Denis Diderot: Astrological Article and Chart

Horoscope and chart of Denis Diderot

^* A planet less than 1° from the next House cusp is considered to be posited in the said House. 2° when the AS and the MC are involved

Astrological portrait of Denis Diderot (excerpt)

Disclaimer: these short excerpts of astrological charts are computer processed. They are, by no means, of a personal nature. This principle is valid for the celebrities included in our database. These texts provide the meanings of planets, or combination of planets, in signs and in houses, as well as the interpretations of planetary dominants in line with modern Western astrology rules. Moreover, since Astrotheme is not a polemic website, no negative aspect which may damage the good reputation of a celebrity is posted here, unlike in the comprehensive astrological portrait.

Introduction

Here are some character traits from Denis Diderot's birth chart. This description is far from being comprehensive but it can shed light on his/her personality, which is still interesting for professional astrologers or astrology lovers.

The dominant planets of Denis Diderot

When interpreting a natal chart, the best method is to start gradually from general features to specific ones. Thus, there is usually a plan to be followed, from the overall analysis of the chart and its structure, to the description of its different character traits.

In the first part, an overall analysis of the chart enables us to figure out the personality's main features and to emphasize several points that are confirmed or not in the detailed analysis: in any case, those general traits are taken into account. Human personality is an infinitely intricate entity and describing it is a complex task. Claiming to rapidly summarize it is illusory, although it does not mean that it is an impossible challenge. It is essential to read a natal chart several times in order to absorb all its different meanings and to grasp all this complexity. But the exercise is worthwhile.

In brief, a natal chart is composed of ten planets: two luminaries, the Sun and the Moon, three fast-moving or individual planets, Mercury, Venus and Mars, two slow-moving planets, Jupiter and Saturn, and three very slow-moving planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Additional secondary elements are: the Lunar Nodes, the Dark Moon or Lilith, Chiron and other minor objects. They are all posited on the Zodiac wheel consisting of twelve signs, from Aries to Pisces, and divided into twelve astrological houses.

The first step is to evaluate the importance of each planet. This is what we call identifying the dominant planets. This process obeys rules that depend on the astrologer's sensitivity and experience but it also has precise and steady bases: thus, we can take into account the parameters of a planet's activity (the number of active aspects a planet forms, the importance of each aspect according to its nature and its exactness), angularity parameters; (proximity to the four angles, Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant and Imum Coeli or Nadir, all of them being evaluated numerically, according to the kind of angle and the planet-angle distance) and quality parameters (rulership, exaltation, exile and fall). Finally, other criteria such as the rulership of the Ascendant and the Midheaven etc. are important.

These different criteria allow a planet to be highlighted and lead to useful conclusions when interpreting the chart.

The overall chart analysis begins with the observation of three sorts of planetary distributions in the chart: Eastern or Western hemisphere, Northern or Southern hemisphere, and quadrants (North-eastern, North-western, South-eastern and South-western). These three distributions give a general tone in terms of introversion and extraversion, willpower, sociability, and behavioural predispositions.

Then, there are three additional distributions: elements (called triplicity since there are three groups of signs for each one) - Fire, Air, Earth and Water - corresponding to a character typology, modality (or quadruplicity with four groups of signs for each one) - Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable - and polarity (Yin and Yang).

There are three types of dominants: dominant planets, dominant signs and dominant houses. The novice thinks astrology means only "to be Aries" or sometimes, for example, "to be Aries Ascendant Virgo". It is actually far more complex. Although the Sun and the Ascendant alone may reveal a large part of the character - approximately a third or a half of your psychological signature, a person is neither "just the Sun" (called the sign) nor just "the first house" (the Ascendant). Thus, a particular planet's influence may be significantly increased; a particular sign or house may contain a group of planets that will bring nuances and sometimes weaken the role of the Ascendant, of the Sun sign etc.

Lastly, there are two other criteria: accentuations (angular, succedent and cadent) which are a classification of astrological houses and types of decanates that are occupied (each sign is divided into three decanates of ten degrees each). They provide some additional informations.

These general character traits must not be taken literally; they are, somehow, preparing for the chart reading. They allow to understand the second part of the analysis, which is more detailed and precise. It focuses on every area of the personality and provides a synthesis of all the above-mentioned parameters according to sound hierarchical rules.

