Why are the planets so important to learn in Astrology? Without the planets, there would be no astrology. Astrology is the study of the correlation between planetary movements and the events happening on Earth. Without the discovery of the planets, there would be no zodiac signs and there would be no houses. They are the foundation and the most important part of astrology. There are ten planets in Astrology, two of the planets are luminary planets and the other eight are just considered planets. The two luminary planets are the sun and moon, this is because they give off the most light to planet Earth. The other eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.
It is important to note there are inner planets and outer planets. The inner planets are the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. The outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. The inner planets represent our psyche and inward processes, and the outer planets represent generational influences on our lives.
There are four essential dignities of each planet, these help to determine the strength of each planet when they are in a certain sign. The four essential dignities are rulership, exaltation, exile, and fall. When a planet is in its rulership, this is also considered it's home and feels it can express itself easily here. When a planet is in it's exaltation, this means the best qualities of the planet are emphasized and the planet can express itself at its highest potential. When a planet is in its fallen sign, this can mean that the planet feels lost and confused and has a really difficult time understanding how to express the nature of the planet. When a planet is in exile also known as detriment, this means the planet does not feel at home and can feel lost when expressing itself.
If you have a planet that is in its exiled or fallen sign, this is not a bad thing, it just means that planet takes more time to tap into that energy and understand it. I like to think of the planets as actors and the signs as roles, if there was an actor that typically plays the role as a nurturing mother in a movie then all of the sudden gets cast as a serial killer, it may take some time for that actor to get comfortable in a role they don't typically play.
We will now go into the meaning of each of the planets and how they reflect the different parts of you and your life.
The Sun
Rules: Leo
Exalted: Aries
Exiled: Aquarius
Fallen: Libra
Day: Sunday
Colors: Yellow and Gold
The sun represents our ego, individuality, parts of our personality, and what we aspire to become. The sun is the center of the solar system and can represent what is taking center stage in this lifetime. The Sun is associated with the Greek God, Helios. The sun changes signs every thirty days and takes one year to go through all 12 zodiac signs. It is a benefic planet and is on the "day time team", this means if your Rising sign is Leo than you were born during the day. The sun represents the core of our self expression and the light we bring into this world. This also represents the influence that we have on those around us such as friends and family members. The sun can represent the experiences we have that encourage us to believe in ourselves and brings us confidence. Depending on which house the sun is in your birth chart, that house or area of life may take center stage in your life and be where most of your focus is.
The Moon
Rules: Cancer
Exalted: Taurus
Exiled: Capricorn
Fallen: Scorpio
Day: Monday
Colors: Cream, White, and Silver
The moon represents our inner world. It shows us how we feel, how we react, as well as the patterns and habits of our behaviors. The moon is the planet that changes the fastest, it changes signs every 2 to 2 1/2 days. It takes approximately 28 days for the moon to move through the entire zodiac. The moon is associated with the Greek Goddess, Artemis. The moon is also a malefic planet and is on the nighttime team, if your rising sign is Cancer then you were born at night and may resonate with your moon sign more than your sun sign. This is a part of ourselves that people do not see right off the bat, only the people closest to us can see this part of us. The moon teaches us what makes us feel safe and comfortable, it reflects our emotional needs and shows how to satisfy those needs. The moon can also represent our relationship with our mother or other maternal figures in our lives and how we were raised. Someone with an air sign moon may process their emotions first then feel them later, while someone with a water sign moon might feel their emotions first and process them later. This all depends on your moon sign and other aspects in your chart as well. The moon in astrology is reflective and receptive, it does not act but is more acted upon which is why it shows us how we react to the external world.
