#astro basics

personal planets version

THE ESSENTIAL DIGNITIES:

domicile: the planet is in it's home sign (comfortable)

exaltation: the planet is elevated (comfortable)

detriment: the planet is opposite to the home sign (uncomfortable)

fall: the planet is opposite to the exalted sign (uncomfortable)

when a planet is in domicile or exaltation it means the planet is comfortable in the sign it is in. this results in:

the placement becoming powerful (strong)

the placement being "too much" (overabundance of the planet's energy)

when a planet is in detriment or fall it means the planet is uncomfortable in the sign it is in. this results in:

the placement becoming weak and poorly expressed

the placement becoming "embarrassed" with how to behave or express itself (leads to coping)

BRIEF EXPLANATIONS ON THE PERSONAL PLANETS:

☉ SUN - IDENTITY:

domicile in leo, exalted in aries

♡ why it's powerful: confident and focused on the self as the sun wants to be.

♡ why it's too much: self-absorbed and places themselves at the centre of attention and situations (without the consideration of others).

detriment in aquarius, fall in libra

♡ why it's weak - aquarius: focused on society, ideals and groups (other people) and not the self and only knows who they are in relation to (their knowledge on) these things (which is other people). feels left out - alienated or isolated, black sheep.

♡ why it's weak - libra: insecure and focused on other people and seeks approval from others to validate identity. self-unaware and only knows who they are in relation to other people (who they're around or who they idealise).

☽ MOON - EMOTIONS, COMFORT, SUBCONSCIOUS:

domicile in cancer, exalted in taurus

♡ why it's powerful: secure, unfiltered emotional expression. easily defined emotions which can be translated effectively - "predictable" and expected emotions. treats (takes care of and spoils) themselves easily. naturally trusting.

♡ why it's too much: overindulgent in order to seek comfort, doesn't easily understand different emotional expressions, ruled by their emotional life (moody to the outside world). naive and too easily emotionally attached.

detriment in capricorn, fall in scorpio

♡ why it's weak: hard relationship with the mother, insecure and restricted emotional expression. secretive and suspicious. afraid of allowing themselves to seek out comfort. doesn't form close connections easily.

☿ MERCURY - THINKING, COMMUNICATION:

domicile in gemini (extroverted expression) and virgo (introverted expression), exalted in aquarius

♡ why it's powerful: quick thinkers and active communicators. • gemini: easily communicates with all people • virgo: highly effective planners and clever strategists • aquarius: lightning bolt epiphanies, understands different forms of information easily.

♡ why it's too much - gemini (extroverted expression): talks too much and too quickly (misses words, tells stories in the wrong order, lies etc.). says the wrong thing, can't be silent (offends and overshares).

♡ why it's too much - virgo (introverted expression): too practical (overly focused on plans and details), nagging, particular, pedantic.

♡ why it's too much - aquarius: easily defined by their knowledge - god complex.

detriment in sagittarius and pisces, fall in leo

♡ why it's weak - sagittarius: meaning over facts (and turns personal experiences into facts), unable to explain themselves effectively and tells stories in a confusing way.

♡ why it's weak - pisces: says one thing but means another, naive communicators (can be easily lied to), logic easily swayed by emotions.

♡ why it's weak - leo: one-way communicators, doesn't understand what others are saying easily, dramatic and ineffective storytelling.

♀︎ VENUS - LOVE, CONNECTION, MATERIAL:

domicile in libra (extroverted expression) and taurus (introverted expression), exalted in pisces.

♡ why it's powerful - libra (extroverted expression): connects easily with others, easily understands others' needs and wants, sharing and fair to others.

♡ why it's powerful - taurus (introverted expression): understands security and earthly matters, understanding of and appreciation for beauty and aesthetics, naturally sensual.

♡ why it's powerful - pisces: easily able to connect and empathise with others, flexible and adaptable to the lives of others, sharing and giving.

♡ why it's too much: lacks independence (needs possessions or other people) • libra: people pleasers, overly focused on romance • taurus: hedonistic and hoarding (possessive) • pisces: easily loses themselves in others.

detriment in aries and scorpio, fall in virgo

♡ why it's weak: self-concerned, can't easily open up to others and share. • aries: too selfish for give and take with others • scorpio: love has conditions (can't naturally give of themselves) • virgo: too critical of other people, perfectionistic and unaccepting.

♂MARS - HOW WE GO AFTER WHAT WE WANT, INITIATIVE, INDEPENDENCE:

domicile in aries and scorpio, exalted in capricorn

♡ why it's powerful: go after what they want straightforwardly, stands up for themselves, good energy and not lethargic about their goals.

♡ why it's too much: selfish and goes after what they want at the expense of others. • aries: blunt and inconsiderate (their rights over your rights) • scorpio: easily jealous of others and revenge-seeking (wants to tear others down, their rights over your rights) • capricorn: ruthless. can be extremely malicious and cruel, doesn't care who they hurt to achieve their goals even more so than aries and scorpio.

detriment in libra and taurus, fall in cancer

you can understand the natal chart aspects by addressing it as basic maths.

for example: jupiter (expansion) conjunct (+) mars (anger) = expanded anger. people with this aspect often have dramatic, sometimes over-the-top reactions when angry and can be made mad easily, they feel anger quite strongly.