Astrological Quadrants for Denis Diderot

Each quadrant is a combination of the four hemispheres of your birth chart and relates to a character typology. The Southern hemisphere – the top of your chart, around the Midheaven – is associated with extraversion, action, and public life, whereas the Northern hemisphere prompts to introversion, reflexion, and private life. The Eastern hemisphere – the left part, around the Ascendant – is linked to your ego and your willpower, whereas the Western hemisphere indicates how other people influence you, and how flexible you are when you make a decision.

Denis Diderot, the nocturnal North-western quadrant, consisting of the 4th, 5th and 6th houses, prevails in your chart: this sector favours creativity, conception and some sort of specialization or training, with helpfulness and relations as strong components. You need others' cooperation in order to work properly, although you are not very expansive: creating, innovating and thinking are what matter most to you because this self-expression enriches you and totally satisfies you.

Elements, Modes and House Accentuations for Denis Diderot

Denis Diderot, here are the graphs of your Elements and Modes, based on planets' position and angles in the twelve signs:

Like the majority of Earth signs, Denis Diderot, you are efficient, concrete and not too emotional. What matters to you is what you see: you judge the tree by its fruits. Your ideas keep changing, words disappear, but actions and their consequences are visible and remain. Express your sensitivity, even if it means revealing your vulnerability. Emotions, energy and communication must not be neglected; concrete action is meaningless if it is not justified by your heart, your intellect or your enthusiasm.

Denis Diderot, Fire is dominant in your natal chart and endows you with intuition, energy, courage, self-confidence, and enthusiasm! You are inclined to be passionate, you assert your willpower, you move forward, and come hell or high water, you achieve your dreams and your goals. The relative weakness of this element is the difficulty to step back or a kind of boldness that may prompt you to do foolish things.

Air is under-represented in your natal chart, with only 7.77% instead of the average 25%. Air symbolizes the values of communication, exchanges with others, but also adaptability and flexibility abilities: if you don't get out of your cocoon to talk, to show interest in others, and to socialize, you may have problems understanding others. Because of your lack of flexibility or of your refusal to adapt yourself, you may be suddenly overwhelmed by events. You should get into the habit of talking, of phoning, and of thinking in terms of "mobility, flexibility, adaptability, change" in every circumstance. It will spare you so many troubles!

The twelve zodiacal signs are split up into three groups or modes, called quadruplicities, a learned word meaning only that these three groups include four signs. The Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable modes are more or less represented in your natal chart, depending on planets' positions and importance, and on angles in the twelve signs.

The Mutable mode is the most emphasized one in your natal chart, Denis Diderot, which indicates a mobile character that is curious and thirsty for new experiences and evolution. You are lively and flexible, and you like to react quickly to solicitations, but don't confuse mobility with agitation, since this is the danger with this configuration - and with you, stagnation is out of the question. Security doesn't matter as long as you are not bored. You optimize, you change things, you change yourself... all this in a speedy way.

Houses are split up into three groups: angular, succedent and cadent.

The first ones are the most important ones, the most "noticeable" and energetic houses. They are the 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th houses. Their cuspides correspond to four famous angles: Ascendant for the 1st house, Imum Coeli for the 4th house, Descendant, opposite the Ascendant, for the 7th house and Midheaven for the 10th house, opposite the Imum Coeli.

Planets are evaluated according to a whole set of criteria that includes comprehensive Western astrology rules. At their turn, planets emphasize specific types of houses, signs, repartitions etc., as previously explained.

Cadent houses, namely the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th houses, are very emphasized in your chart, Denis Diderot. They indicate important potential for communication, adaptability and flexibility. These houses are symbolically linked to the mind and intellect. The relative weakness implied by these characteristics indicates your tendency to hesitate or to be indecisive, but also your remarkable ability to start off again, which is a nice quality, finally: you can easily get yourself out of a tight spot thanks to your mobility and casualness, in the best sense of the term. This group of houses corresponds to evolutionary characteristics of your personality. However, they are only indications and you must include them in the rest of your chart in order to see whether they are validated or not!

N.B.: this dominant is a minor one.

