The goal of Astrology is to make a 3D person from a 1 D chart. The chart is a set of written symbols, but in it are your looks, personality, struggles, gifts and quirks. Every time I do an article on a single aspect, people tell me how that aspect functions in their chart. That one aspect must be isolated for purposes of learning, but it is not isolated any more than a cell is isolated from it’s host. The more I do charts, the more I seek to form the 3D person from the chart. I have never seen the person, in many cases, nor know him, but he is there, more real to me than to most people who have known him for 20 years.
After the Astrologer understands what each placement does, such as how does a Sun in Aries different from a Sun in Gemini, then he has to see just HOW that sun interacts with other parts of the chart. Is it is weakened by low self esteem( Sun conj Saturn)? Does it struggle with an identity crisis( Sun conj Neptune)? Does it have a joyful, upbeat presence( Sun conj Jupiter)? The Sun is one’s most basic part, such as the engine in a car. Whatever else is in the car, the engine rules. You may have a great looking Corvette, but if you engine sputters, you will only look good when parked. The Sun, by sign, by house and through it’s relationship to other planets, will tell you about the person’s identity. It is the person’s blueprint. Hence, if you are counseling him, you will have a map for his life. You will have a map for his purpose. You will have a map for what he needs to be happy. You will know in which areas he is a dud( and we all have them). You will know in which areas he is a superstar( and we all have them). If you want to know the person with one single glance, look at his Sun sign. That is the lazy man’s guide to Astrology, but it works because the Sun is the brightest planet in each person’s chart, just as it is in the solar system. If you could know one thing about a person, know the Sun. If you are an absolute beginner and want to start somewhere, start with studying the Sun signs. Try to pick out people’s Sun signs. I do that, all the time. I can’t help myself. If I see a person in an office waiting room and he screams LEO, I will go up and ask him. I am, usually, right and you will be , too. To learn Astrology, one must “do”. One must get the subject out from the books and into real life. If the Astrology bug has bitten you and you are a hopeless addict like I, go out and have fun with it.
After the Astrologer looks at the sun, he looks at the moon. The moon is one’s most interior planet, as the deepest room in a house or the deepest room in a cavern. The moon may shine out from the face of a child, but it is more hidden in an adult. That is why you may not see the moon, on first meeting. Love is child to child or moon to moon. You know that I love moon trine moon and moon conjunct moon. Even if you are a shy, insecure person, you will open up when you find your moon trine moon person. This can be in any relationship, friends or lovers. Watch for that easy, best friend’s kind of flow between you and someone. Then, go check the charts. Once you experience it, other relationships pale. It is a rare gift. You can snuggle up really close to a person with shared moons. You kind of hold them in your heart, and they you. It goes both ways in this sort of a relationship. It is a loss when one loses them, as they truly are irreplaceable, in this world of throw- away things. I want to add that moon sextile moon functions like moon trine moon. One has to work for it, a bit, unlike the trine which is an effortless gift. The sextile aspect is 60 degrees.
I say this, here, to try to express the function of the moon in an individual person. It is the part of him that cries. It is the part of him that feels poetry. It is the part of him that throws a frisbee with his dog and jumps for joy at the communion with an animal. It is the part of him that hugs someone, whom he loves. That is why a relationship with no moon contacts is kind of like a barren desert. Relationships can last with Venus trine Venus and no moon contacts, but there will be a missing intimacy. You will find the person pleasing but you probably will not giggle all night long about silly things.
Mercury is the planet of the mind. Knowing a person’s Mercury can take you a long way in knowing them. Just the Mercury sign alone will tell you what occupies their mind. It will tell you if their mind works fast or slowly. It will tell you if they are a logical thinker or an intuitive thinker. It will tell you if they are attracted to dark or light things i.e horror fiction or musicals. There is a plethora of information, just in the Mercury placement. I will give some examples. Mercury in Gemini is a fast, witty thinker. Mercury is in it’s Domicile in Gemini. Mercury is in it’s Fall in Sagittarius, the opposite sign. Perhaps, the Saggi does not want to make time to think things through because he is so busy running after the new adventure( or pretty pair of legs ). Mercury in Libra will have a hard time making up his mind. He will be intellectual, as Libra is an air sign, but don’t ask him which restaurant he wants, as it will be closed by the time he answers. Mercury in Scorpio is dark. He would be drawn to true crime and dark sexual themes. Mercury in Pisces is the poet. He may think, slowly, as is his reputation. However, he will be quick to remind you that Einstein had Mercury in Pisces. Mercury in Pisces will think in a mystical, other worldly way, as Pisces has one foot in the next dimension. Mercury in Aries will want to jump to the end of the book before he reads the middle. He will make quick decisions and judgements. His mind moves as fast as his agile body. Those are some examples, to illustrate my point.
