The Planets
Overview: The Luminaries, the Inner Planets, and the Outer Planets
Planets in Brief
The Planets in Depth:
• Sun
• Moon
• Mercury
• Venus
• Mars
• The Asteroids
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Chiron: A Transitional Object
• Uranus
• Neptune
• Pluto

The Planets in Overview

Just as each planet is a part of the entire solar system, in astrology, each planet symbolizes a part of a person's entire being. The discussions that follow here will briefly describe how each planet affects personality, and also what people might be like with that planet emphasized in the birth chart. In these instances, "emphasized" means that the planet is located near the horizon or meridian, which are called the angles of the birth chart.

The Luminaries

The Sun is the most dominant of all objects in the sky, and the Moon is the most dominant by night. In traditional astrology these two are often called the Luminaries or the Lights. In an astrological chart, these two bodies symbolize the most basic energies and needs of life.

The Inner Planets

In astrology, Mercury, Venus, and Mars are often grouped together as the inner planets. In the solar system they are close to the earth and physically small: Venus is almost exactly the same size as the earth, Mars a bit smaller, and Mercury smaller yet. Along with the Moon, these planets represent functions needed by the individual to cope with life's daily demands. They are considered "personal planets" in that they symbolize important aspects of one's own unique personality.

The Outer Planets

The three outer planets, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, were discovered by telescope. They symbolize forces that are capable of changing both the individual and the community, representing the disruptive forces that occur from time to time in a person's life, in the lives of a generation, or in the life of a community. They move so slowly that entire generations have Pluto or Neptune in the same sign at birth.

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The Planets in Brief

Sun: The Center

Psychological: The need for attention, ego-strength, self-esteem, primary motivations, self-integration. Social: The hero, the authority, the father, leaders, rulers, male energies in general. In your Inner Child report, you can see how the sun influenced your early years. Get The Gifted Child report to see what your child expects from his/her father.

Moon: The Reactor

Psychological: Moods and feelings, the subconscious mind, the right brain, instinctive responses and habits, interests, protective urges, the need to nurture or be nurtured. Social: Family, relations based on feelings, parenting, mother figures, herd (or hive) consciousness, the general public, female energies in general. The moon reveals what you may have needed from your mother in your Inner Child report, and reveals your emotional needs in LifeQuest.

Mercury: The Thinker and Communicator

Psychological: mental activity, mind, rationalizations, relativism, coordination, adaptability, expression. Social: Communications (speech, writing, translation, etc.), mobility and transportation (cars, bikes, planes), agents, go-betweens.

Venus: The Lover Psychological

Attractions, love, romance, courtship, mating, relationship skills, cooperation with others. Social: Art, beauty, artistic taste, culture, evaluation, balance, peace, negotiations, agreements, marriage, consultants, counselors. Venus is at the core of all romances and relationships. See what she has to reveal about you in your LifeQuest report, and what she uncovers about your significant other in Match-Mate.

Mars: The Warrior

Psychological: initiative, self-assertion, aggression, personal power, establishment of domain, self-preservation, impulse, rage, passion. Social: Activity, construction, competition, conflict, war.

Jupiter: The Growth Provoker

Psychological: Confidence, positive, optimism, humor, generosity, risk-taking, liberal, broad-minded, tolerant. Social: Growth and increase, overpopulation, exaggeration, volume, abundance, wealth.

Saturn: The Limiter

Psychological: self-control, restraint, discipline, endurance, patience, persistence, organization, realism, frugality. Social: Rules and regulations, structure and form, permanence, authority figures, restriction, contraction, separation, obstacles, delays.

Uranus: The Deviator

Psychological: The will, individualism, eccentricity, independence, mental instability, tension, irregularities. Social: Reforms, rebellions, revolution, anarchy, invention, originality, change, experimentation.

Neptune: The Idealist

Psychological: Dreams, psychic experiences, altered states of consciousness, emotions, hypersensitivity, anxiety. Social: Idealism, socialism, refinement, sensitivity, confusion, lack of distinctions, dreams, drugs, myths, the spiritual.

Pluto: The Transformer

Psychological: Psychic disturbances, territorialism, sexual urges, compulsions, intensity, the need to change oneself. Social: Power, domination, transformation, crisis, renewal, elimination, purification, death and rebirth, regeneration.