Dominants: Planets, Signs and Houses for Denis Diderot

The issue of dominant planets has existed since the mists of time in astrology: how nice it would be if a person could be described with a few words and one or several planets that would represent their character, without having to analyse such elements as rulerships, angularities, houses, etc!

The ten planets - the Sun throughout Pluto - are a bit like ten characters in a role-play, each one has its own personality, its own way of acting, its own strengths and weaknesses. They actually represent a classification into ten distinct personalities, and astrologers have always tried to associate one or several dominant planets to a natal chart as well as dominant signs and houses.

Indeed, it is quite the same situation with signs and houses. If planets symbolize characters, signs represent hues - the mental, emotional and physical structures of an individual. The sign in which a planet is posited is like a character whose features are modified according to the place where he lives. In a chart, there are usually one, two or three highlighted signs that allow to rapidly describe its owner.

Regarding astrological houses, the principle is even simpler: the twelve houses correspond to twelve fields of life, and planets tenanting any given house increase that house's importance and highlight all relevant life departments: it may be marriage, work, friendship etc.

In your natal chart, Denis Diderot, the ten main planets are distributed as follows:

The three most important planets in your chart are Mercury, Neptune and Jupiter.

With Mercury among your dominant planets, you are certainly cerebral, nervous, swift, curious, quick-witted, and you love to communicate. Your psychological pattern is intellectual, all the more so since Mercury is important, with its whole set of assets but also of weaknesses, obviously.

Your sensitivity, emotions, and heart's impulses give precedence to thinking, which can lead people to believe that you are a playful and witty but heartless person, intellectualizing situations and juggling with words and numbers whilst ignoring human aspects of things. Of course, it is said that cats always land on their feet - this is your Mercurian strength and your trump card!

Your weakness lies in your nervousness, and you may miss your goal because of your "over-intellectualization" that may be detrimental to other kind of energies such as instinct, spontaneity, heart, sensitivity, etc.

With Neptune as one of your three dominant planets, you are a secretive and ambiguous person, often confused or unclear about your own motivations! Indeed, you are endowed with unlimited imagination and inspiration, as well as with an extreme sensibility that may turn you into a psychic or a clairvoyant. On the other hand, your impressionability is such that you may have difficulties in separating what is concrete and solid from illusions or dreams.

A mystic, a visionary or a poet, you daydream, like any Neptunian, and you see what few people only can see, all of this being shrouded in aesthetic mists when you are fired with enthusiasm.

A boundless, infinity-loving man like you is inevitably likely to be more vulnerable and easily hurt because of your acute perception of events. In such cases, you are hit full in the face, and you may sink into gloomy daydreamings and dark melancholy.

That said, this mysterious aura definitely gives you an indefinable charm in the eyes of your close friends who are often fascinated by your unique ability to feel and to see what ordinary people can never see!

Jupiter, the planet of expansion, organization, power and benevolence, is quite emphasized in your chart. Like any Jupiterian, you are warm, open, sociable, consensual, active and optimistic. You can use your self-confidence to erase differences of opinion, and you leave the task of analyzing and perfecting things to specialists. Your role, and you know it since you were young, is to gather, to demonstrate your synthesizing and conciliatory mind, and to naturally reap its fruits - power.

You appreciate legality, social order but also order in general. With you as a leader, every plan or human entity can be organized and structured. You excel at supervising. The Jupiterian type is indeed the politician par excellence, and a positive Jupiter in your chart is synonymous with good integration into society, whatever the chosen path.

Is this idyllic picture really perfect? Certainly not: each planet's typology has its own weaknesses. One of yours is pride, like the Solarian, but your will of expansion at all costs may generate a form of exaggeration in everything, endless pleasure, inappropriate self-confidence that could lead you to rough materialism and the thirst for absurd material comfort - in the worst cases, of course.

In your natal chart, the three most important signs - according to criteria mentioned above - are in decreasing order of strength Virgo, Pisces and Taurus. In general, these signs are important because your Ascendant or your Sun is located there. But this is not always the case: there may be a cluster of planets, or a planet may be near an angle other than the Midheaven or Ascendant. It may also be because two or three planets are considered to be very active because they form numerous aspects from these signs.

Thus, you display some of the three signs' characteristics, a bit like a superposition of features on the rest of your chart, and it is all the more so if the sign is emphasized.

