Hey Guild! Long time no talk! As you may have noticed, Mikaela has been doing most of the articles recently. This is partially because between the two of us… she is definitely the writer. But it is also because my life has been all over the place.
BUT I AM BACK BABY!!!! And I am ready to continue our Astrology 101 series today.
As I just said, it has been a minute so let’s have a quick recap.
- Astrology is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world.
- Your Natal Chart is a map of where the different celestial bodies were in relation to YOU at the exact time and location of your birth. This is divided into 12 ‘pie’ pieces.
- The Zodiac wheel is the outer wheel of your natal chart and moves based on the sun’s apparent yearly rotation about our Earth, along the ecliptic. You will see this rotating on the chart.
- The wheel of Houses is the inner wheel and based on the Earth’s 24-hour rotation about its own axis. This is stationary on the natal chart.
Natal charts map the sky at your birth
The Outer Part of the Chart Containing the Zodiacs ROTATES Depending on Birth Data
Inner STATIONARY Chart Containing The 12 Houses and Representing the Earth- – Using Words Instead of Symbols for Beginner Ease
In the last installment of Astrology 101, we looked at the 12 houses in the inner wheel of the natal chart. I like to think of these (this is very simplified) as categories or areas of your life (be that internal or external) that different energies can be in. Now let’s look at the planets and other celestial bodies that are placed on the natal chart.
The celestial bodies that are mapped are indicators of certain energies, needs, and drives. I have seen in a couple places that they are described as activators so let’s address this distinction before I move onto different associations and meanings. In astrology we are observing the planets and the synchrony it causes in our lives. Individuals born under different celestial patterns tend to have certain personalities, physical traits, life paths, etc. By saying that celestial bodies are activators, it insinuates that a planet “makes” something happen. Mars isn’t talking to me and controlling my actions but it being in a certain part of my chart INDICATES that I may be prone to a certain trait or action. I read a fantastic parallel online that described it like a clock at the end of a 9-5 workday. When it hits 5pm, the clock does not force you to leave work, but you do usually stop at 5pm (unless you are a workaholic like me) by choice.
You may also notice that I keep saying celestial bodies instead of planets. This is for a couple of reasons. Without digging too deep at this point into Astronomy history, the discovery of planets (and the argument about which ones count as planets- I see you PLUTO), etc… here are a few reasons that I am referring to celestial bodies:
- Astrology is geocentric (earth in the center) and when it was originally created, the sun and moon were included in the list of planets circling earth. They are not planets, but we leave them on the list of “planets” observed and they are still 2 of the most important/influential bodies on our chart.
- Astrology also observes several asteroids/planetoids that have a body and a calculatable orbit.
Sun or Sol: “I am”
The sun represents who you are at your core, your personality, ego, your essence, and your conscious mind, and the male principle. It is also a giver of life so can represent your will to live or creative life force. This is usually a deep, unchanging part of you. This is you in the BROADEST sense like we discussed in the first Astrology post we did (What is Astrology? Where does one start?). When interpreting your natal chart, one of the suns best qualities is rulership and one of the worst is dictativeness.
Moon or Luna: “I feel”
The moon represents the unconscious (or subconscious), emotions, the feminine. It also directly affects all life but is receptive, reflective, and passive, the polar opposite of the sun. It is also associated with memory, habit patterns, personal paradigms, role models AND how these condition and affect you. If the sun is what is apparent to others on the outside, the moon is the part of you that YOU see. When interpreting your natal chart, one of the moon’s best qualities is adaptability and one of the worst is inconstancy.
Mercury: “I think”
Mercury is the planet of thinking, learning, intellect, and communication. It can be associated with different speech patterns, senses of humor, and how one intellectually interacts with or comprehends the world around them. When interpreting your natal chart, one of Mercury’s best qualities is expression and one of the worst is restlessness.
Venus: “I love”
I was trying to remember the childhood rhyme about girls going to Venus and all we could do was come up with a more adult version. “Boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider; Girls go to Venus to get more Penis.” Obviously, this is NOT the rhyme I was trying to remember from elementary school… BUT just like in our childhood rhymes, Venus is feminine and associated with love. It represents pleasure, beauty, romance, emotional attachments, marriages, harmony, and any other unions. When talking about beauty or pleasure, that can also be material pleasures like artistry. It is a very personal planet. When interpreting your natal chart, one of Venus’s best qualities is affection and one of the worst is pliancy.
