Glossary
Essential dignity
A planet in a sign it rules (Venus in Taurus, say) operates from strength; in the sign opposite its rulership or fall, it has to work harder. These classical assessments are called essential dignities.
They matter on the map because a line inherits the condition of its planet. A dignified Venus's line tends to deliver its gifts cleanly; a strained Venus's line still speaks of love and beauty, but with more friction. Reading lines without dignity is how keyword astrology goes wrong.