Spirit of Astrology

The planet Venus is shrouded in veils that disallow us viewing its surface. The astrological influence of the planet is cloaked in garments of tradition that enhance the life qualities of beauty, art, love, romance, pleasure, harmony and all that is good in human culture.  It is therefore thought that Venus is the planet of bestower of one’s dreams and romantic yearnings, as of material wealth and ease.

The general properties are well known in this way, but there are subtler influences beyond material comforts and pleasures. To relate Venus as the planet of Love we must embrace the range of this emotion if we are to be able to interpret an individual’s chart so that we can apply our knowledge appropriately.

To some people, love is equated with sensory excitation, sexual pleasure and a general affection towards others. Those who experience the consuming nature of passionate love it is as an emotion more related to fire.  There are many other expressions such as the gentle love of a mother to child, the tender feeling of a child to its parents, the satisfying balance of shared friendship and a thousand opportunities life presents to us to love, to give and to share.

In realization of the highest spiritual form of love expression we extend beyond any particular focus of love into a degree of embracement of all life and this is the most refined gift the planet Venus can bring us. But it is rare. We must first prove our integrity by becoming incapable of defiling or debasing this most sacred emotion by being motivated by self satisfaction or self interest, and demonstrate that love is in the giving.

The placement of Venus in your Chart will certainly indicate where your material good fortune lies or the ease you experience in relationships, creative arts and home decoration. But beyond this, we bear in mind it is the symbol of that elusive harmony of energies we see as Beauty and feel as Love.

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In relation to the physical characteristics, this planet, nearest the Sun is named after the wing footed messenger of the Roman Gods. With a dizzying speed it orbits at 30 miles (48 km) per second. Its year is only 88 of our Earth days long.  

In contrast, its own rotation on its axis is very slow, with one rotation taking approximately 59 of our Earth days to complete.

Its crust appears to be silicate, similar to our Earth. The planet has an extremely weak magnetic field, which is thought may indicate a core of molten iron, if it is as rich in the mineral as geologists believe.

Its surface is covered with many craters. It has no atmosphere as we know it and there is no water known to exist on this tiny planet.

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Regarding the energies and subtle influence of the planet Mercury and how it affects a personal horoscope, the following ….

It symbolizes the mental talents and the capacity for human mind and consciousness to experience elevation and euphoric identification with the Divine or to sink to the lowest levels of abasement and depression. The observed rise and fall of the mercury in the barometer is a symbolic reminder of this. It is often likened to the weathervane, because of the extreme sensitivity of those who are responsive to it as a strong feature in their horoscope.

Mercury in the Chart gives an indication of the mental attitudes and intellectual skills of the individual according to the Sign in which it is placed at birth, and its relationship or aspect to the other planets.

It demonstrates the type of mentality, the natural interests and skills, pointing often to the careers likely to succeed, the powers of concentration and most importantly, the skills of communication of all kinds.

It is the natural ruler of the Signs Gemini and Virgo. Restlessness and the need for change and excitement are strong features of this planet.

Mercury’s position in the Houses indicates the main mental interests and activities of the individual.  A basic example would be, if placed in the 1^st house an indication of a great deal of thought and attention to personality and self interest;  in the 4^th house a strong

focus upon domestic life and security; in the 7^th house considerable interest in marriage, partnerships.

The aspects of Mercury to other Planets establishes a pattern of relationships between the energies and causes the resultant strength or weakness of the mind accordingly.

Harmonious aspects will increase the ability of the mind to direct the individual’s life safely to deal either with practical matters or thoughts of more abstract nature.

Mercury when strongly placed in a horoscope, helps strengthen communication abilities, literary skills, speech and ideologies of that person as well as indicating where best to apply studies and extension of knowledge.

In health matters it is traditionally held to affect the nervous system, lungs, tongue and the dexterity of hands.

The energies of Mercury encourage us to discover the potential power of our thought.

It is appropriate that the spirit of Mercury was seen as ‘the winged Messenger’ between heaven and earth just as our breath maintains the bridge between spirit and matter.

The classical medical symbol of the caduceus is the symbol of Mercury’s magic wand.

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In regard to the study of the heavenly bodies as affects us on Earth, Astrological studies focus upon understanding the influences of the planets – our Sun, Moon and Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.  A simple guide to help identify the dominant qualities of each –

SUN represents the Father figure, powerful, strong, and affecting creativity, magnanimity, rulership, nobility, light of truth and honesty, good fortune, vitality, and success. Its quality is simply a positive one.

MOON is the female or Mother figure, nurturing, protecting, gentle, mysterious, giving sensitivity and selflessness, ruling brain function and intuition, contributing imagination to the concentrative power of the Sun.

Together the Sun and Moon care for our earth and direct its fate much as parents do their children.Their inter-relationship is of prime importance when interpreting an astrological chart.

