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Writer's pictureAllyson Makuch

The Planets in Astrology

Updated: Nov 13

Cultivate their supportive energies to live a more balanced, fulfilling life.

The planets with earth in the foreground

Introducing the Planets


Developing a relationship with the planets is central to living an astrologically-informed life. They contain within them the human experience; the good, the bad and the ugly of what life has to offer.


What's important is recognizing when we are leaning into the unsupportive aspects of a planet, and taking steps to cultivate its more supportive qualities.

Here I'll give you the foundations you need to understand the planets in your life. This is absolutely not an exhaustive list; these are just some jumping off points for reflection.


*Note: "planets" in astrology also refer to the sun and the moon and other planetary bodies.


The Planetary Archetypes


Image of the sun

The Sun

  • The sun is the life-giving planet, without it we would have no life on earth

  • In its skillful expression it represents the healthy ego, the spirit, the sense of self, how someone shines, where they are lit up, enthusiasm, creative will power and expression, way of being in the world, our public life, our conscious self

  • In its unskillful expression it can “burn up” towards self-centeredness, self-importance, domineering attitudes and behaviors, self-obsession, and the extinguishment of yin energy towards yang energy 

  • Is the planetary “light” of the daytime 

  • Rules Leo

  • Opposite to Saturn

  • Moves through each sign in roughly 30 days


The moon at half moon

The Moon
  • The moon represents the unconscious, the body, the emotions, nurturance (what you need to feel nurtured, how you were nurtured by a parent, often the mother), your soul, relatedness, our need to connect, our ability to care for others’ needs, dependency

  • Represents physical manifestation as the physical body of the moon reflects the light of the spirit (sun). The condition of the moon tells us how things manifest for you and where they are manifesting for you. 

  • To understand how this plays out for you you have to look at the sign and house of the moon along with its aspects. That will help you understand the lessons your moon is needing to learn and appreciate the strengths that your moon gives you.

  • Is the planetary light of the night 

  • Moves through each sign of the zodiac in ~2.5 days

  • Rules Cancer

  • Goes through all the signs in 28 days

  • Opposite to Saturn


Mercury image from NASA

Mercury
  • In its skillful expression, Mercury represents the principles of mind, communication, writing, perception, learning, movement and transportation (short trips), mental state, technique, method, and habits. 

  • Unskillful expressions of Mercury are anxiety, over concern with the details, inability to see the bigger picture, jumping from one thing or thought to another without follow-through, scattered attentions, over-criticism of self and others

  • Planetary contacts with Mercury tell us how you communicate, learn, speak, and think

  • Mercury is never more than 1 sign away from the sun 

  • Rules Gemini and Virgo

  • Moves through each sign in 2-3 weeks, retrogrades 3x per year

  • Takes 1 year to travel through all the signs 

  • Opposite of Jupiter


Venus image from NASA

Venus
  • Represents the principles of harmony, peace, calm, beauty, personal money, the creative arts, your approach to relationships (broadly), diplomacy, indulgence, what you seek in a partner, how you give and receive love

  • When out of balance Venus can give herself and her power away, lose herself in other people, not set boundaries, have a fear of making people upset, avoiding making decisions, prioritizing comfort over growth

  • Never more than 2 signs away from the sun  (48*) 

  • Venus takes around a year to move through all signs. She is in each sign for 3-4 weeks or more, depending, up to 4 months in a sign when retrograde

  • Venus retrogrades every 18 months, retrograding in a given sign every 8 years

  • Rules Libra and Taurus

  • Opposite of Mars


Mars image from NASA

Mars
  • Represents the principles of independent will, action, drive, assertion, physical energy, injury, athletic ability, aggression and anger, forcefulness, sharp, quick actions, the knife, yang aspects of sexuality. 

  • When channelled in a healthy way, Mars energy is purifying and helps you have the courage to bring your independent vision into the world. Mars separates others' stuff from yours and helps you define what you desire from the world. Mars "gives it a go" and isn't afraid to act or try again and again to succeed.

  • Takes about 2 years to complete its trip through the zodiac. 

  • Spends around 6 weeks in each sign, unless it is retrograde

  • Retrogrades every 2 years usually retrograding for for 2.5 months; begins 5 weeks before the solar opposition

  • Traditional ruler of Aries and Scorpio

  • Opposite of Venus


Jupiter image from NASA

Jupiter
  • Skillfully, the principles of expansion, blessings, wisdom, teaching, long distance travel, overdoing it, excess, abundance, philosophy, optimism, generosity, success, luck, inclusivity, expanded horizons

  • Unskillfully, Jupiter can represent damaging excess, over concern with wealth and status, self-indulgence, laziness or complacency, overconfidence, exaggeration

  • Where Jupiter is in your chart tells you what kind of philosophy you have about life, where you create abundance and have luck

  • Traditional ruler of Sagittarius and Pisces

  • Takes 12 years to go through all the signs of the zodiac, spending a year in each sign

  • Retrograde for 4 months out of each year

  • Opposite of Mercury


Saturn image from NASA

Saturn
  • A complex archetype that represents the principles of limitations, old age, structure, negation, death, time, the past, tradition, aging, the ending of things, reality, the bottom line, obstacles and delays, gravity, solitude, the skeleton, discipline, form, stability, separation, karma

  • When Saturn is challenging you, it can manifest as guilt, pessimism, depression, inferiority, deprivation, loss, grief, heaviness, cognitive slowness, fear, fear of loss, suffering, struggle, hard truths and realities, and letting go of something.

