So far, you’ve learned how to read the glyphs for the 10 planets of astrology, and then used these to discover the location of the planets on your birth chart. You also know which zodiac sign each of your planets is in, as well as the element it’s in, its quality and its polarity. Now you’re going to find out more about the planets themselves. On your chart, the planets are like ‘characters’, and they bring it to life.
The word planet means ‘wanderer’, and indeed the planets are ever-moving. They revolve around the Sun and as they do so, they travel through the 12 signs of the zodiac. They do this at very different, and entirely predictable, speeds.
Here’s an indication of the length of time each planet takes to travel through the zodiac:
The Sun – one year
The Moon – 27⅓ days
Mercury – a rotational cycle of around 88 days. Note that because of retrograde motion (retrogrades are explained in Chapter 10), Mercury takes about a year to travel around the zodiac. It’s in a sign for between 14 and 30 days. Mercury is never more than 28 degrees from the Sun.
Venus – a rotational cycle of around 225 days. Venus is retrograde every 18 months or so, and therefore takes about a year to traverse the zodiac. Note that Venus is never more than 48 degrees from the Sun.
Mars – a rotational cycle of around 687 days. Mars stays in each sign for about two months, except when retrograde (see Chapter 10).
Jupiter – around 12 years
Saturn – around 29 years
Uranus – around 84 years
Neptune – around 165 years
Pluto – around 248 years
Note that it actually takes 26,000 years for all the planets to be back in the same relationship that they were on any previous date. So, with the exception of people born within a few minutes of you in the exact same place, no one will have exactly the same chart as you for another 26,000 years. Where the planets were when you were born forms your horoscope chart, and the personality, assets and challenges with which you came into the world.
In astrology, the planets represent different parts of you. So, for example, your Sun is the part of you that likes to shine and show off, while Venus is the part of you that loves and spends, and Mars is the part of you that argues.
As you can see, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are all very slow-moving planets – Pluto, for example, stays in each sign for between 14 and 30 years. These planets therefore shape entire generations of people, and as a result, they are often called ‘generational planets’. For example, we speak of the Pluto in Leo generation (1939 to 1957) who brought us rock and roll and peaceful protests.
Generational planets is a subject you can explore further if you decide to delve deeper into astrology, but in a nutshell, and to reiterate the point made above, the faster-moving inner planets in a birth chart vary from one person to the next, even if they were born just a few days or weeks apart, whereas the slower-moving generational planets define generations, as they change signs far less frequently.
For example, you could have the Sun in Aquarius, Mercury in Pisces and Venus in Capricorn, and a friend born a few weeks after you could have a Pisces Sun and Mercury and Venus in Aries, but you both may have Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto in the same sign. Neptune, say, takes 165 years to go around the zodiac – so the chances are high that someone born within the same five or 10 years as you will have Neptune in the same sign (and thus element) as you.
If you’re lucky enough to live in a place where it’s dark enough at night to see the sky properly, embrace it. Go outside and take a look at the stars and the planets. You can see Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn with the naked eye. The stars twinkle, the planets don’t really. Better still, visit an observatory and check out the planets through a powerful telescope. There are also some excellent apps around (among them Starwalk) that will identify the planets when you hold your phone up to the sky.
When you start practising astrology, it’s all too easy for the planets to become almost purely theoretical symbols you read without ever lifting your eyes heavenwards. I highly recommend getting outside at night, seeing what you can see, and also just feeling the wonder at having the heavens beaming down on you. As you probably know, we are all made of stardust! I would also highly recommend doing a basic astronomy course, if you get really serious about astrology. You’ll find it highly useful.
What follows is a description of the general characteristics and traits of the 10 planets used in modern astrology – those we’re working with in this book as we decode your chart. After you’ve read and digested each planet’s description, grab the printout of your birth chart and follow the instructions in the Take it back to your birth chart exercises.
Note that once again we’re using keywords, this time for the planets. Start to get a feel for these as you read on, and try to memorize them. The keywords remind you of what a planet ‘does’ or represents in your chart. For example, Mercury is the communications planet and is about how we talk and listen, while Venus is the love planet and shows us how we love, and so on.
