Astrology Symbols and Basics
☉ Sun
Self, essence, creation, father-energy
☽ Moon
Emotion, soul, instinct, dreams, sixth sense, mother-energy, fantasy
☊ North Node
Where we must exert ourselves to grow spiritually. Source of discomfort and biggest potential for growth. Life’s purpose. Calculated position.
☋ South Node
Past lives; what comes most naturally to us, patterns and behavior we brought into this life; where our habits pull us back. Calculated position.
☿ Mercury
Mind, intellect, reason, ideas, thoughts, calculation, theory
♀ Venus
Love, art, relationship, style, taste, grace, beauty, harmony, gentleness, temptation
♂ Mars
Action, desire, sexuality, competition, assertion, drive, aggression
♃ Jupiter
Values, ethics, beliefs, ideals, morals, meaning, abundance, growth, joy, play, optimism, kindness
♄ Saturn
Boundaries, form, structure, tradition, duty, standards, reality, responsibility, ritual, lack, skepticism, pessimism, coldness, illness
♅ Uranus
Freedom, revolution, rebellion, originality, individuality, crazy, eccentric, betrayal
♆ Neptune
Mysticism, supernatural, dreams, vastness, imagination, trance, enthusiasm, intoxication, addiction, longing, victim
♇ Pluto
Power, magic, hypnosis, transformation, healing, regeneration, shadow, dependence, possession, devouring
AC Ascendant
Your “rising sign.” This is first impressions, how others see you, how you approach new things. Calculated position.
DC Descendant
How we show up in relation to others, including partnerships and marriage. Calculated position.
MC Midheaven
Shows themes that become increasingly important throughout life. Ambition, career, public image. Calculated position.
IC Imum Coeli, or Nadir
Attitude toward security, deep feelings, how you dig in emotionally; Deepest layers, including home, nurturing parent, inner world. Calculated position.
⚷ Chiron
The Wounded Healer; our deepest wounds to heal, as well as where we may likely serve others. Asteroid.
Galactic Center
Wisdom, direction, connection to Spirit. (Note: the Galactic Center moves veeerrrrry slowly and is effectively fixed at approx 27° Sagittarius - so it's use is focused on aspects and house placements.)
⚸ Lilith (Black Moon)
Deep instincts; raw behavior. Dark side of personality, repressed sexuality. Feelings of shame, ridicule, repression, misunderstanding show up here. Calculated position.
⊗ Fortune
Area of success and good fortune. Calculated position.
Vx Vertex
Fate, karmic patterns. Gate that opens a new world. Often needs to be activated in a chart by a transit. Calculated position.
Aspects
These are the primary aspects I use - I find these to be some of the most telling in either birth or transit charts.
Note: I reject the idea that aspects are "good" or "bad." You'll often hear conjunctions, trines, sextiles discussed as positive of favorable - they can be! ...Or they can be uncomfortable because things are moving quickly. You also hear about oppositions, quincunxes, and squares as difficult aspects - they can be! ...Or they might offer an opportunity to slow down and check out the situation more carefully.
Generally, the key is to find the flow of the energy and use it to your advantage. That may mean going with the flow, letting go, finding new action, etc.
☌ 0° Conjunction
Energies combine and amplify.
In transit to natal planets, transiting planet has dominance.
△ 120° Trine
Flow, harmony, creative expression.
In transit: rapid development of situation as obstacles disappear. Speed as the result of a lack of friction - may be uncomfortable. May include removing obstacles you created and things collapse.
☍ 180° Opposition
Tension; integrates through balance.
In transit: external conflict, decisions needed, check for internal conflict to resolve.
⚻ 150° Quincunx or Inconjunct
Contradiction, paradox that forces adjustment or transformation.
In transit: change, release, letting go - all manner of severity. Move into a new situation, ready or not.
⚹ 60° Sextile
Opportunity, productive combo, new talent emerging.
In transit: opportunity either created (earth, water) or appears (air, fire). Alternatively, may be a dramatic event that creates space for new options. Look for open doors.
⚺ 30° Semi-sextile.
Progression, may include minor difficulty. Find the natural progression.
In transit: Subtle ... or is it? Right place, right time.
□ 90° Square
Challenge, stress; creates productivity through focus.
In transit: external events (without fault) force a new type of action. Find the action.
∠ 45° Semi-square
Irritation.
In transit: patience, persistence through consistent obstacles. Not (usually) a time for change - waiting for sand to settle in water.
⚼ Sesquiquadrate/Sesquisquare. Abrasive.
In transit: combo of ∠ and □. Action of square available after obstacles of semi-square resolve. Know there will be delays, but be ready to push forward for action.
Signs
Tip: OMG, sign summaries are so hard to publish. It feels so limited to what a sign really "means" to squish it into keywords. Descriptions below are not even a springboard, they're just the entrance to the gymnasium.
So. Keep in mind that a/ everyone has every sign in them, we're all represented by these descriptions sometimes, in some way, in some area, and b/ archetypes below are meant to evoke an impression, concept or idea - so I, as a Gemini Sun, am not calling myself a cynic. With that as a "dark side" archetype, it represents a way that I can tell when I'm out of alignment (if I get overly cynical).
