Getting to know each Planet

Great article on the different planetary personalities by Shannon Yrizarry

Planetary Personalities: Get to Know the Nature of Each Planet

When you′re first getting to know astrology, most people start by getting to know the 12 zodiac signs. This will help you get a quick glimpse into someone′s personality. Each of these signs have both an element linked to it as well as a ruling planet. Understanding the characteristics of each planet will help you in a variety of extremely practical ways and as you dive deeper into astrology, you′ll continue to unlock more helpful information with these planetary energies that can even help you predict events or know when it′s a good time to make major life decisions.

It can help you understand day to day interactions by helping you see how someone communicates or relates to others and it can help you understand which days are ripe to take action in certain areas of your life. In a broader sense, it can help you see larger cycles that can help you transform and understand major shifts happening in the fabric of societal consensus which is what we all accept as truth.

To help you understand why knowing these planets is useful, we′ve broken it down a little more below to show you that right now, you may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg into a system that can offer you tremendous intuition about others and changes that are going to happen so you can ride the tides and enjoy them.

Unlocking The Cycles of Time and The Layered Psychology of Each Person

Besides helping you get a stronger grasp of each sign, you can get a real sense of the theme of each month so you can capitalize on that energy instead of being caught off guard by it when the sun moves through a sign by knowing it′s ruling planet. You can also have a deeper understanding of how each full moon′s energy will be based on the sign and ruling planet.

For example you′ll know an Aries full moon will cause fights because Aries is ruled by Mars the god of war. You will be able to see even larger cycles that affect everyone in a year based on when each planet′s retrogrades are as well as when planets are in signs that bring ease (this is called elevated) in areas of your life or discord.

You′ll be able to understand each compartment of your life with greater depth and clarity when you know the planetary energy that is fueling a sign that lands in a house. Additionally, you′ll understand how having a sign in a planet in your chart will create a specific blend of energy such as having Leo in mercury. In this instance a person′s communication (mercury) would be outgoing (Leo′s influence). After you are able to dissect your own chart and see the incoming annual cycles affecting everyone, you can begin to look at other people′s charts to understand them on a much deeper psychological level as well.

If you′re already feeling confused, don′t worry, these concepts will become more familiar to you the more you expose yourself to them. For now, just focus on looking at the planets below as if they are people you′re getting know better. Let′s start simple.

Sun – The sun is a fire element planet (no surprise here). It rules change and is linked with active male yang energy that is both confident and able to take the lead. The sun rules the sign of Leo. Your sun sign (whichever zodiac sign falls in this position based on your time of birth) is said to be the core of your personality because it is rules our actions, what is shown the most to others, hence it′s an expressive planet. It spends 30 days in one sign.

Moon – The moon is a water element planet and is the opposite energy of the sun. It′s female, yin, and receptive. It′s where we find our emotional reactions, creativity, and intuition. Your moon sign represents your emotional needs, which are not so obvious to others (or even yourself) and makes you unique in the way you feel loved and nurtured. The moon is the closest planet to earth and has a powerful and noticeable effect on our emotions and events. It also changes signs the most frequently because it circles us once per day, spending a mere 2.5 days in one sign. Therefore, it explains emotional ups and downs on a day to day basis. One′s moon sign is the most important/revealing part of a birth chart in Vedic astrology.

The Inner Planets

Mercury – Meet the planet known as the messenger of the gods. Mercury is an air element planet so it deals with subjects related to the ethers, such as electricity and radio. It′s the ruler of 2 of the most talkative planets of the zodiac, Gemini and Virgo. It has to do with practical ideas and routines, and is the place to look to understand our own communication style.

Venus – This is the planet of art, beauty, and romance. Venus is a water planet and rules both Taurus and Libra. Venus in astrology is often thought of as cupid′s arrow, but it also indicates one′s relationship with money. Therefore, when it shows up in your chart, it can mean love, a skill in the arts, money, or a sudden interest in those things. Known as the Goddess of Love, or Aphrodite, this planet is sensual and charming. You can look at which sign in your chart Venus falls in to understand your own romantic style.

Mars – This is the god of love and war, entirely linked to our passions. As a fire element planet, Mars rules Aries, the get-it-done-quick sign. When Mars goes retrograde, our vitality can go down as well as our sex drive. Look at which sign Mars is in in your chart to see how you pursue your passion and goals. When this planet conjuncts or trines a planet, we can expect that area of our life to burst open or move forward. Mars is also linked to our primal nature, so we need to keep on eye what this planet is doing to know when we may need to curb our temper or find healthy outlets for our passions.

Jupiter – This planet is known as the king of the Gods, or Zeus. Just as all planets have both a positive and negative side, Jupiter does as well. Known as the planet of luck, it brings prosperity, and yet it can also bring impulsiveness. Linked to the element fire, Jupiter rules Sagittarius. We can look to Jupiter to bring growth and expansion, good will, and vision. It is generally known as a benevolent energy. Look to see in which sign Jupiter falls in your chart to see where life will run smoothly for you, and where there will be bumps in the road.

The Outer Planets

Saturn – This masculine planet is known as the master of time and deliverer of karma. Saturn rules Capricorn and is quite the opposite of Jupiter in that it is about restrictions and limitations. Saturn is known as the great teacher and father of Zeus, showing us that our actions have consequences. The legendary Saturn Return refers to Saturn′s long cycle of 27 years wherein it returns to the same place it was when you were born, forcing you to face yourself and mature. It′s an earth element planet which can aid in focus because it consolidates energy.

Uranus – The planet of change. It rules the sign of Aquarius as well as ideas, energy, and thought systems that give our world its webs of significance. Uranus′ energy will often break things down to make room for the new. It′s known to be a planet of revolution and upheaval. Uranus has a seven year cycle and your own ideas will change in those time periods. Watch this planet′s movements to predict societal changes, inventions, and advances in technology as well.

Neptune – The god of the sea is also the ruler of Pisces. It′s the planet that brings intuition, a deeper sense of spirituality, and imagination. It can lead to delusions or escapism and substance abuse as well. It controls our dreams, our artistic talent, and allows us to push past limiting thoughts. It spends 14 years in a sign and you can see how the elements of that sign affect society′s consciousness during those transits.

Pluto – Known as the god of the the underworld. Pluto brings rebirth and transformation. Pluto rules the intense water sign of Scorpio. It will reveal our secrets, our subconscious, and help us face our greatest fears. Representing change like that of the caterpillar to the butterfly, when this planet is influencing our lives, we often feel like we are experiencing a mini-death, which inevitably leads to a rebirth. It will be in one sign anywhere from 11 to 32 years. It reveals where you will have intensity in your life.

Conclusion

In astrology, as in life, we know things often because of their relation to other things. That means we know a planet in relation to elements and signs. We know certain cycles by the ways they are different from other cycles. We were only able to define the nature of planets because we have spent hundreds of years watching how they affect the full scale of human emotions and energy on a consistent basis. There are many more ways you can use your grasp on planetary personalities. For example, here′s an article that links each day of the week to a planet which could help you with task management because you have more energy available in certain areas on certain weekdays.

It′s hard for us to comprehend that a large mass moving through space makes our personalities and emotions unique, but if you start to think of everything as a connected interacting grid, almost like the internet, we start to see ourselves as a part of the constant ebb and flow of the universe so we can become stable within it.