Astrology For Dummies. Rae Orion
Their meanings are as follows:
The Sun represents your essential self, will, and individuality. More than any other celestial body, it represents who you are.
The Moon represents your emotions, subconscious, instincts, habits, and memory.
Mercury symbolizes your approach to communication, your reasoning ability, the way you think, and your curiosity.
Venus represents your approach to love, attraction, beauty, money, possessions, and the arts.
Mars is the planet of action, desire, and aggression. It represents your physical energy, combativeness, enterprise, and courage.
Jupiter is the planet of expansion and good fortune. It represents growth, prosperity, abundance, generosity, religion, philosophy, and wisdom. (Jupiter is said to represent the “higher mind” while Mercury, the planet of gossip and word games, must make do with the “lower mind.”) Jupiter’s position in a horoscope tells you where you’re lucky and where your efforts are most likely to be rewarded.
Saturn represents limitation, caution, organization, endurance, and discipline. It tells you where you have to face your fears — and also where you’re ambitious.
Uranus represents rebellion, revolutionary change, originality, independence, and everything unexpected or unconventional. It also represents technology, electricity, and invention.
Neptune represents spirituality, dreams, psychic ability, intuition, disintegration, compassion, self-sacrifice, deception, illusion, and imagination.
Pluto, which was officially relegated to a dwarf planet in 2006 but maintains its status within the astrological community, represents destruction, regeneration, renewal, and transformation.
Besides the planets, many astrologers sneak a few other celestial bodies into their charts. The most notable is Chiron, which was discovered in 1977. It has been classified as an asteroid, a minor planet, a comet, and finally a centaur. Like the mythological half man/half horse for whom they are named, centaurs are hybrids, part asteroid and part comet. Chiron represents past wounds and pathways to healing. Many astrologers associate it with holistic medicine.
TABLE 1-3 Keywords for the Planets
| Planet | Keyword | Symbol |
| Sun | Self |
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| Moon | Emotion |
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| Mercury | Communication |
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| Venus | Love |
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| Mars | Action |
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| Jupiter | Expansion |
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| Saturn | Restriction |
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| Uranus | Revolution |
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| Neptune | Imagination |
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| Pluto | Transformation |
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| Chiron | Healing |
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Who Rules? Discovering the Rulers of the Signs
In an ideal universe, each planet would function perfectly well in each sign. But astrologers have long noted that some placements seem to work better than others. The sign in which a planet is most effective — that is, the sign with which it shares the greatest affinity, the sign whose style is most like its own — is the sign that it is said to rule. Two thousand years ago, when astrologers only had to worry about the Sun, the Moon, and five planets, they connected the planets and the signs this way:
The Sun ruled Leo.
The Moon ruled Cancer.
Mercury ruled Gemini and Virgo.
Venus ruled Taurus and Libra.
Mars ruled Aries and Scorpio.
Jupiter ruled Pisces and Sagittarius.
Saturn ruled Aquarius and Capricorn.
After Uranus was discovered in 1781, followed by Neptune in 1846 and Pluto in 1930, astrologers modified the system, allotting one sign to each of the newly discovered planets. Uranus was designated the ruler of Aquarius, Neptune was pronounced the lord of Pisces, and Pluto was delegated to Scorpio. Mercury and Venus continued to rule two signs each. Until recently, the most commonly accepted planetary rulers were as follows:
The Sun rules Leo.
The Moon rules Cancer.
Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo.
Venus rules Taurus and Libra.
Mars rules Aries.
Jupiter rules Sagittarius.
Saturn rules Capricorn.
Uranus rules Aquarius.
Neptune rules Pisces.
Pluto