SunSun - Moon - Mercury - Venus - Mars
Jupiter - Saturn - Uranus - Neptune - Pluto
Ceres - Pallas - Juno - Vesta - ChironEach profile contains: the common planetary symbol (also known as a "glyph"), the zodiac signs ruled by the planet, major themes related to the energy, and miscellaneous keywords to flesh out the portrait. Parts of the physical body related to the planet are also mentioned.
The planets (including the Sun and Moon) are the main"powerhouses" within an astrological chart. They describe basic energies or abilities of the human psyche that we experience both internally, as parts of our personalities, and in the world around us, as the events and stories of our everyday lives.
Each planet represents a particular kind of energy, which we observe as different types of experiences in our lives (what psychologists call "archetypes"). These experiential profiles are described in astrology by keywords and phrases that capture various meanings, themes, mythological/archetypal motifs, personality traits, etc. that relate to the planet. By looking at the planet from these various viewpoints, a gut level feeling for the "personality" of that body eventually emerges. Soon, one simply notices when these energies are "active" in the world without having to think about it.
SunRules: Leo
The Self, Spirit, central core of the personality; on a lesser scale, normal ego ("I centered") awareness; the vitality or life-force of the body; self-awareness, pride, sense of identity; the entire Life-story that a person lives out from birth to death.
Leadership (kings, presidents, leaders), authority figures, the Father; self-expression, artistic or creative work, inspiration; will-power; egocentric, arrogant; anything done "just because that's who I am"; heart.
MoonRules: Cancer
Feelings, instincts, emotional patterns picked up from childhood; the ebb and flow of the mind; sense of security and nurturing; the "matrix" from which the conscious mind emerges, the unconscious; change, flux, flow, timing.
The Mother, the womb (as a metaphor); family roots, heredity, a sense of belonging, home; instinctive reactions to immediate surroundings, moods and feelings; receptiveness; women in general; the workings of the unconscious mind; childhood; stomach and breasts.
MercuryRules: Gemini, Virgo
The symbol-using mind; language, communication, speech, (verbal) thought, logic; the use of language and symbols to describe and "capture" the world, consensus reality; skill and agility; habits, mental patterns; social rituals, "making connections"; the power of the Word.
Curiousity, intellect; talkative, communicative; sometimes superficial (doesn't stay long enough with one topic to go in depth) or inconstant; changable; agreements and contracts; writers, speakers, media people; young people and children, siblings, youthfulness; biggest flaw is confusing symbolic descriptions ("maps") with the reality they represent; arms, respiratory system, organs of speech, nervous system.
VenusRules: Taurus, Libra
Feelings, aesthetics, sense of likes and dislikes; attractions and repulsions; emotional connections, love relationships, union; beauty, harmony, artistic creativity; sensuality, pleasure, "creature comforts", luxury.
Material possessions, especially those collected for reasons of aesthetics or physical comfort; art; good food and candy; loved ones; younger women; "because it feels good!"; warm, sociable forms of self-expression, affectionate, flirtatious; jaw, throat, kidneys.
MarsRules: Aries, (Scorpio)
Will-power, desire, ego-expression; active, forceful, assertive; Warrior energy; "I want it, so get out of my way!"; the power to change the world as one wills.
"Men in uniform" (police, soldiers, etc.); younger men; athletes, physically active people; ability to fight, defend yourself, make your mark on the world; individuality, identity, expressions of your separateness from the rest of the world; use of force in service of the ego; head, muscles, blood, adrenals.
JupiterRules: Sagittarius, (Pisces)
Expansiveness, growth, extending your boundaries or realm of experience into new areas; expansion of consiousness; optimism; the benefits of participating in the social contract.
Exuberant, outgoing, extroverted, cheerful; tends to look at "the big picture", but ignores the details; anything "BIG"; major social institutions -- religion (as opposed to mysticism), government (especially the judiciary), higher education, publishing, banks; philosophy, meditation, (exoteric) religious practices and rituals; philanthropy; foreign travel, "intellectual travels"; tends to laziness, waste, taking things for granted; obesity; a negative expression is acquiring or collecting past all reasonable limits, conspicuous consumption, compulsive buying; liver, hips, thighs.
SaturnRules: Capricorn, (Aquarius)
Contraction, restriction, setting limits and boundaries; limits to growth; respect for boundaries between self and others; learning "karmic" lessons, the Great Teacher; the wisdom of experience; authority, being the author/creator of your own Life-story, taking responsibility for your actions; the responsibilities of the social contract.
Conservative, serious, practical, withdrawn; older, wiser people; life's lessons, hard knocks, getting serious about life; putting down roots; responsibilities and obligations; consensus reality; limitations imposed by physical law or social convention; honest, fair, balanced; tests and perfects your talents through trying experiences; discipline, ambition; can produce greed, lack of warmth, suspicion, sense of lack or privation; knees, bones, teeth, skin, gall bladder.
