I had a brain blast and decided to break down what all of the planets mean in tropical astrology. I try to use one word that I feel applies to the planet the most and let that be the guide, then a metaphor example to further explain the signification.
SUN: your ability to grow as a person (and what you grow into)
AUTHORITY. relating to personal power, authority, self expression, and independence. if you were King, how would you rule? where would you rule? what’s a priority to you? where was your personal power found?
MOON: your emotional nature, your perspective, your mind.
INSTINCT. Moon comes naturally to you. What were drawn towards, who we are drawn towards, what experiences we create naturally for ourselves. Moon is felt. Moon is experienced.
Moon is the mother, so it's a tender position. It feels true and can be a source of incredible strength. It represents nurturing and our needs as humans.
ASCENDANT: your physical body, central theme of your life
PHYSICS, but in this case we study YOUR motion through time and space!
how that motion impacts other people
what YOU pursue and HOW (chart ruler)
MERCURY: communication style, what the mind will be drawn to. interests and hobbies. mental processing.
INTELLECT, the mental powers and capabilities of a person.
developed through information, listening, exploring interests, communicating.
you witness the intellect in communication.
Do you listen more than you talk? What do you talk about? What captivates your mind?
VENUS: Relationship style. how you are with romance and intimate partners. your personal sense of beauty/values. your “perfume”. what pleases you
BEAUTY, a combination of qualities that pleases the senses.
Related to our earthly experiences, our pleasure driven functions.
Your quality of beauty, what you find beautiful, who you find beautiful, what pleases you, who pleases you.
MARS: Commanding style. personal sense of ambition, passion, anger, excitement. sexual personality. driving force.
how would you drive a car? are you blasting music? are you smoking? are you playing hymnals? what about road rage? where are you going?
Mars in Taurus might be taking their time, enjoying the scenery. There may be air fresheners in the car and snacks. They're headed to a brunch or to a hair appointment. Mars in Sagittarius is probably on a bike and on their way to go hiking!
SEXUAL, not necessarily pertaining to sex. Think of it more as a matter of instincts, passion, and pursuing that which we are drawn to. How is your passion expressed? How is it expressed within an intimate contact? How does it drive you towards your ambitions? How does your body perform the work?
These next planets have more of an external influence on our persons.
JUPITER: where you find blessings, where you are lucky. where your god-given talents and abilities manifest. your sense of spirituality and faith.
ABUNDANCE. Where we experience abundance we can have a sense of spirituality/faith around it. Jupiter in 4H may receive much through the family or through the mother and have a very faith-based relationship with them. Jupiter in the 3H may have a natural gift for speaking and writing. These are the gifts that bring them abundance and blessings. Jupiter in the 5H Libra may have a lot of faith in their children. They may believe in fighting for children's rights or defending children.
SATURN: where you encounter restrictions/limitations. where you need more structure and patience. where some of your deepest fears lie. karma in the form of tests.
THE SUMMIT/GAUNTLET. Saturn is the mountain we have to climb and it may take a while. Gauntlet also works as a good metaphor too, as Saturn can feel like a series of trials and tests, each one more difficult than the last. However the bounty that awaits you? Mastery, competence, and maturity. Saturn has a sobering effect, like the air on top of the mountain. It's clear and crisp.'
And sometimes those trials we face feel familiar. We encounter people from our current past, souls from past lives, circumstances we did not master in previous incarnations. It can feel ancient.
URANUS: where the LIGHTNING strikes
innovation and insight and ingenuity
where sudden changes and upheavals will come
your innovative spark, if uranus is the lightning bolt of inspiration you are the conduit. what you produce is what makes you “unique”
NEPTUNE: where the MIST sets in
where you face a lot of deception, mystery, and confusion.
where a sense of magic dwells. the inexplicable
where you connect to something greater
PLUTO: where POWER and TRANSFORMATION lie
here you must go into the underworld and take what is yours
where you’ve lost power, where you feel out of control, where you feel TOO powerful. power struggles in general
where you may endure trauma, loss, and change
South Node: past life patterns, area of former mastery, what you’re used to. where you may suffer loss or become detached. the point through which you find spiritual liberation
North Node: you feel a pull in this direction, “destiny coded”. where you can become obsessed and lost. where you may create something entirely new for yourself. another point of spiritual liberation and detachment.
Just from knowing Rahu (NN) and Ketu (SN) in Vedic, I believe that we must find a balance between South and North nodes and develop conscious awareness of the pulls from both nodes, lest we be swallowed whole.
CHIRON: Childhood wounds, trauma endured when young. where a great bit of healing will be done in your life. you learn to live with this and the lessons associated will be your gift to share.
LILITH: how you’ve been outcasted. where you feel shame. you rebel at all costs here and may lose favors because of it. another aspect of sexual personality
