What Is Astrology?
I remember when I first started studying astrology, I became obsessed with learning everything I could about it. I hope this video whets your appetite to learn more because astrology is a deeply enriching practice. I also want to say that I’m just one voice in a vast community. There are many different astrologers out there, and a diversity of methods to practice. Astrological charts can be used to interpret everything from geopolitical events to helping you find your car keys, like with mundane or horary astrology. I’m going to focus on teaching you how to interpret a natal chart today, which is the astrology of self-actualization. But you can take these methods and apply them to any other branch that interests you.
Astrology is a language, and you can use many different languages to communicate the same thing. Since you’re at the beginning of your astrological journey, I encourage you to learn from as many teachers as you can, so that you can expose yourself to the diversity of this field, and also tailor your own unique approach. Astrology has existed for eons and was practiced on almost every continent on earth, from the Mayans to the Chinese to the Australian Aborigines, and in the Middle East. Astrology may be the most prolific form of divination in the world. No matter where you were born on earth, whether it was the mountains of Tibet or the shores of the Central America, our ancestors all lived under the same sky.
Astrology is humanity’s collective birthright. From wherever your grandparents came, there was likely a tradition of stargazing, of mythologizing the planets and anticipating their movements to determine when to plant crops or harmonize other activities on Earth from wherever you’re from, astrology belongs to you. Like I mentioned earlier, astrology is a language and I’m going to teach you the basic alphabet. Astrology is a technical field, and it can be confusing at first to learn the difference among the planets, signs, and houses. I remember when I first started studying astrology, the charts looked like pizzas with too many toppings. Learning astrology is just like learning a new language. It can take some time to gain fluency, but by the end of this video, you’ll start integrating the various layers of a birth chart and even do a few interpretations on your own. Astrology is an art of beginnings. You as a novice astrologer will start by creating a chart of the planetary positions at the moment of your birth. This chart, also known as a natal chart, is a snapshot of the sky when you were born. An important thing to remember when practicing astrology is that the birth chart is a starting point. It’s never an end point. What continues to fascinate me about this birth chart is that it’s mysteriously dynamic. You’ll have the same birth chart for the rest of your life.
You’ll have it when you’re eight years old, 18 years old, 38, and even 78. But if you think about it, you’re not the same person you were when you were eight years old. Because you’ve grown up and you’ve changed. You’ve learned new things about yourself too. So how does a fixed, unchanging birth chart give us effective insights? If we’re continuously evolving, it’s because the mythic language of astrology presents us with a spectrum of possibilities within our own internal pantheon of planetary archetypes. The most evolved astrological practice approaches every sign and placement as having a lower and a higher manifestation. It’s through our awareness that we use our free will to manifest the higher part of our nature and evolve past its lower expression. The beauty of this chart is that it’s a lifelong navigational tool that supports you on your path towards self-actualization. The birth chart can be viewed as a mystical device that shines a spotlight of awareness on different aspects of ourselves, so that we can steer through life with augmented perception. The chart is a palette of colors, and you’re the artist who works with their own unique palette. There are some parts of who you are which are fixed, though you can actively work with what you have to create a number of paintings. I’ll give you an example. Let’s say we were comparing the lives of a devout Buddhist and a dysfunctional alcoholic, and their charts both had Neptune, the ethereal planet in hard aspect to their sun, which is the planet of identity.
Now, let’s say both people have an urge to merge with something greater than themselves by seeking transcendental experiences. The Buddhist pursues this through meditation, while the alcoholic strives to merge with something beyond themselves by escaping from themselves with booze. You can bet that the devout Buddhist is more content with their life because the alcoholic is trapped by their bad habit, which inhibits their growth. Now, the alcoholic isn’t fated to live that way because they can choose healthier ways to express their Neptunian nature. Maybe through creativity, altruism, or spirituality. Astrology should never make you feel trapped by an onerous fate, though it can unflinchingly point at some of your most vulnerable and painful places. If you ever consult with an astrologer or read an astrological website that makes you feel hopeless, then I highly suggest that you run like hell for the nearest exit. The higher type of astrology gives us a compassionate overview of our personal challenges, so that you can develop an inclusive perspective of yourself. One way to know if you’re on the right track. With astrology is that a chart interpretation should make you feel deeply seen on both a cosmic and personal level, and empowered to change yourself for the better. Most people are introduced to astrology when they learn what their sun sign is, because it correlates with the day of the year when you were born, so it’s pretty easy to look up.
The Signs, Planets and Aspects
Some people strongly identify with their sign, while others might read descriptions and feel like the info is kind of off. It’s best not to analyze your sun sign in isolation, because there’s so much more going on in your birth chart. Let me show you what I’m talking about. I’ll introduce the four main elements in a birth chart the planets, signs, houses, and aspects. I’ll use the chart of David Bowie to show you the difference. Among them. There are ten planets in modern astrology and they’re represented by these sigils. Then there are 12 signs in the zodiac, which is the path that the planets move across the sky. Then there are the houses, which show you the areas of life where the planets are active, and they each cover their own sign. Finally, the aspects are the geometric relationships between the planets. Now let’s deep dive on what these all mean. I’ll start with the houses. There are 12 houses in every birthchart and they represent different arenas of life. There’s not one universal house system in astrology, but a variety of different methods for calculating the houses. There’s a traditional whole sign system, and then there’s the widely practiced modern Placidus system, as well as Regimontas, Campanus, and more. We don’t have time today to go over the difference among these systems, and I’m not personally dogmatic about which one works best. So try them out and figure out which one resonates the most with you.
The Four Angles: Ascendant, Nadir, Descendant and Midheaven
We also can’t talk about houses without bringing up the four angles of a birth chart the ascendant, nadir, descendant, and Midheaven, which are all highly sensitive points. The angles are portals of manifestation that represent different sides of you. Pay very close attention to the angles in a chart. Any planet next to one becomes a prominent player in someone’s life. While you can look at a birth chart through the lens of different house systems, the angles of a chart will always be in the same sign and degree. No matter which house system you use. In terms of interpretation, the houses represent where the activities of life take place. Let’s go through all 12 briefly and realize that I only have time to give you a few delineations per house, though there are many, many more. Remember that you can correlate anything in life to some part of the birth chart, so these houses are symbolically dense. The first house is the house of self. The ascendant is always located in the first house, no matter which house system you use. Geographically speaking, the first house would be located in the eastern horizon in relation to where you were born. The ascendant, also known as the rising, is the constellation to the east of the horizon line. In astrology, the east is to the left of the chart and the west is to the right, which is flipped from how we’re used to seeing it on a Western map.
The Ascendant (or Rising) and First House
The rising describes how you immediately come off to other people, kind of like a mask that you wear for the rest of the world. If we use the metaphor of your own home to understand the houses of a birth chart, the rising and first house would be like the front door. This part of the chart describes what others can easily see about you, though it doesn’t reveal the entire story of who you are. Just as the front door of your house is a very real part of the building, though there can also be a lot more going inside besides what you initially see. Planets that are located near the ascendant or in the first house become quite integral to your personality, and they describe facets of who you are that other people may notice right away. For example, let’s say you had Mars on your ascendant or in your first house. Mars is the planet of action, drive, and anger. So in its lower manifestation, it could describe someone who has a combative and impulsive personality, though in its higher manifestation it could express a person who is assertive, active and brave. It really depends on the choices and the maturity of the person you’re reading for. It’s also important to take the whole chart into consideration, too, before settling on an interpretation. Even though you should realize that planets in the first house tend to be quite prominentpersonal archetypes that describe someone when casting a birth chart, the ascendant is the first point you calculate, as it can determine where the rest of the houses will go.
Depending on which system you use, the ascendant changes one whole degree every four minutes. So this is why getting an exact birth time is really crucial in astrology. If you’re 40 minutes off, for example, that could account for a ten degree difference. So you could easily miscalculate that ascendant in a different sign, because each sign is only 30 degrees of the zodiac anyway. Even an ascendant a few degrees off can make entirely different aspects to other planets, and you may lose some valuable information in your interpretation. So remember to get as an exact birth time as you can, and I highly suggest checking a birth certificate.