MERCURY has a mercurial influence affecting the rising and falling of our energies and our spirit. Its strongest influence is upon our minds and intellectual interests, our reasoning and our ideologies. It gives us powers of communication whether by speech or written word.

VENUS  is always associated with goodness, beauty and love. It is a harmonious planet that directs refinement, culture, melody and rhythmic cycles of dance and natural movement. It represents the comforts, ease and pleasures of life.

MARS is a planet of tremendous vitality and potential aggression  although acting  at best in defence of those at risk of harm or to defend true values. It is associated with the traditional qualities of knighthood but also with inability to control pure energy that results in anger and conflict.

JUPITER is the great planet of good fortune, wisdom, magnificence and grand scale plans and enterprises that are motivated by altruism and ideals for advancement of humanity. Great people and great events are under the influence of this planet.

SATURN  in contrast,  is the restrainer, setting limitations to our grand expansions of mind and activities. It is the figure of authority,  the teacher. Often called the influence of misfortune but this is not always appropriate. The rings of this mighty planet symbolize the spheres of life. It is known as the director of Karmic law and order.

URANUS  is electric and magnetic in its energies and so affects sudden changes and events. Its nature is unconventional and is associated with the unexpected. Its energy is identified with the Aquarian age ahead and man’s motivation to travel outward to the stars and to know the whole planetary ‘family’.

NEPTUNE is now known to affect subtle, spiritual events and evolutionary advancements and in human life, governs  the hypersensitivity of seers, psychics and visionaries. But it diffuses the personality and inclines the dreamer towards inspiration and the addict towards escapism.

PLUTO  Study of the planet Pluto and its affect upon earth people in particular has had brief time for conclusions other than the definite observations such as its powerful manifestation in events such as  mergers, unions, universal events, revolutions, and in destroying factors that inhibit success of the ultimate Divine Plan.

Learn more about the effect of the planets in each House or department of life.

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There are ongoing questions needing answers as we explore to the limits of our present capabilities the wonderful realities of the universe.

As we are identifying planets out in systems beyond ours, we also focus upon the question whether there are other previously unknown planets in our own Solar System, far out beyond Pluto or so close to the Sun that we cannot see them.

Recent publication in the New Scientist gives serious consideration to this subject and presents us with the image below  -

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We live in our home within our village, city, state, country, and geographic location on our planet Earth. Now we must consider a wider living space in our solar system and begin to understand our relationship with our planetary siblings and our central Sun . In this we are aided both by Astronomy and Astrology as we seek a balanced perspective.

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Astronomers in 2006 considered that our Sun developed 5 billion years ago from a vast cloud of cold hydrogen and old stardust in a sparsely populated region of the Milky Way. Now the Sun embodies 99.9 % of the mass in the solar System.

Whatever were its beginnings, humans have worshipped the Sun’s light and its power and have offered thanksgiving for the gift of life and fortune. From the earliest cultures established on our planet, astrologers have been an integral part of human society and it did not take much persuasion for people to accept that the Sun is indeed the living representative of the cosmic Creator and that its power is the source of all energy and light that beams upon our Earth and the neighbouring planets.

In modern Astrology the Sun symbolically represents male energy, the giver of Life, as the Moon is the reflector and sustainer of life. For our purposes in studying the heavenly bodies and their influence upon us, both the sun and the moon are embraced under the traditional system that groups them as ‘planets’.  So, although not in contradiction of Astronomical science and the realities of the nine known planets, in applying traditional methods of Astrology we exclude our Earth and refer to the ‘Planets’ as the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. We retain Pluto as a legitimate member of the planetary system. It may be small in size but great in energy.

We commence our study of the Planets with the Sun and the Moon, the powers that most obviously have influence upon our Earth – the constant Sun that shines by day and its partner the Moon that gently rules the night.

It is understandable that the Sun must take our first attention.  Its position in an individual birth chart is identified after verification of the exact time of birth. The zodiacal sign and its degree that is rising above the horizon at birth, shown at left on the horizontal of the circular chart and the degree is important. It allows all the twelve zodiacal signs to be accurately placed in succession in an anticlockwise order. The chart is best done by an experienced astrologer.

The general placement of the Sun position will be known by the day of the month of birth and most of us are aware of our zodiacal sign from an early age. It is the sign in which the Sun is positioned for the duration of a month but must be recorded in the specific degree of the 30degrees which that sign occupies in the chart.

Its influence can be described by reference to a number of positive qualities including intelligence, power, truth, creativity, goodness and fortune. These are modified or intensified according to the placement of the other planets.

We begin with learning the attributes related to our Sun Sign but the Moon is equally important., before learning of the influence of the other Planets.

   Our place in the Solar System 

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