Virgo, associated with perfectionism, numbers and reason, is among your dominant signs: you inherit its sense of responsibility and tidiness, a clear mind, an unfailing logic, as well as a need to be useful and to fulfil your task to the best of your abilities. Obviously, people may think that you are too modest or reserved, suspicious or pessimistic because of your exceedingly critical mind, but aren't logic and wisdom great qualities? Of course, they are. Moreover, you keep your feet on the ground, you never behave irrationally and you are helpful and hardworking - what more can you ask for?!

Pisces is among your dominant signs and endows your personality with unlimited sources of emotions, dreams, imagination, and sensitivity, to the extent that you literally swim in a cloudy ocean of delightful impressions. These impressions are so intense and overwhelming that you don't really need to take action concretely, to show your dynamism or your willpower, since you already live so intensely with your feelings - you are as keen as a radar, always on the alert! That is why some people may not like your carelessness, and the lack of clarity in your opinions or actions; however they quickly notice your artistic talents, your poetic or artistic side, and your total lack of wickedness. Besides, you feel compassion for people in pain - empathy is one of your great qualities. Thanks to your flexibility, your intuition, and your generosity, you may spend an important part of your life helping others. And if you are creative or if you have well-known artistic talents, everybody will forgive your little flaws: absent-mindedness, lack of energy or of will, too dreamy temperament...

With the Taurus sign so important in your chart, you are constructive, stable, and sensual. Good taste, sense of beauty, manners, and unfailing good sense - all these qualities contribute to your charm and seductive power. Furthermore, if some people criticize your slow pace and your stubbornness, you rightly reply that this is the price for your security, and that you like the way it is - slow and steady....

The 6th, 1st and 12th houses are the most prominent ones in your birth chart. From the analysis of the most tenanted houses, the astrologer identifies your most significant fields or spheres of activity. They deal with what you are experiencing - or what you will be brought to experience one day - or they deal with your inner motivations.

Your 6th house is quite emphasized and indicates interest in work and daily occupations that take up a lot of your time: in analogy with Virgo, this house inclines towards perfectionism and training; somehow, you may be fulfilled through the process of being useful and investing your energy in your work. An environment appealing to you may be involved - your colleagues, for example - or a passion for one of these daily occupations. Medical positions or pets may play a role in your life; or ancillary love affairs too... These are a few possibilities indicated by an important 6th house.

With a dominant 1st house, your magnetism is powerful, and your individuality as well as your willpower are out of the ordinary. You are a determined, strong-willed, and assertive person, with this relative criterion at least.

It is likely that you never go unnoticed when you are in a crowd or a in reunion: an important 1st house suggests that you are a charismatic person with above average vital energy, especially if the Sun is present in this sector.

Your personal interests are always important and you never forget them, which doesn't mean that you are self-centered, but only that you behave according to what is in harmony with your deep nature!

The 12th house is emphasized in your chart: like the 8th house, it has a rich and complex meaning. Although its bad reputation is likely to scare most readers in the first place - it is indeed the house of hidden or isolated places, of solitude, of ordeals or enemies - it can also mean that a part of your life is very deep and intense. If your achievements are not visible in the public eye, you may fulfil yourself in a different but equally important way: you may be involved in secret activities, humanitarian causes, and projects in favour of disadvantaged people. You are likely to work in quiet and remote places. In many cases, you will gain from these hidden activities as many treasures as people who have a more public destiny. It may be because you sublimate your work, or only because you successfully carry out your task within your environment. There is no such things as a good or a bad house, because each area of life is necessary in its own way, and we need all of them, if we are to improve spiritually.

After this paragraph about dominant planets, of Denis Diderot, here are the character traits that you must read more carefully than the previous texts since they are very specific: the texts about dominant planets only give background information about the personality and remain quite general: they emphasize or, on the contrary, mitigate different particularities or facets of a personality. A human being is a complex whole and only bodies of texts can attempt to successfully figure out all the finer points.

