iVillage

Astrology is all about the Sun, the Moon, and the nine planets. This is the very heart of astrology, both ancient and modern. We all know enough astronomy to have seen the Sun and Moon in the sky, and most of us have probably seen Venus and even Jupiter once or twice. But here we want to know more then just their astronomical value. We want to know what they are astrologically. What do these bodies mean in our natal charts?

The modern astrologer knows that planets don’t cause things to happen here on Earth. We watch the endless planetary patterns forming and dissolving in the heavens, much like we see airplanes writing smoke letters across the sky. We try to read what the writing says. What is happening out there in space and what is happening down here on earth are both happening in the same moment and the same general space. The same thing is happening everywhere, and there are just different ways of expressing it. Astrologers learn to read the language of the planets and the stars to better understand what is happening here on Earth. The key players in this are the Sun, Moon and the planets.