Hello, hello,
How do you do?
I know that the zodiac signs are the ones that are the most talked about in town. But the truth is, the planets are the real stars of astrology.
The planets are really what makes stuff happen, while the zodiac merely describe how this stuff is going to happen concretely in the world.
So let’s get to know the planets today. Grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea and get ready to learn this essential piece of knowledge if you want to be able to read your birth chart.
And if you're in the mood to watch rather than read, I've got a video version of this post.
The 7 Traditional Planets
1. The Moon
The moon rules Cancer. The moon is a lovely planet (says a Cancer rising, hoho). The moon represents our emotions, our feelings, our mood.
It also represents what we need to feel safe and well nourished. It’s basic comfort, like food, warmth and human connection.
The moon is tied to our early childhood and the kind of environment we grew in, and plays a huge part in how we later connect with others and take care of ourselves.
The moon is really that primal warmth and intimacy that we need in order to feel well and whole.
So if you want to learn more about your style of self-care and what you need in order to feel safe and nourished in a relation, look at the sign of your moon.
The moon will also explain your sudden changes of mood and the connection between your body and mind, and how if you’re well in your body, you’ll be better in your mind and vice-versa.
2. The Sun
So I just said that the moon is that very animal like need for comfort and warmth. It’s our instincts and our emotions that ebb and flow. Well, the sun is the opposite of that.
The sun is the symbol of the eternal. It’s your essence and radiance. It’s that quiet confidence of simply being.
The sun is also connected to sight, because it’s what lights and makes our world visible, so it has this idea of seeing and knowing and acting upon this knowledge.
It’s pure will in a sense.
The sun in your birth chart will tell you about who you are at your core, at the level of the soul. And also what is your life mission.
What you’re seeing in this life and what you’re trying to move towards to, but in a very archetypal level. The sun is not as concrete as the moon, which can literally mean food.
The sun is that something so obvious but at the same time so hard to pin down. It’s the fact that you are moved towards certain things or causes in your life.
Fittingly, the Sun rules Leo.
3. Mercury
Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo.
Mercury is our thinking and cognitive expression. It’s thoughts, ideas, reasoning, exchanging information.
Mercury is a very fast planet that has a kind of chaotic path in the sky, and so it symbolizes all back and forth exchanges.
That’s why it also rules money, markets and illusions. Mercury is slippery. It’s like your thoughts that are racing all over the place.
Or how you work on a project super hard for a week, and you think it’s perfect. But then you re-read your notes and you see this huge flaw in your arguments.
That’s Mercury.
It’s attention to details and nuances. It’s the capacity to go into the nitty gritty and analyze.
Look at Mercury in your chart to learn about how you communicate, but also how you learn and analyze things.
4. Venus
Venus rules Taurus and Libra.
Venus is an easy planet to get. It’s love, friendship, romance and desire. Venus is all pleasant things such as the arts, beauty and any recreation that you enjoy.
Venus is also the desire for harmony and peace. Venus wants to bring everyone together and smooth away the disagreements. She’s a very diplomatic planet.
But Venus will only advocate for what she believes in.
Venus is peace, but often peace comes at a price, at the cost of things that are silenced or hidden.
Where she is and her condition in your birth chart will tell you what you enjoy and desire in life, as well as how you connect with others.
While the moon has a very ‘cats sleeping on one another to feel safe and warm while sleeping’ vibe, Venus is more about how the cats interact while playing or, like, sniffing each other. If that makes sense.
Venus is really the social enjoyment side of relations. The moon is that deep necessary need for connection and trust.
5. Mars
Mars rules Aries and Scorpio.
Mars is often opposed to Venus, because while Venus is the goddess of love, Mars is the god of war.
Mars is about anger, fight and violence. But, without going to that side of things, Mars is also the will to act and the capacity to stand up for yourself.
Even if it upsets others or ends some of your relations.
Mars is the rebel planet of the zodiac. It’s used to being by itself.
Mars is that capacity to disrupt and divide things, for the better or for the worse.
In your birth chart, Mars will show how you feel and express your hot energy, like anger, adrenaline and the need to dominate or be right.
Mars shows how you handle conflict and disagreements.
Mars is also righteous and anger that fuels you to push yourself to your limits. It’s sports and the movement of our body.
6. Jupiter
Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces.
Jupiter really has a bigness, an openness to it. Jupiter is about growth and balance. Jupiter is our drive to move forward, to experience and learn more, but not to simply mindlessly consume new things, but to deepen our understanding of the world and of our self.
Jupiter seeks wisdom. Jupiter is probably the planet that most sincerely desires to be a better person. It’s very hopeful and optimistic.
Jupiter is about faith and how by making things bigger we can also make them better.
That’s why it represents large institutions, such as governments, the law or universities. It’s this idea that by combining everyone’s strengths in one cohesive whole, we can be more powerful and helpful.
But sometimes Jupiter can be a bit too grandiose and refuse to see the problems or the benefits that exist by keeping things small.
Jupiter in your birth chart talks about that feeling of openness and faith in yourself. And also how you feel about big institutions or big philosophies.
7. Saturn
Saturn rules Aquarius and Capricorn.
Saturn opposes Jupiter in many ways. Jupiter is about the big, the open breath. Saturn is about the small and weak breath.
Saturn is about restricting, limiting and structuring things.
Jupiter has that very flowy, we’ll see at it goes, kind of energy. Saturn is all about let’s plan, organize, it’s very square.
Saturn is the idea of maturity, of decline and loss. It’s the wisdom of old age.
It’s a bit bitter, cold and downright depressing. But you know, if Jupiter is spring and summer, Saturn is very much winter. And winter is important in our life.
Saturn opens us to the hardships and injustices of life. But yeah, it can get a bit too pessimistic sometimes.
In your birth chart, Saturn is about your sense of responsibility, of limits and organization, but also your sense of pessimism and how you see and cope with the harshness and misery of life.
And we did it. Excellent job!
If you’re like, hey, what about Neptune, Uranus and Pluto? Well, I’ll be making a video too on those 3 modern planets.
I hope you got to see how each planet is something present in everyone’s life, but at varying degrees and for different parts of your life.
And by looking at the houses you can see in what aspect of your life that planet plays a role. And by looking at the zodiac sign you can refine how the archetype of the planet manifests itself in your personality and life.
If you want have a summary of all the planets meanings and a more systematic way to read a birth chart, I’ve got a special gift for you ; )
It's a step-by-step guide to learn how to read your birth chart by yourself. It covers the zodiac signs, the houses, the planets and even has a birth char reading example so you can really understand how a reading works.
And here's a little summary of the meanings of the 7 traditional planets ♪
Thanks for reading. I hope you have a lovely day, and I’ll be seeing you soon.
Jin the Wizard
thunder and coffee