Basics: Planets in Signs and Houses

Keslynn

I know a lot of people were having problems with the study group about the signs because it wasn't basic enough. While the signs are basic, and I encourage everyone to stick around as we work our way around the zodiac, I thought it would be useful to talk about some of the basics. To start out, what exactly does it mean when a planet is in a sign or a house?

First of all, think of the earth as a globe. Think about a band of light surrounding the earth like a belt around a holiday waistline. ;) That belt is the ecliptic, which contains the zodiac. Since a circle contains 360 degrees and the zodiac is 12 signs, each sign takes up 30 degrees of the ecliptic. The Sun travels through the ecliptic in one year, staying in each sign of the zodiac for approximately a month. The other planets - moon, Mercury, Venus, etc - all travel around this belt as well, but they're going at a different speed than the sun. So let's take Venus in Scorpio (which it is now). That just means that Venus is in that section of the ecliptic that's been designated Scorpio.

As for what this means? Well each sign has a certain set of characteristics, which we will be exploring in the study group. Each planet has a distinct set of things it is associated with. The sign the planet is in will color the expression of the planetary characteristics. The example: Mercury is associated with communications (among other things). Leo is a sign of ostentation and creativity. So if Mercury is in Leo, then the tendency is for people to express themselves creatively but they might also tend to be bombastic.

The houses are an artificial construction and there are several different systems for calculating them. I prefer to leave it up the to online charts to do it for me. For anyone hardcore enough to want to do it themselves, well... check amazon? ;) I can tell you that most house systems are based on the ascendant/rising sign. Simply put, this is the sign (part of the ecliptic) that was rising on the horizon at the time of your birth. The ascendant is almost always the start of the first house. At any rate, the houses represent areas of your life in which the planetary characteristics will play out most. The best way to show this is another example. So let's take the Mercury in Leo from the previous example. Then let's put it in the 7th house of partnership. This person has a tendency for creative (potentially over the top) expression in their relationships (romantic and otherwise).

My examples are very pared down. There are lots more layers that can be picked up with further study. If you want to know what the planets and the different signs mean, then please take a look at some of the many excellent beginner material on the web. Also, the signs study group will still be up and running for a while (we just got started!).

www.bobmarksastrologer.com
www.mountainastrologer.com (there's a beginner section in the archives)
www.astrologyforthesoul.com

Next post, I'll try to cover modalities and elements. Hopefully then, things will be a little clearer. Please post any questions that you have about this material. The only dumb question is the one that didn't get asked.

:) Kes
 

Keslynn

Basics: what is this birth chart thing?

Check out the previous post about planets in signs and houses before you read this one.

What is this natal chart I've been hearing so much about? I'm a Leo/Virgo/Pisces, etc? How did I get that?

Basically, a natal chart shows the positions of the planets at the exact time and place of your birth. Usually, the sign you are most familiar with and read about in the newpapers is your Sun Sign. This, demystified, simply tells what sign the sun was in at the time of your birth. While horoscopes based on the sun sign can be fun and sometimes accurate, they ignore all the other planets and the ascendant, which all represent important aspects in our lives. Venus, for example, gives some indications of how we each give and receive love. I'd hate to be missing that part of my personality. ;)

So the natal chart shows where the planets are when I'm born, so what? Well, in astrology, it is believed that the natal chart reflects each person's unique makeup. It shows us our basic and innate tendencies. Like tarot, nothing is locked in stone. Through free will, we can adjust and/or rechannel these basic tendencies to do what we want. However, without the knowledge of these basic tendencies, how can you begin to exploit the good and change the bad? The natal chart helps you do this. Knowledge is power and knowing yourself is a great deal of power.

:) Kes

HELP! Minderwiz, this was meant to be a seperate post. Could you fix it? thanks!