We look at ten Planets in the study of Astrology, beginning with the Sun and the Moon, also known as luminaries. Additionally, there are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The energy of the Planets influences our everyday lives. That said, it’s what we do with this energy that truly matters.
The more recently-recognized Planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) do not dilute the message of the other Planets, they simply add to our spectrum of experience. Many consider Jupiter to be the most benevolent of the Planets, with Venus a close second. The Sun, Moon and Mercury also tend to cast a golden glow. On the flip side of things is Saturn’s hard energy, followed by the sharpness of Mars, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
The Planets move at varying speeds, some faster (the Moon) and some slower (Pluto), depending on how close they are to the Sun. The fastest Planets (Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars) are commonly referred to as the inner Planets and speak to the inner self. The social Planets are Jupiter and Saturn, while the outer Planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) fix their gaze on the external world.
Each of the Planets exerts its most powerful energy over the Sign it rules. This is also referred to as the Sign of its dignity. There is a second Sign with which each Planet interacts well, known as the Sign of its exaltation. Directly opposite each Planet’s Sign of dignity is the Sign of detriment; this Planet’s energy is generally unfavorable. Opposite the Sign of exaltation is the Sign of fall; these Planets exhibit a weakened energy. A Planet in its natural House (such as Mars in Aries) is accidentally dignified and strengthened as a result. Perhaps the most important Planet of all is the one that rules the Ascendant.
For example, those with Virgo on the Ascendant will find that Mercury , as the ruler of Virgo, exerts a considerable influence over their chart.
The movement of the Planets is categorized as stationary, direct or retrograde . A stationary Planet (which will soon be direct or retrograde) brings with it highly-focused and significant energy. Direct Planets also exert considerable influence. It is the retrograde Planets which serve to mix things up. By appearing to move backward, these Planets generate a diffused and unfocused energy. The message of retrograde Planets will be garbled and less effective as a result.

• Neptune, another of the outer Planets, was discovered in 1846.
• Its slow orbit around our Zodiac ensures that its effect is generational in nature.
• Neptune’s glyph is the trident of Poseidon, God of the Seas.
• Much about this Planet is fluid (Neptune rules the oceans of the Earth), changeable and illusory in nature.
• Dreams, illusion, abstract thought and the mysterious are all governed by Neptune. Our spirituality is important to this Planet, and how we harness that energy for our personal betterment.
• Neptune invites us to let its energy wash over us and to use a meditative state to gain insights and heightened awareness.
• Poetry, music and dance are among the trance-like activities which this Planet favors.
• Neptune does have its showier side, as it rules movies, television, theater, fashion and all forms of glamour.
• In essence, Neptune is creating an illusion — of what is enchanting on the outside and captivating within.
• Neptune has a mystique which doesn’t reveal itself easily. It can be a poser, too, dabbling in flattery — and subversion.
• The shadow side of Neptune is akin to the aging star who cannot make one more curtain.
• When the lights are low, this Planet plays in a netherworld of drugs, alcohol, trances and hypnosis.
• Neptunian energy reeks of escapism on its darker days, a sea of delusion, hypochondria and abnormality.
• Sleep and dreams are also lorded over by this Planet.
• At the end of the day, Neptune keeps coming at you — how will you receive it?
• It takes Neptune 165 years to complete its whirl around the Zodiac, spending roughly 14 years at each Sign.
• It is feminine energy and rules Pisces and the Twelfth House .
• Neptune is known as the higher octave of Venus and is the second of the transcendental Planets.

• As the outermost Planet in our solar system, Pluto is also the farthest from the Sun.
• It has only recently been discovered, having come to light (albeit a dim one) in 1930.
• Pluto’s energy may be subtle, but its results will hit you like a ton of bricks.
• This Planet is about transformation, regeneration and rebirth.
• Things aren’t pretty with Pluto, but they do get done.
• Pluto says ‘out with the old and in with the new,’ and we’d better be ready for it.
• If we’re not, this Planet will simply have us wallow in our misery.
• Pluto asks us to transcend that which we know, redeem ourselves in the process, and come out stronger as a result.
• For all that Pluto (re)creates (it also governs the reproductive system), it loves to destroy.
• This Planet rules destruction, death, obsession, kidnapping, coercion, viruses and waste.
• That’s definitely not pretty.
• Pluto also governs crime and the underworld, along with many forms of subversive activity (terrorism, dictatorships).
• This Planet is about all that is secret and undercover, that which is hidden from view.
• Is this the story of good vs. evil? Yes.
• No one will deny Pluto’s power (it rules atomic power, too) and intensity.
• This Planet’s energy is often focused on the masses and what the collective will do.
• Pluto beseeches the masses to look inward (and to their subconscious) to see what’s there.
• It may be scary, but Pluto doesn’t care. This Planet knows how to push buttons.
• It takes Pluto approximately 248 years to complete its orbit around the Zodiac.
• Due to the eccentricity of its orbit, it takes this Planet between 12 and 31 years to pass through a Sign.
• It rules Scorpio and the Eighth House.
• Pluto is the last of the transcendental Planets and is the higher octave of Mars.