Morin on Mars ruling the 3rd and placed in the 4th house

One of the puzzling passages in Morin’s Book 21 on Determinations appears at the end of Section II Chapter 9 in which he explains how planets act through their aspects, and in certain cases a planet’s action through an aspect predominates over its action through rulership of a house cusp. For example, Morin explains that it is worse for the Ascendant to receive a square or opposition from Mars or Saturn than to be ruled by one of these malefics. On the other hand, it is better for the Ascendant to receive a trine from a benefic Jupiter than merely to be ruled by Jupiter (other things being equal). He explains that a well conditioned Jupiter occupying the Midheaven and ruling the Ascendant is significantly more favorable for the Ascendant than a poorly conditioned Jupiter, ruling as well as trining the Ascendant, while at the same time occupying the malefic 8th house.

“Indeque non abs re deduci potest* quod Planeta significet efficacius domui cui opponitur, quam ipsius domus dominus extra domum illam constitutus, si praesertim sit debilis, nec ellam apiciat. Ad haec notandum, quod Planetae aspectus agit efficacius ratione domus in qua est ipse Planeta quam ratione domus cui ille dominatur. Sicque Marte dominus tertiae in quarta & trigono Asc alicujus nati, fecit hunc parentibus dilectum, fratri autem odiosum.”

“Thence [from the examples just cited], it is not unreasonable to infer that a Planet signifies more effectively the house to which it is opposed than does the lord of that house, placed outside that house, especially if it [the Planet ruling the house] is weak and does not aspect it [the house]. In addition to these things, one should note that the aspect of a planet acts more effectively by reason of the house in which the planet itself is located than by reason of the house it rules. And so, Mars, as lord of the third in the fourth and in trine to the Ascendant of someone born, makes this person beloved by parents, but odious to a brother.” (my translation, italics and bold mine)

What is Morin’s reasoning about the 3rd-ruler Mars occupying the 4th house and in trine to the degree of the Ascendant? Let’s take it apart.

Morin repeatedly emphasizes that the house actually occupied by a planet more strongly and efficaciously determines the significations of that planet in a particular chart than its rulership of a house from which it is absent. In Morin’s example, Mars occupying the 4th house is more strongly detetermined toward matters related to the native’s parents than to 3rd house issues related to siblings. Thus, a favorable trine from Mars in the 4th (parents) to the Ascendant (the native) more effectivly signifies a positive relationship between the parents (4th house where Mars is located) and the native (Ascendant) than it would a positive connection between the native and a sibling of the 3rd house (which Mars rules but does not occupy).

But why does Morin comment that Mars ruling the 3rd and occupying the 4th makes the native detestable (odious, offensive, disagreeable, troublesome, bothersome, annoying) to a brother: fecit fratri autem odiosum? I’m not sure but possible reasons might include:

Mars is naturally a malefic planet, signifying conflict, angry exchanges, disputes, bloodshed, and disagreements. Hence, from the native’s perspective Mars ruling the 3rd cusp can indicate hostile, vexatious, irritating, and warlike siblings.The 4th house rules the parents, but is also the 2nd house from the radical 3rd of siblings, so Mars locaed in the radical 4th occupies the 2nd from the radical 3rd of siblings and lies in aversion to the radical 3rd house which it rules. In other words, Mars located in the radical 4th, which is the derived 2nd house from the radical 3rd, cannot see his own house in the chart. Such aversion makes the aspects of Mars (as ruler of the radical 3rd) much less efficacious because Mars is not connected to his own house.Morin regards a planet occupying a house as accidentally signifying the matters of the opposite house. Thus, Mars in the radical 4th also signifies radical 10th house issues via its opposition to the radical 10th. However, by derived houses, the radical 4th is the derived 2nd of the radical 3rd of siblings, whose opposite house is the derived 8th from the radical 3rd of siblings — a malefic house associated with mortal danger, fear, and anxiety. The natural signfiications of Mars are strongly analogous the the meanings of the 8th house, making Mars located in the radical 4th accidentally malefic with respect to the radical 3rd.Hence, the trine of Mars, as an accidental malefic with regard to the radical 3rd house, to the radical Ascendant loses its favaorble quality and indicates hostility between native and brother.

I looked for a chart to illustrate Morin’s example but have not yet found one. The chart of Richard Nixon has some similarities to what Morin is discussing. Richard Nixon had a complex and often tense relationship with his brothers, particularly Donald Nixon, whose business dealings repeatedly embarrassed Richard and potentially damaged his political career. I don’t know how Nixon got on with his parents, but a Wikipedia article reports that he always spoke kindly of his parents, even though his father was “mean-spirited” and sometimes abusive (4th ruler Jupiter conjunct Mars and opposite Pluto).

In Nixon’s chart Mars rules the 3rd house of siblings and occupies the 4th with Sagittarius on the cusp. With Virgo rising, Mercury rules the Ascendant (Nixon). 1st-ruler Mercury closely conjoins 4th ruler Jupiter in the 4th Placidus house (5th whole sign place), suggesting a close bond between the native and his parents.

Mars in the radical fourth lies in aversion to the radical 3rd and, by its actual presence in the 4th, is strongly determined toward 4th house issues. The 3rd ruler Mars is closely conjunct 1st-ruler Mercury (Nixon) but across a sign boundary. Morin would argue that Mars here more strongly signifies the parents than a sibling because Mars is physically present in the 4th but is only the absent ruler of the 3rd house and is in aversion to the 3rd.

In addition, Mars ocupies the derived 2nd from the radical 3rd and is opposed to the derived 8th from the radical 3rd, making Mars an accidental malefic from the perspective of the 3rd house sibling. It seems like Morin views Mars (ruler of the 3rd house of siblings) as especially harmful because it is an accidental malefic, signify the sibling’s 8th house matters, with regard to the 3rd house in such a chart.

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* Morin here uses an idiom commonly found in Latin academic and philosophical texts: “non abs re deduci potest” in which “non abs re” means “not without reason” or “not without cause,” and “deduci potest” means “it can be deduced” or “it can be inferred.” In other words, “it is not unreasonable to infer …” or “it can reasonably be inferred”.