In Astrology the Planets are symbolic representations of the psychological dynamics within the human consciousness; our Psyche.
- THEY REPRESENT THE PSYCHO/SPIRITUAL PROCESSES OF OUR HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
- THEY EMBODY EACH AND EVERY ARCHETYPE OPERATING WITHIN THE PSYCHE OF HUMANITY.
- THEY ARE MAJESTIC CELESTIAL BODIES WITH A POWERFUL ENERGETIC FORCE INFLUENCING OUR PLANET EARTH AND ALL LIFE WITHIN OUR UNIVERSE AND PERHAPS BEYOND.
Sun~Mercury~Venus~Earth~Moon~Mars~Asteroids
Jupiter~Saturn
Chiron~Uranus~Neptune~Pluto
MERCURY in Greek Mythology is the Messenger of the Gods, for his domain is the mind. A great thinker he governs the quality of communication. Mercury is the process of the linear, logical, left brain. It resides over the functions of how we logically calculate the facts around us, how we mentally perceive and integrate into our environment, and how we mentally communicate our interpretations of our experience of life. It takes care of the listing, labeling, and naming of the mundane reality so that we do not have to calculate and think of every little aspect and detail in each moment. The table is a table, the chair is a chair. This is data that has already been defined and logged, there is no need after it is learned to explore the idea anymore. This is Mercury, the rational facts delineated through life’s experience.
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, and like the mind is fast in its pace. Mercury spends about 15 -20 days moving through each of the 12 signs in its course around the Sun. Just about every 3 months Mercury turns Retrograde and takes up its apparent backward motion (as the planet slows down and Earth speeds up it appears to go backward). During this time as Mercury backtracks, we are given an extra 3 weeks in that particular sign dynamic to go through an internal process of mental Introspection. Mercury is the Ruling Planet of Gemini and Virgo
“We are not troubled by things, but by the opinions, we have of things.” – Epictetus
VENUS is well known for being the Goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and enjoyment of the physical world and all its possessions. She represents Relationship; our relationship to ourselves (in Taurus), and our relationship with “the other” (in Libra), as well as, and including our relationship to our possessions, and the material “stuff” of the world. She is the feminine principle of attraction that draws in through her receptive, contemplative, and passive quality; the ability to listen and receive is of Her nature. Venus is about the senses and through Her we come personally in touch with the experience of sensuality. Venus holds the power of Receptive Feminine Magnetism.
Where Venus is positioned in your chart we can see how the dynamic of Feminine Magnetism is expressing itself from within you, and how your sensuality is experienced. Male or female, we each have a receptive nature that desires to relate and connect with ourself, others, and the “things” of this world.
Where Venus is positioned in your chart we can see how the dynamic of Feminine Magnetism is expressing itself from within you, and how your sensuality is experienced. Male or female, we each have a receptive nature that desires to relate and connect with ourself, others, and the “things” of this world.
Venus spends about 1 month in each sign. When Venus goes Retrograde every year and a half she will spend 4 months in that one sign – retrograde for about 4 and a half weeks. During that time the Venus dynamic is powerfully internalized making this period of time one of coming more deeply in touch with our own personal relationship dynamics. Retrogrades are about “re-assessing”, “repeating” and “re-doing”, thus this time is often marked by “old” relationship dynamics or literally “people from the past” returning for the lesson. Venus is the ruler of Taurus & Libra.
“I want to be in a relationship where you telling me you love me is just a ceremonious validation of what you already show me.”
― Steve Maraboli
― Steve Maraboli
EARTH ~ as we can see is a living breathing expressing consciousness. She is the Great Mother planet to all of the Life that she so graciously supports and holds upon her body. She reflects our own nature in her unpredictable destructive power, her bountiful sustaining powers, and her powers of regeneration. She teaches us about The Great Mystery of where we come from, as far as this particular life birth origin, and the infinite beauty, magic, and spirit therein. She is consistently evolving through metamorphosis, death, and rebirth, as we each are. Much like Humanity, Mother Earth is in dear need of deep love and honoring of Her soul healing.
