The Planets of Astrology — the Ten Stars That Rule the Zodiac Signs
When people read a horoscope, they usually speak only of the sign the Sun was in, but Western astrology in fact reads ten celestial bodies together, the Sun included. Each planet takes charge of a different sphere of life — love, communication, will — and each of the twelve signs has its own ruling planet. Knowing the symbolism of the planets lets you understand the roots of why a given sign is read as having the tendencies it does.
The Ten Stars That Move the Signs
The planets astrology speaks of are ten: the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Astronomy does not call the Sun and Moon planets, but astrology groups them in, seeing them as moving through the sky and exerting influence upon us. Each star inherits the name and character of a god from myth and takes on its own role. Which sign each of these ten stood in at the moment of your birth is what shapes a person's disposition.
The Personal Planets — Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars
The five that move quickly and finely distinguish an individual's character are called the personal planets. The Sun governs the self and will at the center of life, the Moon governs emotion and the unconscious, and Mercury governs thought and communication. Venus symbolizes love, beauty, and taste, while Mars symbolizes desire, drive, and action. The Sun sign a horoscope usually reads is only one of these five; the rest must be read alongside it for a person's grain to emerge in full.
The Social Planets and the Generational Planets
Jupiter and Saturn are the social planets, showing how an individual relates to the world. Jupiter symbolizes expansion, fortune, and generosity, while Saturn symbolizes responsibility, limits, and the maturity that comes through hardship. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, by contrast, move very slowly and linger in a single sign for years — the generational planets. These represent not the individual but the currents of upheaval, ideals, and fundamental change that a whole generation shares.
The Ruling Planet of Each Sign
Each of the twelve signs has its own ruling planet assigned to govern it. Aries is ruled by Mars, Taurus by Venus, Leo by the Sun, Cancer by the Moon, and so on. A sign's tendencies stem in large part from the character of this ruling planet. That Taurus and Libra, both ruled by Venus, treasure beauty and harmony, for instance, is no coincidence.
Reading Your Sign's Guardian Star
Knowing the planet that rules your own sign makes a horoscope reading come across in far greater dimension. The sphere its ruling planet symbolizes is where that sign especially exerts itself or invests its care. Beyond that, the day of the week or color the planet governs is sometimes taken as a clue to fortune. Step one pace past the Sun sign to examine the ruling planet as well, and you'll come to understand your own sign much more deeply.
The ten planets are like actors, each charged with a different sphere of life, and the ruling planet is the root that shaped your sign's character. If you're curious about your sign and its guardian star, read a horoscope and check today's flow and your disposition for yourself.