Our Ancestrial Guides The Planets

EARTH

Ruler: Taurus

Exaltation: Virgo

Detriment: Scorpio

Fall: PiscesBoth Benefic & Malefic

Keywords: Home, Mother, Nurture, Sustain, Provider, Root

Zodiac Rotation: 365 days

Earth is the 3rd planet from the Sun, is still to this day the only place known to humans where life as we understand it exists.  It is Earth's amazing magnetic field that allows life to exist, protecting all of her species from harmful radiation that would destroy us otherwise.  She is the Mother of all things for her species, from her we drink, on her we love and create, on her and of her we build our homes, she is the sustains of all that we know as conscious beings.  It is amazing that astrology does not speak directly about our relationship to her, we focus on our Sun sign, never seeing ourselves entirely from this viewpoint.  How we relate to the Earth will always be a direct reflection of our relationship with ourselves, it how and where we receive the electromagnetic energy from the Universe around us, where we receive the light stories of all our planets is Earth. 

SUN

Rules: Leo

Exaltation: Aries

Detriment: Aquarius

Fall: Libra

Keyword: Self, Confident, Agency, Radiant Fearlessness, Heart, Power

Benefic Planet

3651/2 day zodiac rotation

Confidence, energy for life, creativity, adventurous instincts, pride, charisma, playful nature, inner child, thrill-seeking drive, desire for leisure, speculative nature, sexual passion, need to stand out. The Sun is the primary source of life energy in our galaxy, with all others deriving from it. In astrology, the Sun symbolizes your entire being: the deeper unconscious self, the ego, and the timeless essence of your Spirit. In Greek Mythology, Apollo descends from the heavens in his fiery chariot, bringing warmth and light to the Earth. Life would not exist without the Sun. It is one of the two great Luminaries, or Lights, that significantly influence all life on Earth and will always play a central role in your astrological expression and ongoing evolution. The Sun represents the masculine principle, in the Medicine Wheel and rises in the East.  The sacred essence is to protect and sustain life, teaching us how to become illuminated within our own beings.  Without the warmth and light of the Sun what is conceived in darkness could not be sustained.

MOON

Rules:  Cancer 

Exaltation:  Taurus

Detriment:  Capricorn

Fall:  Scorpio

Keyword:  Emotions, Feelings, Invisible Realm, Subconscious, Inner World

Neither benefic nor malefic because she changes so quickly.

29 day zodiac rotation

(emotions, security needs, care taking instincts, dependency needs, drive to nurture, vulnerabilities, homing instincts, receptivity, moods, habit patterns, women (including mother)).

The Moon is the swiftest moving light, traveling through a sign in about 2 1/2 days, and has a tremendous effect upon our emotions and our subconscious mind.  This is the place of memory and conditioning from our earliest years, and perhaps the seed being of unhealed stories from other life experiences.  This is the womb of the Mother, the place where we begin to understand our own value and worth, most closely defined by our relationship with our mothers. The Moon is receptive and feminine, open and yielding to the natural cycles of the ebb and flow of life, the seasons, her phases, the moon cycle of a woman, the tides of the ocean.  The Moon rises in the West of the Medicine Wheel, represents a place of introspection, death and rebirth, intuition, knowing, compassion, generosity of spirit.  All women call her mother as they participate in their monthly ceremonies of renewal and purification.  Her wisdom is known through surrender and faith.

MERCURY

Ruler:  Gemini (Virgo)

Exaltation:  Aquarius

Detriment:  Sagittarius, Pisces

Fall:  Leo

Keywords:  The Mind, Thoughts, Intellectual, Witty, Duality, Clever,

Neither benefic nor malefic

Orbit through zodiac in one year, always 28 degrees from the Sun

(urge to communicate, thinking, listening/talking, capacity to learn, adaptability/flexibility, information-gathering skills, casual contacts, logic, awareness, dexterity, perception).

Mercury travels quickly always in close relationship with the Sun, what is being sent from the heavens and filtered through our emotionally conditioned beings, must be interpreted by Mercury.  Mercury is neither masculine or feminine, but rather the essential force that dances between the two polarities.

In Greek mythology it is Hermes who was known as the messenger of the Gods, his father Zues and his mother Maia.  It is fascinating that Mercury has two rulers:  Gemini, the quick wit and captivating orator that governs all trade and commerce, and Virgo the eloquent and distinguished hermit or crone that speaks with quiet, but assured wisdom.  Mercury is quick in its ability to assimilate information, seeing detailed patterns and creative potentials.  Mercury cannot be bound by Earth, he flies between realms just as our words are the primary tools of communication allowing me to travel to you and you to me.  Mercury is always moving, changing, expressing.

