Understanding The Planets In Astrology and Their Meaning

There’s three major building blocks in astrology: zodiac signs, planets and houses. A few months ago, I did a three part series where I shared what each zodiac sign means. Today, I would like to offer some guidance when it comes to understanding the planets in astrology and their meaning. Let’s jump right in!

The Planets In Astrology

In astrology, each planet represents an aspect of our personality, and what energy is at play. These are areas of our psyche and the sign in which they fall is how they are likely to be expressed throughout our life.

Depending on the sign your natal planets fall under, you will express these qualities differently. So, if you and I are both Virgos or Capricorns, although we share the same Sun, our Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn etc are likely different. 

If you have no idea what your personal natal planets are, I recommend getting your birth chart read by a professional astrologer, or drawing a basic online birth chart via astro.com or astrotheme. By the way, I offer a free guide “How to read your own birth chart” that you can follow and use.

Inner vs Outer planets

Before I speak of the main astrological planets and how they affect us, it is good to keep in mind that there’s two types of planets: inner and outer.

The inner planets in astrology are the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Because of the fast orbit of these celestial bodies, the inner planets that we just went through affect our day-to-day life and the conscious sides of our psyche.

And, let me get this out of the way: although the Sun and Moon are called “planets”, we astrologers do know that they’re not per se a planet. It’s just the name given in astrology to all the celestial bodies other than Planet Earth.

The outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. These planets take longer to revolve around the Sun, which makes their effect generational. These outer planets shape the larger trends in life, what happens behind the curtains. 

And by the way, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were discovered later on in History, so not all astrologers work with their transits. Modern astrologers like myself do use these insightful planets for further guidance and information regarding worldwide events or personal birth charts.

Now, here’s a cheat sheet of the meaning of each of the most commonly used astrological planets:

Meaning of the Sun

This is the most known placement in our modern day and age, when someone asks, “What’s your zodiac sign?”, this is the placement they’re asking about. 

The Sun symbolizes our Inner Self, the core essence of who we are – our individuality and sense of self. The Sun also describes what is likely to motivate us, and why.

This is our conscious side and our masculine force. Make sure to watch my video on Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine energies to understand this concept better.

When we accept our Sun’s message, happiness flows easily our way. If we do not feel much like our Sun Sign, then we must consider taking a look at the hard aspects within our chart, as well as the House our Sun is in. You can also ask yourself the questions: Am I being authentic to my Inner Self? Am I allowing myself to be who I truly am?

The Sun rules over the 5th House and the sign of Leo.

Meaning of the Moon

Let’s talk about the Moon now! The Moon naturally rules over the water tides and crops. Water is symbolic for emotions and plants represent life, growth, etc. Because of this, the astrological planet rules over our moods, emotions, innate reactions and what makes us feel secure emotionally.

While the Sun represents our Divine Masculine, the Moon represents our Divine Feminine. So the Moon is known as the divine mother because it also has a big role in menstrual cycles and the cycles of birth in nature in general.

Most obvious in our homes or in private, the position of the Moon in our birth chart represents our innermost needs, as well as our mother figure.

Someone with his Moon in Aries as an example is totally different from someone with his Moon in Cancer, because the way emotions are felt and dealt with will be distinct. So pay extra attention to the sign of your Moon if you want to learn how you can do self-care better.

The Moon rules over the 4th House and the sign of Cancer.

Meaning of Mercury

Mercury determines how we communicate, think, learn and process information. It also indicates our intellect, our memory, how we absorb and comprehend data. 

Mercury is symbolized by Hermes, the messenger of the Gods in mythology. This planet stands for day-to-day expression and influences our overall social style and the people we “click” with. 

Mercury rules over the 3rd House and the signs of Virgo and Gemini.

Meaning of Venus

Venus determines how and what we love. This is the planet that rules over our sentiments, how we approach relationships of the heart, how we express affection, what makes us “content” and the

qualities we are attracted to in our relationships. 

Venus also governs over charm, pleasure, courtship, adoration, our material values related to finances, our aesthetics and our artistic inclinations.

Venus rules over the 7th House and the signs of Taurus and Libra.

Meaning of Mars

Mars is the planet that represents our assertiveness, drive, desires, energy and passion. This planet is all about our survival instincts, our temper, how we take action, how we go to war and how we reveal our sexual energy. 

Mars is the planet that gets us out of bed in the morning, and the one that allows us to go forward in life. 

While Venus decides “who” we love, Mars decides “how” we go after the people we love.

Mars rules over the 1st House and the sign of Aries (in traditional astrology, Mars also rules over Scorpio and the 8th House).

Meaning of Jupiter

Jupiter rules the principles of expansion, optimism, prosperity and good fortune. The planet represents the promise of all good things in life, it is often called the “luck planet” or the “Great Benefic”. 

As the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter represents growth and the search for insight through knowledge. Jupiter also governs long distance travels, broader purpose, philosophy, higher education, religion, and the law.

Jupiter rules over the 9th House and the sign of Sagittarius (In traditional astrology, Jupiter also rules over Pisces and the 12th House).

Meaning of Saturn

Saturn rules over limits, responsibility, restrictions, boundaries and self-discipline. 

Often called the “Cosmic Taskmaster”, this planet speaks of structures, the limits of reality. It’s the authority figure that wants us to roll up our sleeves, get our hands dirty and get things done. 

Saturn can reveal some of our toughest life lessons, and how to overcome them. 

Saturn rules over the 10th House and the sign of Capricorn (in traditional astrology, Saturn also rules over Aquarius and the 11th House).

Meaning of Neptune

Neptune represents higher meaning, spirituality, imagination, spiritual enlightenment, the occult, dreams; but also illusions, fog, confusion, addictions and naivety. 

Neptune can veil the house it enters, making us prone to living in a fantasy world instead of actually taking action.

Neptune is the modern ruler of Pisces and the 12th House. This modern rulership is much more comfortable for me in terms of meaning so I love working with outer planetary archetypes.

Meaning of Uranus

Uranus, probably the most joked about planet in Astrology, is quite the power-house! It represents change, originality, innovation, progressive ideas, revolution, technology and all things related to forging the future.

Uranus is a free spirit genius with a taste of avant-gardism and novelty within us that values freedom and justice. 

Uranus is the modern ruler of Aquarius and the 11th House.

Meaning of Pluto

Pluto is our inner sense of transformation and metamorphosis. As the ruler of the Underworld and of the hidden unconscious patterns, 

Pluto usually shows you the areas in your life where you’ll face the more intense transformations, deaths (metaphorically speaking) and rebirths.

Pluto is the modern ruler of Scorpio and the 8th House.

Knowing where your personal and outer planets fall will give you much guidance to better understand yourself and improve the quality of your life. 

To dive in deeper into the inspiring realm of astrology, I invite you to check out my other blog posts on the topic. My YouTube channel offers tons of free content you can watch. Last but not least, make sure to follow me on my Instagram for more insider astro tips.

Faithfully yours,

Fatii