Each planet also has positive and negative expressions. For example, the Sun is all about confidence, so if we’re in a positive state of mind and living our best life (i.e. ‘living positively’), we’ll shine brightly, but if we’re in a negative state of mind (i.e. ‘living negatively’), that confidence can topple over into arrogance. Note that some of the keywords will make more sense once you start to work more deeply with astrology and start to make predictions.
Living positively: The self; self-image; willpower
Living negatively: Ego; vanity; selfishness
This is what dictates your Star (Sun) sign. Your Sun is the essential you – your Self. It represents your ego. It shows your levels of confidence and where your focus is, in this lifetime. The Sun is in many ways the driving force in your chart. It’s the centre of the planetary system: the giver of light and life. It’s heroic and it likes to take centre stage.
Wherever the Sun is in your chart – in a particular sign and house – tells you a lot about what you came to do, here on planet Earth. It also tells you how and where you shine. As you discover more about your Sun, you’ll discover more about yourself! It also tells you a lot about your likely central concerns.
Earlier, you located the Sun in your chart, and made a note of which element it was in. In other words, you worked out if your Sun is in a Fire sign (Aries, Leo or Sagittarius), an Earth sign (Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn), an Air sign (Gemini, Libra or Aquarius) or a Water sign (Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces). Below is a brief overview of what it means to have your Sun in a particular element.
If all you know about a person is their Sun sign, you already know a lot about them because the Sun is their focus in this lifetime. That’s one of the many reasons why the Sun sign, or house, astrology you read in newspapers and magazines works – because the Sun is such a crucial and central part of the birth chart. If you want to know your life purpose, your Sun is one of the pointers in your chart. It tells you a lot about who you really are.
Keywords for what the Sun represents: who you really are; where you shine; where your focus is in this lifetime; your individuality; how bold you are; your male/yang side.
For an interpretation of the Sun in each sign, go and read up on the main characteristics of each sign. Your Sun will exude the character of its zodiac sign.
On your chart, draw an arrow pointing to the Sun glyph, and beside it, write the words ‘Who I really am.’
Living positively: Feeling; nurturing; instincts
Living negatively: Neediness; moodiness; timidity
Most people know their Sun sign, but that’s about where it ends. Yet knowing your own or someone else’s Moon sign gives you massive insights into yourself and them. The Moon is about our inner nature. In your chart, it tells you what you need. And once you know that, you can set about getting it, right?
If you look at the Moon sign and house of someone you know well, you’ll instantly understand more about what they need. Can you provide it? The Moon in your chart can also tell you about your home, how you grew up, how things were with your mother, about what feeds you, about your feelings, your unconscious, and your instincts.
The Moon’s sign and house will reveal your sympathies and imaginings. What makes you feel secure? Once you understand your Moon, you’ll better understand your own needs. The Moon is mysterious and even occult-ish. It also rules receptivity, fertility, femininity, the Goddess, cycles and moods. This planet changes more frequently than any of the main heavenly bodies we’ll be looking at.
Is your Moon in a Fire sign (Aries, Leo or Sagittarius), an Earth sign (Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn), a Water sign (Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces) or an Air sign (Gemini, Libra or Aquarius)? Below is a brief overview of what it means to have your Moon in a particular element:
Keywords for what the Moon represents: what you need; what feeds you; your relationship with your mother; your yin/feminine side; your feelings; how sensitive you are; how intuitive you are; your instincts; your emotional security (or lack of); your subconscious, memory and imagination; your protective maternal side, domesticity.
Interpretations for the Moon in each sign and house of the birth chart can be found in The Moon through the signs and The Moon through the houses.
On your chart, draw an arrow next to the Moon glyph, and beside it, write the words ‘What I need and how I feel.’
Living positively: Communicative; intelligent; exchange of ideas
Living negatively: Chattering; superficial; inconsistent
This is the communications planet. Whenever you open your mouth to talk, or when you write something – anything from an SMS to a novel or beyond – or even if you just think or listen to someone, you’re using your Mercury. It’s the mind planet and it guides how you talk, write, otherwise express yourself and take in information. It’s your intellectual process. The sign and house Mercury is in will tell you how you think and express yourself, and even how you negotiate.
Mercury is also the transport planet, and planet of short journeys and commuting. It also governs trade and commerce. Plus it governs your wit, thoughts and thirst for knowledge, and your desire and ability to learn. Do you think quickly? Do you like to analyse things? Are you a fast learner? Can you keep secrets? These sorts of questions will be answered when you learn about your Mercury.
