The Planets
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
please feel free to visit the school website)
Planets are the focal points of universal energy. They're indicators of specific, unique kinds of activity, but colored by the nature of the sign the planet is in. The sign most like the nature of a particular planet is said to be ruled by that planet. Positive energetic planets are the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, and Pluto. They activate, project, stimulate, and vitalize. Negative energy planets are the Moon, Venus, Saturn, and Neptune. These are receptive, reactive, responsive and protective. Mercury is a neutral planet which modifies, interprets or communicates the energies of the other planets in aspect to it. The meanings of the traditional planets are elucidated and enhanced in Modern Astrology. Modern science has also added three planets of influence to astrology. These planets' extended meanings are as follows:
Sun represents the supreme will, the power urge, and vitalizing life-giving force. It is the symbol of masculinity, paternity, authority, creative ability, ambition, pride, leadership, self-expression, determination and confidence. The Sun creates, achieves, elevates, dominates, sustains, fortifies, promotes and illuminates. It is the ruling planet of the House of Leo, a sign of creativity and leadership. It is also exalted in willful Aries, indicating that the Sun's individuality can be expressed in a powerful and pure form through Aries.
Moon rules all things of a watery nature. It rules the tides and rhythms of the body as well as the oceans. The Moon represents the personality, the subjective subconscious mind and our instinctual behavior. It is associated with instincts, habits, memory, imagination, receptivity, and impressionability, the desire for newness, femininity, maternity, fertility, disposition, emotions, feelings, moods, sensitivity, intuition, sensation and sympathy. The Moon is strongest in the nurturing sign Cancer and weakest in the unreceptive, unemotional sign of Capricorn. The Moon is also powerful in Taurus and emotionally problematic in Scorpio.
Mercury represents the mind, the link between spirit and matter, between soul and personality. Mercury symbolizes the power of communication and interpretation: intelligence, reasoning capacities and the ability to perceive relationships and gather facts. Mercurial qualities include being adaptable, attentive, perceptive, clever, versatile, inconsistent, hypercritical, argumentative, sarcastic, cynical, excitable, impressionable and nervous or prone to worry. Mercury narrates, talks, memorizes, debates, writes, argues, analyzes, studies, travels, sells, reflects and expresses with the hands as well as the tongue. Mercury is of neither positive nor negative polarity, neither masculine nor feminine. Mercury rules all communications and is associated with speaking and writing, educational capacity and manual skills. Mercury is especially active in the versatile, talkative sign of Gemini and its nature is stronger in analytical Virgo. Pure Mercurial expression becomes difficult in Sagittarius and in Pisces, which relate and communicate more through hopes and beliefs than through facts.
Venus is associated with the power of love, the power of attraction and cohesion and the power of quiet, gentle persuasion. It stimulates the desire to be sociable. Its influences include balancing, harmonizing, and peacemaking. It is symbolic of affection, sentiment, sympathy, and romance, friendship, beauty, pleasure, music, manners, art, attractiveness, values, appreciation and a sense of aesthetics. If afflicted (adversely aspected to other planets), the affectionate warm and sympathetic Venus can become flirtatious, self-indulgent, lazy, irresponsible and vain. Venus rules placid Taurus as well as Libra, the sign of harmony. A strong Venus influence has a mellowing effect. The Venus nature is more than gentle—it is graceful and tactful. Venus is not easily expressed in the intense signs of Scorpio or Aries. Virgo, because of its excessive criticism and fussiness, can also inhibit the expression of Venus, whereas the loving nature of Pisces reinforces the Venusiab influence.
Mars is the complement of Venus. Mars is positive outgoing energy, purely masculine in nature. As the ancient god of war, Mars represents struggles within and with others. It is closely related to our physical energy, and it rules over animal essence. Martian expressions include desire, courage, initiative, executive ability, assertiveness, aggressiveness, impulsiveness, adventurousness, self-will, resistance, rashness, and aggressive sexual love. Mars rules forceful Aries and determined Scorpio. The aggressive nature of Mars is also easily expressed in the ambitious sign of Capricorn. The driving force of Mars is restrained when it falls in the partnership sign, Libra or easygoing Taurus. The receptive nature of Cancer is also not compatible with the assertiveness of Mars.