The Second House
The second house is the house of your personal income, possessions, and values. The second house is underneath the first, so it shows us everything. That supports ourself, such as the money and possessions that give us worldly security and the values that are foundational to who you are. Analyzing the second House can tell us a lot about how you relate to your possessions. If you have, let’s say, your moon, the planet which represents emotions and your past in the second house, then you may have a strong emotional attachment to your stuff, and you also might prefer to hold on to things from your early life.You may also feel emotionally uneasy if you’re financially insecure. So many second house moons can be really great at managing their money because it’s an emotional need as well as a practical one.
The Third House
The third house is the house of siblings, neighbors, short journeys, learning and communication. Now, I remember when I first started studying astrology and I wondered what all these things had in common to be designated in the same house. The third house represents your mind, including how you think and how you communicate. If someone has Saturn, the planet of restriction in the third house, it can mean that they communicate using few words and are often quiet. The third house can represent your brothers, sisters, neighbors, and your local surroundings, such as your neighborhood. A unifying theme of the third house are the people and places you interact with on a daily basis. Someone with Venus, the planet of luck and harmony in the third, might get along really well with their siblings. They might prefer a romantic relationships based on good communication, and they also might enjoy having a good change of scenery, such as taking frequent trips around town.
The Fourth House
The fourth house is the house of home and family, and usually represents one or both of your parents. The fourth house can reveal a lot about how we nurture others, how we like to be nurtured, what happened in our past and our private world. If you use the Placidus system, then the nadir angle always begins. This house and the Nadir represents the family person in you. Whatever sign your nadir is in can describe who I would meet if I were invited over to your home to have dinner with your family on a geographic level. The fourth house is located underneath your feet. When you were born, therefore, you couldn’t see any planets there because they would have been underneath the Earth’s surface, so that means they’d only be visible in the opposite hemisphere. This is a hidden house, and it represents where you can leave the outside world and retreat. Planets in the fourth house can represent our childhood as well as our domestic needs. If we had the sun, the planet of identity, in our fourth house, it could mean that we identify strongly with family and that our home is a very important part of who we are. Fourth, house suns need a strong family and secure home life in order to feel self-actualized, and achieving this can be a big part of their life. Mission.
The Fifth House
The fifth house is the house of creation, recreation and procreation. It’s the party house of the Zodiac, and it represents places of amusement like theaters and clubs, as well as hobbies and creative pursuits. The fifth represents your children as well, and it’s also the house of dating, because one thing naturally leads to the other planets in the fifth house.Describe what you do for fun your creativity, your attitude towards children, and how you date other people. Also known as the House of performance, planets in this house can be quite theatrical. Let’s say you had Mercury, the planet of mind and communication in the fifth house. This could mean that you like to play mentally stimulating games like trivia, that you enjoy creative writing, that you like dating intellectuals, or that you communicate in a theatrical way.
The Sixth House
The sixth house is the house of work, health service, and habits. The sixth house represents your daily routines like brushing your teeth, going to the gym, taking your medicine, and the day to day operations of your job. The sixth house is a service oriented place that’s practical and helpful. It describes your daily habits and how you are of service to others, so it explains aspects of your job and how you are with routine. Let’s say you had Uranus, the planet of rebellion and individualism in your sixth house. Then that might mean that you like workplaces, that you can let you be as independent and innovative as possible. That may be your erratic with your routines and that you have a very unique approach to health.
The Seventh House
The seventh House naturally opposes the first, and it represents partnerships as well as known enemies. So why does the seventh house represent your marriage partner as well as your enemy? Well, ahem!, that happens to be the case for some people. Traditionally speaking, the seventh house represents those relationships you have with people who are at an arm’s length from you. Whether you’re embracing your partner or punching your enemy on the battlefield. Traditionally, it’s known as the house of marriage, where the fifth house represents the people you date. The seventh house represents your long term relationships. The descendant is always located here, no matter which house system you use, and it’s a point which represents the qualities you look for in a partner to help you feel complete. Geographically speaking, the seventh is located in the western horizon, so it’s where the sun sets. Planets in the seventh house can describe our long terme relationship needs, and what qualities we look to in a partner to help us feel complete. Let’s say you had Mars, the planet of action and war in your seventh house. Then you would prefer passionate relationships to routine ones, and you may be drawn to partners who, in their lower manifestation, can be combative and self-centered, or who in their higher manifestation, are assertive and independent. Someone with Mars in the 7th May feel like everyone else in their life is trying to pick a fight with them, though they may be the ones who are subconsciously drawn to feisty people because it helps them get in touch with their own anger. A good rule of thumb is that seventh house planets tend to be projected onto others.
The Eighth House
The eighth house naturally opposes the second house of income, and it represents the money you share with other people, like your family or institutions like banks. So it represents your joint credit cards, inheritances, mortgages, insurance policies, investments and loans. The deeper meaning of the eighth house is that it’s the house of transformation, and it rules hidden things which may be too dark or intense to bring up in casual conversation like mental health, social taboos, addiction, sex and crime. Since the eighth is a hidden house, it can represent research and investigation, which are means of digging down to discover the truth. Planets in this house can go through death and rebirth cycles throughout someone’s life, and this is a house of extremism and intensity. Planets here can represent how you approach shared resources, how you make personal transformations, as well as where you face extremes in your life. If someone’s moon, the planet of emotions and family is in the eighth house, then it can mean that their emotions are extreme, that they’re comfortable with mysteries and taboos, and that they may inherit from or give money to their family one day. Traditionally, this was known as the House of death. But do not worry. Interpreting this house won’t tell you when you’re going to die. Death is represented by this House because it’s a social taboo and because it’s the ultimate transformation we face.
The Ninth House
The ninth house represents higher education, travel, legal affairs, beliefs, and adventure. It’s the house that rules all the things in life which expand us and broaden our horizons, whether that’s traveling to a new place or learning something new. The ninth is an adventurous house because new experiences help us to grow past our limitations. Planets in this house represent our worldview beliefs, our interest in higher learning, and how we like to broaden ourselves. If you had Pluto, the planet of transformation and secrecy in the ninth House, then you may strongly adhere to your beliefs or be secretive about them. You could go through your most transformational and intense experiences during travel and school, and you may be an excellent researcher at school or a persuasive teacher.
The Tenth House
The 10th house is located at the top of the chart, and it geographically correlates with the top of the sky when you were born. The Midheaven, a career point, is always located in this house. If you use the Placidus system, though, it may drift elsewhere if you use other house systems. This is the most visible part of the sky because the zenith can be seen no matter where you live. I’m from New York City, where we have super tall buildings that obscure most of the sky, though you can always see directly overhead. In other places, the horizon of a chart might be blocked by mountains or trees, but no matter where you are in the world, you can always see the apex of the sky.Therefore, the 10th house represents the most visible part of who you are, which is your career and your life direction. Just think about how when you meet new people, the first question they often ask is what do you do for a living? Or that if anyone reads your social media profile, it usually lists your career or life passion right away. Planets in this house can represent what type of career suits you or what your life direction should include. For example, if we had Mercury, the planet of communication and mentation in this house, it could mean that you like a career which uses your mind, such as jobs that include teaching, writing and talking. Since the 10th house is also our public reputation, having mercury here could mean that you have a reputation for being communicative and smart. The Midheaven represents what you need to be satisfied in your career or your life direction. Of course, it’s great if you can align these two together, but often people need to work for money, though they may have an avocation where they pursue their life purpose like donating your spare time to an animal rescue. And remember that the Midheaven is opposed to the nadir. That private and personal point. Here you can see the strong contrast between these two angles. The nadir, which is hidden beneath the earth, shows your most personal self. It would describe who you are. If you invited me over to your home to have dinner with your fam, then the Midheaven represents your public self who is out there in the world.
It’s kind of like who I would meet if I swung by your office or the place where you work. We can be very different people at work than who we are when we’re at home. The ancient astrologers describe this axis as a tree where the roots of the tree, the invisible part, is the nadir, while the top of the tree, where the branches reach up to the sky and grow fruit and flowers, represents who you are at work or pursuing your life mission. This is a beautiful metaphor because it shows us that we need the support of a good home life to go out in the world, and produce something.
