Lesson 2: Principles of the planets in astrology

The principles represented by the planets in astrology are as follows:

• Sun: action, power, vitality, self-expression, creativity, motivation, soul purpose. The Sun is the ruler of Leo and of the 5th house.
• Moon: reaction, fluctuation, inner life, habitual response patterns, emotional response. The Moon is the ruler of Cancer and of the 4th house.
• Mercury: communication, decision making, planning, intellect. Mercury is the ruler of Gemini and Virgo and of the 3rd and 6th houses.
• Venus: harmony, relatedness, connection, relationship, balance, beauty. Venus is the ruler of Taurus and Libra and of the 2nd and 7th houses.
• Mars: energy (enthusiasm, sexual passion, life force), activation. Mars is the ruler of Aries and Scorpio and of the 1st and 8th houses.
• Jupiter: expansion, exploration, searching, journeying. Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius and of the 9th house
• Saturn: contraction, limitation, caution, sacrifice, will, structure. Saturn is the ruler of Capricorn and of the 10th house.
• Uranus: change (revolution, disruption, evolution), Uranus is the ruler of Aquarius and of the 11th house.
• Neptune: receptivity, sensitivity, illusion, the sub-conscious, collective soul. Neptune is the ruler of Pisces and of the 12th house.
• Pluto: elimination (can be explosive or painful), death, renewal, regeneration. Pluto is the ruler of Scorpio and of the 8th house.
• Chiron: healing and woundedness. No rulerships are assigned

Each planet expresses itself most fully in one (or sometimes two) signs and houses that are most similar to it in nature. That sign and house is said to be ruled by that planet. If you compare the description of the signs and houses with their rulers you will see how this works.

A note about the Moon Nodes

• The North Node represents what must be learned in this lifetime. This involves the resolution of paradoxes into completeness.
• The South Node indicates something of the native’s previous life, the mode of being that we naturally fall back onto when we are afraid.

The Moon Nodes are often referred to as the Dragon’s head and tail; the dragon eternally attempts to catch up with and swallow its own tail, whereupon it would know completeness and unity. This is a most intriguing aspect of astrology and a little research would probably be enriching.

The keywords used in this brief outline give a far from complete insight into the way in which each element will manifest itself in an individual chart. Astrology is similar to the Tarot in that too literal a reading that relies heavily on conventional symbolic interpretations and keywords will blind the mind to the deeper meanings revealed by the soul. A clear understanding of principles is important however, and these should be expanded upon in the reader’s mind by intuition and research.

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