the planets play a monumental role in astrology. each sign is “ruled” by a planet, which means that each sign takes on the role of that planet alongside their unique qualities. each planet is different to the next and presides over a different aspect of the soul and life - the moon rules your emotions and unconscious self, saturn shows restrictions you face and lessons you will learn in life, etc..
in astrology, the rules of science don’t apply to the planets. the sun, moon, and even pluto are counted as planets (in fact, pluto’s influence is an incredibly powerful one), while the earth is not (as we are part of the earth we don’t feel its influence - some astrologers see the ascendant and houses as representative of the earth too!). so the order of planets in the astrological universe goes like this:
sun, moon, mercury, venus, mars, jupiter, saturn, uranus, neptune, pluto
the planets are categorised by the role they play in your life!! the personal planets are the sun, moon, mercury, venus and mars - these planets connect to your personality and self, and how you relate to others! the outer planets connect to you as a deeper being, and so you may not always feel their influence; but their influence is long-standing, deep and powerful compared to the personal planets.
i already mentioned that the planets rule over signs, but did you know that the signs can also have a lack of planetary influence? for instance, while cancer is ruled by the moon, capricorn is in detriment of the moon! so: rulership allows the energy of the planet to flow easily from planet > sign, detriment shows that the energy either doesn’t flow, or flows negatively. there are two other ways for this energy to flow from planet > sign, that are called exaltation and fall. to exalt is to lift, and a planet that exalts in a sign has no ownership of the sign, however the planet’s energy is similar to the sign’s qualities and the two differing energies meld beautifully. fall is the opposite - there is no detriment however the clashing energies of the planet and sign cause a loss of connection and energy. i’ll be writing a post about rulership soon, but for now let’s take a look at the planets themselves!
the sun is the planet of personality. it rules over the heart and spine, and depending on where he is in your chart, he will show you your general vitality and how you handle authority too! the sun is a warm and generous planet that gives life, and so he is one of the most important things to know about yourself. he also describes your conscious action in life, and represents the father. the sun rules leo and exalts in aries - a fiery planet of course! - and he is in detriment in aquarius and fall in libra.
the moon is the planet of emotion. whereas the sun shows your outward personality and who you are, the moon describes your inner self and what you need. the moon says a lot about your past and mother, and any women in your life. it shows you what you need in a partner, as opposed to venus’ wants. your emotional nature is explained through the moon’s light. i have a post on the moon that can be seen here too! the moon rules cancer and exalts in taurus, with detriment in capricorn and fall in scorpio.
mercury is the planet of communication. mercury is the “lower mind”, influencing your speech, writing, short journeys, education up to the end of school and your propensity for debates. mercury is a very mentally-focused planet that can indicate potential troubles with anxiety and where you may dwell on things too much. mercury rules gemini and virgo, exalts in virgo, falls in pisces and is in detriment in sagittarius and pisces.
venus is the planet of love. how you romance, where you see beauty, where you might be lazy and how you like to have fun. venus shows you where romance may appear in life, issues you may have with relationships, and when is a good time to make a business venture. venus also presides over creativity and art, so if you are artistically inclined, look to venus!! venus rules taurus and libra, is in exaltation in pisces, in detriment in scorpio and aries, and falls in virgo.
mars is the planet of action. your drive, passion, anger and sexual nature are all conveyed through mars. desires. whereas venus shows you your leisurely activities, mars shows you what gets your blood pumping. mars isn’t just angry and sexual though, he shows you your drive, ambition, energy levels in general. mars rules aries and scorpio, exalts in capricorn, is in detriment in libra and taurus and falls in cancer.
jupiter is the planet of growth. religion and spirituality, foreign travel and culture, and what expands you as a person. jupiter is the “higher mind”, as opposed to mercury’s lower mind. jupiter also rules over university-level studies and academia beyond school. jupiter rules sagittarius and pisces, exalts in cancer, is in detriment in gemini and virgo and falls in capricorn.
saturn is the planet of restriction. saturn shows you struggles you will face in your lifetime, and where you have lessons that must be learned. saturn, like the sun, represents the father, and so wherever saturn is can indicate toward your relationship with your father or other men in your life. saturn rules capricorn and aquarius, exalts in libra, is in detriment in cancer and leo and falls in aries.
uranus is the planet of revolution and rebellion. uranus shows you. uranus shows you where your individuality shines through, how you can see the big picture clearly. uranus also indicates sudden changes and erratic behaviour. he is a disruptive planet, but one that is always reaching for something more. uranus rules aquarius and exalts in scorpio, is in detriment in leo and falls in taurus.
neptune is the planet of. neptune shows you where you may feel empathy, have a need to help, be confused and easily depressed, how you escape. it is a creative planet and shows artistic talent, like venus. neptune can also tell you a lot about your dreams and psychic talents. the mysterious and otherworldly is at home in neptune’s hazy embrace. neptune rules pisces, exalts in leo, is in detriment in virgo and falls in aquarius.
pluto is a very mysterious planet. he rules over the unconscious, death, regeneration, sex, and everything that is beyond us. pluto, though the smallest of the planets and the furthest out, has an insurmountable affect on us. pluto is the planet you look to for transformation or regeneration - when things seem like they are snowballing, it’s usually to do with pluto, since things must reach a point of destruction before they can be understood and recreated, after all. pluto rules scorpio, is in exaltation in aries, is in detriment in taurus and falls in libra.
so what about other moons? the moons of other planets can affect us too, i believe, however since there isn’t much information on these moons compared to planets and so it’s hard to place meaning on them. personally i think other moons would have a very interesting effect, but this is something to write about another time, it’d just be thinking aloud really~
do asteroids affect us? of course asteroids affect us! ceres for example, is actually a dwarf planet and so should have as much influence as pluto (though much more mundane than his affects). this page is really useful if you want to learn about a lot of different asteroids, but here’s what i know about them.
chiron is the wounded healer, it shows you a deep wound within that will heal through helping others.
ceres shows you how you feel loved and nurtured, and how you nurture others.
vesta shows your ability to devote yourself to something, and alludes to the development of your sexuality.
juno shows you what makes you happy and comfortable in a relationship - it indicates marriage/commitment factors and shows what you need to feel safe with another.
pallas athene shows you where your greatest wisdom lies. it is an indicator of where you will put a great effort into obtaining wisdom too.
what are the nodes? the nodes are the two opposite points of the earth and the moon’s orbits intersecting. the north node (or true node) shows you where you need to go, how you must evolve in this life. the south node tells you a little about your past lives, and how this translates to the current life you are in. the nodes are always opposite each other, so if your north node is in scorpio, your south node will always be in taurus.
what’s lilith? lilith is another point in the sky, the empty space that one side of the moon points toward. lilith shows a kind of karmic debt, ways you feel trapped or helpless and how to break free of your chains. lilith doesn’t show how one is “evil”; it shows you the good and bad side of you, as the fullest you can possibly be. your desires and how to overcome them or attain them, how to be the most “you”.
so i hope this was helpful!! let me know if you’d like to know anything else~