The Eleventh House
The 11th house is the house of groups, friends, and long term goals. It represents your social networks and any group in which you participate like clubs, societies, unions, conventions, recovery programs, professional associations, teams and even gamer circles. It can also signify your future hopes, wishes and dreams. Planets in the 11th house can describe what type of friends we have, how we relate to being in a group context, and how we pursue our future goals. If we had Neptune, the planet of mysticism and confusion in the 11th house, it may mean that our friends tend to be Neptunian in nature, meaning that in a lower expression they’re flaky, deceptive, and into substance, though on a higher level it could mean that you choose friends who are artistic and spiritual.
Neptune can also signify that you enjoy participating in Neptunian groups, which may mean being a part of a spiritual or charitable community, or that you can be quite idealistic about your long tum goals, but maybe at times can be confusing and have a hard time defining them.
The Twelfth House
The 12th and final house represents places of solitude, spiritual knowledge and charity and is known as the House of self undoing. The 12th therefore represents hospitals, asylums, ashrams, prisons and monasteries because these are all places where you have to leave the world to spend some time on your own. This house can also show us our family karma, because planets here were often denied to us when we were young, but as adults we end up denying them to ourselves. Another feature of the 12th house is that planets here can become vehicles for our own self undoing. If we’re not attentive, though, these planets also have the potential to become our hidden gifts. For example, let’s say you had Venus, the planet of love and beauty in your 12th house. Then you may have had your Venus denied to you when you were growing up. Maybe your family overlooked or actively discouraged your beauty and love needs. And then as you grow older, you end up denying these to yourself. However, you can also discover this side of yourself as a hidden gift you didn’t realize you had in its lower manifestation.Venus in the in the 12th May use relationships as a means of self-sabotage, though in its higher manifestation, Venus in the 12th finds relationships which have a shared altruistic or spiritual quality.
The Planets
Now that we covered the houses or arenas of life, it’s time to turn our attention to the planets. Every chart will have all ten planets in it, because you can’t be born on a day where one of the planets is missing from the sky. Not every house will have a planet in it, though, since there are only 12 houses and ten planets, that would be impossible. Anyway. If you have an empty house in your birth chart, then we look at the house’s sign to figure out what’s going on in that area of your life. Every sign has a special relationship with a planet called a rulership. So we analyze the house’s ruling planet to learn more about what’s going on in that area of your life. Now, I’ll explain the planets, which are more significant than the houses, because they’ll always be in the same sign in degree, no matter which house system you choose. When reading an astrology chart, astrology readers first analyze the ascendant along with the luminaries, which are the sun and moon. These three make up the foundational trifecta of your personality in astrology.
Sun
The sun represents your self-expression, your personal purpose, your willpower, your creative energy, your vitality, as well as your ego. It’s the planet of authority and the father archetype. The sun is your life force. It’s your battery pack. Wherever we have, the sun is where we identify. It’s an external and outward expression of who you are. The Sun is the king or queen of our solar system, because it determines the orbits of all the other planets through its gravitational pull. In astrology, the Sun is like the king or queen of your chart, because it explains why and how you make decisions and what your personal purpose is. The Sun is considered to be a generous planet because it magnanimously showers its light to us every day, and this light becomes the spark for all living beings on Earth. The Sun moves about one degree of the zodiac per day, and our Western calendar year is based upon one solar revolution of the sun around the zodiac. The Sun therefore changes sign about every month.
Moon
The Moon, by contrast, is your emotional inner world and mother archetype. It’s the less conscious side of you because it’s associated with your habits and reactions. The Moon also represents feeling rooted and belonging somewhere on a physical level. The Moon signifies women, food, family, and home. We see the moon at night because it reflects the light of the sun. When you close your eyes and imagine something which no one else can see. Where does this inner light come from? Just as Moonlight is a reflection of the sun, our inner light is an internal reflection of our life force.
The Moon represents everything which supports your existence, which is why both the Sun and moon are needed in the creation of life. If you took the spark of life as represented by the sun, and hermetically sealed it in a compartment without food, water, or oxygen, that spark would fizzle out. The Moon describes the vessel which supports that spark of light. Like the ground in which a seed is planted. Your imagination and emotions are an inner reservoir where that life energy is embodied and therefore sustained. Understanding your moon placement can help you understand what you need to feel emotionally well-balanced. The Moon can also tell us more about what type of home would suit you best, and what your family’s like. Since the Moon is changeable because every night it changes to its next phase. Wherever we have the moon in our chart is where we can experience fluctuations. Since the Moon is the closest planet to Earth, it moves the fastest along the zodiac, taking about two and a half days to change sign. In a full month, the moon will have whipped around the entire zodiac, which is all 12 signs. Understanding your moon placement can help you understand what you need to feel emotionally well-balanced. The moon can also tell us more about what type of home would suit you best, and what your family is like.
Since the Moon is changeable because every night it changes to its next phase. Wherever we have the moon in our chart is where we can experience fluctuations. Since the moon is the closest planet to Earth, it moves the fastest along the zodiac, taking about two and a half days to change sign. In a full month, the moon will have whipped around the entire zodiac, which is all 12 signs.
Mercury
Mercury represents the thinker in you because it’s the planet of communication and meditation. Mercury represents how you learn and speak, and it’s the archetype of the thinker. It’s the closest planet to the sun, so it moves around the zodiac in about 88 days. It’s considered to be a fast moving and busy planet, and therefore it changes. Sign every few weeks. Mercury is one of the travel planets. The other one is Jupiter, and it rules transportation like your car or bike. Fundamentally, Mercury is about the connection between things. For example, when you communicate something to someone else, you’re connecting what’s going on in your mind with theirs. Or if you jump in your car to go from point A to point B, that car is the medium for that connection. Mercury is therefore an important planet because it likes to make connections with others through conversations and ideas. Mercury also rules youth because we absorb the most learning when we’re young, and is considered to be a multiple planet because it rules Gemini: The Twins. Mercury is a planet that’s exacting and detail oriented, because critical analysis involves grasping the minutiae of an argument to deconstruct it.
Venus
Venus is the planet of art, beauty, love, and pleasure, and she’s the archetype of the lover. She’s considered to be a benefic or lucky planet because she is the power to attract things to herself. The ancient Greek astrologers attributed beauty to the planet Venus, because her orbit is the closest to a perfect circle, and the Greeks valued geometric harmony in their aesthetics. She’s a relationship planet and shows us our romantic needs and how we express affection. If the Moon is our emotions, then Venus relates to how we show our feelings. If you want to understand your relationship needs better, then you should interpret Venus’s sign and placement. She’s also a diplomatic planet and likes to bring peace between people instead of discord. Venus can also show us some aspects of our personal style and what we find pleasurable. Venus takes less than a year, about 225 days to orbit the sun, so she changes sign about every few weeks to a month.
Mars
Mars is the planet of activity and drive. Its archetype is the warrior because it represents our fighting spirit and passion. If you’re walking down an unfamiliar alley at night and you hear some creepy footsteps behind you and you’re ready to either run like hell or turn around and punch the guy, that’s your Mars activating within you. Mars is your courage and ability to fight back. Wherever you have Mars in your chart is where you concentrate your energy and drive. Mars is the planet of desire. It knows what it wants and makes a beeline right to it. It can also represent aspects of our sexuality by showing us what we desire. Mars has a lot to do with our anger too, and our Mars sign and placement can show us how we express or don’t express that anger. Mars is considered to be a challenging planet or malefic, and wherever we have it is where we might face frustrations or conflict. Mars takes about two years to orbit the sun, so it changes. Sign about every couple of months.
Jupiter
Now we’re going to move on to the outer planets. Those are all the planets that exist past the Kuiper Belt. The outer planets are less personal than the inner planets since they move slower. They represent our generational influences as well as the greater social systems that affect our lives. Jupiter is the planet of growth, and expansion is considered the other benefic planet after Venus. It takes about one year for Jupiter to go through a sign. So you probably had the same Jupiter placement as everyone else in your high school class. Jupiter rules, philosophy, higher education, travel and adventure. What’s common about all these things is that they broaden us. Philosophy and education can expand your mind, and travel and adventure can expand your worldview with new experiences.