After we study the Mercury sign, we will need to look at aspects to Mercury to round out the picture. I will give some basic examples. Mercury conjunct Saturn may be insecure person about his intellect and/or ability to communicate. Mercury conjunct Jupiter would be a joyful, optimistic thinker. Mercury conjunct Neptune would be a dreamer. Mercury conjunct Mars will tell you anything that is on his mind. He may have the vocab of a sailor, but you know that he will tell you the truth. For this reason, Mercury conjunct Mars is one of my favorite aspects. If you want to know if your behind looks fat in those pants, find a Mercury conjunct Mars. Now, we will look at a few more possibilities before we leave Mercury. If Mercury squares Neptune, the person may not be able to use his imagination. He may have his reason in one compartment and his imagination/creativity in another. This aspect is classic for a liar. Maybe, that is the case because he is divorced from his mystical side. Remember, the square separates and locks two sides. So, if you take two planets and square them, they would be like two cousins in a perpetual family feud. Mercury square the Moon would be a person whose rational thinking is compartmentalized apart from his heart. This would be head fighting heart.
I will go on to Mars, now. Mars is drive. Mars is the go getter part of a person( or the part which hides under the bed and is afraid of his drive) Mars is all about drive. So, we can look at Mars in it’s Domicile, Scorpio and Aries and Mars in it’s Fall, Cancer and Libra. These are the best and the worst of the Mars placements. What is interesting to note is that a person with a planet in the Domicile will be so comfortable with a sphere of life that he will think everyone else is. The Domicile and Exaltation are gifts. For the person with a planet in the Detriment orthe Fall, that planet will, always, be a kind of sore thumb. Back to Mars. I have Mars in the Fall( Cancer). Anger and aggression are like hot potatoes that I want to throw and run. I stuff my strong emotions into my stomach. Cancer rules the stomach. Body parts are related to each planet, but that is a lesson for another day. My point is that one can learn a lot about how a person goes after things, by his Mars. I will give a few examples.Mars in Cancer will not chase. So, if you need someone to chase, don’t count on this Mars. Mars in Pisces is in it’s Detriment. This Mars does not like to go after goals, either. It would rather dream about mystical things or read poetry. The man with Mars in Cancer or Pisces may need a woman to chase HIM. I know some people will protest and say that they knew a Mars in cancer man who chased. If he did, he forced himself and it won’t last. Mars in Scorpio will chase and seduce like a pro. (You knew that). Mars in Aries is famous for going after goals, especially when they involve causes, like save the whales but he can chase you, too. Mars in Taurus may take his time, making up his mind, but he will go after his goals, slowly and steadily. Mars in Gemini is so flighty that he will start on one goal and find three new ones before the first one even hatched. You can get a sense of how Mars works, I hope.
Chiron is a diamond mine of information, with very little work. You just have to know the domain of each house. The house of a person’s Chiron is his area of greatest wounding. The Chiron wound is deep and profound. People may argue that they “got over it” . I don’t believe it. I think it is lifelong. It will hurt until the day we die. That is my personal experience and my experience as as Astrologer. So, look at the house which holds Chiron and see the deepest pain in a person. I have many articles on Chiron in the Houses, so I won’t add more, here.
Saturn is best looked at by house, rather than sign. the sign does give valuable information, but for the easiest bang for your buck, look at Saturn by house. The house which holds Saturn will demand that you work hard for everything you get. It will be like a strict father who would not give you your allowance until you mowed the lawn, did the dishes, cleaned the bathrooms and made dinner. You did get your allowance, but you worked very hard for it. However, you matured and learned valuable lessons about life. This is what will happen in the house in which Saturn resides. I have articles on this, too, so will not repeat it here.
Jupiter is best looked at, by house, as well. The house in which Jupiter resides will be a house of easy confidence and optimism. If you have a chart in which these things do not work out, there would be mitigating factors, but for the purpose of this article, we want to simplify.
Pluto is best looked at by house. You will have power in the house in which Pluto resides. I will give a few examples. If Pluto is in your first house, people can feel the power vibrating off you. This would be the feeling of when a cop stops you for speeding. He has all the power. You have none. His demeanor, his eyes, his step, his glance, all of him, shouts power. That is Pluto in the first house. Pluto in the 11th house will be strong in groups. He may not be strong in his every day life, but he will not be subsumed by a group. Again, I have several articles on this, so won’t go over more.
Neptune is best looked at by house. Neptune will make foggy, unclear, under delusion and deception in the house in which it resides. Neptune makes amorphous what it touches. If it touches an identity point such as your Sun or ASC, it will give you an identity crisis. If Neptune is in the 7th house, the how-to s of relationships will seem foggy. You will wonder how everyone else has a relationship, when you can’t figure it out. I don’t know if I have articles about Neptune in the Houses. If you want some, let me know.
I think we made a lot of headway in this article. I hope it helped give you some new information with which to approach charts!