VENUS

Ruler:  Libra (Taurus)

Exaltation:  Pisces

Detriment:  Scorpio, Aries

Fall:  Virgo

Keyword:  Love, Harmony, Forgiveness, Beauty, Empathy

Lesser Benefic

255 day zodiac rotation

(desire for pleasure, sensuality, urge for comfort/ease, need for tangible beauty, drive for stability/predictability, sweetness, affection, relating needs, maternal assets.)

Venus is never far from the Sun, never more than 46 degrees, and vibrates to the Heart Chakra of all living things.  Venus is the song of Earth, the call of Beauty that is the natural birthright of all living beings.  After the Moon, Venus is the second natural brightest object in the night sky. 

Venus in Greek mythology is Aphrodite, goddess of love and pleasure.  She cannot be owned or denied, her presence and beauty demand attention and will be given audience.  Venus invites us to enjoy life, play, clothe ourselves in beauty, clean our waterways, plant gardens of organic healthy foods, get plenty of excercise and rest, make love not war.  Venus teaches us that love is a principle that resides at the center of all things, it is not given and taken, but is always present and willing to be expressed.  Venus is the foundation for joy in our lives. Taurus represents fertility and Libra the lover.

MARS

Ruler:  Aries

Exaltation:  Capricorn

Detriment:  Libra

Fall:  Cancer

Keyword:  Energy, Power, Force, Drive, Intention, Will

Lesser Malefic

687 day zodiac rotation

(assertion, self-expression, independence, personal power, desires, spontaneous instincts, immediate needs, anger, sexual drive, early identity, doing one's thing.)

Mars is the planet of the pure raw power/energy, fiery and hot, mars moves with determined passion to make its influence known.  Mars is also the God of war, that primary element that knows things must be destroyed to be rebuilt.  Mars is aggressive, swift, impulsive, and impatient.  Mars is also determined, focused, fearless, and courageous.

In Greek mythology Mars is the masculine Ares the Warrior, and also Athena his half-sister the goddess of warfare.  She was known for her static aggression where Ares is known for his ruthless unpredictable violence.  Ares and Athena are enemies.  The power of Mars to force change is fundamental to all of life, without it we would not continue to evolve.  Mars when focused has tremendous energy to build and create things of beauty and great value.  Mars contains the drive to accomplish our goals and focus our ambitions, keeping our eyes on the prize and knowing what can be dreamed can be created. 

JUPITER

Ruler:  Sagittarius

Exaltation:  Cancer

Detriment:  Gemini

Fall:  Capricorn

Keyword:  Growth/Expansion/Opportunities/Benevolent

Greater Benefic

12 years for zodiac rotation

(ideals and goals, beliefs, values, morality/ethics, faith, optimism, quest for the truth, phisophy/religion, drive for expanded horizons, high expectations)

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun and the largest planet in our solar system, and rightly represents all things that foster expansion, growth, higher consciousness, prosperity, business opportunities that allow greater exposure and marketability.  Jupiter is a great teacher, but with humor, wit, and wisdom rather than discipline and measurements.  Jupiter is a transpersonal planet teaching us to bridge our reality with the greater world around us.  He bestows warmth and generosity, insight, compassion, and courage to dream unencumbered by self doubt. Abundance is his greatest gift, flowing freeing without effort.  His call is to a higher octave of understanding, centering in fearless love, therefore he is often associated with higher education and spirituality.

Jupiter was known by ancient astrologers and has for centuries been at the center of many religious and cultural beliefs.  In Greek mythology Jupiter is Zues, father of all gods, god of the sky, and for Greeks and Romans both Jupiter/Zues was the supreme god.  He was the keeper of oaths, protector of the sick and elderly, watched over trade and punished the wrongdoers, was worshiped in Crete, Greece, and Sparta.

"Jupiter's 12-year orbital period corresponds to the dozen astrological signs of the zodiac, and may have been the historical origin of the signs. That is, each time Jupiter reaches opposition it has advanced eastward by about 30°, the width of a zodiac sign," (Wikipedia).

