The Planets

 

In astrology, we concentrate on the 9 major planets and add in some extra points, like the Nodes of the Moon, the MC, the Ascendent. We divide the planets into: personal planets (Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars, Mercury), social planets (Saturn, Jupiter) and outer planets (Uranus, Neptun, Pluto). Basically, a planet is an energy whereas a sign is more of a style. In other words: If the planet is the noun, the sign the adjective. It is the relationship between the planets in the signs, that makes your chart unique – and that makes you YOU. 

 

Below, check on the planets and points 

 

SUN

If you ask someone about their star sign, they’d answer: “I am a Libra” or “I’m a Virgo” – and they basically refer to their so called SUN sign, the place where the Sun was in the sky on the day they were born.

The thing is, that we actually are NOT our Sun signs – just yet; we came here to grow into it. The Sun is our brightest light and the star of this show called “the hero’s journey”. But since it is a trip, we have a long way to go and we have to learn to actually embody and become the best version of that Sun we have chosen to be in this lifetime. We do it with the help of all the other planets and aspects in our charts. Still, the Sun is our core identity, our essence. And it is our job to express it, best we can.

 

 

MOON

Here comes intimacy: The Moon is the part of our personality that we do not wear on our sleeves. Hence, people only see our Moon sign, when they get to know us closely, in an intimate relationship. The Moon is our emotional body, the way we react, when chilled at home or when pushed against the wall. It is our sanctuary, the place we go to for comfort. The Moon represents our emotional needs. Getting to know a persons Moon can surprise, even shock, if you discover a wolf under that soft sheepskin or find out that it’s just a cute little rabbit full on dressed up as a lion. Sometimes, our Moon is not even so obvious for ourselves to see: Like the celestial body, the Moon doesn’t have its own light, it needs the Sun to shine a light on it. In a similar way, other people can help us see and get in touch with our Moon.

 

 

ASC

The ascendant or rising sign is not an actual planet, but a point in the sky. Precisely it is the zodiac sign that rises on the eastern horizon at the time of our birth. It is your way to look at the world, as well as your “party personality”, what others notice about you when you enter a room: everything from your looks to your behavior, voice, vibe. The ASC is often referred to as “the glasses we wear”, like a prism through wich we see the world. 

Each zodiac sign has a ruling planet = and the ruling planet of your ascendent is called the chart ruler, meaning: you want to pay extra attention on how that planet is positioned in your chart.

 

 

MERCURY

Communication is the headline here. The way we speak and think and learn is all governed by Mercury, messenger of the Gods. The only God, btw., that is allowed access to both the underworld and the heavens. Agile and curious, Mercury is always eager to learn. He governs our thoughts, what we talk about and also influences the styles of our communication. Even our voice is governed by Mercury. We cannot see intelligence in the chart, but Mercury tells us about our mental functioning, about how we receive or digest information. Mercury is also known as the trickster: he tells us about the way we negotiate and make deals. Communication leads to connection – and Mercury helps us connect.

VENUS

As the cosmic peacemaker, Venus always aims to please. This planet is about  pleasure, it shows what we value in life, what we enjoy and how we tend to please others. It even reveals what we spend our money on. Our taste and manners as well as how we choose to dress, to behave and what we find attractive – all that belongs to Venus.

Venus is the way we love and want to be loved. While Mars chases, Venus attracts. She is seductive, shows our style of flirting. Unlike Mars, Venus is passive and feminine – she’s our personal magnet to charm and enchant others. This lovely Muse might also reflect your talents, and what comes easy to you. When we look at someones Venus, we learn about the way this person gives / shows love. Even the way we love ourselves, our self worth, is governed by Venus. 

 

MARS

If Venus is what we love, Mars is how we get it. Mars is our willpower and how we assert ourselves. The headline ist: “I want”. Mars is the principle of doing, he gets us out of bed each day and makes us go after what we want. The red planet it is related to our courage, strength and raw willpower. 

After all, Mars is the God of war and will fight, if need be. But the style of this fight varies, depending on the sign Mars is in. Meaning: It doesn’t have to always involve knifes and blood; some people can fight with tears only.

Our Mars shows, where we are willing to put ourselves in danger, to take risks. Mars is also our will to survive – psychologically as well as physically. It can be about the battles we fight to stay alive, to carry on. Last but not least Mars reflects our approach to sexuality – what we find sexually exciting as well as what others find hot about us.

 

JUPITER

This planet has the reputation of being Mr. “Good Luck”. Wherever Jupiter is in play, we tend to be blessed, lucky – and fearless. Jupiter is abundance – and where Jupiter is found in our chart, we might have more than enough. And that doesn’t necessarily refer to $$$; it can be a talent, a character trade, anything that we have “too much of” – and that we therefore can give away easily. Jupiter radiates joy and optimism and it’s hard to see the downside of this happy planet. 

Well, Jupiter tends to blow things up, inflate them and always wants more. This gas giant just doesn’t really know where to stop; but that’s not his job. Since Jupiter is also linked to our beliefs and visions, we can think of this planet as being our “personal religion” – what we truly believe in. 

SATURN

Saturn comes with those pretty little rings – and with a bad reputation. The planet that governs time and old age and restrictions and boundaries and frustration. Great! Fact is, that without Saturns gravitas, Jupiter would fly off into space, and never be seen again. Saturn holds things in place. Without him, we would be lazy and fat and nothing would get done – ever. 

