CHAPTER 3
The Planets and Their Meanings
Planets are the focal points through which the radiations from the Sun pour forth upon the earth, and as they revolve about the Sun the angle of that radiation changes. In the spring that angle is such that life is renewed. It surges forth. It is the most dynamic time of growth whether it be the spring of the year, or whether it be youth, the springtime of an individual. In the summer the angle changes. The Sun is higher in the heavens; it is hotter. It dries and heats, not because the Sun is nearer the earth, for it's farther from the earth at the summer solstice, but because of the angle of its radiations. In the fall the angle has again changed, and life begins to withdraw. Thus, it is the change of the angles that causes the seasons.
The earth planets are seven in number: the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. Think of them as great planetary beings that have charge of the evolution of the earth. They are the seven spirits before the throne of God mentioned in Revelation in the Bible. Their energies play ceaselessly and directly upon the earth. As the evolution of the earth has progressed, great beings were called from outer space to step up its progress. These beings wear the vestures of the planets we call Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Uranus (intuition) is the higher octave of Mercury (intellect). Neptune (divine compassion) is the higher octave of Venus (personal affection). Pluto (regeneration) is the higher octave of Mars (animal energy).
PLANETARY SYMBOLS AND THEIR MEANINGS
The basic symbols of the planets are represented by the
The circle represents that which is boundless, eternal, infinite, without beginning and without end. It is often represented by the serpent swallowing his own tail.
The crescent represents the personality, half the circle, the outer aspect of being.
The cross, wherever this is found, symbolizes earth living; the opposition of the human and the divine. It is the signature of this planet for this is called the Planet of the Sorrowful Star. We are the rebel angels that set our will against the Will of God in order to learn to be Gods in our own right. Man, when he stands upright and extends his arms is in the form of a cross. When the outer self becomes the reflector of the true self, then we can truly say “I and my Father are One” and can understand the meaning of the phrase, “No man cometh to the Father except through me.” The “me” is the personality that has to become the servant of the High Self. In the Aquarian Age this will come about through the redemption and mastery of the personality rather than by crucifying it.
The symbol of the Sun is 
The circle represents the eternal self that did not start here and does not finish here on earth. The dot in the middle represents the divine spark at the center of every living cell; the “light” which lighteth every man which cometh into the world. It is the point of Light at the center of every living cell.
In the blueprint the Sun represents the main expression of the individual—the heart and core of beingness. The Sun has a different effect on individuals born at different times of the year. According to the sign and house in which the Sun is placed we are able to judge the general vitality and physique, the qualities of leadership and the individual's ability to be successful in life. Where the Sun is placed by house is where the ability to make a significant contribution to life lies.
In a personal chart the Sun represents:
The basic drive for significance.
A powerful Sun means very great power to do and to be.
The will.
Male relationships in female charts, especially the father.
Vital energy coming from the etheric levels. Prana.
Fuel on which the total personality operates.
Urge for power.
Constitutional strength.
Rules the heart and spine in the physical body.
Rules the sign, Leo, and is natural ruler of the fifth house.
The symbol of the Moon is 
The half circle is the symbol of the personality. It, like the Moon in the physical sky, has no light of its own but must shine by the reflected light of the Sun. The personality acts, or should, as a reflector of our true selves, the Sun. The Sun is the greater Light and the Moon is the lesser Light. The periodical ebb and flow of energy in and on the earth is produced by the combined electrical and magnetic forces of the Sun and Moon. The ebb and flow of emotional tides are shown in the blueprint by the Moon. Where the Moon is placed by house is where our emotions have full away.
In a personal chart the Moon represents:
Personality.
Subconscious self.
Feelings and receptivity.
Mother and female influences in a male chart.
Femininity.
Memory.
The habit patterns of the past.
Mass consciousness—the public (ruled by emotion, not reason).
Functional power of the body.
Stomach and breast in the physical body.
Rules the sign Cancer and the natural ruler of the fourth house.