Jupiter is larger than all the other planets combined. It is symbolic of expansion, the higher mind, wisdom, enthusiasm, optimism, spontaneity, benevolence, generosity, the desire to gain through experience, and the urge to improve the state of things. Jupiter represents increase, opportunity, rewards, abundance, tolerance, charity, philanthropy, ethics, faith, confidence, idealism, aspiration, justice, loyalty, self-indulgence, joviality, extravagance and conceit. Jupiter protects, assists, magnifies, inflates, gives, speculates, inspires, encourages, counsels, and philosophizes. It carries the ability to grow in physical, mental and moral directions. Jupiter is most at home in Sagittarius where the desire for a variety of experiences can bring wisdom. Expansive Jupiter is limited by the trivial mental nature of Gemini. Virgo can impede Jupiter with its preoccupation for detail. Free-flowing, imaginative Pisces reinforces Jupiter.
Saturn symbolizes the first law of manifestation—limitation. Saturn strengthens the personality through endurance and persistence. It focuses and concentrates energy. Saturn’s contractive nature gives us the opportunity for introspection, meditation and concentration, and work out karma in the process of evolution. The key to dealing with Saturn is discipline. Saturn requires caution, restraint, seriousness, and stability. It is also related to time and time-keeping, organization, consolidation, self-preservation, crystallization of matters, ambition, responsibility, conventionality, pessimism, and perseverance. Saturn inhibits, delays, restricts, perfects and deepens. It causes fear, worry, and anxiety. Saturn is most compatible with Capricorn, the sign of material organization and practical ambition. Saturn is ill-expressed in Cancer where it becomes hypersensitive. Saturn exalts in the balancing act of Libra and finds the impulsive nature of Aries at odds with its cautious approach.
Uranus has a nature similar to Mercury in its nervous and mental impact, but it is more powerful, violent, fanatical, and harder to handle for the physical body. Uranus represents the freedom urge. It is the planet of extremes and sudden change. It’s a force which destroys the old to allow room for the new. Uranus destroys the constricting influence and crystallizations of Saturn. It displaces and overthrows the established attitudes which have outlived their usefulness. The old must be destroyed before the new can come, but we are often fearful of new, unknown ways and reluctant to let go. Uranus makes us let go, it shakes the world loose. The nature of Uranus has an exciting uprooting and awakening effect. It brings disruption, anarchy, rebellion, revolution, freedom, individualism, altruism, originality, invention, experimentation, instability, erratic action and detachment. It is also deeply related to intuitive knowledge.
Neptune is often considered a higher vibration of Venus. It symbolizes receptivity, passivity, impressionability and nebulousness. Neptune brings either spiritual strength or escapist tendencies, seeking the path of least resistance. Neptune can offer spiritual guidance and protection, or entice us to avoid all responsibility. Other Neptunian traits include being idealistic, imaginative, intuitive, subtle, artistically creative, evasive, deceitful, hypersensitive, careless, sentimental, scattered, indecisive, impractical, and compassionate. Neptune is the god of oceans. It rules the watery sign Pisces and is inhibited in the earthy, orderly sign of Virgo, the opposite of Pisces. Neptune expresses its nature well through inspirational Sagittarius. It is inhibited by the mundane levels of Gemini.
Pluto can be considered the higher octave of Mars. Pluto represents those elements which have not yet been integrated into the collective consciousness. Pluto represents the urge to transform and to regenerate bringing rebirth. It is a symbol of decay, contamination, infection, destruction, desire, obsessions, disintegration and elimination, but also a symbol of deep healing, cleansing, and spiritual catharsis.