UranusRules: Aquarius
Explosive, disruptive, radical, revolutionary; disrupts the entrenched status quo, helps when you're stuck in a rut; impersonal, cool and calculating; unconventional, not bound by tradition; breaking free from limitations.
Intuitive, quick, unpredictable, unemotional; the Higher Mind; unusual people and those who challenge accepted standards; scientists, inventors, astrologers; novelty; rude shocks, pressures to change or grow; an antidote to Saturn's stodginess; cares little about what others think, independent, highly individual; original, ahead of one's time, visionary; technology, computers, electricity; illumination, breakthroughs, insights; ankles, blood, nervous system.
NeptuneRules: Pisces
Inspiration, idealism, insight into higher realms, transcending old boundaries; dissolving, washing, cleansing, purifying; the Higher Heart; compassion, empathy; going beyond the limitations of the rational mind; sensitivity; removing all distinctions and separations, oceanic oneness.
Dreamy, inspired, pursuing a vision; imagination, creativity, a refined sense of the beautiful and inspiring; illusion, deception, hiding the truth, denial; escapism, use of alcohol or drugs to deny reality, escapist pleasures (movies, romantic fiction, etc.); passing beyond everyday realities and distinctions; mystical ecstacy, altered states of consciousness, peak experiences; petroleum, oil industry; the oceans, shipping; understanding the oneness of all life; feet, lymphatic system, spleen.
PlutoRules: Scorpio
Transformation, overhaul, death and rebirth, trial by fire; metamorphosis, radical growth and change; "change or die!"; the "depths", underground, the unconscious, the unknown; destiny, fate, calling; self-mastery, spiritual warrior, correct and skillful use of spiritual powers; becoming who you were meant to be all along (whether you want to or not!).
Deep, hidden, secretive, powerful, compelling; unconscious forces that override the ego's desires and redefine one's fate; the Higher Will; dying to the old self, being reborn; the Shadow, redeeming the "dark side" of the personality; people who work "underground", miners, pyschologist, criminals, secret agents; highly charismatic or magnetic personality; use or abuse of power, overbearing and dictatorial, or a "victim" mentality; sexuality, especially the transformative power of the orgasm; healers, shamans, teachers (of an initiatic nature), people in touch with the mysteries of life; dark, brooding, suspicious; penetrating insight, sees under the surface of things, not interesting in superficial concerns; sex organs, bladder, colon.
CeresMothering, nurturance; participation in the mystery of the Great Web of Life; procreation; unconditional love and acceptance; the cycle of birth and death, loss and return.
Parenting, experience of one's own parents; food, grain, agriculture; attitudes surrounding food, eating disorders, obesity, digestive problems; substituting food for love or self-esteem; self-acceptance, a healthy self-image; Gaia, Mother Earth; ecology and the environment, the bounty of nature; pregnancy and childbearing, fertility; transforming emotional attachments through loss and separation; death and rebirth; lessons of sharing, letting go, releasing control, "cutting the apron strings".
PallasCreative mental and artistic abilities; strategic planning, the power to see how to bring plans and visions into physical reality; wisdom and intelligence; subjugation of the emotions to the intellect.
Arts and crafts; perception, problems with senses; style of thinking, pattern recognition; holistic healing techniques; political activism, protection of the underdog; being a "women in a man's world", alienation from one's feminine nature; father complexes; competence combined with a fear of success, self-defeating behavior; courage, heroism.
JunoRelationship, partnership, commitment; relating to others as equals; the tantric path of spiritual growth through partners; the union of opposites (such as masculine and feminine); the need for intimacy.
Rituals of relationships (courtship, marriage, separation, divorce); power struggles between partners, covert manipulation; one's partner, the image of the "ideal mate"; negatively, jealousy, infidelity, giving up one's power to another, abandonment, betrayal; fear of intimacy; cycles of coming together, mystical union, and separation or withdrawal.
VestaPersonal integrity; tapping into one's inner spiritual roots; withdrawing from the world in order to reconnect with one's inner truth and power; the power of solitude; being whole and complete within oneself; ability to focus or be true to one's nature.
Hearth fires (in Latin, "focus"), retreat to private, safe places; virginity, not as sexual abstention, but as fidelity to self, being owned by nobody else; honoring the goddess power within us; practice of sexuality outside of committed relationships or transcending socially accepted norms, sacred sexuality; negatively, a separation of sex from spirit, repression of healthy feelings of intimacy; centeredness, commitment, devotion; work, sacrifice; security.
ChironThe Wounded Healer; spiritual initiation; "circuit activator" of new abilities within the psyche; transforming woundedness into spiritual power.
Shaman, healer, teacher; "crazy wisdom"; the Trickster; natural or alternative healing techniques; spiritual awakening; choosing to pursue a spiritual path; awakening of spiritual or psychic abilities; transcending limiting cultural norms; releasing victim consciousness; converting old hurts and wounds into sources of power.