In Astrology, the Planets (Note 1) can cause confusion or puzzlement for the amateur Astrologer. In “The Inner Sky,” Steven Forrest, noted Astrologer, explains how and what Planets do to affect an Horoscope. “For signs to touch us, an active force must be introduced. Some mediator must stand halfway between heaven and earth, translating celestial language into human terms…Planets do that. They ignite the system.” He continues, “It is the planets that touch us, not the signs. It is the planets that carry the zodiacal energies down to us…shaping our lives.”
How do the Planets work? What unseen energies arrive from the Planets to the Earth? People may not know what these energies are, but they can describe the effects from the Planets. Consider how the Moon affects the tides. Consider the madness that is usually reported around the Full Moon. This is called “going loony,” after Luna, the Roman Goddess of the Moon.
Forrest explains, “Planets are power lines that link us somehow to forces we do not yet understand. Each one is like a filter transmitting light, but also coloring it…When a planet passes through a sign it conducts something (emphasis Forrest) down to earth. But in so doing, the nature of that something (emphasis Forrest) is distorted. The planet affects it. Changes it. No planet, then, ever allows us to see a sign directly (emphasis Forrest).” He continues, “They traverse the signs at varying speeds, sometimes stopping, sometimes moving backward. Always they take the zodiacal light and focus (emphasis Forrest) it, training it down on the earth.”
In “Planets, Signs, and Houses,” Sara Shipman says that the planets represent, “the totality of your psyche.” The planets are “what you do.” They occupy a Sign, and express their energies as governed by that Sign. Meanwhile, the Sign represents the “how” the Planet will express its energies.
Therefore, all the Planets have relations with the Signs. As Forrest explains “When a planet lies in a sign whose how and why (emphasis Forrest) are especially alien to it, that planet is said to be in its fall. The sign of a planet’s fall is always opposed to the sign of its rulership. (emphasis Forrest) A Fall is opposed to the Sign of a planet’s rulership. For example, Saturn meshes well with Capricorn (its Rulership) and poorly in Cancer (its Fall).
Planets channel the expressions of the Signs. When a Planet goes retrograde (Note 2), it goes against the current of the Sign. Retrograde causes the Planet to move away from the current of the Sign. For instance, my Jupiter is retrograde in Taurus, which has me exploring my inner world. This gives me unusual perspectives.
Some Signs and Planet combinations can be more harmonious that others. Certain Planets facilitate the expression of certain Signs such Mars and Aries. (Note 3) Planets may complement each other like Venus and Jupiter (Note 4). Or the Planets may work against each other such as Saturn and Jupiter. And they can work against the Sign that they are in, such as Jupiter in Capricorn.
How this works is as follows. Venus governs relationships, however, that Planet is in its Fall in Virgo. In Virgo, Venus (“what”) develops idealized relations (“why”). “How” is through Virgo’s persistence and honesty. In Virgo, Venus loves dutifully and excessively, hence, causing the Planet to work hard for love.
Planets in Signs dance together, sometimes well, sometimes poorly. The Planet asks “what,” while the Sign develops the Planet’s “what” with “how” and “why.” The Sign’s current works on the Planet’s energies. Looking at a Planet in a Sign, the questions of “what,” “why,” and “how” are answered.
Notes
Note 1. In Astrology, the Planets are the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Forrest groups the Planets as follows – “Shaping the Self:” Sun and Moon. “The Inner Planets:” Mercury and Venus. “The Outer Planets:” Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. “The Invisible Planets:” Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Other Astrologers refer to Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto as the “Outer Planets” or “Generational Planets.”
Note 2. When the Earth in its orbit passes a Planet, that Planet will appear to stop and move backwards. Retrograde is when a Planet “goes backwards.” That Planet appears to stop and go, then changes course, and finally reverses itself. (Neither the Sun nor the Moon goes Retrograde.)
Stationary is when a Planet is ready to turn Retrograde or to resume their usual direction. When a Planet is Stationary, it turns up the volumes of the Sign of which the Planet is in,
Note 3. Mercury in Gemini and Mars in Aries have strong affinities with each other. These Planets are in the Signs of their Rulership.
Note 4. Jupiter enhances Venus’s desire for love. Jupiter with Venus is “Generosity and pleasure seem boundless.” Meanwhile, Jupiter with Saturn becomes “Reality’s hard lessons create order out of excess.” Saturn shuts down Jupiter’s expansiveness. Since Jupiter in Capricorn is in its Fall, Capricorn causes Jupiter to “expand excessively and confrontationally.”
Further reading:
Roy Gillett, “The Secret Language of Astrology.” Watkins Publishing: London. 2011.
Steven Forrest, “The Inner Sky.” Seven Paws Press, Borrego Springs (CA). 2012.
J. Lee Lehman, “Classical Astrology for Modern Living.” Whitford Press: Atglen (PA). 1996.
Sara Shipman, “Planets, Signs, and Houses.” Starcrazy Press: Oxford. 2021
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