The 10 Planets
In astrology, "planets" means the Sun, the Moon and eight planets (astronomers now classify Pluto as a dwarf planet, but astrology still uses it). Each planet stands for a force within you: its sign describes how that force expresses itself, and its house shows the area of life where it shows up most.
The angles planets form with each other are called aspects. Some let two forces support each other; others pull them in different directions. Reading a chart is often a matter of reading how these forces live together.
Personal planets
They move quickly and sit in different places for everyone, describing the most personal parts of character: will, feeling, thinking, love and action.
- SunZodiac cycle: about 1 year · Time in each sign: about 30 days
- MoonZodiac cycle: about 27.3 days · Time in each sign: about 2.5 days
- MercuryZodiac cycle: about 1 year (never more than 28° from the Sun) · Time in each sign: about 2–9 weeks, longer when retrograde
- VenusZodiac cycle: about 1 year (never more than 47° from the Sun) · Time in each sign: about 4–5 weeks, up to 4 months when retrograde
- MarsZodiac cycle: about 1.9 years · Time in each sign: about 6–7 weeks, up to 7 months when retrograde
Social planets
They move more slowly and link the individual with society: what a person believes in and what they're willing to take on.
Generational planets
They stay in each sign for years, so people of the same age often share the same placement. What makes them personal is the house they fall in and the aspects they make to your personal planets.