MARS is the Warrior Archetype; the assertive, aggressive, active principle that aims towards its personal goal. It is Masculine in nature and thus expressed as active energy going out, instinctually, and impulsively. Mars is the polarity of Venus and so its nature is independent and self-motivated, seeking freedom to explore its own desires, which emanate primarily from an unconscious motivation. Mars is associated with our animal and primal instincts within and is driven by an impulsive urge to separate or to individuate. Mars (and Aries) are associated with the unformed ego eager to experience itself, driven by the unconscious need to develop itself from out of an egoless source. Mars holds a raw power of the Soul, and the emotions of anger and fear are found here, as well as the strength of courage.
Mars spends on average about 40 days or 6- 7 weeks in each sign. Mars goes Retrograde about every 23 months, for almost 3 months, giving us during that time about 6-8 months in one sign! When Mars is in its retrograde phase we meet deeply inside with our instinctual natures, our desire nature, and our most primal wants and needs having to do with the physical world and how we experience it. Sexual issues, anger issues, and issues around our power (or lack of) to initiate our desires into manifestation can be stirred up. Mars is the Ruler of Aries and is considered to be the lower octave of Pluto. Before Pluto was discovered Mars also governed over Scorpio.
THE ASTEROID BELT ~ The asteroid belt is the region of the solar system located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter and consists of nearly 400,000 designated asteroids. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets. There are many asteroids in the belt between Mars and Jupiter as well as other irregularly shaped astronomical bodies traveling through our solar system. Some of them are large enough to make a significant perceptible difference as they pass through the signs of the zodiac, while others are as small as dust particles. About half the mass of the belt is contained in the four largest asteroids, Ceres, Vesta, Pallas, and Hygiea.
Many astrologers work with various asteroids and some astrologers do not work with any. They are additional symbols representing various archetypes within the human psyche and so serve to broaden or add additional insight to a birth chart interpretation. In my work, I have personally seen great power and manifestation of the archetypes of Lilith and Persephone in the psyches of the many hundreds of people and charts I have worked with.
JUPITER in Vedic Astrology is the Guru, the Grand Teacher of the Great Truth and the many philosophies of the Earth and beyond. Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System and embodies the presence of being large, bigger than life, expansive, and abundant. In the birth chart, Jupiter signifies what is “blown up”, exaggerated, expansive, or abundant in one’s nature. Jupiter is symbolic of the right brain; our intuitive, non-linear mind, or the abstract mind. The capacity to travel far and wide to other lands, and other dimensions of existence through the mind. It is about higher knowledge, and traveling to other cultures, lands, and ways of existence. It is traditionally known as the “gift giver” – bringing abundance and gifts. However, often during the transit of Jupiter, it is not uncommon that first an obstacle will be removed to make room for the blessings and opportunities soon to come.
Jupiter stays about 1 year in each sign, thus having a twelve-year cycle. It will go retrograde for about four months. During the retrograde cycle of Jupiter, we are led through an inner journey into the discovery of our own deepest truths, understandings, and the meaning of life, and our own lives. Jupiter is the natural ruler of Sagittarius (and before Neptune was discovered, also Pisces).
“The greatest discovery of any generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.”
– Albert Schweitzer
SATURN is the Grand Master, the Wise Elder, the Wizard, or the Crone. Lord of Karma and Time. We must be held accountable for all actions, and each and every experience has a process with its own specific time component. We must learn to respect the process of life to be in integrity with harmony and balance. Saturn is the representative of maturity, effort, discipline, motivation, endurance, the toll bridge, the long hall… Saturn is structure, boundaries, and limitations.
In the birth chart, we can see where we face our own self-imposed limitations or external limitations, and where we will hit the walls within our own consciousness that restrict and hold us back from expansion. And eventually through much trial and effort, where we can behold the mastery within our own self-wisdom. Saturn represents conformity; the need to experience ourselves through the conditioning of our environment, our ancestry, and our culture, into a structured system of consciousness in order to have definition and feel supported with a sense of form.