HOW TO DO IT YOURSELF

1. focus on how social and outer planets aspect TO the inner planets and luminaries.

for example: saturn (restriction) conjunct moon (emotions) more so means saturn restricts emotions not that the moon makes saturn emotional.

2. use the cheat key below:

luminaries:

sun: ego, self worth

moon: emotions

inner planets:

mercury: communication, intellect, thinking

venus: affection, love, social skills

mars: anger, passion, sex

social planets:

jupiter: expansion, optimism

saturn: fear, restriction, limitation (when understanding saturn it’s important to understand that the main reason saturn causes restriction is because it creates fear)

outer planets:

uranus: randomness, unconventionality, freedom

neptune: illusion, delusion, fuzziness, romanticism (rose-coloured glasses)

pluto: depth (intensity), darkness, obsession

3. use the cheat key below to factor in if the aspect has a positive or negative affect on the native:

trine, sextile is positive

conjunct is both

square, opposition and inconjunct (quincunx) is negative

for example: venus (affection) square jupiter (expansion) means the native can be over-the-top sweet and positive in a way that can seem off-putting, fake and almost even selfish and self-centred, as if they’re not reading the room properly to react appropriately.

a trine would mean the native is able to come across as sweet and positive in a way that is accepting, and seems generous and likeable. they can add an optimistic vibe to social situations and relationships that make people feel positive.

UNDERSTANDING CONFUSING EQUATIONS

the question now is what to do when things seem contradictory.

for example: does moon (emotions) square mercury (thinking, intellect, communication) make someone overly emotional in their thinking and communication or does it make someone over-intellectualise their emotions?

it’s a little complicated but there’s two answers:

1. both

2. which ever planet is more dominant

it’s both because just because something is contradictory doesn’t mean it can’t exist, people have contradictory (and unbalanced) personalities, so both conclusions will often be true to an extent.

however, the more “true” answer is whatever planet is more dominant. if someone has a stronger mercury then this person is going to over-intellectualise their emotions and appear unemotional and if someone’s moon is stronger then they’re going to have an overly emotional thinking and communication style and appear too emotional.

another example: jupiter (expansion) and saturn (restriction) seems contradictory but someone can have both expanded and dramatic emotions (moon) and feel as if they are restricted and unable to express them, especially when you factor in how saturn can add fear to the chart.

the ascendant is the window to your entire natal chart. it is the window in which the native "looks out" of to see the world and in which others "look in" to see the native.

it is the worldview, philosophy and chosen life map of the native, the ascendant is what your soul chose* for you to aid you in this lifetime so it is through the ascendant in which the natal chart operates. 

in more grounded terms this means the ascendant affects the native's entire approach to life, what they think is the correct way to live and what they think is valuable in living a fulfilling life. 

because the ascendant is our chosen life map it means the solar return ascendant is the main focus of a solar return - the sign your solar return ascendant is in shows what you will be forced to focus on throughout that year. 

you will usually have a deeper understanding or appreciation of the sign the ascendant was in when you solar return ends, having learnt the lessons you needed to. often you will also meet someone important that has their sun or moon in the same sign as your solar return ascendant that affects you in some way (even if they're only in your life for that year), or you will suddenly begin dealing a lot more with someone of that sign.

while the ascendant is complex, you can find the main themes of the ascendant simply by looking at what house the sign rules:

aries - first house: the self - assertion and expression of the self, beginnings, habits.

taurus - second house: self-worth, money, earthly pleasures (food, sex, material belongings), comfort, luxury, security, five senses, habits and work ethic.

gemini - third house: thinking, opinions and communication, theory work, siblings and close friends, community and neighbours (what's "close” to you), early education, short trips.

cancer - fourth house: where we come from, early life that shaped us (what shapes us - emotional and psychological foundations), self-care, home, family, subjective thinking, comfort zone and comfort (coziness).

leo - fifth house: joy, hobbies, creativity, romance (courtship stage), fun, games, spontaneity, sex, children, self-expression, vacations, gambling, fashion, drama and theatrics.

virgo - sixth house: service to others (needing to feel useful), being served, health and disease, fitness, pets, work habits, daily routine, organisation, analytical thinking, co-workers, work environment, self-improvement, labour, enemies, sacrifice (“selflessness” house).

libra - seventh house: one-to-one relationships, attraction and repulsion, sharing, politics, blind spot (where we are self unaware).

scorpio - eighth house: intimacy and merging (including sex), other people's resources and shared money, death and transformation (rebirth), taboo, mystery (and deception), deep emotions.

sagittarius - ninth house: experience, expansiveness, higher education, religion and philosophy (continued learning and search for meaning - the need for something bigger than one's self), travel, wisdom, ethics, cross-cultural understanding.