Jupiter is therefore the archetype of the explorer or scholar. A good word for understanding Jupiter is perspective. Jupiter is about gaining a larger perspective on matters, so it is less. Detail oriented than mercury. By contrast, Mercury represents your analytical mind, while Jupiter represents your philosophical mind and big picture thinking. Jupiter is considered to be a benefic or lucky planet, and wherever you have Jupiter in your chart is where you find joy, growth, and where things may flow more easily in your life. This large, buoyant gas planet also rules all the things which uplift us too, like humor and religion. I’ll explain how. Let’s say you’re having a bad day and someone tells you a funny joke. Your laughter will lift you out of your bad mood. Or let’s say you’re going through a rough time in your life. Then you might be uplifted by going to your church or temple, or maybe meditating on your yoga mat. That feeling of being uplifted by your faith and belief is Jupiter at work. Jupiter is an optimistic planet and loves seeing the glass as half full instead of half empty. But every planet, whether it’s lucky or challenging, has its lower and higher manifestations to the lower. Manifestation of Jupiter is excess and wastefulness, because when you have unbalanced expansion, it can lead to too much. Since Jupiter is the planet of growth, it always wants to say more to everything.
So Jupiter can lead to overextensions or being too big for one’s britches. That’s why another lower manifestation of Jupiter is arrogance.
Saturn
In contrast, Saturn is the planet of restriction and limitation, and it represents the archetype of the professional. Saturn shows us where your limitations are and wherever you have Saturn in your chart is where you may experience a blockage. To the ancient astrologers, Saturn was the last visible planet that you could see with the naked eye at night. Therefore, Saturn represented the boundary of the universe and physical reality, since there was nothing else that existed beyond Saturn except the ether. It wasn’t until 1781 when Uranus was discovered that we learned there was a lot more beyond Saturn. Saturn, therefore, rules all the things in life which limit you, such as work, responsibility, and time. The reason why Saturn rules, work, and responsibility is because these things limit you. If you don’t get up and go to work or take care of your responsibilities, then you will face consequences. And Saturn rules time because time is the greatest limitation on our existence. You only have so many years of life, so you better make the most of them. One of Saturn’s great lessons is that with promise of death comes purpose of life, and this helps us realize that the limitations in our lives are there so we can make the most of what we really do have. This is why Saturn is known as a malefic, meaning a challenging planet.
Though I want to emphasize here that Saturn is not just a cosmic buzzkill. Saturn has one of the most powerful higher manifestations because Saturn can bring you results if you agree to put in the work. Saturn is just here to test you so that you can check to see if you’re on the right path. Analyzing Saturn in someone’s chart can show you their career needs and what their great fear in life might be. Saturn takes about two and a half years to traverse each sign, so it’ll be about 29 to 30 years before it makes a full revolution around the zodiac, which is also known as the Saturn Return. Think of it like a rite of passage through a maturity. When I first started studying astrology, I thought that Saturn was such a drag. Though as I’ve continued to practice, I now think of Saturn as my favorite planet. That’s because I’ve seen how Saturn can bring results after a lot of hard work. And what the hell else are we here to do? So I’ve just gone over the seven classical planets that were used in astrology for millennia. Now we’re going to look at the three modern planets which were discovered after 1781. These planets aren’t visible to the naked eye, and we had to advance our technology to find them.
Uranus
So let’s start with Uranus. Uranus is the planet of rebellion, the unexpected individualism and innovation. So its archetype is the revolutionary. Uranus has an intellectual quality, and modern astrologers describe it as the higher octave of Mercury. Uranus likes to play by its own rules and can have a my way or the highway attitude, since it doesn’t compromise well. Wherever you have Uranus in your chart is where you individualize yourself. Because Uranus is about being authentic, this planet is eccentric, erratic, and freedom loving. Wherever you have Uranus in your chart is also where you demand freedom and choose not to follow the herd. One way to think of Uranus is that it’s the universal catalyst, since it’s that sudden spark that sets off a whole chain of events in its lower manifestation. Uranus is destabilizing, unpredictable, and uncompromising, though in its higher expression, Uranus brings innovation and progress because it stirs up our outworn routines and questions. Tradition. When tradition no longer serves us, Uranus is far out there, so it takes seven years to go through a whole sign.
Neptune
Neptune is the planet that rules all the ethereal dimensions of life, all the things that exist, but they can’t be seen, quantified or measured. It therefore rules mysticism, intuition, creative inspiration, though Neptune also rules illusion, mind altering substances, delusion and disappointment if Saturn is related to reality and boundaries. The Neptune is the antithesis of these things because it represents fantasy and the dissolution of boundaries. Neptune has an association with compassion, too, because compassion is the state of not feeling boundaries between yourself and other people or animals.You can think of Neptune as the universal solvent because it dissolves everything. Because Neptune dissolves, it can have an ego denying quality where you question your self-worth and confidence. Wherever we have Neptune in our charts is where your grasp on reality may not be that firm, where you might be idealistic, and where you also might deny your own ego needs. Neptune is further out than Uranus, so it takes about 10 or 12 years to change sign. Because nebulous Neptune obscures our understanding of reality. Neptune can test us by making the road ahead less clear. But one of the great lessons of Neptune is that all who wander are not lost.
Pluto
Pluto is the planet that rules all the hidden dimensions in life, all of those things that exist, but they have to be kept out of the light of polite conversation because they’re too dark or intense. It rules social taboos like sex, death, the occult, crime, mental health, and mysteries. That’s why Pluto rules therapy, too. Because therapy reveals the hidden aspects of our mind. Pluto is also the planet of transformation and power. Wherever you have Pluto in your chart is where you might go through periodic death and rebirth processes and where you encounter your greatest vehicle for change. When you think of Pluto, think of what a caterpillar goes through before it becomes a butterfly. It wraps a cocoon around itself, and then its entire body breaks down into goo. If you opened a cocoon in the middle of this process, you wouldn’t see a wormy caterpillar or a lovely butterfly. You would just see mush. Pluto is an intense planet, and any life transformation can be quite intense. Whether you’re leaving home for the first time or going through a divorce. Unlike Neptune, Pluto tends to put our ego on steroids because it’s the planet of power, and power is the ultimate ego trip. Wherever we have Pluto in our chart is where we can be quite private as well as where we meet. Might need to periodically check our ego. Pluto’s orbit is the least regular of the planets, because it’s shaped more like a squished doughnut than a circle. So Pluto can take between 12 and even 31 years to change sign.
The Four Elements: Water, Fire, Earth and Air
Now let’s take a look at the signs which describe the mode in which that planet expresses itself. The signs are grouped into four elements and three modalities. Let’s go over these groups first, because they’ll help you categorize and remember the meaning of each sign. To every sign belongs to one of four elements. The four elements are fire, which are the signs Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. Air, which are Gemini, Libra and Aquarius. Water which are cancer, Scorpio and Pisces, and Earth, which are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. In a vertical hierarchy from heaviest to lightest, water is the heaviest element because it can drip down lower than Earth.
Then there’s Earth, then fire, which is lighter than Earth, and then finally air, which is the lightest of all. Let’s look more at the elements. Planets in the fire signs express themselves in the realm of spirit in their higher manifestation. The fire signs can be inspirational, warm, energetic, enthusiastic, and assertive, though in their lower manifestation they can also be angry, impulsive and self-centered. Planets that are in the air. Signs can express themselves in the realm of intellect. They’re social, conversational, fair minded, and humanitarian. But they can also be cold, indecisive, and detached. Planets and water live in the realm of emotions. They can be intuitive, sensitive, supportive, and compassionate, though they can also be weepy, subjective, clingy, and bad. With boundaries and planets in the Earth, signs express themselves in the material realm. They can be realistic, practical, sensual, and reliable, but they can also be too cautious, rigid, miserly and greedy.
The Three Modalities: Cardinal, Mutable, Fixed
There are also three modalities cardinal, mutable, and fixed. The cardinal modality represents signs which initiate activity, such as Aries cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. The mutable modality represents signs which are flexible and adaptable, such as Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces.
Then the fixed signs are signs which are stabilizing and consistent, such as Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. People with the most cardinal signs are the ones who are great at starting things, but not the best at finishing or follow through. They often have lots of unfinished projects in their life.
People who are mostly mutable aren’t good with starting things, but they’re great with multitasking. They’re the ones in the office who are answering phones while responding to emails. They’re great at finishing projects by getting all those little parts working together and then putting a nice bow on the end, then there are people who have the greater fixity in their chart. They aren’t really good with beginnings or endings, but they like the middle of a project. They’re the ones who spend hours on the same task and have plenty of follow through.