SATURN

Ruler:  Capricorn

Exaltation:  Libra

Detriment:  Cancer

Fall:  Aries

Keywords:  Restrictions/Discipline

Karma/Teacher

Greater Malefic

29 1/2 years zodiac rotaion around the Sun

(reality quotient, authority fiqures, practicality, capacity to deal with limits, career driven, sense of responsibility, discipline/effort/ status ambitions, urge to solidify/contract, wisdom of experience).

Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system and the sixth planet from the Sun.  The rings around Saturn are mostly composted of ice, Saturn can be chilly.  Saturn rules time and teaches the profound lessons of patience and perseverance.  Saturn also holds the memory of karmic obligations and karmic rewards, and will determine the timing for payment or evolution.  The lessons of Saturn are deep soul lessons, and in my experience and opinion, mark the entrance of our personalities integrating fragmented soul pieces.  Saturn will call us HoMe to ourselves, teaching with no diversions without suffering, that wholeness can only be known from within.  Once these lessons are mastered the restrictions fall away and the pathway is cleared to create solid foundations of love and success in one's life. 

The first Saturn Return is one of the most profound callings in astrology.  It comes at the completion of 4 seven year cycles and marks the beginning of true adulthood.  One must individuate from one's biological family at this time, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, and be reborn from the womb of Self.  This is the time of claiming your own name, your own expression, your own needs, and boundaries must be drawn to separate who you are from the influences of the outside world.  To Your Own Self be True is the call of Saturn. 

In Greek mythology Saturn is the Father of Time, Chronos, he is depicted in Greco-Roman mosaics as a man turning the Zodiac Wheel. "Chronos was imagined as an incorporeal god. Serpentine in form, with three heads—that of a man, a bull, and a lion. He and his consort, serpentine Ananke (Inevitability), circled the primal world-egg in their coils and split it apart to form the ordered universe of earth, sea and sky," (Wikipedia).  Chronos is the father to Zues.

URANUS

Ruler:  Aquarius

Exaltation:  Scorpio

Detriment:  Leo

Fall:  Taurus

Keywords:

Liberation/Unpredictability/Awakening

Rebellion/Disruption

Can be both Malefic & Benefic

84 years zodiac rotation around the Sun

(individuality, freedom drives, inventiveness, originality, humanitarian instincts, detachment, pull toward the future, eccentricity, innovation, sudden changes).

Seven times twelve equals the time it takes Uranus to travel the zodiac, major spiritual turning points in our lives occur when Uranus moves from one astrological sign to another, marking major closures and new beginnings.  Uranus will not be controlled, or limited by external obligations to tradition and structure.  Uranus creates through destruction and chaos, pure creativity and imagination, thoughts that fly like lightning spark the fuel or original masterpieces, inventions that change history forever, natural disasters that leave nothing the same in their passing.  Uranus imbues genius, the child prodigy that plays classical instruments flawlessly, the mind of Einstein;  natural intelligence that lives outside of classrooms and time.  Uranus is also known as the upper octave of Mercury and the first of two transcendental planets. 

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun, and it's axis of rotation lies on its side on the plane of the Solar System, this gives it seasonal changes completely unlike those of the other major planets. Near the time of Uranian solstices, one pole faces the Sun continuously while the other pole faces away.  Each of the polar sides gets about 42 years of continuous Sun, while the opposite side is covered in darkness for 42 years, until the seasons change. 

In Greek mythology Uranus is the Sky Father husband to Earth Mother, Gaia.  His is the Father of Chronos and the grandfather of Jupiter.  Uranus for the Greeks was considered to primordial, originated from himself, later he was thought to be created from Aether and Hermera, Air and Day.

NEPTUNE

Ruler:  Pisces

Exaltation:  Sagittarius

Detriment:  Virgo'

Fall:  Gemini

Keywords:

Mystical/Visionary/Spiritual/Illusion

Deception/Divine Inspiration

Neither Malefic nor Benefic

164.79 years zodiac rotation

(quest for Oneness/Union/transcendence, idealism, quest for infinite love and beauty, intuition, savior/victim potentials, compassion, imagination/fantasy, mysticism, escapism).

