The Planets

In the art of Astrology, the planets are the elements that tell you what is going on in a chart, and represent the primal energies of the universe. The Signs of the Zodiac – commonly referred to as the “Sun Signs” – tell you how the energies of the planets are translated into what we see before us. The Houses tell us where this translation is taking place.

In order to illustrate this, let’s take an example. If the Sun, the first planet, is in the Sign of Scorpio, this means that you Sun Sign is Scorpio. Why is this the case? Because the Sun is associated with identity and consciousness – it represents you at the fundamental level. Therefore, the energy of the Sun – the energy of identity and purpose – is expressed through Scorpio as undergoing transformation and cyclical change. Therefore, the energy of the Sun is expressed as Scorpio. Now, let us say that the Sign of Scorpio is in the Third House: the House of Communications. This means that one’s identity as a Scorpio is manifested in interactions with other people, and your transformative abilities are strongest when communicating and interacting with others – perhaps you even spread your transformation onto them.

Following the above example will allow you to fully interpret a planet in a chart. Without knowing a planet’s house and its Sign, you cannot do very much with it.

Like I said above, the Planets represent the primal energies of the universe. Everyone has some of each planet in us, which is why each planet appears on every Astrological chart. The primal energies associated with the nine major planets are below:

Sun: Identity

Moon: Emotions

Mercury: Thought

Venus: Attraction (as the opposite of Action)

Mars: Action

Jupiter: Morality

Saturn: Limitation

Uranus: Liberation

Neptune: Unification

Pluto: Transformation

The first seven planets, from the Sun to Saturn, are the planets visible to the naked eye, and so what were used for most of history in astrology. The three following it, the Trans-Saturnian planets, are all not visible to the naked eye, and are associated with breaking free of limits, taking on a different character from the other planets. The latter three major planets, then, to an extent transcend the “primal” energies of the other planets, breaking free of the restrictive nature of the other planets and the Astrological world.

There are other planetoids and asteroids that matter in Astrology, was well, but have lesser impact than these nine planets, though act in much the same way.

These nine planets tell a story, if you look at them in order. First, one is born in the Sun, and receives an identity. They are nurtured and cared for by the Moon, who gives one the gift of emotions. As one emotes, one begins to think about what one emotes, and so learns Mercury‘s Thought, and breaks free from the parental planets of the Sun and Moon. This thought allows for the phenomenon of attraction and interaction with others to take place as one arrives at Venus. In order to please the Venus in one’s life, one must take action, like Mars. However, in doing so, one must also learn to keep one’s actions in check, and so learns the morals of Jupiter. These morals set down the limits of Saturn, until you are able to break free of them with the power of Uranus, and then slowly unify the shattered fragments together and transcend with the power of Neptune,  before finally transforming oneself into a new, better being with the forces of Pluto.

That is the story of the planets, from birth in the Sun to the transformation of death in Pluto. It is the journey of life, broken down into energies, and symbolized by the planets.