So some people may come across various terms and words that may not make sense if there new to astrology, or some people may not understand certain parts of basic astrology, so i’m just gonna go into the basics and split them into 3 parts.
1. The Planets & (Birth/Natal Chart)
2. The signs and the planets they rule.
The Planets & (Birth Chart)
The planets are a very important part of understanding how astrology works, and those of you who like to read fun posts made by tumblr users such as “the signs as etc.” they are normally based on your sun sign, which is your main sign so when someone asks what your sign is, you will say your sun sign which mine is Aries. But sometimes these posts may say something like check your moon sign, and some of you might be thinking what is my moon sign? Or what is a moon sign? This is one of the planets that fit into your birth/natal chart.
Each planet in your chart will be represented by one of the 12 zodiacs signs. If you have no idea what your birth chart is then go to this website www.cafeastrology.com this is a really good site for all sorts of information about astrology but to find out and get a copy of your chart go to “Where Do I Begin?” and click the link in green where it says “ How to Obtain My Natal Chart ” and follow the steps or just click on the hyper link and it will take you straight there. All you need to do now is put your name, birth date, where you where born and the time you where born. If you are unsure of your time of birth don’t worry just tick time unknown it should’t make a difference really, apart from your degrees may be only slightly different, but that shouldn’t change anything. Now once you have filled that in and clicked OK it will give you your chart which will look similar to my chart underneath.
So if you look at the chart on each side there is 12 sections each side, on the left side is your planets, and on the right is your houses. Now some of you may be thinking well what the hell does this mean. Well you should know your sun sign and people who have no idea about astrology always think this is what affects your personality, the way you think, act etc but that isn’t 100% the case, because yes your sun sign does a have an effect on some of this, but all the planets effect this so depending on where your signs are on your chart. this will effect different parts too. So for example if your moon is in cancer like me then you are likely to never detach and cling to things such as your home, and people you care for. Someone with their moon in Leo would want to be very controlling of their family as they like to oversee the goings-on in there family.
The Sun - This is your main sign which most people know. The sun represents our concious mind plus the will to live and your ego
The Moon - Represents our deepest personal needs, our basic reactions and our unconscious
Planet Mercury - Represents our day to day expression and Communication. (Can also have an effect on our writing.)
Planet Venus - Know as “The Goddess Of Love” and represents two very important areas of our lives “Love and Money” so depending on your sign this will effect your approach on relationships etc.
Planet Mars - “Know as “The God Of War” this represents our aggression (anger), survival and our sexual desires/sexual nature.
Planet Jupiter - Know as “The King Of Gods” it represents mainly our Knowledge and Luck.
Planet Saturn - Represents our Restrictions and Limitations and depending on our sign in the planet and house reveals our limitations, fears, and sense of responsibility.
Planet Uranus - Know as “The God Of The Sky And The Heavens” It represents our Individuality. Also it is associated with enlightenment, progressiveness, objectivity, novelty, and ingenuity.
Planet Neptune - Know as “The God Of The Sea” and is considered to represent inspiration, dreams, psychic receptivity, illusion, and confusion.
Planet Pluto - Know as “The God Of The Underworld” it represents subconscious forces and is associated with spiritual growth and rebirth
The Signs and the planets they rule
Each planet is ruled by a certain sign, really all this means is that when describing a sign and the way they act sometimes people refer to the signs ruling planet as the planet they rule has an effect on the signs personality and the way they think etc.
Also when interpreting a birth chart, the “chart ruler” is the planetary ruler of the sign on the Ascendant, or first house. For example, if Aries is the Ascendant, the chart ruler would be Mars. If Taurus is found on the second house, then Venus is said to rule the second house. If Gemini were on the second house, then Mercury rules the second house.
Aquarius - Uranus (Saturn)
Pisces - Neptune (Jupiter)
So what do the houses mean? Or What do the houses have to do with astrology? Basically the signs of the zodiac show us how planets express themselves while the houses show us where these play out. Each of the twelve houses of the chart rule areas of our lives, types of relationships and people, ideas and even life circumstances.
Ascendant: For those of you who don’t know or have heard of this word but don’t know what it means basically an ascendant also know as a rising sign is mainly considered “the mask” meaning how you act or how you are seen when meeting others. It also shows our natural defendes plus how we cope with day-to-day issues but it also shows your reaction to new people and situations.
To make it quick and easy to understand I will list the houses and a quick description of them.
The First House (Self-Image): This is the Ascendant which I explained above.
Description: The way others see us, First Impressions, General out look on life, How we start things, Our physical appearance, Our relationship with our environment around us (surroundings family etc.)
The Second House (Self-Worth and Money):
Description: Money, personal possessions, personal finances.
The Third House (Communication):
Description: Communication, writing, speaking, how we express/prepare our thoughts, siblings and early environment, media and communications, neighbours, thoughts.
The Fourth House (Family, Home, Roots & Security):
Description: Family, home life, sense of our security, connection with our past, our physiological foundations and roots, domestic life.
The Fifth House (Self-Expression, Creativity, Pleasure, & Romance):
Description: hobbies, our attitude towards romance, drama, attitude towards having fun, romantic relationships, creative self-expression, attitude towards having fun.
The Sixth House (Work & Health)
Description: work and job (career), daily life, pets, health, attitude towards our co-workers and service, helpfulness, how we refine and perfect ourselves, routine and organisation, attitude towards food, order.
The Seventh House (Partnership & Marriage):
Description: our alter ego, sex, companionship, partnerships, one-to-one relationships, our “shadow self”, counsellors, lawyers, mediators, contracts, the “significant other”.
The Eighth House (Transformation & Sexuality):
Description: Our attitude towards crisis and change, sexuality, sex, death and rebirth, personal growth and transformation, regeneration, our partner’s resources, addictions, psychology, others’ money, taxes, divorce/alimony, inheritance, our transformation and crisis.
The Ninth House (Belief Systems & Higher Learning):
Description: Publishing, morals, long distance travel, our sense of adventure and belief system, personal truths, exploration, religious beliefs,foreign languages, higher education, personal philosophy.
The Tenth House (Career/Profession, Responsibility, Reputation, & Standing):
Description: Desire for achievement, position in society, reputation, paternal figures, career and profession, social standing, contribution to society, achievement, governments, abiding the law, how we carve out an identity for ourselves, material success and position.
The Eleventh House (Aspirations & Personal Goals, Groups):
Description: Wishes, hopes, personal goals, acquaintances and friends, groups, aspirations, organizations, our sense of our true inner purpose, our sense of group, humanity.
The Twelfth House (Soul Growth & Undoing, Privacy & Secrets):
Description: Private affairs, karma, self-undoing, that which is hidden or below the surface, hidden strengths and weaknesses, dreams, lost items, hospitals and prisons, soul growth, spiritual studies.