Mercury
Rules: Gemini, Virgo
Exalted: Virgo
Exiled: Sagittarius, Pisces
Fallen: Pisces
Day: Wednesday
Color: Orange
Mercury is the planet of communication. It shows us how we communicate, speak, think, and how we process knowledge. Mercury is not on the daytime or nighttime team and is therefore a neutral planet in astrology. If you have a Gemini or Virgo rising, check your birth chart to see what house your sun sign is in. If your sun is above the horizon line then you were born during the day, if your sun is under the horizon line you were born during the night. Mercury is also known as the trickster and in Greek mythology it is associated with Hermes, the messenger of the Gods. Mercury in the birth chart can show us what we like to learn and what we enjoy studying. It can also show us how we like to study or our learning style, this can be through reading books, traveling, listening to podcasts, group studying, or independent studying. Mercury can even show us how our voices sound, how we speak to others, do we have a loud voice? quiet voice? a strong voice? a soothing voice? It can even show us if we are more assertive and direct or more passive and poetic when we communicate. Not only does it show us how we communicate with others but it also shows us how we communicate with ourselves and some of our most common thoughts that we may experience. Mercury changes signs every 3 to 4 weeks and follows the sun closely, however with Mercury there are at least three retrogrades every year so sometimes it is in a sign for longer than three weeks.
Venus
Rules: Taurus, Libra
Exalted: Pisces
Exiled: Scorpio, Aries
Fallen: Virgo
Day: Friday
Color: Green
Venus is the planet of love, beauty, and romance. It shows us how we love, who and what we are attracted to, and our love language. Venus rules over beauty and shows us what characteristics and traits we find beautiful in other people and within ourselves. It also rules over art and creativity, this can show us what kind of music we like, what kind of mediums and art forms we take a liking towards such as music, art, sculptures, paintings, interior design, clothing, and jewelry. Venus also rules over material possessions and money. Depending on the house and sign it can show us in the chart where we may receive money and fortune. Venus attracts, this can show us how we attract romantic partners and how we connect and create. Venus also shows us how we bring peace, balance, and harmony into our lives. This can show us how we take care of ourselves when it comes to our self care routine, beauty routine, and physical appearances.
Mars
Rules: Aries, Scorpio
Exalted: Capricorn
Exiled: Libra, Taurus
Fallen: Cancer
Day: Tuesday
Color: Red
Mars is the planet of action, energy, passion, and bravery. It shows us what drives us in life and where we take action. It is a malefic planet and it is a night time planet, if you were born with an Aries or Scorpio rising, this means you were born at night. Mars changes signs every two months, depending on if it's retrograde or not, sometimes it can stay in the same sign for up to 7 months. It also represents our primal instincts, aggressive urges and it relates strongly to our sexual energy. Mars shows us how we get shit done. In Greek Mythology, Mars is represented by the God Ares, the God of War. Some positive aspects of Mars can be self sufficiency, a strong stamina, determination, strong focus towards what you desire, and being confident when making decisions. Mars is the God of War and can be a little destructive, but being destructive is not always a bad thing, sometimes we need to end things that don't serve us anymore, set boundaries, or cut people off. In the birth chart we can look at Mars to learn a bit more about how we take action and our approach towards life.
Jupiter
Rules: Sagittarius, Pisces
Exalted: Cancer
Exiled: Gemini, Virgo
Fallen: Capricorn
Day: Thursday
Color: Purple
Jupiter is the planet of expansion, abundance, wisdom, and prosperity. It can show us where in life we receive the most luck and protection from the universe. It is a benefic planet and it is also a day time planet. Anybody who was born with a a Pisces or Sagittarius Rising was most likely born during the day. Jupiter shows us where we are the least cautious, how we give to others and the nature of our generosity. It rules over long-distance travel, religion, philosophy, and cultures. Some of the positive aspects of Jupiter are optimism, hope, never giving up, gratitude, second chances, generosity, good fortune, and aspiration. It takes Jupiter changes signs every year and takes twelve years to travel through all twelve zodiac signs.
