PLANETS tell you what is being affected.
SUN, aka your identity
This 4.5 billion year old yellow dwarf star is considered the primary “planet” in astrology. It’s the center of our solar system. The body around which every other planet revolves. Its path is the one that every other planet follows. So maybe it comes as no surprise that in astrology, the sun represents your Self, specifically your Ego.
By this, I don’t mean it’s the part of you that’s cocky and confident. I simply mean it’s the part of you that sees itself as separate from everything else. It’s the part of your mind that individuates itself and understands that you are an “I” versus a “we.” It’s the thing inside you around which every other aspect of your human experience is filtered and understood.
When it comes to observing the sun in your personal chart, you’re basically observing yourself, and when doing collective readings, you’re seeing how all individuals are experiencing themselves at a specific moment in time.
PATH AROUND THE WHEEL: The sun moves about one degree a day and spends approximately 30 days (aka a month) in each sign. It takes one year to move through all the signs.
ASSOCIATED SIGN: Leo
ASSOCIATED HOUSE: Fifth (also strongly connected to First)
MOON, aka your emotions
Earth’s only natural satellite is considered the second most important “planet” in astrology. It affects the ebb and flow of the ocean’s tides and women’s menstrual cycles, and like both of these, the moon has its own cycle — moving from new to full approximately every 28 days.
The moon is all about cycles. The rhythms of nature, the rhythms of your soul, and the drumbeat of your heart.
When observing the moon in your chart, what you’re really observing is how you experience and process your internal rhythms, and when you are observing the moon for the collective, you’re noting how people (as a whole) are processing the heartbeat of the world at that moment in time.
PATH AROUND THE WHEEL: The moon moves around the entire wheel approximately every 28 days (aka one lunar cycle). It spends approximately 2.5 days in each sign.
ASSOCIATED SIGN: Cancer
ASSOCIATED HOUSE: Fourth
MERCURY, aka your mind & voice
Mercury, along with the sun, moon, Venus, and Mars, is one of the “personal planets” in astrology. All of these “planets” move quickly enough that their position within an individual birth chart is especially unique. This is contrast to the planets that are farther from the sun and thus stay in any given sign for extended periods of time. And of the personal planets (save for the moon), Mercury moves the fastest.
Like the winged messenger god himself, tiny Mercury whips around the ecliptic only to appear — four times a year — like it’s turned around and retracing its steps. These retrograde periods are famous for breeding communication mix-ups, technological glitches, and internal confusion. That’s because Mercury rules communication.
When you observe Mercury in your chart, what you’re really observing is how you think about things (a.k.a. how you experience your thoughts) and how you express yourself (a.k.a. how you use your voice). It’s the bridge between the mind and voice, fueling the thoughts that you then speak and ruling your personal communication.
And when you observe Mercury for the collective, you’re noting how communication is being affected across society at large.
PATH AROUND THE WHEEL: Mercury spends approximately 14 – 30 days in each sign. It takes about one year to move through all the signs and circle the wheel.
ASSOCIATED SIGNS: Gemini & Virgo
ASSOCIATED HOUSE: Third & Sixth
VENUS, aka your exchanges
Venus, along with the sun, moon, Mercury, and Mars, is one of the “personal planets,” making Venus’ placement in your chart one of the prime indicators of how you, as an individual, function in the world.
Named after the goddess of love and beauty, Venus rules every exchange in your life, for what is love? What is beauty? If not the reception of how something is and the giving of your opinion of it in exchange? For this reason, Venus is often said to impact our relationships and our finances, which is true, but the reason for this is because at its heart, Venus is about exchange. The giving and receiving of energy — in the form of feeling, matter, time, your name it.
Venus rules the exchange; the mode through which the exchange manifests is varied. So really, when you observe Venus in your chart, what you’re really observing is how you give of yourself to the world and how you receive from the world (aka how you are relating to and exchanging with the world and other people around you).
And when you observe Venus for the collective, you’re noting how everyone within society is relating to each other and their environment during any given time.
PATH AROUND THE WHEEL: Venus spends approximately 23 days in each sign. It goes retrograde every 18 months, during which time it may stay in a sign for over 2 months. Because of this, it takes Venus 10-12 months to circle the wheel and transit your entire chart.