  • When you are thriving with Saturn energy, you experience rigor, seriousness, fidelity, endurance, responsibility, maturity, lessons learned, realities accepted, things built slowly, and long-term commitments. 

  • Whereas Jupiter expands and grows, Saturn constricts, limits and delays. As Jupiter can inflate, exaggerate, or be overly optimistic, Saturn is realistic, judicious, grounded and pragmatic. 

  • Through obstacles and challenges, Saturn helps us build a solid foundation and gives us substance and gravitas. We become strong people. 

  • Saturn works slowly and painstakingly, but produces lasting results. Saturn processes and lessons take a long time to ripen and a long time to learn.

  • Where Saturn is in your chart you may experience obstacles or delays (particularly at the beginning of your life) but through those challenges you develop a pragmatic and long-lasting result.

  • Our boundaries (Saturn) help us define who we are and who we are not. 

  • Saturn takes 28.5-30 years on average to return to the same place in the zodiac

  • Saturn spends about 2.5 years in each sign 

  • Retrogrades for about 4.5 months per year 

  • Traditional ruler of Capricorn and Aquarius


Uranus image from NASA

Uranus
  • Represents the principles of rebellion, technology, electricity, madness, awakening, suddenness, shocking events, change, freedom, revolution, breakthroughs (intellectual, psychological, spiritual), the breaking up of structures, excitement, individualism and originality, invention, eccentricity and lawlessness, aha moments, 

  • When in strength, Uranus helps us break free from the limits that keep us down, brings welcome change, helps us rebel when conditions are unjust, bring us lighting strikes of insight, and helps us become our own unique selves that embrace our difference and uniqueness.

  • When out of balance Uranus energy rebels for the sake of rebelling (rebel without a cause) or is more concerned with needing change than it is with maintaining the stability needed to live well.

  • When we don’t honor our need to make changes and break free, sometimes that change is stimulated by external events we can't ignore. I.e. we experience Uranus from the outside instead of as an inner change

  • Uranus takes 84 years to move through the zodiacal signs

  • Uranus spends 7 years in each sign 

  • Its retrograde period can last about 5 months

  • Modern ruler of Aquarius


Neptune image from Nasa

Neptune
  • In its power and beauty, Neptune represents transcendence, idealism, spirituality, merging, dissolving, medicines and drugs, poisons, imagination, mystical oneness, intuition, dreams, escapism, fantasy, illusion, visions, nirvana, mysticism, water, divine love and compassion, divine faith and hope, spiritual beauty, and charm.

  • Neptune dissolves the boundary between self and other, self and spirituality, self and reality in healthy and unhealthy ways

  • In its difficult expressions, Neptune can represent loss, fall from grace, deception, gaslighting, dissociation, madness, hallucinations, addictions, lying to others or oneself, and confusion.

  • Planets and houses that Neptune touches can experience a sense of loss or fall from grace, and/or can spiritualize the planet/house. There can be illusion and confusion in the house that Neptune is found in. 

  • Neptune take 128 years to return to the same place in the zodiac

  • Neptune spends 14 years in each sign, going retrograde for about 5 months 

  • Modern ruler of Pisces



Pluto Image from Nasa

Pluto
  • Primordial energy, Pluto represents the principles of power, wealth, volcanic forces, subterranean influences, evolution and transformation, primal libido and kundalini, destruction and resurrection, death and rebirth cycle, earthquakes, empowerment journey, underworld journeys

  • Challenging Pluto expressions can include being dominating to others and being dominated oneself, aggression, overwhelming forces, feeling trapped in the underworld, the dark and sometimes terrifying realities that lurk beneath or behind, power struggles and disempowerment, obsessive or compulsive thoughts or behaviors

  • Work with Pluto to allow yourself to transform on a journey of empowerment (power reclaiming).

  • Pluto can spend from 14 to 30 years in each sign

  • Pluto takes 248 years to return to the same place in the zodiac

  • Retrograde’s influence is negligible 

  • Modern ruler of Scorpio


Asteroid image from NASA

*Actual image is of Psyche, Chiron looks much like this asteroid, with faint rings. From nasa.gov

Chiron
  • Chiron is the wounded healer and teacher. It is the wound that makes us seek healing. We walk the path of healing our wounds then we help heal others by teaching them how to heal themselves, or sharing the wisdom of our experience

  • Where Chiron is in the chart tells us something about our core wounding. The other planets and points that Chiron touches gives us the character of those wounds and the medicine that we need to heal them 

  • Sometimes people with a strong Chiron are powerful teachers as well as healers. 

  • Chiron returns to its natal position at around 50 years old. 

  • Chiron return pushes us to look back on our history, and the history of our families often, tracing the wound and healing through our lineage. 

  • By tracking the transiting Chiron to natal Chiron contacts we can understand when our wounding and healing may have happened/the qualities of our wounding and healing


In Closing


I hope this helped grow your understanding of the planetary archetypes! You can see that there isn't one best planet; all of them have their benefits, strengths and their challenges. We need a healthy balance of the energies of all the planets to live rich, full lives.


If you want to explore how these planetary energies manifest in your life,

I'd love to meet and talk about it




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