Although most of us talk about the position of our Sun sign at the time we are born, we often forget to look at the ruling planet for that Sun sign and see exactly where it was at the time of birth. Both the Sun sign and the rising sign should be taken into account when looking at ruling planets. Actually, according to sidereal astrology, the lunar position is also as important if not more important than the Sun and rising sign.
The problem with year market astrology is that the Sun sign which only comprises of twelve, is often taken as the be all and end all of character analysis and also future forecasting. This is just so limited and gives sceptics open slather to decry astrology and rightly so. The Sun sign position can only at best give a general approximation of character and the events that come. Yes we can get a general idea of what is going on but it’s far better to calculate your horoscope based on the time and place you were born. In this way we can glean so much more information and this then takes into account not just the Sun’s position but also the position of all the other planets.
As an example, let’s look at someone who was born with a Sun sign Virgo. Virgo is ruled by Mercury and depending on where this particular planet is at birth it will modulate Virgo accordingly. Mercury can be found in any of the 12 signs with its best position being Virgo itself with its worst being Pisces. If you were to read most of the Sun sign analysis of Virgo it would be clear that those born under this sign of the Virgin are intellectual, calculating and exacting in their opinions of others. Their minds are sharp but they do tend to be hypercritical of others and perfectionist in the way they approach their relationships and life generally. If however this ruling planet Mercury, was to be found in the sign of Pisces we would see an altogether different expression of Mercury as Pisces is its sign of debilitation. A planet which is debilitated does not function as it should and so therefore this particular Virgo native would not exhibit traits which would generally are attributed to it. In fact, this person’s mind would be unclear, scattered and highly emotional. The rational and deductive elements, the earthiness of Virgo would be all but missing due to the influence of the Pisces the water sign.
Another important point which is often overlooked in determining character are the aspects from different planets to the ruling planet. In the above example let’s assume that Mercury is in the water sign of Pisces but also aspected by Mars from let’s say a 90° angle in Sagittarius. This will produce problems, confusion and even a tendency to misrepresenting the truth. The reverse of this is that the person can be taken advantage of because they are unable to clearly decide what the truth of the situation is. Therefore, you can see how general Sun sign readings are but how in-depth and intricate the analysis is particularly if there are several other planets simultaneously aspecting this ruling planet. Sometimes the planets doing the aspecting are diametrically opposed in nature and this is when it becomes tricky to find out exactly how the ruling planet will function. The character likewise becomes all that more complex to decipher.
I always take great pains to explain to people that apart from the technical analysis of a horoscope the astrologer must indeed have a keen intuitive sense, not unlike a doctor. Having a good grasp of technical elements is necessary but no substitute for sharp and intuitive insight. When the astrologer combines both the client will confidently feel that the astrologers assessment will be correct.
The ruling planet itself has certain unique qualities which are expressed irrespective of the sign that it is placed in. The following is a brief rundown on each planet and their general functioning attributes-
- Sun – full of energy, vitality and life. Bright and successful if placed in good signs and well-aspected
- Moon – sensitive, changeable and intuitive. Great imagination but a tendency to be too impressionable
- Mercury – excellent communications, fast and quick grasp of the situation, malleable and an excellent impersonator
- Venus – loving, sensitive and artistic. Concerned with financial security and an excellent social networker
- Mars – aggressive, dynamic and somewhat arrogant. Courageous fighter and able to win against all odds
- Jupiter – intuitive, expansive and jovial disposition. A philosopher and someone who is lucky but at times exaggerates
- Saturn – able to concentrate, slow mover and sometimes prone to a serious disposition
- Uranus – progressive, able to do things differently, colourful character and maybe even sometimes harmlessly mad
- Neptune – psychic, spiritual and able to heal others but with a tendency to become the victim when trying to play the saviour
- Pluto – ruthless, transformative, great insight into others but also interested in power and its use or abuse
Each of the 12 signs of the Zodiac is ruled by one or other of these planets and as you can see the meanings are rather general. Depending on which sign of the Zodiac each of these planets is located its colour will change, very much in the way that the colour on the palette of an artist are mixed and blended with others to produce completely different colours. This is the way in which the ruling planet’s position and also aspects from other planets determine its actual expression.
To determine the rising sign and ruling planet it is essential to calculate the chart based upon a known birth time, latitude and longitude. If the time of birth is not known we must rely on a sunrise chart or perhaps a lunar chart to determine the nuances of the person’s character and destiny.
Related Articles: The Planets
About the author…..
Dadhichi Toth, is one of Australia’s most respected astrologers and face readers and is also the founder and CEO of www.astrology.com.au. Having 32 years practical experience in the field with more than 10,000 personal consultations to his credit — including celebrity, corporate and political clientele — Dadhichi is also an author having written the annual best-selling Astrology Forecast series for Harlequin Mills and Boon for nine years. Dadhichi can be contacted at [email protected]
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