ASSOCIATED SIGNS: Taurus & Libra
ASSOCIATED HOUSE: Second & Seventh
MARS, aka your actions
Mars is the slowest moving of the “personal planets.” It lies at the border between what makes you you and what connects you to everyone else. In between, a torus-shaped belt of over a million asteroids speckle your experience. If they are the sprinkles on the cupcake, Mars is the frosting.
It’s the armor your wear. It’s how you move through the world. It’s the edge of your skin as it makes contact with the rest of the world.
Named after the god of war and agriculture, Mars impacts everything you do. But it isn’t what you do, it’s how you do it.
Two people can accomplish the same task very differently. One may climb to the top of the mountain by following a well-trodden path. One may get there through spurts and stops, finding their own way up the rock face. When you observe Mars in your chart, what you’re seeing is how you approach things.
And when you observe Mars for the collective, you’re noting a collective wave of energy that’s affecting how things do thing at that moment in time. For instance, when Mars is in Pisces, people may be less inclined to follow tasks in a methodical way. When it’s in Aries, people may be less patient and quick to anger.
PATH AROUND THE WHEEL: Mars spends approximately 1.5 months in each sign. It goes retrograde every 2 years. Because of this, it takes Mars approximately 2 years to circle the wheel and transit your entire chart.
ASSOCIATED SIGNS: Aries (& in classical astrology, Scorpio)
ASSOCIATED HOUSE: First
JUPITER, aka your blessings
Jupiter is the first of the “collective planets” — so called because its slower movement means that everyone born around the same time will have a similar Jupiter placement. For instance, everyone born in 2024 will have Jupiter in Gemini, and this becomes a marker of this collective group of people.
While the sign of your Jupiter (and all collective planet planets) is something you share with other people. Every other aspect of your Jupiter placement is unique to you, and it tells you a story about where you most experience BLESSINGS in your life.
Named after the king of the gods, Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. Whenever you’re looking at Jupiter, you are looking at the deliverance of gifts. Some might even say divine gifts, gifts from god. Jupiter brings ABUNDANCE and EXPANSION.
That’s the what — where it happens most in your life can be determined by looking at the houses and other planets and pulling the whole story of the chart together.
And when you observe Jupiter for the collective, you’re noting the kind of blessings the collective might experience that year. For instance, Jupiter in Pisces often brings spiritual blessings and spiritual growth/awareness to society.
PATH AROUND THE WHEEL: Jupiter spends approximately 1 year in each sign. Because of this, it takes Jupiter approximately 12 years to circle the wheel and transit your entire chart.
ASSOCIATED SIGNS: Sagittarius
ASSOCIATED HOUSE: Ninth
SATURN, aka your teachings
Saturn is a glorious planet, surrounded by icy crystal rings. At its north pole, a magical hexagonal storm rages, shifting in color from blue to gold, blue to gold.
Saturn often gets a bad rap in astrology. That’s typically because Saturn challenges us. It forces us to grow. Every 29.5 years, we have our “Saturn return” in which Saturn returns to the sign where it was when we were born, and during this time, we experience a huge growth spurt in how we live our lives and what we’re doing.
And this is a good thing.
In mythology, Saturn was King of the Golden Age. He ruled a peaceful era in which all people were equal and abundance was everywhere. In ancient Rome, his annual celebration every December (Saturnalia) involved turning hierarchy on its head. Servants became regal. The upper class became servants. Wine was drank and feasts were enjoyed.
You see, Saturn is really about learning life’s lessons and mastering them. Its placement in your chart indicates where you will be challenged and as a result, what you will come to know and master. In gaining mastery, you will then be able to uplift others facing similar challenges.
Where Saturn is for the collective indicates what we as a society are currently in the midst of learning. In short, Saturn represents LESSONS, TEACHINGS, AND MASTERY.
PATH AROUND THE WHEEL: Saturn spends approximately 2.5 year in each sign. It takes 29.5 years to circle the wheel and transit your entire chart.
ASSOCIATED SIGNS: Capricorn
ASSOCIATED HOUSE: Tenth
URANUS, aka your autonomy
Uranus is the rebel, the heart of your independent spirit, the part of you that refuses to conform and has to go your own way. In other words, it represents your authority and autonomy in the world.
