Introduction to The Personal & Generational Planets and their Keywords.

The Planets are well known to most people. We all learn some Astronomy at school. This means we all know the names of the planets and where they sit in the solar system. We have all seen those charts and diagrams that illustrate the solar system. We are also familiar with photographic images of the various planets.

Astrology differs from Astronomy because Astrology attributes meaning to each of the planets. Astronomy only looks at data for the purposes of scientific definition. Astronomers tend to discount Astrology due to its empirical nature.

The Planets like the Signs describe energies, a rich symbolism that orders and describes the human condition on Earth. As with the Signs the Planets are grouped in various ways.  Astrological knowledge continually divides and groups the parts that make up the whole.

The Sun and Moon are described as the Luminaries. The Luminaries are essential keys to understanding the Natal Chart; they are the most personal energies in the chart. The Sun is the light and the Moon reflects the light of the Sun. The Sun is the pathway towards wholeness that we walk through life, with all its changes and milestones from birth to death. The Moon on the other hand is our feelings, emotions, moods and memories. In the Sun we also find the view the person has of their Father. In the Moon we find the view of the Mother.

The Planets are divided into two main groups - the inner planets and the outer planets. These are also described as Personal Planets and Generational Planets. The Personal Planets are; Mercury, Venus and Mars (Mars is an outer planet but is considered to be a personal energy). The Generational Planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

Personal Planets are as they suggest – they are personal energies. This is because they are close to the Sun and they move in shorter cycles as they orbit around the Sun. These Planets are in the signs for relatively short periods of time. Mercury describes how we communicate, Venus describes our relationships and Mars describes our physical energy.

The Generational Planets are further from the Sun and they take longer to orbit the Sun. Therefore they stay in one Sign for a much longer period of time. We can define the differences in generations by which signs the outer planets were in at the birth. These outer planets become personal when they are in aspect (mathematical relationship) to either of The Luminaries or The Personal Planets. Jupiter brings us luck and optimism and the need to learn by understanding. Saturn brings in issues such as limitations, restrictions, low self-esteem and a lack of confidence. Uranus brings in issues such as rebellion, chaos, lack of commitment and a lack of emotion. Neptune brings in issues concerned with loss, confusion, dis-illusion and over whelming emotion. Pluto brings in issues of power, control, secrecy and intense emotion.  

When Personal Planets are in aspect by conjunction, opposition or square to any of the outer planets: the issues associated to each pair or combination of planets will be the key issues facing the person over their lifetime. The Signs, The Houses and the other planets not involved with an outer planet tend to fall into the back ground of insignificance, in comparison to the strength of the personal to outer planetary pairs. The sign will give you flavour that it is sensitive to and the House will give the area of life that it plays out in. In other words the Sign and House are the costume and the stage that the characterisation of the planets play out in. 

The Info Graphics below are the Symbol for each Planet, the essential keywords and the Sign ruled by each planet. Learning the keywords for each planet is a good beginning when learning Astrology. The Planets are key to understanding the issues in a Natal Chart. 

The simple combination of the keywords listed in the Info Graphics (below) for each planet is one of the first steps in understanding how the energies of planetary pairs combine.