Now here’s a trick if you tally up all the elements in. Modalities in your chart, you’ll have an overall concentration of a certain element and modality. When you see which ones you have most, you can get a general impression of your personality. Before diving deeper with more astrology, let’s tally up Bowie’s elements and modalities to see which he has a concentration of. I also recommend including the ascendant two in this analysis. So Bowie has one, two, three in air, one two, three, four in fire, one two, three in earth and one in water. So Bowie has a concentration of the fire element. Let’s look at the modalities. He’s got one, two, three, four, five and fixed one, two and mutable and one, two, three, four in cardinal. Here he has a concentration in fixity. A quick snapshot of Bowie’s personality is that it’s fire based, meaning that he can be inspirational, enthusiastic, assertive, and maybe even impulsive and pushy, though keep in mind that he’s also got a lot of air in his chart, too.
If you analyze his modalities, you can see that he has a concentration of fixed planets, so he’s good at follow through because he can stick with projects for a long time. Maybe he could use a little help being more flexible and adaptable because he has a low amount of mutability. So let’s say you have an Aquarius sun, which is an air sign. So it’s more detached because it emphasizes intellect over feelings. But let’s say the rest of your planets are in water signs, which is the emotional element. Then your personal astrological arrangement could add an interesting contrast to the standard Aquarian aloofness. That may be why you don’t entirely relate to its generic sun sign description. Astrology can be a rather complex inventory for understanding our personality, because astrology is the most cosmically externalized reflection of what’s going on inside of you.
The Twelve Signs
Okay, so let’s go through each sign and explore its symbolism, element, and modality in order to understand the deeper meaning of any sign in astrology, we can look to its opposite sign in the zodiac. Because this axis represents a continuum rather than a duality, kind of like a dialectic. There will be common features in opposing signs, and also key differences, which can help us define each one.Analyzing the opposite sign also shows us a helpful symbolic counterpoint to remedy its natural weakness.
Aries
Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, so this sign has an immediacy and competitive quality because it likes being first. Aries is the symbol of the ram, an animal that attacks its opponents head on, so it’s a sign which is direct and forthright. Aries is ruled by the fiery Mars, the planet of action and passion. It’s a cardinal sign, so it initiates things rather well, but might not be great to sustain a long effort. And it’s fire, so it’s passionate, enthusiastic, and assertive, though it can also be impulsive and angry. Aries is an inherently self-centered sign, and I don’t mean to say that Aries is selfish, it’s just that Aries is always based on the foundation of itself as the default. It’s also an individualistic sign and has strong leadership ability. Aries is always pioneering, and it’s quite impervious to social pressure. Let’s look to the opposite sign of Aries to understand more about what this sign truly means. The opposite of Aries is Libra, the sign of partnership. Libra is about being social and putting the other person ahead of yourself. The great weakness of Aries is that it acts in isolation and can disregard feedback from others, which could actually help it get more of what it wants. Aries would rather be living on its own terms alone than making concessions to others. If Aries took a page from Libra and learned how to take others more into account, then Aries would be able to act with greater perception to get more of what it wants. Planets in Aries tend to behave quite boldly, quickly, and directly.
Taurus
Taurus is the sign of the bull, and it’s naturally ruled by Venus, the planet of beauty and love. The bulls association with Venus mirrors Taurus association with springtime, while Aries marks the first day of spring, where the weather begins to warm up and new plants are shooting up from the Earth. Taurus season begins when spring is underway and the Earth has become rich and fertile again. It’s therefore associated with fecundity, ease, and a break from the hard work of winter when food is easier to come by. Like a bull, this sign has a steadfast and mellow quality to it. Being a fixed earth sign, it’s the most resistant to change out of all the signs because Earth is the most constant element. Water, air and fire all move much more than Earth, and fixity is, well, the most fixed modality. Taurus is concerned with the physical universe and being an Earth sign, its nature is to strive for security, which in our modern world usually means having enough money. Taurus does not view the material world solely as a means to get what it wants out of life, but instead, Taurus wants to experience the wonder of our physical existence. That’s why Taurus is such a sensual sign. It enjoys the taste of food, sitting in a comfortable chair or wearing a nice sweater, being one of Venus’s signs. The. Planet of love. Tourists greatly enjoys physical beauty and they can be constant in their relationships. The opposite sign of Taurus is Scorpio, the sign of Pluto, which is also concerned with security too. However, Scorpio seeks security by pooling together its resources with others. While Taurus is more about managing your own resources, the sensuality of Taurus is also quite compatible with the sexual energy of Scorpio. Because Taurus is naturally a rather mellow and simple sign, it could learn more depth from Scorpio’s complexity and intensity. When there are planets in the sign of Taurus, these planets tend to act slowly, deliberately, and with great persistence. The sign Gemini is represented by the symbol of the twins, who are in constant communication with one another. The twins are the first humanized sign we encounter in the zodiac, because there are people in its symbol where Aries and Taurus had animals. The humanized signs in astrology tend to be more socially oriented, such as Virgo the Virgin and Aquarius the water bearer. While the animal symbols in the zodiac tend to express our more passionate and irrational nature.
Gemini
The duality of Gemini reflects the duality of the sign, where it’s known for playing multiple roles and multitasking. Gemini is ruled by Mercury, planet of communication and mentation, and it’s an air sign because it’s social and likes to play with multiple perspectives. However, the same quality can lend itself to Gemini’s reputation for being indecisive. Gemini is quick and agile, and is generally very curious about the world, though developing a good attention span can be a challenge. Being mutable, Gemini prefers knowing a little about a lot of things instead of knowing one thing with great depth. If I were to write a slogan for Gemini, it would be that variety is the spice of life. Gemini is mutable, meaning that it’s versatile, adaptable, and flexible. Where Aries would meet an obstacle by taking it head on, Gemini would instead move around it because when it’s confronted with adversity, Gemini prefers to adapt the opposite sign of Gemini is Sagittarius, which is the sign of philosophy, philosophy, worldliness, and belief. Where Gemini seeks to ask questions and collect as much information as possible, Sagittarius prefers to connect the dots to create an overall pattern or unifying theory. Gemini should take a page from Sagittarius instead of just seeking a variety of information, it should learn to develop a deeper philosophy and theory about what the information means. Planets in the Sign of Gemini tend to move quickly, have little persistence, and seek variety and freedom.
Cancer
Cancers, the sign of home and family and its natural ruler is the moon. The symbol of cancer is the crab, a creature that protects itself through its hard shell. Crabs don’t move in a forward motion, but they go side to side and backwards. So there’s an inherent indirectness about this sign. Cancer season begins at the summer solstice. After the sun has reached its highest solstice point, it turns around and moves backwards in the sky. The ancient astrologers of Chaldea wrote that this backwards movement mirrors the indirect movement of a crab. Another interesting point about the constellation of cancer is that it’s a very dark area of the sky. Since the stars are so faint to the to the ancient Chaldeans and Greeks, this part of the sky was known as the Gate of men, where they said souls originate before they enter human bodies. It’s interesting to note that cancers ruling planet, the moon, represents the embodiment of that spark of life given to us by the sun. Just as the moon sustains the spark of life, cancer is a sign that needs to support and nurture others as well as receiving these in exchange. This sign is known for self protection and can be quite protective of their loved ones. Just as a crab protects itself in its own shell, cancer will do anything in the name of security. If the security of a situation requires them to be on their own, they will assume independence. And if security is provided by another person, then they may give up independence in favor of clinging to that person. Cancer is a water sign, meaning that it’s based in emotion and intuition. It’s the side of our intuition which relates to our family, such as a mother’s intuition. Cancer is also a cardinal modality, so it initiates its deep urge to start a family and find a home where it belongs. The opposite sign to cancer is Capricorn the sign of work, performance and achieving excellence. Capricorn is about going out in the world to make your mark on it. While cancer is about being nurtured by your family and home, both of these signs share a sense of structure. Cancer is about family structure, while Capricorn is about professional and societal structure. Cancer should learn from Capricorn how to sort of leave the safety of home to produce something on its own merits. When planets are in the sign of Cancer, they tend to respond protectively, indirectly and supportively.
