The essence
of astrology lies in understanding the meaning of the planets.
The meaning of the sign houses, aspects and other astrological
factors are determined by the planets that rule and Significate
them. Astrology is nothing but the science of the planets, as
the forces of the stars manifest through them.
Astrological
thinking is planetary thinking, using the planets as Significator,
and encompassing all domains of life and the evolution of consciousness.
Most of the action that we perform in life follows the nature
of the planets that dominates us.
The Sun and
the Moon, the two great luminaries, are the most important planets;
next in importance are mars, Jupiter and Saturn as the major
planets beyond the orbit of the Earth. Then come Venus and Mercury
as the major planets within the orbit of the Earth and always
close to the Sun.
Description
of Planets
THE
SUN
The Sun is God,
the Divine incarnate in nature. According to the solar religion
of the Vedas, the Sun is the Atman, the Self of the entire universe.
The Sun is the Divine Being who dwells in the hearts of all
beings as the true Self. The Sun symbolizes cosmic intelligence,
pure consciousness or the enlightened Mind.
It brings to us the Light, life and love from all the stars,
whose children we are. All the planets shine with the reflected
light of the Sun; they represent different solar rays. There
is only one real light, which is the Sun, which is all lights,
and which is inwardly the light of the mind. The Sun rules the
heart, the organ of circulation and vitality. And a weak Sun
may give problems with that organ. The Sun represents the ego.
It shows our impulses towards power, prestige, fame, honour.
It gives the power of independence. It promotes the growth of
intelligence.
THE
MOON
The Moon is
its creative force. It was born from the mind. The Moon shows
the mind, which is our dependent, reflective, usually conditioned
consciousness.
The Moon like the Sun is a sattvic or spiritual planet. It gives
faith, love, openness, surrender, peace and happiness. People
with such a spiritual Moon usually have a strong connection
with a traditional religion and may have had monastic past lives.
The Moon can be easily influenced and overcome by other planetary
energies. Rahu can cloud it or cause us to lose power over our
minds. It has love and friendliness for all. Such a benefic
Moon is found in the charts of doctors, healers or psychologists,
as well as good mother and wives.
MARS
Mars is the
great planet of energy. He relates to our passions, our emotional
and vital capacity for self-protection. A strong Mars provides
us the energy, independence, will and self-confidence to carry
our endeavours. A good Mars is necessary for physical strength
and athletic performance. It gives sexual vitality to the male.
The lawyer, politician and scientist need such a strong Mars.
Mars directs us to the yogas of knowledge and energy, and gives
self-discipline and asceticism. A strong and spiritual Mars
is good for the practice of rituals and yogic techniques.
MERCURY
In Sanskrit,
Mercury is Buddha, which means intelligence and cognition, and
relates to the buddhi, the faculty of determination whereby
we discern the real from the unreal. Mercury governs writings,
education, calculation, and directed thought. He is the fastest
moving of the planets and thus is indicative quick comprehension,
facility, ease and plasticity in expression. Mercury provides
for the quick correlation of ideas. Mercury is an important
factor for determining our vocation, for that is what we do
in life to communicate with others: our vocation is our interchange
with society. Mercury is very important in modern culture and
represents one of its most beneficial powers – the need
to establish open communication that must lead to a world culture.
Telephone, radio, television, and computers are products of
Mercurial needs, aligned with the engineering capacity of Mars.
JUPITER
In Sanskrit,
he is called Guru, the spiritual teacher or the guide. He signifies
dharma, the law of our inner nature, which is the law of creative
evolution and self-realisation. Jupiter is the planet of intelligence
– not the intellect that depends upon information or refined
discernment. Jupiter is the planet of creativity. He signifies
outer creativity, such as our children. From Jupiter the state
of our children is to be ascertained – their number, sex,
health, and relationships with them. Jupiter represents joy
in living, the positive spirit. Jupiter is the planet of luck,
grace, favour and fortune. He gives wealth, abundance, prosperity
and success. Jupiter likes music and can indicate musical talent.
He likes shows, ceremonies, parades and rituals. On a higher
level, Jupiter indicates the priest and is concerned with propriety,
formality and hierarchy. Jupiter shows our devotion and dedication
in life, As such, it often signifies the husband in a woman’s
chart.