The Moon in Taurus and in House 1: his sensitivity

Amoureux de la nature tout autant que de votre confort, vous êtes Denis Diderot, un épicurien désireux de profiter des belles et bonnes choses de la vie au sein d'un "clan" familial ou amical qui apprécie votre convivialité et votre amabilité. Fidèle, stable, les pieds sur terre, vous êtes quelqu'un sur qui l'on peut compter en toute circonstance. Attaché à votre sécurité affective et matérielle, la jalousie et la possessivité ne vous sont pas étrangères et vous pouvez, bien que de nature plutôt lente, vous montrer très rapidement colérique et agressif lorsque vous vous sentez menacé dans ces domaines. Vous ferez alors preuve d'un entêtement et d'une fureur rares et l'on aura bien du mal à vous faire changer d'avis. Même si vous êtes conscient que votre attitude n'est pas réellement adaptée, vous camperez sur vos positions et garderez une rancune tenace. Vous êtes cependant si sensible à la tendresse et aux marques concrètes d'affection qu'avec quelques cadeaux ou câlins, vous finirez bien par revoir tout en rose...

Vous êtes, Denis Diderot, particulièrement sensible, émotif, intuitif, en fait vous percevez ce que l'on dit de vous avec une acuité très fine, ce qui a des avantages mais aussi l'inconvénient de vous rendre particulièrement vulnérable. Le qu'en dira-t-on est pour vous important même si c'est inconsciemment... (excerpt)

Mercury in Virgo and in House 6: his intellect and social life

Vous avez Denis Diderot une grande aptitude à la logique et à l'analyse ainsi qu'une manière objective et critique de juger chaque aspect d'une situation. Appliqué, méthodique, ayant le sens du détail et doté d'une grande énergie nerveuse, vous pouvez tout à fait passer du temps à la réalisation de travaux intellectuels laborieux et minutieux. Bien que possédant une certaine facilité à vous exprimer, vous ne cherchez pas vraiment à vous mettre en avant et préférez souvent collaborer plutôt que prendre des initiatives : vous vous sentez moins anxieux quand vous savez exactement ce que l'on attend de vous et ce que vous avez à faire. Vous abordez tout avec rationalisme et éprouvez de la méfiance devant l'imagination et l'intuition. Amoureux des lettres autant que des chiffres, votre humour mordant risque parfois de déstabiliser votre entourage qui vous préférerait peut-être un peu moins exigeant et un peu plus démonstratif. Dites-vous bien que l'on ne peut pas toujours tout maîtriser...

Donner le maximum de votre puissance intellectuelle, c'est pour vous naturellement dans le travail que vous pouvez le faire, Denis Diderot. A quoi bon se décarcasser la cervelle si ce n'est pour être utile professionnellement, grimper les échelons, être reconnu par ses collègues de travail et se... (excerpt)

Venus in Leo and in House 6, and the Sun in Libra: his affectivity and seductiveness

Dans votre thème, le Soleil est en Balance, Vénus en Lion. Cette configuration planétaire évoque la manière d'être des séducteurs : le fait de passer inaperçu n'est pas vraiment votre idéal ! Vous cherchez au contraire à faire en sorte qu'on remarque vos qualités, qu'on estime votre manière d'être... en un mot, qu'on vous aime et qu'on le dise. Vous serez donc plus que d'autres sensible aux flatteries et compliments, révélant parfois une certaine naïveté. A l'inverse, les blessures d'amour-propre sont souvent profondes : on aurait tort de vous heurter à la légère. La stabilité d'un amour est largement dépendante du regard qu'on vous porte, de l'attention prodiguée. Nulle inertie chez vous, mais un vif désir d'échange et de séduction. Vous ferez preuve d'un esprit conciliant pour peu qu'on respecte votre besoin de rayonner. Vos enthousiasmes sont légendaires : une amitié neuve ou un compliment juste suffisent à susciter votre engouement. Une relation épanouissante passe par l'échange fréquent d'un regard approbateur, et par un soutien formulé ou implicite. Avec un Soleil en Balance, il vous faut partager vos sources d'intérêt et vivre en partie à travers l'autre. Vous serez d'ailleurs disposé à certains compromis lorsque le modèle du couple est en cause. Reste une Vénus en Lion qui interdit les seconds plans et se satisfait des seuls amours remarquables à quelque titre que se soit. De là vos exigences quant au caractère brillant d'un partenaire que vous voulez admirer. Indice d'une vie affective forte faute d'être simple, exaltante sinon de tout repos.