Leo
Leo is the symbol of the lion, and male lions are known for their lustrous manes, like a crown on top of a king. Leo is therefore a royal planet, and it’s ruled by the Sun, which is the king or queen of our solar system, so Leo is really great at leadership. Just like the sun, Leo represents vitality in medical astrology. The sign Leo correlates with the heart, an organ that pulses with the fire of life. The Sun is considered to be a generous planet because it gives us its light every day, so Leo is a generous sign. The Egyptian philosopher Petosiris said that in the beginning of the creation, the sun rose in this constellation and called it the House of the sun. Leo is a fire sign, and like fire, Leo can be warm and energetic, but also self-centered and pushy. Leo is of the fixed modality because it’s fixed fire, just like the eternal flame of the sun, never goes out, but burns consistently in the sky. Leo is therefore the most persistent of the fire sign and has greater staying power than Aries or Sagittarius. Leo is also the most social two of the fire signs, because Leo needs an audience where Aries and Sagittarius are comfortable acting in isolation, it’s also a sign about performance and expressing yourself to others in order to gain their recognition. The reason that we can see the moon and other planets in the night sky is because they all reflect the sun’s light, just as the sun illuminates all of the orbs in our solar system Venus, Mercury, moon, and Mars. The higher manifestation of Leo is the performer who inspires the audience and encourages the light of inspiration within each member of the crowd. Leo wants to be an energy source that not only provides for itself, but for others. The opposite sign to Leo is Aquarius, the sign of groups. So Aquarius is the audience that Leo needs. Aquarius is a sign which is more concerned with the collective needs of a group. While Leo is just focused on expressing its individual needs. Leo can learn how to be more socially aware, like Aquarius, so that it can be a better performer because a truly good performer knows how to read their audience instead of just going up and doing whatever they want. Planets in The sign of Leo tend to behave theatrically. Inspirationally and pridefully,
Virgo
Virgo is the symbol of a virgin woman carrying a sheaf of grain to represent the harvest of wheat. The Virgin represents Virgos concern with purity and cleanliness. The quality of purity makes sense since it’s associated with sexual abstinence, though it may be more of a stretch in our modern minds to understand what virginity has to do with cleanliness. Before the advent of antibiotics, sexually transmitted diseases plague society, so being virginal was also a sign of good health, and Virgo strongly correlates with health and hygiene. Another aspect of Virgo can be gleaned from analyzing its symbolic association with the wheat harvest. The sign’s ruling planet is Mercury, the planet of intelligence and communication, and that’s why Virgo is associated with intellective functions like analysis. Wheat is a type of grass which keeps its seeds in a tough, scaly husk. The seeds need to be removed from this husk in order to be made available for food, one has to remove the husk from the seeds by shaking, sifting, and sorting the grains. Herein lies the esoteric meaning of Virgo. It’s a sign which separates categorized, and organizes. Virgo may be one of the most useful and helpful signs of the zodiac.
If we thought of all three Earth signs as being part of a structure, then Taurus which is fixed would be like the BRICs, and then Capricorn, which is cardinal would be like the scaffolding that initiates and directs where the bricks would be laid. Virgo is mutable, so it’s like the mortar, which is flexible enough to go in between the bricks and kind of hold everything together. Virgo likes to play a vital role, and it serves its purpose with complete humility. Virgo naturally opposes Pisces, which is the mystical sign. Pisces is about spiritual and altruistic service, whereas Virgo is about practical and helpful service. Since Virgo categorizes and analyzes in its lower manifestation, it can be picky and critical. Virgo can take a page in forgiveness from Pisces and learn to let things go a little bit more. Because serving others is a fundamentally social act, Virgo is one of the humanized signs and can be a bit susceptible to social pressure. When planets are in Virgo, they tend to behave fastidiously, carefully, conscientiously, and with humility.
Libra
Libra is ruled by Venus, which is the planet of art, beauty and relationships, and it’s represented by the symbol of the scales. Libra is a social sign because it is one of the humanized ones, even though it doesn’t have an actual person in the symbol. It has a tool which is the scales, and that’s used by people. The scales represent balance. And yes, the essence of Libra is often associated with a harmonizing balancing vibe. However, the scales have another function. In the ancient world, before we had standardized currency, ancient people traded in precious metals like gold or silver. So in every marketplace there would be a scale and weights so that people could trade goods and measure currency. If you were shopping in an ancient marketplace and let’s say you wanted to buy some baskets, you would pay in metal coins, which would be placed on one end of the scale, while a predetermined weight was placed on the other end if you had enough currency by weight. The purchase. The baskets were yours. This function reveals another esoteric meaning of Libra, where Libra as a sign is concerned with collective worth and mutual value. Because Libra is an air sign, it’s quite social and therefore focused on the needs, values, tastes and ideas of other people. The qualities of Libra, such as its civilizing influence and ability to be receptive to others, relate directly to its symbolism, where it determined mutual value. The scale has also become a ubiquitous symbol in the legal world, as many courthouses will display an image of Lady Justice, who’s blindfolded and holding a scale in one hand and a sword in the other. This symbol goes back to the ancient Greek goddess Themis, who also held a scale and sword and was the advisor to Zeus. This symbolism relates to Libra’s other attribute concern with fairness.
Libra is the sign of partnership and cannot conceive of itself in isolation, the way its opposite sign, Aries, can. Libra is a cardinal sign, like Aries too, and tends to take the initiative, but in a way that others are unaware that the initiative has been taken. Since it’s socially aware, Libra can direct others in ways that are polite and harmonious. Libra could learn from Aries how to develop a stronger relationship with itself, because sometimes Libra takes in another person’s perspective, perhaps even before it’s aware of its own. Planets in the sign of Libra tend to behave diplomatically, harmoniously, indecisively and with refinement.
Scorpio
Scorpio is probably the most complex and intense sign in the zodiac, and there are several layers to understanding its symbolism. It’s ruled by Pluto, which is associated with all the things in life that are hidden or kept out of view. Along with this, Scorpio also rules transformation. The third point I’d like to highlight about Scorpio is that it’s linked with power. The scorpion is the symbol of Scorpio, and this animal uses its tail to attack from behind like a sneak attack. Again, this symbolism works well to capture how the sign tends to react to situations, but I find the image of the scorpion hiding its power to attack from behind to be an apt metaphor for how the sign of Scorpio conveys power and especially hidden power. The original symbol for the constellation, Scorpio, is actually a serpent, and this makes me think of the dual symbolism of the serpent and the classical world.
Serpents were certainly associated with danger from their poison, but healing as well. Like how the caduceus is an ancient symbol for medicine, Scorpio has the power to both poison and heal. In its lower manifestation, Scorpio can be adept at finding wounds in someone else and throwing salt on them. Though in its higher manifestation, Scorpio truly understands the nature of wounding since it’s lived through so much of its own pain, and can therefore offer healing to others through its own emotional experience. The symbol of Scorpio is also animalistic, so this sign has a more raw and elemental energy than the human eye signs. Scorpio understands passion, anger, jealousy and possessiveness. Scorpio is a water sign, which means it’s emotional. Scorpio would rather feel something harsh than to not feel anything at all, and it’s also a very intuitive sign. This brand of intuition which Scorpio possesses is the gut instinct, the ability to detect danger agendas and power dynamics. Scorpio is also of the fixed modality. It’s a relentless sign that completely throws itself towards a goal or passion. Scorpio can have a quiet, brooding quality which is similar to Taurus passive reticence, but Scorpio could learn more from Taurus’s simplicity and calm, where sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Planets in the sign Scorpio tend to behave intensely, stubbornly, strategically, and with extremism.