The Saturn placement in our chart shows us, where we aim to achieve mastery – but we won’t ever get to it. Saturn wants it to be a life long learning of something, that we feel “we should be better at”. So we keep trying. This planets mission is to teach us about commitment and he wants us to know, that hard work pays off. Saturn might be not as fun as the other planets – but life has more to offer than strawberry ice cream, right?! No planet in the universe wants to harm us and even Saturns famous “reality check” is not intended to ruin the party, but to keep us from chasing rainbows. The good news: If chasing rainbows is your biggest dream, guess who will help you archive your goal?!

 

 

URANUS

Surprise might be Uranus favorite word. This planet is exited for the new, the unexpected. Electricity, a lightening bolt, that’s Uranian. Not only literally: Revolutionary  behavior and unconventional ideas are governed by Uranus. Think of everything outside the box. This crazy planet is unconventional, even eccentric and proud of it (which doesn’t necessarily show up in pink hair and tattoos; although it often does…). 

Uranus is the rebel, his temper is cool. This planet doesn’t believe in rules und if there are rules, he’ll break them: “Let’s go spray L.A.!” Uranus does as he pleases, is disobedient, loves to shock and “fuck the establishment”. Unfortunately he sometimes doesn’t really know the alternative to “the establishment” – but what the heck. Saturn can figure that out !
Of course, all this rebellious attitude can put people off. It also comes with a certain restlessness, but how else are we supposed to make changes?! One of Uranus goals is maximum freedom; this planet wants you to “be who your are”. Without an Uranian approach, there is no innovation. This is why Uranus also governs technology. Fact is, when Uranus is near, you won’t ever be bored.

 

 

NEPTUNE

He might be known as the God of the Seas, but most of all, Neptune is fog: beautiful, pink fog. Being all about idealism, this planet dissolves all boundaries with some magic wand - poufffff! Neptune carries the key to paradise, at least he claims that in his insta feed.

Neptune governs over the arts. Neptune, like music, might be the direct highway to God or at least get us close – yet we all have no idea who / what / where God is. So we dream. Which is the whole idea: Neptune helps us melt into our dreamworld. And yes, we might get lost. Sounds like drugs can’t be far away, right? Neptune loves everything that dilutes cold harsh reality. Rose colored glasses work too. Any kind of escapism is Neptune-land: consider me a dream. The downside: Illusion and disillusionment often go hand in hand. Neptune hates neon light AKA disappointment. 

Themes of lying and being lied to are also governed by Neptune, because he wants us to believe and see the beauty in everything. Call that naive, but Neptuns motive is to get us closer to heaven. If we use our Neptune placements right; turn them into art and music they can have healing power.

 

 

PLUTO

How can this dwarf of a planet be the most powerful? Pluto has a reputation of playing this Phoenix trick on you. Transformation is his religion, and Pluto wants it so bad, that he won’t hesitate to burn down the whole damn house. No half heartedness with this Cowboy – he wants to own you, literally. Merging is a plutonic word.

That is why Sex is also Plutos territory, as well as death and psychology. All those topics, that scare, yet fascinate us. Pluto likes anything intense, anything, that goes deep under the surface. No human inferno is foreign to the Lord of the Underworld. This planet also teaches us about power. Manipulation is the low road of Pluto, as he rules psychology, the soul – and the demons inside. 

Getting to know Pluto means to surrender. Let this planet lead you to your personal hell and back. If you take his hand and dare to face your darkest fears, your deepest secrets, Pluto will release those demons for you. Remember: Light is stronger than darkness. And yes, sometimes it needs to hurt for it to feel better. Fact is: Those who learned the Pluto lesson will be emotionally free and strong – and able to help others.

 

 

The Nodes of the Moon

Can you take in the idea of having been on this earth before? Evolutionary astrology believes in past lives and that our soul incarnates in order to evolve. Our whole birth chart, especially the nodes, are key to unlocking the secrets of our spiritual journey.

 

If you’re rolling your eyes just now, let’s try this: View the nodes as your very basic direction in life; a compass. Imagine you sit in a boat sailing on the sea of life from the safe harbor (South Node) into the unknown (North Node). The Nodes always lie opposite each other and represent two aspects of a single process – meaning one cannot be understood without the other. In a nutshell: Our South Node is the trick we know by heart (call it a talent from a past life), AKA our comfort zone; whereas the North Node is the territory that is largely unknown to us, and might be a bit of a challenge but also carries the reward of growth. The idea is to find balance between the two opposing signs of your South and North Node = integration is key. 

The Nodes are no planets but imaginary points in the sky and we look at 6 nodal axis of life themes: Aries / Libra, Taurus / Scorpio, Gemini / Sag, Cancer / Capricorn, Leo / Aquarius, Virgo / Pisces.

 

 

The IC / MC 

Another axis, and again we’re talking imaginary points: The MC or Medium Coeli (“upper sky”) is the highest point in our chart, whereas the IC, the Imum Coeli (“lowest heaven”) is found at the bottom of the chart.

Think of the IC as being the roots of the tree and the MC as its crown, where the fruits grow. The MC is our role in the world, our goals and ambitions and also, how the world sees us. It is our prestige, reputation, the way we seek to impress the world (and this does NOT necessarily have to be our profession / career). The IC is our super private nature, our roots, our home and ancestry, what nourishes us, deep down. 

Like with the nodal axis, balance of the two opposing polarities of IC and MC is key: For no tree in the world can come up with cool fruits if the roots are damaged. 

Again we look at 6 nodal axis of themes: Aries / Libra, Taurus / Scorpio, Gemini / Sag, Cancer / Capricorn, Leo / Aquarius, Virgo / Pisces.