So… how do I make sense of this crazy stuff?

I briefly mentioned before how all this crazy stuff works, however, I felt like posting because it can all get very confusing. Planets, signs, houses, and aspects are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to astrology. Most people don’t know anything beyond their Sun sign, which only scrapes maybe 3.6% of the surface. Some get lucky when they read their horoscope because they find it to be extremely accurate; others abandon astrology because most of their reports have been a shot in the dark.

Astrology DOES work. How do I know? How does anyone know anything? It just does. And I can prove it– sort of. That’s what this blog is all about, isn’t it?

I’m going to bring it all back to basics. This week is designated to be SUN week. Everything about the brilliant “planet”, from its basic representations, to the 5th house and those fabulous little Leos themselves. I know I already posted about the basics of the SUN, however, I want to just give a little guideline on how all of this “stuff” works.

Once you understand the basics, it’s like riding a bike. Everything else will fall in place, but you need to understand how to put everything together first.

There are 10 planets: The Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Obviously, the Sun and Moon aren’t literal “planets”, but in astrology they are given equal, if not more, importance than the other 8.

Planets are concerned with “what” or “functions”. I mentioned in the previous post that planets represent a basic concept. Below I’ve listed the 10 planets and their basic associations:

Sun: Ego, character, individuality. The Sun represents self-expression and who you are at heart. The Sun rules the sign Leo, and is the natural ruler of the 5th house.

Moon: Emotions, habits, basic instincts, and needs. The Moon rules the sign Cancer, and is the natural ruler of the 4th house.

Mercury: Communication, mental and reasoning ability. Mercury rules the signs Gemini and Virgo, and is the natural ruler of the 3rd and 6th houses.

Venus: Our desires, love and affection, beauty, and also finances, possessions, and values. Venus rules the signs Taurus and Libra, and is the natural ruler of the 2nd and 7th houses.

Mars: Energy, assertion, and motivation. Mars represents action. Mars rules the sign Aries, and is the natural of the 1st house.

Jupiter: Growth, expansion, optimism, and opportunity. Jupiter rules the sign Sagittarius, and is the natural ruler of the 9^th house.

Saturn: Limitations, fears, restrictions, obstacles, and caution. Saturn is the ruler of the sign Capricorn, and is the natural ruler of the 10^th house.

Uranus: Freedom, originality, and rebellion. Uranus is the ruler of the sign Aquarius, and is the natural ruler of the 11^th house.

Neptune: Dreams, imagination, and spirituality. Neptune is the ruler of Pisces, and is the natural ruler of the 12^th house.

Pluto: Extremes, obsessions, sex, death, and transformation. Pluto is the ruler of Scorpio, and is the natural ruler of the 8^th house.

Once you understand the basic concepts, it’ll become easier to make sense of HOW they work. Since this week is Sun week, I’m going to be focusing on the Sun and its influence by sign, house, and aspect.

Expose: THE SUN

Hey baby, what’s your sign?

I know you’ve all heard this one before. How could you not? Pop astrology boasts that the day you’re born defines you through and through, and that if you should ever run into a feisty Aries or a kind-hearted Cancer at the bar, you should thank your lucky stars-you’ve found THE one!

I wish it were that easy… Astrologically, the Sun is one of the 3 major parts that defines the individuality of a person, but that’s where it ends. The Sun represents our ego, self-expression, individuality, as well as our vitality. If it helps, I always tell people to think of yourself when you get up in the morning. You’re planning out your day and what you’re going to wear. You make your way into the bathroom and begin to undress. Staring at yourself in the mirror, the “big three” breaks down like so:

The Ascendant (which I will get into later) = the clothes we choose to wear

The Moon (which I will ALSO tackle later) = how we feel about ourselves and our appearance

The Sun = the naked body

In many ways, the Sun is what’s underneath the mask of the Ascendant. It is the true self– our purest sense of individuality and self-concept. Remembering how planets, signs, and houses work; it can be said that the Sun itself is a “what”. The planet will always be the “what”, or the most basic concept. The Sun’s most basic concept is expression.

For example, in the chart to the left, the Sun is in Aries. The sign is representative of energy, or HOW we execute the basic concept. The energy associated with Aries is passionate, ardent, direct, and at times, forceful. When the Sun (expression) transits through the sign Aries (energy/direct), we get assertive self-expression. Those born with the Sun in Aries generally have great reserves of energy; they are active, honest, and quite fearless when it comes to accomplishing a goal. They can be quite competitive and forceful at times, and may need to learn how to slow down and take a breath.

Of course this won’t be the case with every individual born with the Sun in Aries. The Sun sign influence will be heavily modified by aspects, house placement, and even by the condition of Mars (natural ruler of Aries) and its condition in the chart. However, the basic example provided gives an idea of just how the Sun sign truly works. It won’t secure you a date with the looker at the bar (that’s Venus’ area of expertise), but it will help determine if the person you’re talking to is at least 33% interested.