Mars: “I act”
Mar’s is the opposite of Venus (see a pattern yet?). It is masculine and associated with conflict, aggression, and war rather than feminine harmony. That sounds pretty bad but there are some better associations out there like ambition, courage, vitality, action, desire, sex drive, and animal instinct. It can show how you pursue goals, stand up for yourself, attack or defend, and how you dissociate yourself from people or circumstances. When interpreting your natal chart, one of Mar’s best qualities is initiative and one of the worst is harshness.
Jupiter: “I grow”
Jupiter is all about plenty, expansion, knowledge (think philosophical vs mercury which is more factual), enthusiasm, abundance, luck, responsibility, exuberance, morality, charity, frankness, honesty, and the soul. When interpreting your natal chart, one of Jupiter’s best qualities is benevolence and one of the worst is conceit.
Saturn: “I achieve”
I find Saturn fascinating because of how it interacts with the other celestial bodies. It is associated with limits, restrictions, boundaries, safety, practicality, reality, seriousness, laws, and structures. These could all be interpreted as negative, but they are necessary and allow for more structured lives and a sort of balance. When interpreting your natal chart, one of Saturn’s best qualities is systems of organization and one of the worst is selfishness.
Uranus: “I evolve”
Uranus is a higher octave of Mercury. I read a description of Uranus that said its energy is like a bolt of lightning and I feel this is fairly accurate. It is about suddenness, revolution, change, shock, disruption, flashes of insight, revelation, creativity, invention, and innovation. It is destructive to patterns and limitations, so it helps destroy the old and bring in the new for growth. When interpreting your natal chart, one of Uranus’s best qualities is originality and one of the worst (debatable) is rebellion.
Neptune: “I dream”
Neptune is a higher octave of Venus. This feminine planet is associated with self-sacrifice, compassion, spirituality, devotion, beauty, the subconscious, illusions, fantasies, the magical or enchanting, and the primordial chaos before creation. Neptune is the planet associated with the quest for universal wisdom, but also for cloudiness, confusion, delusion, and unreality. When interpreting your natal chart, one of Neptune’s best qualities is Idealism and one of the worst is vagueness.
Pluto: “I empower”
Pluto is a higher octave of Mars. It can be about transforming repressed energies into a group energy to evolve society, or it is also associated with sex, obsessive desires, transformation, power, true upheaval, wealth, renewal, and rebirth. When interpreting your natal chart, one of Pluto’s best qualities is transformation and one of the worst is inversion.
I just want to say that these are BRIEF interpretations. I could (and will eventually) deep dive more into each “planet” and what zodiacs they rule, elemental associations, how to interpret them for each house or zodiac etc. In the meantime, if you do want more information, a good resource would be astrolibrarys’ page on planets in astrology.
Now I did say that this was about celestial bodies… not just planets. Asteroids, dwarf planets, etc. are used to further finesse your natal chart. There are more than 100 celestial bodies that can be mapped and have meanings ranging from your nurturing style to how self-indulgent you are to your fame. I just want to briefly mention a couple you may see in a standard online natal chart:
- Chiron: Wisdom gained through self-inflicted wounds; this transforms your personal identity.
- Ceres: Your style of nurturing AND how creative you are in giving/receiving.
- Pallas Athene: Wisdom, problem solving, the balancing of polarities, and a connection to the world outside of self through cultural lines.
- Vesta: Spirituality and your ability to focus or concentrate in an undivided manner.
- Juno: Committed and loyal partnerships
- Lilith: The shadow side of your personality… basically your inner bad bitch.
We are one step closer to interpreting your chart! We now have houses that tell us what celestial bodies can affect AND celestial bodies to do the affecting. But we still haven’t touched on the one thing that most uninitiated think Astrology is solely about… the Zodiacs. Before we go deeper into the chart and start looking at aspects or anything like an interpretation, we will be adding in the outer wheel of our natal chart. Keep an eye open for our next installment of Astrology 101!
Happy stargazing!
Taylor
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