Sagittarius
The symbol of Sagittarius is the centaur, who holds a bow and arrow. He is dualistic, meaning that he’s made up of two pieces. First, he has an animal body, and second, a human torso. The animal part represents the bestial or animal like nature of the sign. The other component of Sagittarius is this human torso, which includes the head. This represents the more intellectual side of human nature, such as our ability to organize socially and communicate with spoken language. So the symbol of Sagittarius illustrates the two part nature of the sign, both being animalistic and human. Centaurs and ancient Greek mythology were portrayed as displaying a range of behaviors. Some of them were whoring, lusting, and wild, which suggests the more animal like side of their nature. But other centaurs were considered wise, learned, and godly, which speaks to the human side of their nature. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, the planet of religion, worldliness, and philosophy, all of which are human pursuits. Jupiter is also a wild and freedom loving planet, which represents the more bestial or animal like quality to its nature. Sagittarius is a mutable fire sign, meaning that it’s flexible, uplifting, and outgoing. Its opposite sign is Gemini, which is associated with everything that pertains to our intellect. Gemini represents precise, rational, and exacting knowledge, while Sagittarius represents broader philosophical and theoretical knowledge. Both of these signs are similar because they’re both. Curious and love exploring. While Gemini is adept at handling details and is exact with information.
Sagittarius can be more broad, sweeping and better with a bigger picture. However, Sagittarius can learn from Gemini to be better with details because it has a tendency to be sloppy. Sagittarius also has a tendency to jump to conclusions, which makes it arrogant because it assumes it knows more than it actually does. So Sagittarius can also learn to ask more questions the way that Gemini does. Planets in the sign of Sagittarius tend to behave optimistically, restlessly, adventurously, and in a freedom loving manner.
Capricorn
The sign Capricorn is ruled by the planet Saturn, the planet of reality, limitation and responsibility. It’s a cardinal Earth sign, meaning that it’s initiating an enterprising and also concerned with material matters such as security. The ancient symbolism of Capricorn is the sea goat, and it aptly speaks to Capricorns tenacity in achieving certain goals. In ancient times, goats were the few animals that could ascend any summit, and due to their goat-y nature, once they got to the top of one mountain, they don’t just stop and admire the view. They amble down the mountain and find the next one to climb. Capricorn has a similar impulse. It’s always looking for the next summit to climb or their next objective to meet. Now, why did the ancients use the hybridized symbol of the sea goat? Well, goats are actually really great swimmers. They were kept on boats by ancient seafarers because they could handle the water well if they fell in.
The Capricorn symbol shows a goat torso with a sea serpent tail. This relates to the Greek myth of Capricorn. In the beginning, there was a god named Pricus. Pricus lived amongst a race of sea goats who had mastery over water and land. They were also highly intelligent and communicate with Pricus. However, when the sea goat spent too much time on land, they would lose their serpentine tails in exchange for hooves and they would permanently live on shore. They also had lost their intelligence and ability to speak, turning them into the terrestrial creatures we’re familiar with today. Pricus became forlorn when this happened because he missed communicating with the Sea Goats, so Pricus would turn back time to when they were all sea goats, until eventually they would just go back to land again. Over and over. Pricus would turn back time, but he was never able to sustain the Sea Goats in their original form. So what does this myth tell us about the sign of Capricorn? Saturn is the planet of time because it’s the planet of limitation, and time is ultimately our greatest limitation, since we only have so many years and Pricus, being a God who could manipulate time, still found his limitation. No matter how much he turned back the clock, he couldn’t prevent the inevitable. If gods have their limitations, then they’re also subject to Saturn’s influence. Capricorn is about ambitiously going out in the world and ascending its metaphorical summits.
Capricorn is opposed to cancer, the sign of home and family. Both of these signs are highly concerned with security. Cancer seeks the emotional security of home and family, which Capricorn actually seeks the social and professional security of achieving in the material world, Capricorn can learn something very valuable from cancer that success for its own sake is an empty pursuit. But if you can share that success by providing for your family and securing your home, then it’ll be a lot more meaningful. When planets are in the sign of Capricorn, they tend to behave realistically, conservatively, ambitiously, and with discipline.
Aquarius
Aquarius is an air sign, though strangely enough, the water bearer represents it. Why is there a reference to water in the symbol of an air sign? It’s a good question. It’s easier to understand the symbol of Aquarius as a human, using a simple tool that jug for carrying water rather than focusing on the watery part, which is really just incidental to the tool. In the ancient world, water bearers were central members in their community because they provided a vital service by distributing water. This helped facilitate communication among the village, who also gathered around the well. Just like our modern day trope of the office water cooler, as a space where people can meet and exchange gossip, Aquarius tends to be the central hub of their social group. Aquarius is also the last of the fixed signs and is therefore rigid and persistent.
Aquarius is a sign which is social and likes to connect everything together, so it’s a sign of social groups. Aquarius can downplay its own needs to adapt to the needs of the group at large, and this side needs a really broad constellation of social connections to define itself. It therefore feels most authentic to itself when it’s in some type of grouping, and they tend to prefer social activities as an air sign. Aquarius is an excellent observer, because it can detach itself enough from a situation to really see what’s going on. The ruling planet of Aquarius is Uranus, which is highly individualistic, and this sign seeks new and innovative approaches to life. Instead of just falling back on the tried and true. The sign that opposes Aquarius is Leo. Both signs represent how the individual relates to the collective. Because we humans are truly herd animals, Aquarius can learn something valuable from Leo in terms of developing a stronger sense of individuality, so its persona doesn’t get lost in the crowd. Society is only as real as the individual. Rules who make up the group, and that’s a key piece that Aquarius can work to develop. Planets in Aquarius tend to behave eccentrically, detachedly, originally, and in a friendly manner.
Pisces
Pisces is the final sign of the zodiac, and its symbol is two fish swimming in opposite directions. Traditionally, the sign depicted them as having their tails tied together by a rope.In ancient Greek mythology, a sea monster named Typhon wanted to destroy the goddess Aphrodite. She desperately needed to escape, and two fish came and rescued her. For their service, the gods honored the fish by placing them as the constellation Pisces in the sky. So how does the symbol of Pisces relate to the signs? Meaning Pisces is a universalizing sign, so the two fish swimming in opposite directions convey its expansiveness. Fish don’t go left and right, up and down, but just everything in between. Pisces likes to connect with everything, and because the fish are connected by a rope to their tail, it conveys that even though they’re separate, they’re still unified by some link. The two fish and Pisces symbolism reflect the dual nature of the sign and its modern rulers. The planet Neptune, the planet of mysticism, fantasy and universality, as well as confusion and delusion as the final sign. Pisces is ultimately about transcending the self, and Neptune is fundamentally an ego denying planet. Pisces can be self-sacrificing, and it can overidentify with sacrificing itself to the point where its subject may not be worthy of the sacrifice. Pisces is a mutable water sign, so its changeable, flexible, adaptable, as well as emotional and intuitive. And this brand of intuition is more like mystical and psychic in nature. Pisces is timeless because it’s both an end in a beginning. It’s the final sign of the zodiac. But the zodiac is actually a circle, and circles have no real end.
The opposite sign of Pisces is Virgo, and both of these signs are service oriented. Pisces could learn a few things from Virgo, because Virgos organization and analysis would be a great antidote for Pisces disorder and impressionability. When planets are in the sign of Pisces, they tend to behave receptively, compassionately, impressionable, and with a dreaminess.
The Aspects
So let’s have a look at the aspects. Next aspects are the geometric relationships between planets and angles. I’m going to teach you the five basic aspects that traditional and modern astrologers use. They’re way more than this though. But if you master these five, you can pretty much get the most out of what you need to interpret a chart. The five basic aspects are also called the Ptolemaic aspects, because they were codified by the ancient Greek philosopher Ptolemy in his Tetrabiblos. Some aspects are considered easier to deal with, while others are associated with being more challenging. So let’s look at what they are. There is the conjunction aspect, which is a zero degree aspect. These are the easiest to spot because they mean that two planets or a planet in an angle are sitting right next to each other in the sky. This can be an easy or hard aspect depending on which planets are involved. Then there is the opposition aspect which is 180 degrees. These are also fairly easy to spot because two planets are at opposite ends of the chart. An opposition is considered a challenging aspect and they usually play out in our relationships. Then we have the square aspect, which is 90 degrees. If you remember back in geometry class, a square is a shape with 490 degree corners. These aspects often occur between planets and different elements. However, this aspect usually also occurs between planets in the same modality.
