Hopefully by now, you will have checked out your birth chart using https://www.astro.com/cgi/genchart.cgi to see how your birth chart is made up (will look something like the image in this blog). Understandably, it can look very confusing with lots of lines, numbers and planetary symbols. If your birth chart intrigues you, I would highly recommend looking into it further as it was enlightening to me when I did this and I’m still finding out new information all the time. However the below may cover some of the basics if you are only slightly curious.
So each of the Zodiac Signs is ruled by a planet (or planets) for which it has most affinity with. In traditional astrology, the planetary rulers only went up to Saturn (incl The Sun & Moon), however in modern day astrology, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are thrown in the mix. Below is a breakdown of the Planets, what they represent and the Zodiac Signs which fall under them
- The Sun - The core of our being - Leo
- The Moon - Instincts & Nurture - Cancer
- Mercury - How we think & communicate - Gemini & Virgo
- Venus - Love & Relationships - Taurus & Libra
- Mars - Motivation & Ambition - Aries & Scorpio
- Jupiter - Growth & Abundance - Sagittarius & Pisces
- Saturn - Rules & Boundaries - Capricorn & Aquarius
- Uranus - Change & Enlightenment - Aquarius
- Neptune - High Consciousness & Inspiration - Pisces
- Pluto - Transformation - Scorpio
The Planetary Rulers go some way to explaining how we express ourselves. So for example, someone with their Sun in Gemini might be seen to articulate themselves particularly well due to Mercury's presence of communication or someone with their Sun in Capricorn might like order & discipline due to Saturns influence of rules and restriction.
But as mentioned previously, we are made up of more than just our Sun sign, in truth we are influenced by all the planets depending on what House a sign occupies or what planet was in what house at the time of your birth. How the Zodiac Signs fall into the houses depends on your Ascendant or Rising Sign - the sign that was on the horizon at the time you were born. Hence why your time of birth is an important bit of information to have if you are building your birth chart. For example, I’m a Gemini Rising so Gemini occupies my 1st House however my boyfriend is an Aquarius Rising so Aquarius occupies his 1st house.
The 12 Houses indicate a certain area of life, they are like territories or elements of our psyche but also placements for everyday experiences. Let me go through the House meanings and then try to tie it together at the end:
- 1st House - Beginning & Identity - it describes our earliest existence and how we were received into life
- 2nd House - Possessions & Money - reflecting our sense of material security
- 3rd House - Communication & Siblings - how we developed our language skills and our relationships with brothers/sisters/cousins etc
- 4th House - Home & Family - shows our place of security and serenity and our heritage
- 5th House - Creativity & Children - everything to do with what brings us joy
- 6th House - Health & Wellbeing - represents our daily routines and how we keep our mind and body in check
- 7th House - Long term relationships - denotes marriage and/or commitments but also topics around disputes and arguments
- 8th House - Intimacy & Mystery - where we encounter the closeness of relationships but also darker topics such as death and taboo subjects
- 9th House - Adventure & Travel - our sense of what lies beyond the horizon both physically and mentally
- 10th House - Career - describes our public image and our role in the wider world
- 11th House - Friendship & Community - how we adapt in social networks
- 12th House - Service & Sacrifice - highlights our release and transformation before the cycle of Houses begins again
With all this said, the connection can be made between the temperament of the Zodiac sign, the house it falls in and potentially what planets occupy that house. An advantageous placement would be Gemini, in the 3rd House of Communication with Mercury, planet of Communication, the trinity of placements that aligns how we express ourselves and talk to others. A challenging placement may be Capricorn, in the 9th House of Travel with Saturn, planet of restrictions - you may not feel compelled to travel or experience new things or you might be unlucky more often than not to get stuck in traffic jams or have plane delays.
From a personal experience, understanding this has helped me to establish the many facets of my personality and what means a lot to me and help me grasp what I struggle with. Such as Scorpio is in my 6th House of Health & Wellbeing and features the planet of transformation, Pluto…it's no wonder I go through cycles of mental breakdowns, anxiety and depression, only to reinvent myself months later and feel like a changed, enlightened individual.
So you can see how the start of my spiritual journey into Astrology has massively helped me to get to grips with my psyche and why I am, the way I am and be ok with that. I am a unique soul, with sometimes strange ideas, can seem cut off one minute but then emotional the next. A person that likes to talk about things she's learnt (aka these blog posts), whose had a rough ride with past relationships and loss of family members (more on that when I come to Saturn Returns) and who is the ultimate control freak. And I love it!
Hope you have enjoyed this blog! Part 3 - explaining the Elements, Modes and Polarity of Zodiac Signs
Love Jen x