Planets Astrology for Beginners: Part 2 All text © copyright Charles Jameson 2015 astrologyschool.net

About the planets There are seven planets visible to the naked eye. These seven planets have been used by astrologers for thousands of years. They are often called the ‘traditional,’ ‘inner’ or ‘personal’ planets. Or the ‘seven sacred planets’: Sun (not actually a planet, but we count it as one) Moon (ditto) Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn

About the planets And then there are the three other planets – what astrologers call the ‘transpersonal’ or ‘outer’ planets. These are not usually visible to the naked eye, so are symbolically ‘hidden’ and work at a deeper level than the seven inner planets. And they have been discovered comparatively recently: Uranus (discovered 1781) Neptune (discovered 1846) Pluto (discovered 1920) Transpersonal planets are really only a ‘big deal’ in a horoscope when they ‘connect’ to an inner planet. I’ll explain later.

About the planets Each planet has it’s own glyph (pronounced ‘gliff’) – an icon used as a kind of shorthand, an alternative to writing the planet’s name every time (see handout). Astrologically, each planet has a certain general ‘energy’ … it’s overall flavour and quality. And specific meanings in the context of a natal horoscope. Let’s now look at each of the planets…

The Sun In general, the Sun is the ‘giver of life,’ and is to do with leadership, heads of state, gold, benevolence, Sunday. In horoscopes, the Sun is about will, ego, oneself – ‘who I am.’ People who are very Solar are often leaders, or believe they are important, worthy and the ‘centre of the universe’ – to be honoured as such by everyone else. Sun people can be proud, warm, generous… …and/or prone to being egotistical and very certain of themselves, to the exclusion of others. The Sun is masculine and rules the sign of Leo. It is one of the ‘luminaries’ – the other luminary is the Moon.

The Moon In general, the Moon is about emotion, emotional security, intuition, feeling, sensitivity and receptivity, silver and Monday. In horoscopes, the Moon by sign, aspect, house etc gives insight into our emotional security needs, the way we feel things, our sensitivity and emotional makeup. A person with strong lunar qualities is likely to be thoughtful, caring, emotional, empathetic, intuitive… …and/or highly sensitive, insecure. The Moon is feminine and rules the sign of Cancer.

Mercury Mercury is about communication, thinking, learning, mental processes, comedy, quick wits, quicksilver and Wednesday. In horoscopes, Mercury by sign, aspect, house etc is about how we communicate and learn, our communication style. A strongly ‘Mercurial’ person might be considered a good communicator, with a sharp incisive mind, good analytical skills, ability to easily juggle lots of different ideas... … or someone who ‘thinks too much’, has too many ideas going on … talks a lot, is a trickster. Mercury is of no fixed gender – it can be either! Mercury rules Virgo and Gemini.

Venus In general, Venus is about desire, beauty, ‘love’, attraction, taste and values. It’s associated with fashion, perfume, style, appearances, copper and Friday. In horoscopes, Venus by sign, aspect etc can give insight about our values, our sensual and artistic side, our sense of style. People who are strongly Venusian might value themselves as beautiful, sensual, desirable … and/or they love art, design, a beautiful décor and lifestyle, elegance, love beautiful things… …and/or can seem to be overly attached to all of the above (the tail wagging the dog). Venus is feminine and rules two signs – Taurus and Libra.

Mars In general, Mars is about action, force, ‘doing’, violence, hunting (all sorts!), surgery, surgeons, martial arts, determination, war, willpower, soldiers, conflict, hostility, iron, Tuesday, the seeking what we want. In horoscopes, Mars by sign, aspect, etc will indicate something about how we approach activity, the call to action, how we ‘get things done.’ People who are strongly Martian are forceful, action- orientated people, used to conflict … or they might be angry a lot of the time, looking for a fight on some level. Mars is masculine and rules two signs – Aries and Scorpio.

Jupiter In general, Jupiter is about wealth, resources, money, excess, generosity, the law, religion, humour (being jovial), majesty, expansiveness, more-ness, grandiosity, tin, Thursday. In horoscopes, Jupiter by sign, house, aspect etc indicates where we seek to know more, and may indicate something about our wealth, our excesses, where we seek to expand ourselves in some way (e.g. learning, travel, knowledge, acquisition etc). People who are strongly Jupiterian are often larger than life, generous, loud … can tend to over-do and over- indulge. Jupiter is masculine and rules Pisces and Sagittarius.

Saturn In general Saturn can be considered the ‘opposite’ of Jupiter… he is associated with endurance, stoicism, ‘death’, restriction, censorship, hard labour, decay, old things, lead, Saturday. In horoscopes, Saturn by sign, house, aspect etc indicates where we might feel restricted, where we might need to work hard, where we feel we ‘suffer’ or are hard done by. People who are strongly Saturnian are often sober, conservative, enduring, stoic, upright, a ‘pillar of society’. Saturn rules Capricorn and Aquarius. Saturn is the ‘brakes’, Jupiter is the ‘accelerator.’ Saturn never over-promises. What you see is what you get.

Inner planet quiz! What planet might best describe the following?

Uranus In general, Uranus is about inventors, revolutionaries, eccentricity, unusualness, back-flips, inventiveness, surprises, reversals and ‘magnetic’ and ‘electrical’ things and people. In horoscopes, Uranus by sign, house, aspect can indicate our eccentricities, what makes us unique, where we are most changeable, where we experience change. People who are strongly Uranian can be quirky, charming, restless, unusual, innovative, surprising… … or possibly very strange, alien, other-worldly. Uranus does not rule any sign (modern astrologers would disagree - assigning it to Aquarius).

Neptune In general, Neptune is about dissolution, idealism, breaking down of boundaries, sensitivity, creativity, a dreamy other-worldliness, fantasy and imagination. In horoscopes, by sign, house, aspect etc it can indicate sensitivity, artistic inclinations… People who are strongly Neptunian are often highly sensitive, artistic, attuned to other realms, idealistic visionaries, dreamers, creative. Neptune does not rule any sign (modern astrologers disagree and assign it to Pisces).

Pluto In general, Pluto is about (deep subterranean) power. It is also associated with atomic bombs, atomic energy, transformation. In horoscopes, Pluto by sign, house, aspect etc may indicate power and control, and associated issues. People who are strongly Plutonian are powerful or seek personal power, are forceful, authoritarian, ‘right’. At worst they can be ‘abusive’ or ‘abuse their power’ at the expense of others. At best, agents of transformation. Pluto does not rule any sign (modern astrologers would disagree and assign it to Scorpio).