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The Planets In Depth

The Sun

The Sun is a very important point in an astrological chart. While popular Sun-sign astrology attempts to describe people only from the position of the Sun, such interpretation rings true to some extent because of the tremendous power the Sun has in a birth chart. Click here to see what your sun sign is. Socially, the Sun is symbolic of the father, authority, and benevolent leadership.

Self-worth, self-esteem, and ego-strength are symbolized by the Sun. The Sun in a birth chart also symbolizes the amount of energy available to the person. A strong Sun, as shown by its sign, house, and aspects, or its position close to the horizon or meridian, indicates both physical and ego-strength and a tendency to dominate the environment in a direct way. The Sun, associated with vitality and integrity, symbolizes the heart which keeps the body alive, and the spine, which gives it form. Without the Sun, life could not exist.

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The Moon

People with an emphasized Moon are typically sensitive, nurturing, and protective. The Moon is also a feminine symbol, specifically prime nurturer, and appears to be a dominant influence during the first two years of life.

The Moon is a point in the chart that symbolizes subconscious functioning representing the preverbal mind which is inaccessible to reason. It is symbolic of the brain's right hemisphere, the half of the brain that thinks holistically and intuitively. The Moon is thus an important factor in understanding non-rational habits and behaviors.

The position of the Moon in a birth chart shows a person's natural interests and their "instinctive" response to something. Some people respond to a stimulus dramatically, some tend to suppress their feelings, and others might respond in a creative and balanced manner.

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Mercury

Traditionally symbolic of mental activity and the use of language, Mercury is the planet of thinking and communication. It is linked to the brain's left hemisphere, which is logical, analytical, and literal. The Mercury part of the mind is concerned with knowledge and rational problem-solving, both of which require the ability to use symbols and to manipulate ideas and things.

Ancient traditions often associated the planet Mercury with teachers and bringers of knowledge. From this perspective, Mercury is the planet that symbolizes the movement of information from one place to another. This movement can also be expressed in other ways. Those with Mercury emphasized in the birth chart tend to be talkers, readers, writers, and thinkers and often become associated with some form of transportation, either as a career or an interest. Socially, Mercury is symbolic of those who connect others: lawyers, secretaries, messengers, drivers, etc.

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Venus

Love, courtship, mating, socialization and relationship are found in Venus. It symbolizes desire and attraction, interactions with others, and the need to get along with them. A person with an emphasized Venus is likely to be very interested in love and partnering, and will probably make key life decisions around such issues. Venus also signifies the need for harmony and balance in nature, art, and relationships. Refinement, social harmony, social stability, a sense of equality, and a sense of civilization and culture are all linked to Venus. Venus is traditionally a feminine symbol. While the Moon is the mother, Venus depicts the beautiful and sexually desirable aspect of femininity. Between age 12 and 16, Venus is the dominant influence and we confront our sexuality and learn important social lessons.

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Mars

Mars is not only the planet of survival, assertiveness, dominance, and territoriality, but also war and combat. Soldiers, boxers, and firefighters will have an emphasized Mars. Whereas Venus is the planet of the grower, Mars is the planet of the hunter, self-interest and the striving for personal power. Mars is a masculine planet symbolic of the male as warrior. At about 2 years of age, just when Mars has completed one full cycle since birth, the Mars stage begins. During this period we learn to control our muscles and to assert our power. See how much of Mars' power in unleashed in your LifeQuestreport.

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The Asteroids

Until about two hundred years ago, astrologers used just seven planets, those discussed so far plus Jupiter and Saturn. But since that time, three other planets and a number of smaller bodies such as asteroids have been discovered. In our solar system, the gap between Mars and Jupiter is filled with thousands of asteroids. Some astrologers place asteroids in birth chart and are exploring their potential as symbols of very particular psychological functions.

Four of the largest asteroids, Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta, were discovered within a few years of each other at the beginning of the 19th century. These four appear to represent specific aspects of the female archetype represented by the Moon and Venus in general. Ceres has to do with nurturing and agriculture. Pallas is intellectual and has to do with feminine crafts, weaving, and pattern perception. Juno is linked to women's arts, female decoration, and female power. Vesta has to do with dedication, celibacy, sacrifice, and service. Prominence of one or more of these asteroids in a birth chart suggests a concern with these issues.