capricorn - tenth house: career, achievement, longterm goals, purpose, public relations, public perception and social standing, reputation (needing a "brand" - what we want to be seen as), responsibility, authority figures.

aquarius - eleventh house: collective consciousness, groups, friends (acquaintances and networking), organisations, hopes, dreams, wishes, society and social awareness, technology and internet, humanitarianism, idealism.

pisces - twelfth house: dreams, unconscious, subconscious, spirituality, secrets, sacrifice, solitude, enemies, confinements, hidden things, self-undoing, confusion, karma, deep emotions, impressionability.

i recommend checking your previous solar return ascendant and asking yourself where life kept taking you and what you learnt, seeing how it relates to you - i believe this can help give you deeper understanding of the ascendant overall, both natal and solar return.

tw: mentions of abuse

this post is focused on the common negative manifestations of the harder moon signs to help understand them better.

the moon represents your mother, childhood and occasionally older sisters or grandmothers. the moon is fallen in scorpio and in detriment in capricorn. these are factually the worst moon signs and are associated with a difficult upbringing. other difficult moon signs are: aries, gemini and libra. notable mentions: sagittarius, pisces. moon signs are both perception and reality.

COMMON CHILDHOOD MANIFESTATIONS

moon in scorpio (fall)

theme: emotional suffering

being an only child, outright abusive mother, the mother is being abused, the mother is unable to cope with a loss (and is therefore not able to nurture the child without interference of her own pain), the native is sent to boarding school/overseas homestay, an older sibling (sister) is unwell (and the mother is forced to focus on her and not the native), the native becomes overly sensitive to guilt tripping, the child witnesses the mother often emotionally manipulate others or knows she keeps many secrets.

moon in capricorn (detriment)

theme: restriction

being the eldest child, extreme strictness that allows no freedom, the mother forces the native to maintain a certain weight, the native is forced to overwork in some way (exercise, study, chores), the mother is invasive of the child’s privacy, since the mother is tense and unapproachable it means emotions are frowned upon - the vibe of, ‘stop crying or i’ll give you something to cry about’, the child witnesses the mother being strict on herself and the other parent often.

moon in aries

theme: forced independence

only or eldest child, the mother is absent or the native is left on their own often, the mother is always working, the native doesn’t see their mother and lives with a grandparent or another relative, the native had to do things on their own very young (walk to school, make dinner or school lunch, clean etc.), a strict household which causes the native to make their own decisions secretly, the native often feels they aren’t rewarded unless they really fight for it, the native often witnesses the mother treat others very aggressively, the child works to earn money from a young age, the native is sent to boarding school/overseas homestay. (think of matilda from matilda)

moon in gemini

theme: emotional neglect

having a young mother or alternatively being the youngest child, emotionally distracted mother, the mother is more of a friend than parent (this can also manifest as having a sister who is a lot older), the mother has lots of friends and is really social at the expense of the child, the native has a lot siblings or family that get more attention, the mother is lax but distant and forgetful so the native is left to their own devices, the native often gets confusing and conflicting messages from the mother causing a confusing and conflicted image of the mother. (think kevin from home alone).

moon in libra

theme: repression

image and family honour is considered extremely important, ‘putting on a good show’ is considered extremely important, the native is expected to adhere to certain beauty standards and maintain a certain weight, there is an overemphasis on manners at the expense of the native’s emotions, the mother is aggressive but aggression back is heavily punished (the native gets used to the mother taking things personally in general), the native is taught that finding a partner is important or grows up watching the mother focus on this a lot, the native often witnesses the mother backstabbing or gossiping about others.

moon in sagittarius and pisces is also somewhat often associated with difficult childhoods and can have some common negative manifestations, though these moon signs would not overall be considered negative.

- No question about the past

- Questions must start with 'will I' 'should I' 'are they'

- Ascendant must be between 3°-27°

- the MOON is the main thing to look at (if it's void, no answer)

- Saturn in an angular houses won't produce good results

Hii, you need to check where are the planets (for example the full moon or Mercury retrograde) transiting in your natal chart.

So when it comes to the full moon, you check the transits for the exact time and day when the moon is at its fullest. When it comes to Mercury, you check from the day it turns retrograde to the day it goes direct.

My favorite site for transits is this one. It’s super simple and easy to navigate!

If you know your natal chart by heart, then you dont really need to use the calculator to know where are each plants at the moment. For example, you know that a full moon is happening at 10degrees of Cancer and your 5th house starts at 2degrees of Cancer, so you know that the full moon is happening in this house etc.

Hey babe, I unfortunately don’t have any books to recommend because I learned everything from the internet!

If you are a complete beginner, I recommend cafeastrology.com. You can draw your chart there and see the explenation of everything you need to know.

I also recommend breaking your chart down and looking up everything little by little. So for example, look up what your ascendant sign means, what does the combination of a planet in a specific sign a house means etc.

I find starting from your own chart the easiest way to learn because you can apply it to yourself. After understanding my chart, I already understood how astrology works and could apply that to other chart and learn more meanings of different combinations, if that makes sense.