Mercury is the trickster, and it’s also the quicksilver planet. If someone is a fast talker or a smooth talker, it’s thanks to their Mercury. If they think too hard, or overthink, or can’t make decisions, look to their Mercury for an explanation.
Is your Mercury in a Fire sign (Aries, Leo or Sagittarius), an Earth sign (Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn), a Water sign (Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces) or an Air sign (Gemini, Libra or Aquarius)? Below is a brief overview of what it means to have your Mercury in a particular element:
Keywords for what Mercury represents: how you talk; the way you connect mentally; your ideas; how you listen; how you exchange ideas. Can also be related to transport, how you learn, how rational you are, and your wit.
Interpretations for Mercury in each sign and house of the birth chart can be found in Mercury through the signs and Mercury through the houses.
On your chart, draw an arrow next to the Mercury glyph, and beside it, write the words ‘How I communicate.’
Living positively: Loving; gentle; caring
Living negatively: Lazy; manipulative; weak-willed
This planet is all about romance and riches – it’s your love planet! Venus guides you when you fancy someone, when you fall in love and when you yearn for someone or something from the bottom of your heart.
So, matters of the heart are dealt with by this beautiful, kind and caring planet. Venus is about pleasure, kindness, caresses – things like lacy underwear and all things sweet. In her highest form, Venus is about perfect and ideal relationships. How you relate to others depends a lot on your Venus. Ditto how you fall in love.
Venus is also about attracting. Your Venus tells you who you love and what you love. Discover a person’s Venus sign and house placement and you’ll have the key to his or her heart. (Whether you can easily turn that key depends a lot on your own chart and how it matches theirs). Venus is also about aesthetics and our appreciation for the finer things in life, such as the arts and music. It’s about beauty and luxury. Wealth and partnership also fall under Venus’s remit.
However, do note that someone with, say, their Venus in Aquarius will probably want to be caressed far less than someone with their Venus in Cancer. You’ll understand the reasons for this once you learn more about the signs and how they go with the planets – coming up later in the book. Eroticism is also part and parcel of Venus. Knowing your Venus will teach you about what you need in a lover.
Knowing a person’s Venus sign and house placement can give you some extraordinarily powerful information about how to seduce them! Devotion, connection, harmony, understanding and longing are also Venus words. Venus is the planet that connects us to the Divine Feminine. Your Venus shows you what you feel about love and relationships.
Below is a brief overview of what it means to have your Venus in a particular element:
Keywords for what Venus represents: how you love and who you love; how you attract a partner; your idea of romance; your softer side; how you draw abundance; what feels luxurious to you; how you flirt; how you create harmony; how you express affection; how you’re sociable/find pleasure.
Interpretations for Venus in each sign and house of the birth chart can be found in Venus through the signs and Venus through the houses.
On your chart, draw an arrow next to the Venus glyph, and beside it, write the words ‘Who and how I love.’
Living positively: Determination; courage; action
Living negatively: Rage; brutality; brashness
This is the sex planet. Mars is powered by testosterone – but men and women both have a Mars. Without Mars, nothing much would get done – it is our fuel and our rocket; our determination and drive. Take a look at your Mars.
Mars also governs our sex drive, what turns us on and how we get what we want. Do you demand to have things your way, come at things sideways, make a big deal, get a bit shifty? The sign your Mars is in will give you an insight into the ways you chase your goals. Mars is the planet that’s all about pursuit. What are you chasing in life? Your Mars will show you what you’re after and also how to get it.
Mars is all about desire and action. Aggressive behaviour, lust, anger and even brutishness are all Mars traits, which will be heightened or lessened depending on Mars’s sign and house placement in a chart. Mars is arguably the most masculine planet, and is the zodiacal ‘partner’ of Venus.
Below is a brief overview of what it means to have your Mars in a particular element:
Keywords for what Mars represents: how you go after what you want; how you argue; whether you’re a fast or slow person; how determined and driven you are; if you can be brash; your anger levels and sexual energy; how competitive you are; your energy levels in general and your sex drive; how you express anger and your willpower.
Interpretations for Mars in each sign and house of the birth chart can be found in Mars through the signs and Mars through the houses.
On your chart, draw an arrow next to the Mars glyph, and beside it, write the words ‘How I chase and get what I want.’
Living positively: Faith; excitement; adventure, joy
Livingnegatively: Overindulgence; pompousness; arrogance; risk
This planet is known as the ‘greater benefic’, which basically means that everything Jupiter touches is blessed. When you look at Jupiter in your chart, you’re essentially looking at the good luck charm you were born with. Jupiter is the planet that endows you with the confidence to believe in yourself. It’s the amplification planet, sometimes known as the ‘lotsa’ planet.
Jupiter is also the planet of joy, freedom and adventure, and it can see the big picture. It’s also the planet that gives you faith in your Self and the cosmos. Your Jupiter is where you take chances and seize opportunities – this massive planet helps you to grow. Wherever you find Jupiter in a person’s chart, is where they like to have fun.
But Jupiter has two sides. On the one hand, a Jupiterian vibe is a jolly, cheery Father Christmas vibe. On the other hand, this is the planet that’s all about faith, and seeking life’s meaning. Perhaps the meaning of life is to be jolly!
Morals, confidence and luck – or lack thereof – also come under Jupiter’s remit. It’s no surprise that where we are confident is where we tend to be lucky. Jupiter can also exaggerate wildly, overdo it excessively and tip from confidence into arrogance. Wherever you find Jupiter in someone’s chart, is where she or he can get all the glory for being awesome, or come across as an arrogant so-and-so!
Below is a brief overview of what it means to have your Jupiter in a particular element:
Keywords for what Jupiter represents: whether or not you feel lucky; how lucky you’re likely to be; how optimistic you are; where you feel/are blessed; how adventurous you are; your life philosophies and perspective; if you think big or small; your degree of open-mindedness.
Interpretations for Jupiter in each sign and house of the birth chart can be found in Jupiter through the signs and Jupiter through the houses.
On your chart, draw an arrow next to the Jupiter glyph, and beside it, write the words ‘Where I am extra lucky and/or blessed.’
Living positively: Commitment; discipline; integrity; longevity
Living negatively: Fear, barriers; depression; hard-heartedness
Saturn has a fearsome reputation as the taskmaster of the zodiac. Saturn is the stench of reality up your nose: the hard facts, and the lessons you didn’t want to learn. Wherever you have Saturn in your chart, you must face the music and work hard; it’s where you have a lot of lessons coming to you in this lifetime. At least once you know the placement of your Saturn, you’ll more or less know where to expect those challenges. And the challenges that you overcome are the lessons than hone you into a more evolved being.
Saturn is about structure, challenges and our fears, as well as being the planet in our chart that governs work and discipline. Saturn is the slowest-moving of the planets that can be seen with the naked eye. Saturn is cold and calculating and wants his pound of flesh. He was once known as the karma planet, and is all about ‘you reap what you sow’. Does that phrase make you shiver? It’s Saturn all over. Learn a Saturn lesson, change your behaviour, and change your karma!
That’s just one side of Saturn, though. Saturn’s feminine side is the wise old crone. She may no longer be a beauty but she doesn’t care: she’s beyond all that. She will dispense what she knows to you. Wherever your Saturn is, you can accumulate wisdom. For example, someone with Saturn in the 9th house may gain wisdom through study or travel.
However, Saturn brings fear, including a fear of not having enough. Saturn is all about wisdom, and facing the truth, and having integrity, and doing what you said you would. Where you find Saturn in your chart, though, you’ll also find a big ball of your fears. Saturn can be repressive: he doesn’t shy from giving bad news you were trying to ignore, and wherever he is in your chart, he sets limits. These can be useful on some occasions, and a drag on others. Saturn doesn’t care if he’s being a drag.
Below is a brief overview of what it means to have your Saturn in a particular element:
Keywords for what Saturn represents: your lessons this lifetime; what you fear; what makes you sad; what can depress or limit you; where the brakes are on; where you can really commit and go the long haul; where you’re rock solid. Also, your patience levels; your self-discipline; how conventional you are; your ambition, and how responsible you are.
Interpretations for Saturn in each sign and house of the birth chart can be found in Saturn through the signs and Saturn through the houses.
On your chart, draw an arrow next to the Saturn glyph, and beside it, write the words ‘Where I have a lot to learn/what scares me.’
Living positively: Progress; change; unexpected surprises; breakthroughs; non-conformity
Living negatively: Chaos; wrecking; unreliability; rushing
This is the innovative maverick of the zodiac. Wherever you have Uranus in your chart, you want to break free; it’s where you’re going to do things your way, where you don’t really care too much what anyone thinks, and where you can function autonomously. Freedom is a keyword for Uranus. This is one planet that absolutely doesn’t want to be fenced in. Wherever you have Uranus in your chart, you’re striving for independence. Uranus is also the planet of bolts from the blue and sudden reversals.
If someone has Uranus very prominent in their chart – for example if it’s right on their ascendant or in the same place as their Sun – chances are they are surprising and different, probably in a really good way. Uranus is all about liberation. It destroys traditions and breaks down authority. As a result, Uranus is the planet of modernity – it drags us kicking and screaming and shocked out of the past and into our future. Unsurprisingly, Uranus is also associated with anarchy and unpredictability.
Uranus rules chaos, and wherever the planet is in your chart, you’re quite possibly inclined to being something of a loose cannon.
Astrologers don’t tend to talk about Uranus through the elements so much as Uranus through the various signs over generations. People with Uranus in Virgo, for example, were all born from 1961 to 1969, after which Uranus moved into Libra, where it stayed until 1975.
Uranus will define where there was massive change. The Uranus in Virgo generation, for example, brought hippies, flower power and the rise and rise of alternative health therapies and practices, while the Uranus in Libra generation saw the advent of ‘free love’ and even more challenges to conventional relationships.
As this stage of your astrological journey, it’s more useful to think about which house your Uranus is in. Later we’ll look at the connections Uranus is making to your other planets. Wherever you find Uranus in your chart (which house), you have the chance for radical change and excitement.
Keywords for what Uranus represents: where you want to be free; where you’re liberated or want to be liberated; where you’re evolving and how you evolve; where you’re original, inventive, unpredictable, rash and untamable; where you cut the ties that bind to break away.
Interpretations for Uranus in each sign and house of the birth chart can be found in Uranus through the signs and Uranus through the houses.
On your chart, draw an arrow next to the Uranus glyph, and beside it, write the words ‘Where I can’t be controlled!’
Living positively: Enlightenment; inspiration; dreams; connection; mysticism; sacrifice
Living negatively: No boundaries; substance abuse; delusions; disappointment
Neptune is the inspirational planet of dreams and soulmates. In whichever house you find Neptune in your chart is the area where you romanticize life. Neptune is about the Divine. It’s also about drugs and alcohol. But how do these go together? Understand this and you’ll understand Neptune and astrology a little better: life is about extremes, so with Neptune, altered states are part of the remit. At one end of the altered-state ‘OMG I’ve just seen God!’ spectrum is the person tripping on drugs, and at the other end, is the person who’s connected to the Divine through more regular methods.
Similarly, Neptune is about deception at one end of the spectrum and about fantasy, and even about movies, at the other – Hollywood is all smoke and mirrors, after all.
The house in which you find Neptune in your chart can be where you’re a visionary or a poet or an artist, or even a martyr. But it can also be where you dissolve completely, like a droplet of water into an ocean. It’s about meditation and enlightenment at one end of the spectrum and about addiction and intoxicants at the other. Idealization, trances, spirit and the paranormal are also Neptunian.
As Neptune is another slow-moving generational planet, we tend not to talk about it in terms of which element it’s in, but rather which sign it’s in, and also which house it’s in on a chart. For example, those born with Neptune in Capricorn – from January 1984 to August 1998 – are the benevolent entrepreneurs, Neptune being the planet of benevolence and Capricorn the sign of business.
Conversely, the Neptune in Aquarius generation – January 1998 to August 2011 – is often called the universal free spirits, Neptune being about the mystical and Aquarius being the universal sign. This is something you can delve into further as you continue your studies. For now, what’s important is to look at the house Neptune occupies in your chart. Wherever you find Neptune (which house), you’ll have the potential for inspiration. Later, we’ll look at how Neptune is connected to the other planets in your chart.
Keywords for what Neptune represents: your connection to the Divine and spirit; what inspires you, and how you inspire others; where you are often lost and confused; your relationship with music, drugs and alcohol; your psychic ability.
Interpretations for Neptune in each sign and house of the birth chart can be found in Neptune through the signs and Neptune through the houses.
On your chart, draw an arrow next to the Neptune glyph on your chart, and beside it, write the words ‘Where I dream, inspired and can be inspired/can be confused.’
Living positively: Transformation; healing crisis; passion; power
Living negatively: Destruction; power struggles; violence
Pluto is the Lord of the Underworld and not a planet to be trifled with. On the upside, Pluto is also a fantastic magician and is responsible for any transformation we effect in our lives. Pluto represents the birth, death and rebirth cycle. It’s the planet that detoxes – the great plumber of the zodiac. Got an issue? Trust Pluto to flush out the toxins.
Pluto is where we can go into the abyss. Pluto can transform by annihilation! Pluto is also an obsessive power-monger. You might think all this sounds very dark and cruel and brutal, and there’s no doubt that controlling and manipulative Pluto can be all of those things. But Pluto in your chart also shows where you can change your world.
Pluto is subtle and sometimes even intangible, but its power can slam you up against the wall like a character that’s been hexed in a Harry Potter film. Pluto finishes what needs to be let go, and empowers us. Think of Pluto as the de-clutterer of the zodiac – it gets rid of all the rubbish. Plutonic upheavals can often be seen, in retrospect, as a ‘healing crisis’.
Pluto is the slowest moving of all the planets, so once again we think less about which element it’s in, than which sign. Look at where in your chart it is (which house). That is where you have the chance for rebirth, and also for obsession. Later in the book, we’ll look at how Pluto connects with the other planets in your chart.
Keywords for what Pluto represents: where you’re in control, or you want to be; where you’re obsessive; where you erupt, engage in power struggles, try to dominate or are dominated; your depths; the side of you that you keep hidden; your shadow – your dark side; your destructive side; where you are reborn; how manipulative you are.
Interpretations for Pluto in each sign and house of the birth chart can be found in Pluto through the signs and Pluto through the houses.
On your chart, draw an arrow next to the Pluto glyph, and beside it, write the words ‘Where I control, break down, am reborn.’
It’s fair to say that, like most people, each of the planets has positive and negative sides. The Sun, Moon and Mercury change like the wind in terms of whether they’re regarded as positive or negative; it depends on how they are placed in a chart.
Venus and Jupiter are traditionally regarded as benefics, or easier planets, while Mars and Saturn are traditionally regarded as malefics, or more challenging planets. Mars can indeed be brash and Saturn can be a drag, but I hold the more modern belief that they are both definitely useful. Mars, for example, gives us determination and drive – where would we be without that? Meanwhile Saturn makes us commit, and brings order.
Astrologers seem to be divided over whether or not Uranus and Neptune are easy or difficult. I see them more as exciting and mystical, respectively. Pluto is powerful and will make us crumble when we need to – but this process can be a good thing, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time.
Whether the positive or negative side comes out depends on how the planets in the chart are connected to each other, and also on what’s going on in the skies right now that may be impacting the planets in a birth chart. So while your chart shows where the planets were at the moment you were born, as you know, the planets didn’t stop moving after that wonderful event! No, they have kept on moving ever since; so what astrologers do is look at where the planets are now, compared to where they were when you were born. And depending on how far apart the still-moving (aka ‘transiting’) planets are from where they were when you were born, we make deductions and predictions.
As you can see, each planet features both ends of the negative–positive spectrum. That’s astrology. As you learn more, you’ll start to understand how to manifest the good side and lessen the darker sign of each planet’s energy. Some of it you are born with and some of it can be put into play just by your desire to bring out the best in your chart.
Finally, here’s a brief round-up of the main characteristics of the planets to help you remember them. In your mind, reduce these descriptions down to keywords and the ideas that spring to mind when you’re thinking about the planets.
In this chapter, you’ve learned the basic astrological characteristic of the 10 planets – understanding these is intrinsic to astrology because we all have all of the planets in our chart. Even knowing which element or sign your planets are in will be revelatory. As you learn more and discover the houses your planets are in, and the connections they’re making to other planets in your chart – coming up soon – you’ll glean even more fascinating information about yourself and others.