Understanding the Planets
Decoding the WHAT in Your Astrology
I have been studying astrology for years. I first learned how to draw a birth chart by hand as a teenager. Nowadays there's an app for that, but making them by hand was fun.
The Moon is my passion and what I built my business around, but of course there is much more to astrology than just the Moon. On my blog, I talk about the New Moon and the Full Moon, including how other planets might be influencing them. At the start of each month, I share which planets are moving sign, when and what that means.
And I try to share all of this in a way that makes sense to you if you have zero astrology knowledge. It's a fascinating subject, but it might not be a rabbit hole you personally want to explore.
In astrology, the planet tells you WHAT is happening, the sign tells you HOW, and the house in your birth chart tells you WHERE.
On this week's blog, we are looking at the WHAT—the planets. We will start by looking at what each one means and represents in your birth chart, and then what they mean as they move around your birth chart.
The Core Energies of the Planets
The Sun
The Sun is the centre of everything—the core of life, your personality, and your spirit. In your birth chart, the Sun represents your ego, your confidence, and where you are meant to shine in this lifetime. It spends around 30 days in each sign, which is why we have distinct “seasons" (like Scorpio Season or Aries Season) throughout the year.
The Moon
If the Sun is your outward focus, the Moon gives you your inner world. It rules your soul, your emotions, your moods, and what you need to feel safe and nurtured. Because the Moon is so fast-moving—spending just two and a half days in each sign—it governs our day-to-day energetic rhythm and self-care needs.
Mercury
Mercury is the planet of the mind, communication, and ideas. It governs how you learn, how you process information, how you speak, and how you write. It also rules travel, technology, and commerce. Because Mercury is quick-witted and agile, it brings out our humour and wit. It takes roughly a year to travel through all twelve signs, spending anywhere from two weeks to a month in each.
Venus
Venus is all about love, connection, harmony, and beauty. It shows who and how you love, how you relate to others, and what brings you pleasure—including art, aesthetics, and personal possessions. Venus takes about 225 days to orbit the Sun, spending two to three weeks in each sign unless it's retrograde.
Mars
Mars is the planet of action, drive, desire, and determination. It’s concerned with what you want and how you go about getting it. Known as the planet of energy, passion, and ambition, Mars shows where you focus your energy and how you handle conflict. Mars takes roughly 687 days to orbit the Sun, spending about two months in each sign.
Jupiter
Jupiter is the planet of expansion, luck, joy, and opportunity. It rules higher learning, travel, confidence, and our broader beliefs about the world. Wherever Jupiter sits, it brings growth and good fortune. Because it takes around 12 years to orbit the Sun, Jupiter spends about a year in each sign.
Saturn
Saturn is the planet of structure, discipline, boundaries, and reality checks. Known as the planet of karma, Saturn brings our biggest challenges and life lessons, asking us to take responsibility and build solid foundations. Saturn takes around 29 years to travel through the zodiac, spending two and a half to three years in each sign.
Uranus
Uranus is the planet of innovation, sudden change, progress, and independence. It’s where you want to do things your own way, break free from old rules, and embrace your individuality. Uranus takes about 84 years to orbit the Sun, spending around 7 years in each sign.
Neptune
Neptune rules dreams, intuition, spirituality, and imagination. It is the planet of inspiration and deep connection, but it can also bring fog, illusions, or confusion when things aren't clear. Neptune takes roughly 165 years to travel through the zodiac, spending about 14 years in each sign.
Pluto
Pluto is the planet of deep transformation, power, and rebirth. It governs the cycles of letting go of what no longer serves us so we can rebuild stronger from within. Pluto takes around 248 years to orbit the Sun, spending anywhere between 12 and 30 years in a single sign.
What Planets Mean as They Move Through Your Birth Chart
Tracking the Sun is easy because it moves through your chart on the exact same schedule every year. But all the other planets are constantly moving through your houses at their own pace, too.
When a planet travels through a house in your chart, it brings its specific energy to that area of your life:
The Sun acts as a spotlight, showing you where your focus naturally lands.
The Moon shows where you are feeling emotional and what you need to feel comfortable.
Mercury reveals where your mind is working, where you are thinking, learning, or communicating.
Venus shows where you are feeling the love, bringing ease, harmony, and connection.
Mars marks where you are driven or determined to get things done.
Jupiter brings growth and shows where you have luck on your side. Because Jupiter takes 12 years to travel through your chart, its arrival in key areas marks major moments—like moving through your 7th house, which is often when people are most likely to marry!
Saturn takes 30 years to go all the way around your chart, pointing directly to where your biggest life lessons are right now.
Uranus brings a little bit of chaos, showing you where to let things change, develop, and progress instead of keeping them static.
Neptune brings divine inspiration to whichever house it touches, showing where you will be inspired. But it can also bring deception, disappointment, and confusion if you aren't seeing things clearly.
Finally, Pluto is all about deep transformation, stripping away what isn't working so you can rebuild.
Bring Your Chart to Life
If you want to know where each planet currently sits in your chart and what that means for your work right now, bring your birth chart and your business brain to a Free 20-Min Cosmic Business Audit: Current Transits & Aligned Action.
In this rapid-fire 20-minute session, we’ll look at where the planets are moving through your natal chart this month. We will identify where your energy is best spent, where you might be facing friction, and how to align your current business tasks with the cosmic weather so you can stop forcing and start flowing.