Saturn spends about two and a half years in each sign (occasionally 3 yrs.) going retrograde twice during that time period, for about 4 months. Saturn stays around for a while to make sure we have enough time to get the lesson. When Saturn is retrograde we are given the opportunity to meet very personally with our own limitations, boundaries, and the very foundations by which we structure our lives. This is a very karmic period of time where we will come face to face with exactly what we have created, or not, in our lives. Saturn is the natural ruler of Capricorn and prior to the discovery of Uranus – Aquarius.
“The woman I was yesterday, introduced me to the woman I am today; which makes me very excited about meeting the woman I will become tomorrow. ”
― Poetic Evolution
― Poetic Evolution
CHIRON is an asteroid body and carries the Mythology of The Wounded Healer. Chiron became brilliant like a Wizard, a Shaman, and a Sage in his quest to heal his own wound and pain. This symbol represents a deep wound we carry like a scar that never leaves us, yet eventually, when we are healed and relieved from feeling victimized by the suffering we have carried we are then liberated to receive the medicine that the pain and the very wound itself has given us. It is The Hero’s Journey and eventually, we return to serve our people with what we have gained upon Life’s Path of trial and tribulations.
The orbit of Chiron is very irregular and can stay years in one sign while only months in another.
URANUS is the planet of revolution, change, individuation and non-conformity, independence, liberation, and enlightenment. He stands for our own individuated unconscious. Uranus represents “Freedom from the Known” and the process of shedding the skins of our past.
Where Uranus is in the birth chart we see where we can connect with our most unique and individual essence, where we can find freedom, and liberation within. In being liberated from the conformity of our society and family influence we can see more clearly our own unique self.
When Uranus transits make a powerful contact in our own chart, we are in a time of major change, and an accelerated awakening in consciousness. It is a time of getting in touch with our own rebellion, uniqueness, and creative genius. When under the influence of Uranus the pace of life can feel extremely fast. The time is often characterized by radical out-of-the-blue changes, sudden disruptions, irruptions, and displacement. Uranus is associated with the symbol of the lightning bolt and can stimulate sudden shifts in reality.
Uranus stays in each sign for about 8 years, thus having a longer cycle of influence upon us when it contacts a point in our charts. Uranus is the natural ruler of Aquarius.
“The highest form of human intelligence is to observe yourself without judgment.”
NEPTUNE is the planet of Spirit, God/Goddess, and Creator. It is the collective consciousness. It is the intangible world, and the world of dreams, illusions, and delusions. It is our imagination without limits and beyond our imagination. The world of the unknown elusively contacted in fleeting moments. Neptune embodies the essence of Divinity and Infinity. Neptune (or Poseidon) is the mythological God of the Deep Sea; the unpredictable churning waters of Life.
When we are going through a Neptune transit life can at first feel confusing and unclear. Neptune works to dissolve our barriers and boundaries preventing the experience of unity and oneness with our divinity, and often we see revealed lessons of deception and disillusionment, to show us where we have been blind or naive, or out of touch with our spiritual selves. There is a loss of innocence that eventually brings us back to a pure state again of innocence, in the timeless and everlasting journey of Life.
Neptune stays in each sign for about 14 years. Its transits are slow, as the journey of letting go and surrendering into the abysmal sea of the Infinite, is a process that takes a certain level of development of trust, devotion, and Love.
“Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is the illusion.”
PLUTO is the symbol of the deep Soul. It carries our greatest Power and in turn where we have known our greatest powerlessness and wounding. We are all such great and powerful beings and within our bodies contained a most extraordinary and magnificent source and spirit that is our Soul.
Life tests us by revealing the perceived limits to our power and likewise shows us how great and masterful we can be at yielding that very same essence. Pluto symbolically represents the process of evolution. The journey of Life and the Soul through cycles and phases of growth through Birth, Regeneration, and Death. The process of the Desire for Separation to the Return again…
“The snake that cannot shed its skin must perish.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche