In the natal chart, planets hold an essential place. Each planet carries specific energies and influences. Here are the main planets in the natal chart and what they symbolize:

  • Sun – Represents ego, individuality, and life force. The Sun’s sign and house reveal key traits of the character. (Inner Leader)
  • Moon – Embodies emotions, instincts, and the subconscious. It shows our security needs and how we express our feelings. (Inner Child)
  • Mercury – The planet of the mind, communication, and logic, affecting how we think, learn, and communicate. (Inner Journalist)
  • Venus – Governs love, harmony, beauty, and values. It is linked to the arts and interpersonal relationships. (Inner Lady)
  • Mars – Symbolizes energy, action, sexuality, and aggression, relating to ambition and the drive to achieve goals. (Inner Warrior)
  • Jupiter – The planet of philosophy, optimism, and prosperity, bringing generosity, broader horizons, and spiritual growth. (Inner Development Manager)
  • Saturn – Rules discipline, structure, life lessons, and limitations, associated with experience and challenges. (Inner Auditor)
  • Uranus – Represents individuality, originality, rebellion, sudden change, and humanitarian causes. (Inner Revolutionary)
  • Neptune – Spirituality, imagination, inspiration, compassion, confusion, and illusions. (Inner Dreamer)
  • Pluto – Transformation, rebirth, sexual energy, power, control, and mysticism. (Inner Detective)

Each planet symbolizes a specific function in our lives and psyche. While each has a broad range of meanings, each planet also represents a complete image. Once we grasp this image, we can derive meanings from it.

Meanings of the Zodiac Signs

Each planet falls into a sign. When we ask someone’s “zodiac sign,” we refer to the sign their Sun is in. However, as we know, astrology includes many planets and houses, so often descriptions based solely on zodiac signs don’t entirely match reality.

If planets represent functions, roles, and qualities, signs show how they manifest. Generally, we can say that signs reflect properties, characteristics, and expressions. If planets are the characters, then signs are their “costumes”:

  • Aries (March 21 – April 20) – Willpower, persistence, adventurous nature. A trailblazer, independent, sometimes impulsive and impatient.
  • Taurus (April 21 – May 21) – Practical, realistic perspective on life. Appreciates material comforts and beauty. Stable, persistent, and hardworking.
  • Gemini (May 22 – June 21) – Intellectual, curious, adaptable. Social, rational, and resourceful in communication, with a quick change of interests.
  • Cancer (June 22 – July 22) – Emotional, intuitive, family-oriented. Sensitive to the surrounding atmosphere, nostalgic.
  • Leo (July 23 – August 23) – Creative, dramatic, enjoys the spotlight. Charismatic leader, generous. Sometimes egocentric and attention-seeking.
  • Virgo (August 24 – September 23) – Analytical, methodical, striving for perfection. Responsible and detail-oriented. Critical and perfectionistic.
  • Libra (September 24 – October 23) – Diplomatic, seeks harmony and balance. Fair with refined tastes, relationship- and socially-focused.
  • Scorpio (October 24 – November 22) – Passionate, insightful, determined. Deep, perceptive, often mysterious, inclined to transformation.
  • Sagittarius (November 23 – December 21) – Optimistic, adventurous. Enjoys philosophical debates, speaks directly, believes in ideals.
  • Capricorn (December 22 – January 20) – Ambitious, disciplined, practical outlook. Patient and consistent in efforts. Conservative.
  • Aquarius (January 21 – February 19) – Humanitarian outlook, cares for society. Original, detached from tradition. Progressive and independent.
  • Pisces (February 20 – March 20) – Sensitive, compassionate, empathic. Creative, inspired, sometimes disconnected from reality. Dreamy.

In this way, if Mars (the inner warrior) is in Libra, they will fight delicately, tactfully, and usually avoid direct confrontation. This is roughly how astrological interpretation works in essence. However, planets are influenced not only by the sign, and signs can manifest in different ways. Thus, your current interpretation may not completely match reality. Signs, too, are images to be understood and felt, not just memorized.

Meanings of Houses

To understand the meanings of the houses, let’s look at the chart. On the left, at the Ascendant point, the Sun rises on the birthday. Therefore, the Ascendant symbolizes birth, the beginning. Astrologers interpret the Ascendant as the individual’s window to the world—how one manifests in the world. This is a person’s “I”: character, appearance, and behavior. The opposite point, the Descendant, represents “You”: another person, partner, or competitor. The Descendant is associated with relationships.

At the top is the MC (Medium Coeli), high in the sky at the highest point the Sun reaches that day. This is where we are heading, striving, and developing. Thus, the MC point is associated with career, social achievement, and accomplishments. The opposite point, IC (Imum Coeli), represents where we start our journey: family, home, loved ones, and our support along the path, including the family we create with our partner.

Since these points are the cusps of the 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th houses, these meanings also apply to the houses themselves.

The other houses and cusps also have their own meanings, primarily associated with certain areas of our lives. Here is a quick overview of all the houses’ meanings:

  1. 1st House – Personality, appearance, behavior, body, self-image (Ascendant cusp)
  2. 2nd House – Resources, finances, property, nourishment, material aspects
  3. 3rd House – Learning, travel, documents, vehicles, relatives, communication
  4. 4th House – Home, family, traditions, roots, real estate, attitudes (IC cusp)
  5. 5th House – Children, love, play, performances, entertainment, creativity
  6. 6th House – Responsibilities, health, work, labor, animals, routines, service
  7. 7th House – Partnership, relationships, public, advice, enemies (Descendant cusp)
  8. 8th House – Crises, surgeries, sex, risk, death, business, large finances
  9. 9th House – Foreign places, travel, education, philosophy, law
  10. 10th House – Social status, job, career, superiors, achievements (MC cusp)
  11. 11th House – Friends, allies, teams, plans, dreams, hobbies, society
  12. 12th House – Inner world, solitude, isolation, creativity, charity, mysticism

If we go back to the idea that planets are the “characters” in this cosmic drama, signs are the “roles” or “costumes” they wear, and houses are the areas and circumstances where our characters appear. For example, Venus (the inner lady) in Gemini would build relationships naturally and easily, especially if she’s in the 10th house, as this would happen primarily in the workplace or within specific goals. Sometimes it’s challenging to interpret a particular position, like sociable Venus in Gemini in the 12th house of solitude. An astrologer’s skill is in understanding how this can manifest in a person and interpreting it.

Overall, houses are defined images. You may have noticed that there are 12 houses, just as there are 12 signs. This is no coincidence: each house is actually linked to its corresponding sign: 1st house with Aries, 2nd with Taurus, 3rd with Gemini, and so forth. Their symbolism is connected, though it is believed that houses reflect more of the circumstantial component of our lives, while signs are more psychological. Houses are spheres, topics, circumstances, while signs are qualities.

Aspects – Meanings

Aspects are the relationships between characters. Some characters may be friends and collaborate well, granting the individual unique talents and opportunities, while others may clash, each “pulling the blanket” to their side, causing inner conflicts and external contradictions. However, conflicts can often hold hidden opportunities!

  • Conjunction (0 degrees) – The characters always act together, in tandem (neutral aspect)
  • Opposition (180 degrees, facing each other) – The characters are in conflict (tense aspect)
  • Square (90 degrees, right angle) – The characters are in sharp conflict (tense aspect)
  • Trine (120 degrees) – The characters actively collaborate (harmonious aspect)
  • Sextile (60 degrees) – The characters collaborate (harmonious aspect)

For example, if the Sun (the inner leader) is in a trine with Mars (the inner warrior), Mars, through its active actions, will help the Sun express itself, while the Sun will help Mars act with awareness and focus on its intentions. In another example, if the Moon (the inner child) is in opposition to Saturn (the inner auditor), these characters are in conflict: the inner child, the Moon, may disrupt Saturn’s focus and discipline, while Saturn might restrict the Moon’s emotional expression.

Author: Afa Suari

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