The Role Of Planets in Astrology

The planets in our solar system play an important role in astrology. Analysis of them involves tracking their ovement across the sky. This is not a simple task, as their motions are varied – some take days or even weeks to record any changes in position. Furthermore, only five of the planets are visible to the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were discovered after the invention of the telescope, in 1781, 1846, and 1930, respectively. Together with Earth, they make up the nine planets of our solar system. It is interesting to note that when astrologers use the term “planets”, they include the Sun and Moon as well. Specifically, the Sun and Moon are referred to as “luminaries”. Listed below is a table of the planets, their astrological symbols and the corresponding
meanings, as claimed by astrologers.

Table of Astrological Characteristics of the Planets

Sun
(From “Making Sense Of Astrology’”)
Life force, self-esteem, power and ambition, authority
(the father); heart, circulation, eyes.
Moon
Sensitivity, inspiration, confusion, exaggeration;
chaos, psychology.

Mercury

Intellect, ability to adapt; nervous system, brain,
speech organs.
Venus

Emotions, eroticism, artistic ability, relationships,
world of art; organs of smell and touch.
Mars

Energy, desire, choleric temperament, courage, force,
military and technical world; muscular system, blood,
genitals.

Jupiter

Philosophical and religious thought, nomadic nature,
financial and judicial world; liver, lungs.
Saturn Concentration, melancholic temperament, earth, soil,
lonely places; bones, skin.
Uranus

Intuition, independence, engineering, revolution,
occultism.
Neptune
Fertility, metabolism, subconscious,consciousness, emotions (the mother); stomach, belly, uterus.

Pluto Turning points, crisis, death.
Unfortunately, the astrological meanings of the planets are derived from analogy, not from scientific study. It is clear that the names of the planets coincide with the names of Greco-Roman gods from antiquity, and each of these gods possessed their own attributes and ruled certain domains of life. The striking thing is that the attributes of the planets
agree with the characteristics and attributes of the Greco-Roman gods. For example, Mercury was commonly known as the god of commerce, and hence the planet Mercury rules commerce in astrology. It is the same with Venus, the goddess of love. The other analogies are derived similarly. Another interesting point to note is that classical astrology worked with only five planets (besides the Sun and the Moon). Only after the invention of the telescope did astrologers
assimilate the other three planets into their works.