The symbol of Mercury is 
Here the three symbols are shown; the cross, symbol of earth manifestation; the circle, symbol of spirit; and the crescent, the cup that symbolizes the uplifted personality.
Mercury is the planet ruling intellect and intelligence; the mind, not the brain mechanism that is ruled by the Moon. Mercury is the link between heaven and earth. Both are within us. The mind is the link between the soul and the personality. Mercury has rulership over the nervous system. All communication, within and without, is possible only through Mercury. He is called the “Messenger of the Gods” for he travels ceaselessly and does not travel a one-way street. He tends to excite activity. He uses everything in the outer as well as the inner world as grist for growth and progress. Mercury is neither male nor female but a neutral planet that acts as a mirror to reflect whatever is in its vicinity. In insanity he withdraws from the magnetic field and the connection between the soul and the body is severed. Wherever Mercury is placed in the birthchart is the area where attention and awareness must be focused and techniques and skills learned.
In a personal chart Mercury represents:
Intellect and intelligence.
Logic and reasoning power.
Perception.
Communication.
Speaking and writing.
Educational capacity.
Brothers and sisters.
Techniques and skills.
Youth.
hort journeys.
In the physical body it rules nerves, lungs, shoulders, arms and hands.
Mercury rules two signs, Gemini and Virgo, and is the natural ruler of the third and sixth houses.
The symbol of Venus is 
The circle of spirit above the cross represents the spirit overcoming matter through love. Venus is the power of cohesion and attraction and draws things together in a synthesis.
Venus draws to itself through the magnetic attracting power of love. It is a feminine receptive force and never compels issues. Venus uses the power of persuasion in a quiet, gentle way. It rules personal affection where the higher octave of Venus, Neptune, rules divine compassion.
In a personal chart Venus represents:
Social urges.
Affection.
Beauty.
Values—what we appreciate.
Art.
Attraction and cohesion.
Melody and song. Love of luxury.
Rules the venous blood, in the higher creative centers the throat and larnyx.
Venus rules two signs and two houses: Taurus and the second house, the earthy and materialistic Venus; Libra and the seventh house, the cultured and esthetic Venus.
The symbol of Mars is 
The symbol of spirit held down by matter gives an indication that Mars rules the animal self, not yet redeemed by the inner self. There was a time when the symbol was made in this fashion—
—showing the complete subjection of the spirit to matter. Now the energy, like the arrow, can be magnificently used by the spirit to raise the animal energy to the level of spirit.
Mars is a positive, outgoing, outthrusting energy, masculine in expression. He tends to scatter matter for he drives from the center of the self outward. Mars has a great deal to do with the physical self for it rules the human animal. On the emotional level Mars gives the drive to our feelings. When feelings are activated Mars is as responsible for courage as he is for temper. The energy is the same. It is the USE of it that names it. Essentially Mars is fire; without the fire of life and an enthusiasm and passion for livingness there is no vitality. Where Mars is placed in the natal chart is where there is great energy that can bring strife and tension if it is not handled properly.
In a personal chart Mars represents:
Courage.
Dynamic energy.
Aggressive urges.
Strife, war.
Activity.
Combativeness,
Struggle.
Sports.
Mechanical ability.
Initiative.
Selfishness.
Passion.
Rules two signs: Aries and the first house (sign of beginnings)
and Scorpio and the eighth house (sign of death, endings).
The symbol of Saturn is 
The symbol shows the cross of manifestation above the crescent; the Moon or personality held down by the cross. The only portion of ourselves that can be crucified is the dark self—the personality. Saturn can not touch YOU—only the mask which you wear. All restraints and limitations imposed by Saturn are really in the individual himself. The world of appearance is a mirror in which we see reflected our own nature.
Saturn is called the oldest of the gods and to this angel was given the rulership of the earth (the personality). Saturn represents the first law of manifestation; the law of limitation. Saturn focalizes or concentrates energy. Saturn is called Father Time and the Reaper, for time brings all manifestation to an end. It is also called the planet of necessity for it demands acceptance of the material world as the temporary proving ground for the spirit.