Neptune was not discovered until 1846, and on July 12, 2011, Neptune will have completed it's first full rotation since it's discovery.  Neptune rules the sea, and it's depths are not easily penetrated, it is only through love, dreams, art, music, lovemaking, awe inspiring beauty that we begin to dive into the underworld of Neptune.  Words are incapable of capturing the mystical intuitive knowings of Neptune, it is our feelings that will lead the way.  For many the call of Neptune can be frightening and disturbing, requiring a surrender of the ego some fear will leave them shattered, and often these are the ones who try to avoid the call through escapism in one fashion or another.  Sex, drugs, alcohol, work, political correctness, religious righteousness, food, gambling, shopping, entertainment are just some of the ways we may try and distract ourselves from the call of Neptune.  But, the call will be heard, and the surrender given, or a tremendous price will be paid, a short circuiting of the creative juices that keep us alive will be the result.  Neptune keeps things juicy and open, creative and flowing. 

In Greek mythology Neptune is Poseidon, god of the sea and god of earthquakes.  Brother of Zues and Hades, Posidon provided safe passage for sailors, but was also known to be the culprit of mental disturbances.  He was a great civic god, second only to Athena in Athens. 

Neptune is known to be the higher octave of Venus, exalting love to its highest spiritual form, divine, unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful love.  It teaches us to let go and let God/Spirit/Mystery direct the deepening our our life experiences, just as the rivers flow to the ocean so will we unite with our true selves.  In hidden realms of fantasies, dreams, the world under the water, exist equally with all other realms, this is the primal lesson of Neptune.  Neptune, like Uranus is the second transcendental planet, influencing not just the individual, society, history, and culture.

PLUTO

Ruler:  Scorpio

Exaltation:  Leo

Detriment:  Taurus

Fall:  Aquarius

Keywords:  Transformation/Regeneration/Mass-Consciousness

Neither Malefic nor Benefic

Zodiac rotation is chaotic:

Leo:  18 years June 1939 to August 1957

Virgo:  14 years August 1957 to October 1971

Libra:  12 years October 1971 to November 1983

Scorpio:  12 years November 1983 to January 1995

Sagittarius:  13 years January 1995 to January 2008

Capricorn:  15 years January 2008 to March 2023

Aquarius:  20 years March 2023 to March 2043

Pisces: 24 years March 2043 to April 2067

(intensity, drive for self-mastery, intimacy instincts, sexual needs, drive for transformation, elimination/completion urges, resentment/forgiveness, probing, complicated motives, compulsions).

Pluto is a fascinating planet, and yes, to me still a planet.  It is amazing that the nature of Pluto is to transform everything it touches, and it transformed itself right out of our natural understanding of it.  Amazing!  Pluto demands a descent into Hades, the underworld, where we must confront our demons of desire.  Pluto holds on when even the most basic fool would know to let go, but it is after something big and will not let go until it finds the precious treasure it is pursuing, but by the time you find it - it will not be what you think it was suppose to be.  Welcome to Pluto the planet of death, power plays, secrecy, obsession, phobias, and ultimate transmutation.  Pluto is the the snake shedding its skin. 

Pluto rules mass consciousness, it is easy to reflect back on the dates above and think about what was happening in the world around us during those times.  When Pluto was in Leo, 1938 to 1957, it was the generation of the Rat Pack, John Kennedy, Leave it to Beaver, rugged individualism of the western cowboy personified in characters such as John Wayne, Marlon Brandon . It was the time women stopped breast feeding their children to be free to watch soap operas and have dinner ready for the man of the house.  Men were still the king of their castles, even if it meant slapping their lady around ever now and then to keep it that way, it was his world. 

Pluto moved into Virgo in 1957 and remained there until the early 1970's.  Virgo represents service to other, this was a tremendous shift in consciousness, where the socially distorted hierarchy of racism and sexism began to crack.  These are the years when the Civil Rights movement within the United States recognized the call to equality must serve all human beings, not those deemed worth, primarily white men.  This is when the King of self service and self interest had to fall to the Kings of Righteousness, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Steven Biko of South Africa, and the Queens such as Betty Friedman and Gloria Steinem, that led the great movements of civil rights and the liberation of women. This is also when our national thinking regarding the Vietnam War began to truly shift, questioning our imposition of our authority in the world when it cost so many young men's lives.  

The transformative energy of Uranus moved into Libra in late September of 1968 kicking the door open to pave the way to a truly new generation.  Pluto first crossed into Libra in October of 1971 and after moving retrograde for just a few months, entered Libra permanently in June of 1972 until 1983.  This became the era of free love, women rights, major strides forward in civil rights, the protests against the war in Vietnam, bra burning, equal pay for all citizens, the king of the castle was dethroned.  What started in under the influence of Pluto in Virgo, took root in this era.  In 1972 the "Pill" became available to unmarried women, in 1973 Abortion became legal across the states.  In June of 1972 the Supreme Court had declared capital punishment to be cruel and unusual punishment and it was banned, and prisons incorporated incentive programs for re-entry into society:  halfway houses, job training, higher educational opportunities.  Divorce surged as women found their voices and their right to their own minds and bodies.  We changed forever.  During this era the children born to unwed mothers were no longer referred to as "bastards."  