Saturn
Rules: Capricorn, Aquarius
Exalted: Libra
Exiled: Cancer, Leo
Fallen: Aries
Day: Saturday
Color: Black
Saturn is the planet of time, boundaries, lessons, and karma. It takes 2 1/2 to 3 years for Saturn to travel through one sign. It takes Saturn about 27 years to travel through all of the signs. Saturn is a malefic planet, it is known as the greater malefic and is also a day time planet. If you have a Capricorn or Aquarius Rising, Saturn is your chart ruler and you were most likely born during the day. Saturn shows us the parts of our life where we learn to have control and strength. It teaches us discipline, structure and delayed gratification. It is the complete opposite of Jupiter that shows us blessings and fortune in an area of life even if we didn't expect it, Saturn teaches us the opposite, it teaches us how to get what we want through cold, hard work. It can represent the place in our chart where we experience the most failure, but don't be discouraged, with failure comes wisdom. Saturn also teaches us how to create something sustainable and everlasting, there are no short cuts when it comes to Saturn. Saturn may feel like our greatest weakness but overtime it becomes our greatest strength.
Uranus
Rules: Aquarius
Exalted: Scorpio
Exiled: Leo
Fallen: Taurus
Day of the Week: N/A
Color: Electric Blue
Uranus is the planet of sudden change and movement. It is one of the more recent planets, founded in 1781. Uranus is not visible from the naked eye and our viewpoint on Earth. There is still so much to discover for Uranus and we are just scratching the surface. This was a time when there were strong advances in science, industrialism, and technology. Uranus is also considered an outer planet or a generational planet, this does not indicate your personality but represents the generation you are in and the inventions and scientific progress the whole world is going through.. Look at the house that Uranus falls in to see where it impacts you a little more personally. Uranus changes signs every 7 years and takes 84 years to move through the entire zodiac. Uranus shows us where we may experience the most upheaval, it is the place in our birth charts where we experience sudden and frequent change. This is the place in our birth chart that exposes our rebellious and unconventional nature. Maybe your Uranus falls in the 7th house of relationships and you prefer a more unconventional relationship, or in the 4th house of home and family and your family life was unconventional or you move often. Uranus in the chart shows us where we go against the grain and invent something completely new and out of the ordinary, that makes jaws drop. When Uranus changes signs this can indicate transformation through new inventions and technology on a global scale.
Neptune
Rules: Pisces
Exalted: Leo
Exiled: Virgo
Fallen: Aquarius
Day: N/A
Color: Dull grey
Neptune is the planet of mystery, the unknown, inspiration, our dreams, and our subconscious. It is associated with Poseidon, the God of the Sea and represents the ocean that is inside of each of us. Neptune stays in each sign for fourteen years and takes 164 years to travel through each sign. Neptune is also a new planet and was discovered in 1846. Neptune is the planet of spirituality and can inspire us to create art, music, and literature. Neptune can bring us to explore the unknown of what is inside of us but this also means it can lead us to escaping reality. This can lead to having psychic experiences and having strong Neptune placements can indicate someone who is psychic, clairvoyant, or talks to spirits. There can also be a fear of facing reality and living in your own world, having a hard time putting your feet on the ground. Neptune can show us where we may be more explorative to our subconscious and the unknown in life. Neptune is also considered a generational planet and it's best to look at what house it falls in in your birth chart to see where it impacts you the most. It can show us where we lose ourselves and surrender our ego for better or for worse. It can also reflect what kinds of dreams we may have. When Neptune changes signs, this can indicate great transformation in art and creativity on a global level.
Pluto
Rules: Scorpio
Exalted: Aries
Exiled: Taurus
Fallen: Libra
Color: Brown and Maroon
Day: N/a
Pluto is the planet of transformation, death, and rebirth. It is associated with Hades, God of the underworld. Pluto is a generational planet and was discovered in the 1930's. Pluto was discovered during the time of World War II and when nuclear weapons were invented. Pluto can show us what we fear most and how we deal with loss. Pluto represents death and destruction, it can be literal death or hypothetical death such as the loss of who you once were. Pluto shows us how we deal with all of life's loss and how we regenerate ourselves. Important transits with this sign can show us parts of our life where we experience complete transformation and become a new version of ourselves. Pluto teaches us that losing everything is not the end of the world, it can be a new beginning. It is like the phoenix showing us we can still rise from the ashes. Pluto changes signs about every 20 years and it takes 248 years for Pluto to transit through all 12 signs. When Pluto does change signs, this takes us through transformation and loss on a global scale that can change our relationship with how we see the world.