Vous si êtes si fier et généreux, Denis Diderot que votre puissance d'amour contient en elle votre vulnérabilité mais c'est cela aussi qui fait votre charme et votre originalité. Vous êtes loyal et droit et avez un besoin aussi important d'être admiré que d'être aimé. Les deux sentiments chez vous sont intimement liés et le risque est réel que l'amour ne se rompe pour des malentendus d'importance insignifiante simplement parce que votre susceptibilité a été atteinte. Quoiqu'il en soit, vous êtes démonstratif, brillant et même théâtral et votre générosité est légendaire. Avec vous, tout est et doit être démesuré : les preuves d'amour que vous donnez à votre partenaire, les cadeaux que vous faites, le confort et même le luxe qui teintent l'atmosphère de vos sorties ou de vos voyages. Physiquement vous êtes un lion, en tout cas vous avez son appétit sexuel ; vous êtes voluptueux, passionné et finalement la seule chose que vous pouvez ne pas posséder est la souplesse, que ce soit dans votre façon de montrer votre amour ou bien de réagir à des évènements qui pourraient vous contrarier, même de très loin.

Denis Diderot, la position de votre Vénus est assez particulière car sa symbolique, c'est-à-dire les sentiments et l'absence de limite et de contrôle par définition, ne se marie pas forcément bien avec celle de la maison 6, qui représente à la fois les contraintes, le travail ou... (excerpt)

The Ascendant is in Pisces and the ruler of the Ascendant is Neptune, in Taurus: his behaviour

The ruler of the Ascendant, also referred to as the chart ruler, brings a few interesting nuances to the meanings provided by the Sun and the Ascendant. The sign in which the ruler of the Ascendant is posited fine-tunes the style of personality described by the Sun and the Ascendant. It may strengthen it if the sign is identical to either of them.

The ruler of the Ascendant, Denis Diderot, is Neptune. In Taurus, it endows you with prudence and patience. You work with perseverance, and you are committed to finishing off what you have undertaken, because you are not the kind of person who would throw up the towel easily. You are happy to reap the fruits of your labour, and why not, to make your business thrive.

The Sun in Libra and in House 7: his will and inner motivations

Denis Diderot, vous n'avez de cesse pour vous affirmer que de multiplier les rapports avec les autres. Votre ambition, même si elle n'est pas comprise pour vous de façon consciente très tôt dans l'existence, est de briller par la relation avec autrui. Cela peut prendre la forme d'une... (excerpt)

Mars in Sagittarius and in House 8: his ability to take action

Denis Diderot, vous êtes une force de la nature et vous excellez souvent sur le plan sportif ; vous avez soif de conquêtes et vous vous lancez des défis de façon presque permanente. L'enthousiasme dont vous faites preuve dans toutes vos entreprises est parfaitement soutenu par vos conceptions morales et un idéalisme compatible avec les valeurs de la société dans laquelle vous vivez. Pragmatique, entreprenant mais parfois un peu naïf, vous ne vous souciez guère des détails et vous lancez dans de grands projets variés et aventureux où vous avez toutes les chances de parvenir à vos objectifs. Dans certains cas plus rares, vous pouvez canaliser votre grande énergie vers des voies plus philosophiques voire même spirituelles ou religieuses où toute votre fougue fera également merveille. Sur le plan sexuel, votre ardeur et votre spontanéité font merveille et le danger réside peut-être dans une certaine dispersion dans la mesure où vous pouvez oublier un peu toute notion de fidélité, notamment au cours de vos nombreux voyages lointains dont vous êtes si friand.

Denis Diderot, cette configuration atypique de votre thème natal est une des plus complexes à décrire en raison de la nature même de la maison 8, maison de transformation, maison des crises débouchant sur une reconstruction personnelle mais aussi maison de la sexualité, des domaines cachés de... (excerpt)

Conclusion

This text is only an excerpt from the portrait of of Denis Diderot, which we hope will inspire you to deepen your knowledge of astrology.

Regarding the sources of the birth data in our possession, kindly note that the pages we publish constitute a starting point for more detailed research, even though they seem useful to us. When the sources are contradictory, which occurs rarely, after having analysed them, we choose the most reliable one. Sometimes, we publish a birth date just because it is made available, but we do not claim that is it the best one, by no means.