The Fundamentals of the Astrological Language
If your are new to Astrology, you are about to learn a brand new language – a language of Planets, Signs, Houses, Elements, Modes and other specialized terms which comprise the language of this art. Consider this similar to learning the language of music where you would have to learn to speak of notes, clefs, chords and all the other diverse and specialized terms that comprise the musical language. Before we can begin this journey of knowledge and understanding, a distinction must be made concerning the images used to portray the various concepts of Astrology. An astrological image is more than a symbol – it is more rightly termed a “glyph” i.e., a complex symbol with multiple levels of meaning and should always be approached from this perspective.
The Ascendant Sign
This is the sign of the Zodiac that was rising on the horizon at the moment of your birth. It is a most fundamental aspect of you as an individual – the foundation upon which your individuality is built– and determines the astrological character of the soil out of which your consciousness has grown and developed.
The Seven Personal Planets
The Planets express aspects of your inner consciousness experience and express, when taken together, the manifestation of the consciousness principal in the human individual. It is well to visualize the Planets as the inner powers of your being which maintain and energize your spiritual life.
THE SUN
The Sun represents that aspect of your consciousness which you experience as your self consciousness – the “I” through which you express your free will.
THE MOON
The Moon represents that aspect of consciousness which you experience as your inner nature. To the ancients the Moon represented the “sensitive mind” and may be taken to express the inner emotional dimension of the personality as well as the realm of instinct, dream and imagination.
MERCURY
Mercury represents that aspect of your consciousness which your experience as your reason and intellect – the logical and moral intelligence. It is also associated with thinking and communication.
VENUS
Venus represents that aspect of your consciousness which you experience as your desire nature – the desire for love, beauty, relationship, money, material possessions and pleasure.
MARS
Mars represents that aspect of your consciousness which you experience as your aggressive natural energy – your will to survive and live which manifests itself as the drive to work and succeed.
JUPITER
Jupiter represents that aspect of your consciousness that you experience as your growth energy – the energy of expansion and of the nurturing will that impels you forward on your evolutionary journey and carries within it the potentials of your overall fortune and prosperity in life.
SATURN
To the ancients, Saturn represented the power of “agnoia” – self unknowing, the hatred of knowledge or ignorance which causes a restriction and limitation of the Planet/ Sign energy and in the affairs of the House where this planet resides in the chart.
The Lunar Nodes
The Lunar Nodes are not actually considered planets but rather sensitive points in the Natal Chart. Their usage is of great antiquity and essentially represents the points of the Moons crossing of the apparent path of the Sun as seen from the Earth (called the “ecliptic”). Their traditional meanings in your Natal Chart are explained below.
THE SOUTH NODE
The position of The South Node in your chart represents an unfulfilled aspect of your consciousness. It is essentially old baggage that you are carrying around that needs to be opened up and examined.
THE NORTH NODE
The position of The North Node in your chart represents the House and Sign position where you will discover what you need to understand the unfulfilled aspect of your consciousness as revealed by the South Node. The North Node in essence represents the key to the understanding and fulfillment of the South Node. It unlocks the “old baggage” so to speak.