was often on tour. Based on some of the lyrics from the brat album, we can discern that her commercial and financial success (2nd and 8th house subjects) has been a chronic point of tension in her friendships and partnerships.
Mars in Gemini in the 12th house: As a night chart, the more constructive malefic in Charli xcx’s chart is Mars, the in sect malefic. While Mars here is peregrine in Gemini and hidden away in the 12th house, it will have a tendency to take actions that are more constructive rather than destructive because it belongs to the sect of the chart. Mars rules Charli xcx’s 5th house of love and creative projects as well as her 10th house of career. Gemini loves a collab, further emphasizing the tendency we saw with the sect light, to connect, create and share work with other artists. The Moon and Mars both belong to the night sect and therefore are on the same team. In the 12th house of exile and foreign places and in Gemini (known for multiplicity, exchange, teamwork and general fraternizing), we see that her time in cities around the world, particularly NY and LA as a London native has been extremely beneficial for career and creative networking.
Additionally, Charli xcx is also reputed for the directness of her lyrics which cut straight to the point, revealing some of the most natural and human emotions about life, love, friendships and visibility. This is the Mars in Gemini nature, to speak colloquially and directly, with quite a bit of edge. This skill is one of the most iconic aspects of Charli’s artistic style. If that weren’t already so on point, she wrote an entire album during the pandemic while getting feedback from fans on instagram, revealing her process and connecting with her audience. This exchange and collaboration speaks to the square relationship between Mars and the Moon - normally a challenging aspect but in this case these planets are constructively working together from the houses of communication (3rd house) and isolation (12th house - pandemic) to produce fan-loved album how i’m feeling now.
Venus in Leo in the 2nd house: Finally, as a night chart, Venus is the benefic of the sect. Venus is conjunct Charli xcx’s Lot of Spirit in Leo in the 2nd house. The Lot of Spirit represents a fated calling in the natal chart. Leo is related to visibility, courage and generosity while the 2nd house deals with our personal assets and resources, specifically the ones we make for ourselves. Venus is of course a planet of beauty and charm, connection and relationships. Charli xcx’s career soared to new heights in the early 2020’s as she released album after album about love and relationships. Her willingness to wear her heart on her sleeve, her growing visible confidence, her powerfully seductive embodiment on stage and her endless collabs has made her one of the most iconic hyper-pop artists of the century.
Common Misunderstandings with Sect
Sect is not about the Sun sign. Sect is about the position of the Sun above or below the horizon. Sect also establishes whether the Sun or the Moon is your chart has the upper hand. For some people with night charts, we may even say that because you have a nocturnal chart, the Moon may be a more important planet than the Sun. We will need to look at other factors to confirm whether or not this is true.
Sect does not account for modern planets. Also known as outer planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are not visible to the naked eye. The ancient astrologers who wrote the Doctrine of Sect did not have telescopes and could not see the outer planets. Therefore, the sect doctrine does not include modern planets.
Sect Doctrine, like most of traditional astrology, is profoundly interwoven with the concept of visibility. We know, for example, when it is daytime because the light of the Sun is present and diffuse, helping us to see clearly. We know when it is nighttime because it is dark and more difficult to see. We know when the Moon is full because the dark of the night contrasts with the bright visible light of the full Moon. Sect is heavily based on the visible brightness of the sky and celestial bodies. Modern planets are not visible to the naked eye. Therefore, it does not make sense to apply sect doctrine to modern planets.
Sect Doctrine was heavily applied with many other ancient timing techniques, all of which do not include outer planets. Because Sect is one part of defining chart rulership schemes, it is critical to only use the seven Traditional planets when applying Sect. Working outer planets into Sect doctrine and Rulership doctrine is sure to create mistakes.
As a reminder, the seven traditional planets are: Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
Sect doesn’t “cancel” malefics, it just moderates or strengthens them.
Sect also doesn’t “cancel” benefics, it just moderates or enhances them.
Sect is not determined by the house placement of your Sun - it’s determined by the Sun’s position relative to the angles, specifically to the Ascendant and Descendant.
Related Traditional Techniques
As I mentioned earlier, Sect is a critical component to many ancient astrological timing techniques. While I won’t get into all of those in this article, I will note that Sect is a primary consideration the calculation of many Arabic Lots.* These are mathematical calculations that measure the distance between planets and cast them from another point in the chart, usually the Ascendant. The mathematical formulas for these calculations will change depending on whether the chart is a day chart or a night chart.
Calculating the Lots is the first in a series of steps in Zodiacal Releasing, an ancient timing technique. Therefore, we cannot practice Zodiacal Releasing without Sect.
*For more information on the Lots, listen to Kira Ryberg and Chris Brennan discuss The Lot of Fortune and Spirit on The Astrology Podcast
Sect FAQs
“Is a cusp birth (Sun near horizon) both day and night?” With zodiac signs, the Sun is always firmly in one sign or the other. But with Sect, the Sun can be exactly on the Ascendant or Descendant. So we will likely see reflections of strengths and weaknesses from both the day and night teams (both sects) in a chart where the Sun is near or on the horizon line.
“Which planets benefit most from day charts?” Sun, Jupiter, & Saturn
“Which planets benefit most from night charts?” Moon, Venus, & Mars
“Does modern astrology use sect?” Generally modern astrology does not account for Sect. However, many contemporary living astrologers like myself are traditional astrologers who incorporate some modern techniques and include the outer planets in our general pracatice. While I would delineate Sect doctrine in my consultation practice, I wouldn’t apply Sect directly to outer planets. I would, however, say that Saturn conjunct an outer planet like Uranus in a day chart will have more constructive effects whereas Saturn conjunct Uranus in a night chart will have more destructive tendencies - because regardless of Uranus - Saturn is of the diurnal sect. Sect will therefore play a role in Saturn’s part of the Saturn Uranus conjunction.
Sect in Review
Sect is an ancient astrological doctrine that explains the power structure of the chart, based on whether the chart is a day chart or a night chart. The distinction between diurnal and nocturnal charts outlines the strength of all of the traditional planets in relationship to one another. Sect defines which planets belong together and how well they work together to accomplish a particular goal. It is an underlying category of classification for each of the seven traditional planets and is a critical consideration in delineating any astrological chart.
If you want to talk about sect in your natal chart, you can book a sect consultation with me. Sign up for my newsletter below to receive a link the next time my books open.
Resources for Further Exploration
Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice: A Manual of Traditional Techniques, Vol. 1 Assessing Planetary Condition by Demetra George
Vettius Valens: The Anthology, Translated by Mark T. Riley
Paulus of Alexandria: Introduction to Astrology, translated by James Herschel Holden
Rhetorius The Egyptian: Astrological Compendium Containing his Explanation and Narration of The Whole Art of Astrology, translated by James Herschel Holden
Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune by Chris Brennan
Psychologizing Sect Series: Night, Day, and Twilight Consciousness, a web series by Jason Holley
The Sect Guidebook: A Compre-hensive Collection on the Astrology of the Day and Night by Chloe Margherita