This page will have definitions and other astro basic stuff as I progressively add it. Credit to umpteen different references for the information. Someof my favourite references are on the Contacts, Links etc page.

Some Astro Basics

Each sign is a combination of element, modality and masculine/feminine (introverted, extroverted) energy.

This is what makes each of the signs individual.

Note, all fire and air signs are also expressive masculine energy and all earth or water are the more softer feminine energy.

Elements

Fire is creative and stimulating- think sparks. Fire is motivated by movement, action and creation.

Earth is practical, stable, responsible and goal focused- think structure. Earth is motivated by physical and material security.

Air is perceptive, social and communicative- think headspace and messages. Air is motivated by communication.

Water is emotional, intuitive, empathetic and creative- think feelings. Water is motivated by emotional security and connections.

Want to work out what your elemental composition is? Check out Elementally Speaking…

Modality

Cardinal signs initiate

Fixed signs solidify

Mutable signs adapt

Putting it all together

The Basics

When people talk about their “Star sign” they are actually talking about the sign that the sun was in at the moment of their birth. So in effect, the star sign is actually your Sun sign. This is the most basic astrological fact about you. The Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune & Pluto each occupied their own little space in the sky at the moment you were born & each will affect you in a different way.

Your chart is divided into 12 (usually) uneven sections known as “houses”. Each of the houses represents a different part of life. Where each of the planets fall into the houses in your chart will tell more about how that planet operates in your life.

With all of these factors combined, no two Geminis are the same, no two Pisceans are the same… this is why we can’t simply divide the entire world population into 12 neat packages… there are in fact many possible combinations (although being a Piscean & having little interest in data, I am not going to go into specifics on this…).

The Personal Planets

The Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus & Mars are known as the personal planets. These planets move between signs fairly quickly & for this reason are the planets which form your personality.

They determine such things as:

• Your ego
• Your motivations
• Your Identity
• Your motivations
• Emotions
• Communication
• Primary Challenges
• Relationship style

The sign that these planets falls in describes how they work in your life and the contacts they make to other planets show how easily or challenging they are able to operate.

Whilst your sun sign defines your ego, motivations, needs & approach to life all the other planets have a say in who you are & what your motivations & challenges may be. This is why sometimes you may not behave in the way that your sun sign says you should- particularly if a lot of planets occupy signs other than your sun sign.

The Luminaries

The Sun:  Who YOU are, what motivates you, your ego, self expression, your overall attitude to life.

The Moon: Your instinctive and most basic emotional reactions, what makes you feel safe & what nurtures you.

The Other Personal Planets

Mercury: How you think, how you learn, how you communicate and how you process all the data that hits your brain during a normal lifetime.

Venus: What makes you feel good, how you approach relationships, what you find attractive, how you dress/ decorate yourself. In a mans’ chart Venus also is an indication of qualities (physical & otherwise) that he looks for in a partner.

Mars: Your drive, your energy, what turns you on, what you desire, what you go after, your temper, how you assert yourself. In a womans chart Mars is an indication of the qualities (physical & otherwise) that she looks for in a partner.

Jupiter: your attitude to risk and good fortune, how you expand your boundaries, how you experience life.

Saturn: your fears, your boundaries, how you set goals and accept responsibility.

Outer or Generational Planets

For traditional astrologers, Saturn was as far as they could see- the outer planets have only been discovered relatively recently. Uranus was the 1^st in 1781 to be discovered using a telescope.

Whilst the visible planets influence our behaviour & personalities, Uranus, Neptune & Pluto define generations. The sun swings through all 12 signs in a year, but Uranus takes 84 years, Neptune 165 years & Pluto almost 250 years to complete their trip through the zodiac.

As a result, these planets have little effect on day to day behaviour & don’t distinguish you from people of the same generation. They are, however, the major culprits behind life-changing and transformative shake-ups. Where they fall in the chart & the aspects they form to your other planets, will determine the nature of their effect.

Uranus- independence, freedom, rebellion- where you need space

Neptune- intuition, escapist, dissolution of boundaries- where you may sacrifice yourself, where you may delude yourself & where you may be deluded.

Pluto- transformation, power, control, obsession- where you will obsess, where you will be transformed, and where you will transform others.

Aspects with Planets

I am not even going to try & explain these. Suffice to say, there are essentially 2 types of aspects:

• Harmonious or flowing aspects which show those talents & expression which come fairly easily. Harmonious aspects are trines & sextiles. Sextiles normally need a little more work than trines. Trines are 2^nd nature stuff- as such, we often take these energies for granted rather than actively use them. Conjunctions are also nice- depending on the planets involved.
• Dynamic or challenging aspects usually require some sort of action or challenge. These are squares & oppositions. Not necessarily bad, they indicate areas of life where we can learn & grow.

The Houses

In astrology, there are 10 planets & 12 houses, so not all houses may be “occupied” by planets at the time of birth.

Where there are no planets in a particular house, it usually means that area of life is not of as great an importance to you as those areas where 1 or more planets reside- these houses are a source of vitality to you & represent areas of life where growth can occur.

In terms of importance, always look at the 1^st house, the house where the ruling planet lives & houses where there may be heaps of planets doing their stuff. In your chart, the planets are almost in a see-saw pattern with an emphasis on the 6^th and 11^th house.

House Meanings