When Pluto shifted into Scorpio, first in late 1983 and after moving retrograde stayed in Scorpio from November of 1983 until 1995 we had to face the shadow side of all our new found freedom.  Scorpio rules sex, the sex organs, reproduction.  It was during this ear AIDS became part of our cultural reality.  Now sex had the power to make life and take life.  HIV was already present, with first cases being recorded as early as 1981, yet by the early 1990's over 100,000 deaths were reported due to AIDS.  The consequences of liberal sentencing laws through the pendulum in the extreme and revengeful direction of such laws as  Three Strikes you are Out, and the reinstatement of the death penalty.  Welfare laws became restrictive and punitive.  Republicans raised the banner of religious righteousness as sex scandal after sex scandal exposed itself, for example, Clinton and Monica, and Jim Bakker, T.V. evangelists fall from grace.   We were falling face first out of the closet of shame we had created from too much freedom and too little responsibility to it.  We also became spiritually awake, with no clear definition of religion, we birthed a generation of New Agers, those who struggle to define the new spiritual paradigm of our social and historical time.

When Pluto went into Sagittarius , in 1995 and remained there until the great recession of 2007.  In 1987, Native American tribes won the right to set up gambling establishments across the U.S. on their native lands, by the mid 1990's this had become a national phenomenon.  Casinos went up by the thousands and high rollers either became heroes or bankrupt.  We spent and spent and spent to the tune of economic repression when Pluto moved into the task master of Capricorn.  Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, and in its lower form pursues abundance in all forms.  The housing scheme that created a financial façade behind credit worthy homeowners, later turned out to be the impetus to one of the absolute worst experiences of multiple foreclosures.   We can also see this so clearly in our imperialistic approach to Iraq with the hidden agenda of getting our national hands on as much oil as possible.  It is amazing to me that John Kerry was a Sagittarius man, and who knows what direction we may have taken if our national leader had been a benevolent leader rather than puppet for the greedy. The other phenomenon of Pluto in Sagittarius is by the period in time the old traditional hold of world religions such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam were being wildly questioned and the term New Age or Spirituality rather than religious was becoming a worldwide understanding.  Another significant event during this era is the sexual deviance of so many priests within the Catholic Church were coming to light, the light of Jupiter, the truth bearer was at hand.  

With Pluto in Capricorn we have been reaping the consequences of our lower octave choices, such as greed rather than honoring abundance.  Today in the U.S. we have a national debt that seems impossible to comprehend, and many people who once had excellent credit have now witnessed it be diminished by plummeting stock prices, homes, and opportunities for work, yet we bounced back only to fall again with the Covid-19 pandemic.  Capricorn is also an Earth sign, we must face the continuous murder of our planet and her species or we will continue to create our own demise.  Pluto in Capricorn will demand we tighten our belts, become more honest about health care, our bodies, rather than continuing to respond to our ills with multi-colored pills, that profit the pharmaceutical companies that has also led to a national opioid epidemic. Yet, the most disturbing reality of Pluto in Capricorn is the rise of fascism, which culminated in the January 6, 2021 attempted coup by Donald Trump and his followers.  We are living the reality of books being banned, women's bodies and health severely jeopardized by the reversal of the protections of Roe vs. Wade.  

The power of Pluto is transmutation.  Pluto is also primordial, it cannot be denied, controlled, or avoided.  Within every reality there is a duality, every shadow will lead to the light, there will be regeneration, that is the great promise of Pluto.  When Pluto goes into Aquarius there will be a powerful revolution, it will be a time of amazing inventions far beyond what we have known to date, nothing will ever be the same again.

Pluto is the god of the underworld, he is also known in Greek mythology as Hades.  In ancient Greek times Hades was not a place where only the sinful go, that concept was not part of Greek thought, it was actually a place where all mortals would go.  "Pluto is the planetary symbol that correlates to the evolutionary process from a collective and individual point of view.  It is the prime mover, first cause, or bottom line to which all other planetary factors are linked," (Pluto the Evolutionary Journey of the Soul, Jeff Green, 1988).