Named after the god of the sky and the first ruler of the universe, Uranus knows its worth. It’s the part of you that understands that you rule your own life. You make the decisions. And looking at Uranus is in your chart can help you see where you most strongly feel your power and also what influences may weaken your sense of independence.
Because Uranus moves slowly, changing signs only ever 7 years, it is the first true generational marker in astrology (the other two are Neptune and Pluto). Everyone born within that seven year span will have Uranus in the same sign, and while every person has unique aspects affecting Uranus in their chart, Uranus also helps bind together a group of people, indicating how a 7-year group will collectively experience and assert its independence. In other words: in what way will this generation rebel from those which came before?
As the ruler of Aquarius and the eleventh house, Uranus is particular connected to the stars, innovation, and delivering wisdom that will help move society forward.
PATH AROUND THE WHEEL: Uranus spends approximately 7 years in each sign. It takes 84 years to circle the wheel and transit your entire chart.
ASSOCIATED SIGNS: Aquarius
ASSOCIATED HOUSE: Eleventh
NEPTUNE, aka your unity
Neptune, named after the god of the sea, represents unity. It is your connection to everything in the world, the part of you that remains boundless and one with everything else — just a drop of water in the endless ocean of life.
Because of this, Neptune can represent spirituality, but mainly, I think of it as representing boundaries. Neptune indicates where in your life (house) and how (sign) you are best able to break down your boundaries and experience a greater connection with All That Is. It helps us experience that connection (and people with strong Neptune placements often have spiritual gifts), but Neptune also has a reputation for breeding illusion. This is often associated with the dreaminess that comes from a lack of boundaries but having rigid boundaries can create just as much (if not more) illusion, and Neptune rules it all. It’s where you draw the line between yourself and everything else. This can be a blessing or a curse and can change over time.
In short, Neptune rules BOUNDARIES AND PERCEPTION. The latter of which is a consequence of the former, however the pendulum swings.
Like Uranus, Neptune moves slowly. Very slowly. It will never move through all the signs within your life and the various signs Neptune happens to move through over the course of any given generations lifetime says a lot about how they (as a group) will perceive the world around them and each other.
PATH AROUND THE WHEEL: Neptune spends approximately 14 years in each sign. It takes 165 years to circle the wheel and transit your entire chart.
ASSOCIATED SIGNS: Pisces
ASSOCIATED HOUSE: Twelfth
PLUTO, aka your changes
When astrology was first developed, Pluto’s existence was unknown. The sign it now rules (Scorpio) was associated with Mars, but then, Pluto was found. The ninth planet in our solar system! It was added to spinning mobiles as a small object revolving in the outer reaches of our sun’s gravitational pull. And then, Pluto was demoted. Not a planet! They decided, and so the last “planet” of the main ten “planets” of astrology is not a planet at all. Nor is it a star (like the sun) or a satellite (like the moon). Pluto is now considered a “dwarf planet.” A spherical-shaped body that lies somewhere between a full blown planet and an asteroid. But really, I share all of this because Pluto has been through many changes, and how ironic is it that Pluto, astrologically, represents — of all things — changes!
It represents changes because it was named after the god of the underworld, aka the king of death and rebirth. And whenever something dies and is reborn, it undergoes a great transformation. In a chart, Pluto represents death and rebirth in life — both literal and metaphorical. Whether it’s the ending and beginning of a relationship or a job or the loss of a loved one or your connection to the Spirit world, Pluto speaks to how you process changes (sign) and where in your life you are experiencing changes (house).
Because Pluto rules big transformation, it also rules magic (8th house), and people with strong Pluto placements often are mediums — either in direct contact with the spirit world and/or capable of changing the world in a way that appears to be (and very well may be) magic.
Pluto is the slowest of the planets. It takes it over two centuries to move along the ecliptic and cross through every sign. Most people will never experience a Pluto return and they will only experience Pluto in a handful of signs over the course of their life. Which signs (and associated houses) says a lot about the changes they (and the world) will experience during their lifetime.
PATH AROUND THE WHEEL: Pluto spends 14 to 30 years in each sign. It takes 248 years to circle the wheel and transit an entire chart.
ASSOCIATED SIGNS: Scorpio
ASSOCIATED HOUSE: Eighth