Wherever Saturn is placed by house or sign, the keynote is Conservation. Saturn is not the creator of our difficulties or successes. But as each individual sets the creative processes in motion, Saturn relentlessly brings back to the individual his own creation. Saturn shows the weaknesses and lacks in the character so they can be changed into strengths. In the birthchart Saturn is the ruler of the ego, for it collects and retains the impression made upon the consciousness through experience. It gathers the fruit of every experience and builds it into soul power. Saturn builds in time for eternity. In understanding the mission of Saturn lies the solution to the mystery of life. Saturn builds walls around the self until it is strong enough to stand without them. It is a constricting, contracting influence until the soul is strong enough to break down the selfishness and separateness in him and go free.
Saturn rules the signs, Capricorn and Aquarius; signs that are not concerned with generation and the vital animal forces. Capricorn rules the knees and Aquarius rules the ankles; the two parts that enable the body to bend and to move forward. Capricorn rules the bony structure, the skeleton on which all the rest of the body is suspended. Rigidity and flexibility are ruled by Saturn. Kneeling, the power to bend, is a sign of humility, reverence and obedience, and these qualities are the antithesis of the Martian spirit of aggressiveness and combativeness. The movement of the joints in walking enables the person to move forward. Man's upright position is possible through the scaffold (the skeleton) that enables him to stand upright
In the ancient mysteries Saturn (or Satan) was represented as the Tester, and tried the person's endurance until he grew strong enough, as a soul to withstand the demands of the personality. Saturn's job is to destroy the old, the outworn forms in order to build a better structure on a higher level. In Hindu astrology, Saturn is related to the God, Shiva, the destroyer. Saturn's mission is to destroy all that is outgrown in the personality. The destroyers have to break down the past before the builders can come. In this era of time it helps to remember that the old age of Pisces is outmoded and outgrown and Saturn is destroying the old forms in order that new energy (through Aquarius) can come in. Astrology gives the clue as to what is happening in the world of today. Saturn does not bind forever, due to its being the law of limitation. It builds the circle that holds us in until we are strong enough to break the wheel and go free. Saturn is the bridge between the animal self and the real Self, the spirit.
Saturn is called the Lord of Karma and, inasmuch as it shows the area (house) and qualities (signs and aspects) which we need to change and redeem, it is. The Hindus speak of Dharma as one's duty of responsibility in life. That is what Saturn represents in the birthchart. It indicates where our responsibilities lie and what our life's lessons must be. Saturn is the individual's approach to life; where he has to accept the responsibility of making his own world according to the conditions that Saturn defines. Saturn indicates the places where he must conform and accept if he would know security, within and without. Where Saturn begins (by house) in the chart is where the individual must begin. Where Saturn operates by transit is where, by necessity, the individual must submit to tests and trials. The house in which Saturn is placed at birth is where the individual must start his structure of security, responsibility and self-sufficiency.
Saturn in Fixed signs shows the stability of the ego, its power to resist pressure from without. In a Cardinal sign, Saturn shows the power to change through becoming immersed in activity. In a Mutable sign Saturn's power to be adaptable helps but too often there is too much indecisiveness and not enough strength to overcome conditions.
Saturn is directly concerned with character building and is one of the greatest angels in the universe. This angel was given the hardest job of all; to test and try man's soul until he learned to break his self- imposed bonds and go free. When man uses the Saturn force negatively he is filled with selfishness and fear. He who is selfish must know fear. These are the siamese twins of consciousness; one can not live without the other. Love, that asks nothing but to give, is the antidote for an afflicted Saturn.
In a personal chart Saturn represents:
Time.
Safety urges.
Discipline.
Principle of contraction and crystallization.
Organization.
Ambition.
Limitation and delay.
Old age.
Wisdom gained through experience.
Self-preservation.
Rules bones, skin and teeth in the physical body.
Rules Capricorn and the tenth house in its feminine aspect and
Aquarius and the eleventh house in its positive expression.