So here’s a cancer sun square. Mars and Aries. Cancer and Aries are totally different elements because one is water and the other is fire. However, both are cardinal signs. Squares are considered challenging and they usually drive us to do things. Then there is the sextile aspect which is 60 degrees apart. These can be a little tricky to spot, but they usually take place in two signs which skip one in between. On an elemental level, they often occur between elements that are either light, such as fire and air, or between heavier elements like water and earth. So you can have sextiles between water and earth signs like here, or you could have them between air and fire signs like here. Sextiles are considered to be easy, and they can manifest as talents that don’t take much effort to achieve. Finally, there are trine aspects which are 120 degrees apart. They’re based on a triangle which has three 120 degree angles. Trines often occur between signs in the same element. For example, you can have a fire trine or a water trine. Trines are also considered easy and are talents as well.
I’d like to make a quick note about orbs now. When you’re reading your chart to spot aspects, you should realize that many of these geometric relationships are not exactly a 90 degree square or a 60 degree sextile. We astrologers use a little wiggle room in defining the aspects, and this wiggle room is called an orb. Now, the number of degrees which are used in orbs are not standardized in the astrological community. In fact, if you want to start a fist fight at the next astrological convention you attend, then ask people at what point an orb works in an aspect. Some astrologers use more conservative orbs than others, so you’ll really need. To play around with your own chart to see what feels right for you. I do tend to use larger orbs for the luminaries, the sun and moon, because they actually take up more space in the sky versus the planets, which are just little pinpoints. The luminaries are more like discs that stretch out to be as much as three degrees each. So now I’d like to talk about what easy versus challenging means. On a practical level, most charts have some easy aspects, like sextiles and trines, and some hard aspects like squares and oppositions. A conjunction, meaning that two planets are right next to each other can be easy or hard, depending on the planets involved. If there’s a challenging planet like Mars or Saturn, it can be a more challenging conjunction. And if there are easy planets involved like Jupiter and Venus, then it can be an easier aspect to deal with. The way I personally practice sees every placement is having a higher and lower manifestation, and that includes both the hard and easy ones. Even if you have a good fitting placement or lots of trines in your chart, that doesn’t mean that you’re going to make the best use of them. And of course, there are ways of making irregular fitting placements or hard aspects work for you. Well, oftentimes when I’m consulting with older clients, they’ll tell me that they express the lower manifestation of their chart more when they were younger than they do now. That’s because we evolve over time, and people naturally learn more about themselves when they’ve worked through life’s challenges.
Now, is it better to have more easy aspects than hard aspects? Not for my experience. Hard aspects express themselves as challenges in our lives, but a challenge is not an inherently bad thing. In fact, the most successful people in the world have lots of challenging aspects in their charts. Sometimes having only easy aspects means that there’s not enough motivation to accomplish anything significant. A challenging aspect is like the grit in an oyster. It can cause some stress and irritation, but you also can’t make a pearl without it. So don’t be freaked out by the challenging aspects in your chart. Be open to what they can reveal to you so that you can navigate your life more effectively.
Putting It All Together
Hopefully I’ve helped introduce you to the different layers of a birth chart, so let’s see how they play out in the grand drama of you. A common analogy for understanding the difference among the planets, signs, houses and aspects is the theatrical production. The planets are the actors and they’re represented by archetypal characters. Venus, the planet of beauty, could be the pretty star. Mars, the planet of action and desire, could play the hero. The signs are costumes that the actors wear, and some of these costumes fit better than others in expressing the planets role. This is a special relationship I mentioned earlier called rulership. For example, Mars the hero has to fight and survive so he could play his role best in something like a suit of armor. That would be Aries, the warrior sign. Mars may have a more challenging time if he were wearing a costume that didn’t fit his role. Let’s say Mars was in a tuxedo, which would be the stylish sign of Libra. That cost. You wouldn’t suit the hero so well because he needs the protection of armor to fight. Now, many charts, including my own, have planets which are in signs that don’t fit right, though there are ways of making that a regular fit work for you.
Continuing with our theater analogy, the houses are sets on which the actors perform.For example, one set could be an office. Let’s say that’s the 10th house which represents career. Or maybe another set could be a casino, which would be the fifth house since it represents entertainment. The aspects are like scripts between the actors. Let’s say there was an easy and harmonious trine between Mars and Venus. Then maybe that script would show them falling in love. Or let’s say there’s a challenging aspect between Mars and Venus, such as an opposition.
Then they might have a script that shows them arguing, okay, let’s do a little aspect interpretation with Bowie’s chart. Let’s start with his sun, the planet of identity. Bowie has his sun in The Sign of Capricorn, which is an ambitious and hardworking sign. He also has a square, which is a challenging aspect between his sun and Neptune, the planet of the ethereal. Remember that earlier example I gave about the Buddhist and alcoholic in the intro? This adds a Neptunian layer to Bowie’s Capricorn personality. He may be creative, compassionate, and spiritual, though he runs the risk of being wayward in life. Since Neptune rules substances like drugs and alcohol. Bowie admitted to having a substance abuse problem and became sober later on in life. I’m not saying that everyone with this aspect has a substance problem though. If I had a client with this aspect, I would caution them about Neptune Self-deluding quality and encourage them to find healthy avenues for transcendence.
Bowie was also known to have been a devout Buddhist. Let’s look at another aspect of Bowie’s son. Bowie has the planet Mars, the god of war, conjoined his son, the planet of identity. This, along with his previously mentioned concentration and fire, could, in its lower manifestation, lead to a hot temper. When Bowie was young, he got into a fist fight over a girl, which damaged the retina in his left eye and led it to being permanently dilated while his mismatched eyes became his signature. This story does make me think how hot headed a young Mars conjoined Sun can be. His last major aspect to his son is the sextile from Jupiter, the planet of optimism and expansion. This adds a Jupiter quality to Bowie’s personality as well, where he may have been fascinated by Jupiter themes like philosophy and travel. This sextile also gave him an uplifting, optimistic and adventurous nature where he was probably unafraid to try new things. Bowie was a very well-heeled person and ultimately left his English home to live in America. You can apply these same methods, which I just showed you on Bowie’s son, to synthesize the meaning of two planets which are connected together by aspect.
Method For Chart Analysis
When you begin interpreting your chart, I recommend that you synthesize the aspects to the Sun, Moon, and Rising first, because these will play out most prominently in someone’s life. So now that I’ve introduced you to the smorgasborg of chart interpretation, let’s systematize what we’ve learned so that when you read your next chart, you’ll have some steps to follow one.
Start by telling up the elements and modalities to see where you have a concentration. This can give a quick snapshot of someone’s personality. It’s okay if there are some elements or modalities which are equal in proportion. Just take that into consideration in your interpretation. Always start with the ascendant sun and moon as the driving trifecta of the personality. Do you see any common themes among these three points, or maybe two or more, in the same element or modality? Or are they all completely different from one another? Also, is there a common planet that aspects two or more of these points? Say you had Venus conjoined your ascendant and also trining your moon, then Venus is a key player in your personality. Are there any planets in the first house or near the ascendant? These planets will be highly personal to you. Let’s say you had an overall pretty mellow sun, moon and ascendant, but then Mars was in your first house. Then your feisty side would come across quickly to other people. Even if you’re a fundamentally mellow person. Also take note of any planets near the other angles like Midheaven, Nadir, and descendant. These planets tend to be quite prominent in our lives. Let’s say you had Neptune on the Midheaven. Then a big part of your life direction would include Neptunian themes like creativity, altruism or mysticism.
After the sun, moon and ascendant, are there any other concentrations of planets grouped in one sign or in one house? So let’s say you’ve got a Pisces Ascendant, a Capricorn Sun, and a Taurus Moon, but you also have Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter all in Gemini in your fourth house. Then they’re going to be some Gemini qualities that come across in you, even if none of your luminaries or angles are in the sign. Also, the fourth house may be a prominent arena in your life. Maybe you like to spend a lot of time at home or with family. Go over all the major aspects you have and figure out which one is the most exact in degree. I mentioned earlier that we all have to take orbs into account when finding aspects. Well, the aspect you have in your chart, which has the tightest orb or is the most exact, is going to be felt the most to you than other aspects which have a larger orb. For example, if you have a challenging square in your chart, that’s just a degree off from being exact, which is really close, then you might feel that challenge a lot more than, let’s say, another aspect which is a wide opposition. The same goes for close, easy aspects to congratulations, you made it to the end. Well, I hope you enjoyed this introduction to astrology and now feel empowered to cast your chart and begin interpreting it.