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Jupiter

Jupiter is the planet of growth, but also of proper timing and regulation. It is associated with acquisition, whether this be intellectual, material, or physical. People with an emphasized Jupiter are often intellectual seekers, information collectors, moneymakers, or they may simply be physically large. Jupiter is also traditionally the planet of luck, which is essentially a matter of timing -- being in the right place at the right time. The ancients considered Jupiter the most beneficial planet of all. However, too much of something can be as detrimental as too little. To see how you find enthusiasm, spirituality, and joy through Jupiter, get your Inner Child report by Gloria Star.

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Saturn

The planet of limits, boundaries, and barriers, Saturn also symbolizes laws, rules and regulations, and the need to establish and conform to realistic perspectives. Whereas Jupiter represents an outgoing energy, Saturn represents a force that contracts. People with an emphasized Saturn are often serious, hardworking, goal-driven, and motivated by established standards. Status and reputation are important to the Saturn type. As the planet of responsibility, it can often weigh heavily on a person, leading to feelings of duty and obligation.

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Chiron: A Transitional Object

In 1977, astronomer Charles Kowal discovered what appeared to be a minor planet orbiting between Saturn and Uranus. In one part of its elliptical orbit, this body gets closer to the Sun than Saturn; and in another part, it is farther from the Sun than Uranus ever gets. The orbit of this newly discovered object is representative of a link between the last known planet of the ancients with the first of the modern, outer planets, and this gives it a unique place in the astrological system of planetary symbols. Chiron symbolizes several issues including health, healing (chiropractic), disabilities, and also teaching and learning in general. Astrologers also note its isolation from the other asteroids and have attributed to it the independent and solitary qualities of a maverick.

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Uranus

Uranus is primarily associated with discovery, technology, instability, and change. It often acts suddenly and unpredictably, disturbing the normal flow of events. Uranus is often described as a higher octave of Mercury because it appears to operate on an extremely mental level such as advanced technology, invention, ingenuity, deviation, and experiment. Psychologically, Uranus represents the will, the focused intent of a person. People with an emphasized Uranus are often stubborn, rigid, and original characters who may not harmonize with others due to their strong sense of independence. Socially, Uranus represents individualists, reformers, rebels, inventors, and people with an interest in socially transforming technology and electronics.

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Neptune

Strange coincidences, disinformation, and chaos are some of Neptune's astrological properties. Like Uranus, Neptune has something to do with vision and movement toward the future, but it operates on the level of the feelings and instincts. While Uranus is super-mental and willful, Neptune is the spiritual and artistic high, a state of mind where distinctions do not exist. Unlike Uranus which makes for sharp distinctions: black and white, positive and negative, Neptune represents a dissolving force, where everything blends into everything else, and this can produce chaos.

People with an emphasized Neptune are typically idealistic, artistic, poetic, dreamy, psychic, and imaginative. They usually base crucial life decisions entirely on their feelings and they often sacrifice their lives to another person, or to an ideal. Their philosophical or religious beliefs rule their lives and drive them to do what they can to bring the ideal into reality. With Neptune there is an instinct to lose one's ego, to sacrifice for the greater good, to become selfless, or seek a unified state of consciousness. These people may be complex, but they are the ones who move humanity towards the future.

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Pluto

Pluto marks the outermost limit of the known solar system. Pluto is physically small and slow-moving, but can be an astrological wrecking ball. (Find out what hidden flaws Pluto reveals about you in your LifeQuest report.) Simply put, Pluto rules survival itself and the crises of death and regeneration. It symbolizes the power of inevitable transformations, beginnings and endings, birth and death. It rules sex and reproduction, the means by which life regenerates itself and "survives" beyond death. In Plutonian matters, the needs of the species outweigh the needs of the individual. Death makes room for birth and the community lives on.

Pluto is also associated with hidden things, secrets, and the dark. Like Mars, it symbolizes the power urge, but Pluto's power is more subtle. Whereas Mars rules hand-to-hand combat, Pluto rules psychological warfare, espionage, and nuclear power. A negative Pluto type can be obsessive, jealous, possessive, demanding, domineering, and overwhelming,. Because it is the power and survival of the group that is at issue under Pluto, this planet works best for people who have learned to trust and share. Socially, Pluto is symbolic of people involved with networking, the corporate world, taxation, insurance, and banking.

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