Dictionary term
Placidus
Direct answer
Placidus is a quadrant house system that divides the daily motion of the sky into house cusps and is the most common default in modern chart software.
Placidus is a widely used time-based quadrant house system.
Placidus is a widely used time-based quadrant house system.
A structural orientation; exact placements depend on the chart or technique being discussed.Quick reference
- Use when
- Use Placidus when comparing with modern psychological astrology, common online charts, or readings built around quadrant houses.
- Do not use it for
- Do not treat Placidus as the only correct house system just because it is common.
- In astrology
- Placidus can create unequal house sizes and may fail or distort near extreme latitudes.
- Reference category
- Houses
- Related terms
- Birth Chart, Zodiac, Transit
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The story behind Placidus
Placidus became especially influential in Europe and later in modern astrology through printed tables and software defaults.
Placidus in spiritual tradition
Spiritually, Placidus asks how time, place, and incarnation shape the rooms of the chart.
Why Placidus matters
Placidus matters because many modern charts, books, and software defaults quietly assume it.
Placidus at work: an example
In Placidus, a sign can be intercepted inside a house and a planet can change houses compared with Whole Sign.
Sources and editorial method
This concise reference separates established definitions from historical, symbolic, or interpretive claims. Entries without external references are presented as editorial summaries rather than primary-source scholarship.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Houses
- Also appears in
- Houses
- Aliases
- None listed
- Last updated
- 2026-07-15
Check your Placidus houses
Placidus in a book is one thing; Placidus in your own birth chart is your life. The Oracle casts your real chart and tells you what it means for your love, your work, and your year ahead, in conversation, free.
Speak with the OracleHow Placidus lives in your own chart across your year, in love, in work, in timing, is written in the Cosmic Codex: the whole year, once. Open the Cosmic Codex
Related terms
More in Houses
- Planet in the Ninth House
- Porphyry Houses
- Succedent Triad
- Angular Houses
- Derived Houses
- Equal Houses
- House Cusp
- Intercepted Houses
Common questions
What is Placidus?
Placidus is a quadrant house system that divides the daily motion of the sky into house cusps and is the most common default in modern chart software.
How is Placidus used in astrology?
Use Placidus when comparing with modern psychological astrology, common online charts, or readings built around quadrant houses.
What should I avoid when interpreting Placidus?
Do not treat Placidus as the only correct house system just because it is common.