The symbol for Jupiter is 
Here the personality is risen above the cross and is no longer confined by it. Jupiter has rulership over the superconscious Self in each and every earthchild. Nothing can confine, restrict or limit that Self. This is the Self that was supposed to be in command for that Self is eternally one with the Divine. But the personality took over and no longer was it the Will of the Father in Heaven (the positive pole—the Spirit) but “let my will not Thine be done.” And so began the difficulties on this planet of the Sorrowful Star.
In a personal chart Jupiter represents:
Principle of expansion.
Aspiration and inspiration.
Superconscious Self.
Understanding.
Prosperity and abundance.
Faith and optimism.
Religion and philosophy.
Friendliness.
Judgment.
Rules cell growth, the arterial blood and the liver in the physical body. By house, the area where your fulfillment lies. Natural ruler of Sagittarius and the ninth house, and is coregent with Neptune in Pisces and the twelfth house.
The symbol for Uranus is 
The symbol of Uranus is composed of two moons or pillars, one human and one divine, back to back. These two are joined together by the four-armed cross of matter, with the circle of spirit (the Sun) pushing them to higher levels.
Uranus is the symbol of the highest energy of all. It symbolizes the Sun behind the Sun. The American Indians called the Sun a hole in the sky. They knew intuitively that there was a greater Sun behind our physical Sun. In mythology Uranus was given rulership over heaven while Saturn was given rulership of the earth. Uranus is the planet of destiny and is the only planetary energy you cannot control. The only thing you can control is your reaction to it.
Uranus, higher octave of Mercury, represents intuition that comes like lightning in a flash of knowingness. It is the planet that rules astrology for it gives insight into the cosmic laws that concern the relationship of man and the solar system. Only those who have an angular Uranus (1st, 4th, 7th or 10th houses) or have Uranus configurated with the Sun, Moon or Mercury are true Uranians. Most Aquarians are more Saturnian than Uranian and this will puzzle you unless you understand that the New Age egos will have Uranus, not Aquarius, prominently located. The test of Saturn (discipline and responsibility) must be passed before we know the freedom inherent in Uranus. Otherwise liberty means license, not freedom.
In the birthchart Uranus represents: Freedom. Independence. Originality and genius. Individualism.
Unexpected, sudden and unpredictable changes.
Rebelliousness.
Electricity.
Cosmic consciousness. Transformation. The Divine will. Inventions.
Co-ruler with Saturn in Aquarius and natural ruler of the eleventh house.
The symbol for Neptune is 
The symbol for Neptune shows the cross piercing the cup of personality in order to set it free to manifest on a level above selfish pursuits. Neptune's keyword is ‘Serve or Suffer.’ The choice is yours but choose you must. It was the Neptunian Master of the Piscean Age that said, “He who loses himself (his personality) shall find himself (the soul).”
Neptune's vibration is not of the earth, earthy. It rules the next dimension and is an elusive, mysterious and subtle emanation. It is a pervading energy that seeps into the consciousness. Neptune is the mystic where Uranus is the occulist. Neptune works through feeling and the imagination. It gives mediumistic ability and psychic powers. In some charts it gives a strong dislike of facing reality. It prefers to dream rather than to act. Where Uranus is too positive in insisting that his ideas be put into action (often prematurely), Neptune is too negative and procrastinating to put his ideas into operation. It is a feminine vibration where Uranus is a masculine one.
In a personal chart Neptune represents:
Obligation—in whatever area it is placed in the blueprint, one
must serve the universal whole.
Sensitivity.
Psychic and mystical capacity.
Cosmic consciousness that comes through devotion and feelings.
Chaos or Cosmos.
Dreams, night or day.
Material bondage.
Illusion and disillusion.
Deception.
Alcohol, drugs, anesthesia.
Suffering.
Divine compassion.
Ed. note: For the discussion of Pluto, see Chapters 32–39. For the meaning of the symbol of Pluto, see pp. 284 and 287.