Aries ♈︎ The Fighter
“I want”
Ruler: ♂
Element: Fire
Archetype: ⚪ The warrior ⚫ The destroyer
Motivation: Spontaneous enthusiasm
Strives for: Development of will and achievement of conquests
Task: Attack, struggle, assert
Pitfall: Too much activity, taking bull by horns
Taurus ♉︎ The Connoisseur
“I possess” “I wait”
Ruler: ♀
Element: Earth
Archetype: ⚪ The farmer ⚫ The bullheaded person
Motivation: Routine, joy of familiar things
Strives for: Security, enjoyment
Task: Preserving the time-tested, developing enjoyment of the pleasures of life
Pitfall: Immoderation as a form of stupor; addiction to an ultraconservative approach
Gemini ♊︎ The Curious
“I think” “I doubt”
Ruler: ☿
Element: Air
Archetype: ⚪ The trader or intellectual ⚫ The Cynic
Motivation: Curiosity, joy of acting as a mediator
Strives for: Knowledge and diversity
Task: Differentiating lies from truth through constant doubt
Pitfall: Ice-cold rationality
Cancer ♋︎ The Romantic
“I feel”
Ruler: ☽
Element: Water
Archetype: ⚪ The poet, the mother ⚫ The mother-hen, the eternal child
Motivation: Solicitude, helpfulness, ambition
Strives for: Emotional safety, security
Task: Forming emotional bonds, expressing deep feelings
Pitfall: Flight to wishful thinking, refusal to become an adult
Leo ♌︎ The Confident
“I create” “I came, I saw, conquered”
Ruler: ☉
Element: Fire
Archetype: ⚪ The king ⚫ The lord and master; the braggart
Motivation: Joy in creativity and generosity
Strives for: Greatest possible degree of self-expression and admiration
Task: Becoming a dignified focus of attention
Pitfall: Superficiality and self-aggrandizement
Virgo ♍︎ The Thorough
“I examine” “I take it literally”
Ruler: ☿
Element: Earth
Archetype: ⚪ Craftsman; Harvester ⚫ The Philistine, pedant, misanthropist
Motivation: Joy in details
Strives for: Purity and health
Task: Critically examine everything for sustainability
Pitfall: Perfectionism
Libra ♎︎ The Artist
“I balance”
Ruler: ♀
Element: Air
Archetype: ⚪ The artist, the wise judge ⚫ The eternally indecisive person; the snob
Motivation: Love of beauty
Strives for: Beauty and harmony
Task: Bringing beauty into the world
Pitfall: Beautiful hollowness, esthetic superficiality
Scorpio ♏︎ The Gray Eminence
“I probe” “I desire”
Ruler: ♂ and ♇
Element: Water
Archetype: ⚪ Magician, Shaman ⚫ The Vampire
Motivation: Impulse into the depths
Strives for: Security and power
Task: Being a true, completely irritating healer
Pitfall: Intoxication with power
Sagittarius ♐︎ The World Citizen
“I believe” “It is clear to me”
Ruler: ♃
Element: Fire
Archetype: ⚪ The high priest, missionary ⚫ The pharisee, the hypocrite
Motivation: The search for meaning
Strives for: Ideals, religious convictions, justice
Task: Proclaiming the meaning and guiding
Pitfall: Self-righteousness and hypocrisy
Capricorn ♑︎ The Patriarch
“I complete” “I am responsible”
Ruler: ♄
Element: Earth
Archetype: ⚪ The patriarch, the hermit ⚫ The grumbler
Motivation: Feeling of responsibility
Strives for: Completion of the work that has been started
Task: Resolutely representing law and order, principles and standards
Pitfall: The joyless drudge
Aquarius ♒︎ The Individualist
“I know (that I don’t know anything)”
Ruler: ♄ and ♅
Element: Air
Archetype: ⚪ The wise fool ⚫ The lunatic, the lonely person, the eccentric
Motivation: Originality, hunger for knowledge
Strives for: Utopia, stoic tranquility
Task: Overcoming old to bring innovation to the world
Pitfall: Always needing to be special
Pisces ♓︎ The Medium
“I sense” “I love”
Ruler: ♃ and ♆ Element: Water
Archetype: ⚪ The prophet, the samaritan ⚫ The addict, the unstable person
Motivation: Longing to leave the prison of the body
Strives for: Being one with Spirit
Task: Living witness to the work of Spirit in this world
Pitfall: Lack of boundaries
Houses
Houses in your chart represent an area of your life. While a planet in a house may give you insight into strong influences in that area of your life, things you may find coming up repeatedly, etc, don't fall into the trap of thinking that the planets in any given house only show up in that area of your life.
For example, Saturn is in my 4th house, the house that represents "home" in all its meanings (physical, emotional, etc). Does that mean that I only need boundaries or limits in my life in the areas of "home"? Pfffh, naw.
First House
Self. Confidence, expression, vitality, independence, appearance. "I am."
Natural associations: Aries, Mars, Fire.
In transit: taking action; something happening to your phyiscal body.
Second House
Assets, wealth. Personal resources, possessions. Tangible home. Self-worth, security. "I have."
Natural associations: Taurus, Venus, Earth.
In transit: issues involving resources, self-esteem, security (financial, mental, spiritual).
Third House
Communication. The Mind. Thinking patterns, common sense, capacity to learn, logic. Transport, local travel. Early education, siblings, aunts and uncles, neighbors. "I think."
Natural associations: Gemini, Mercury, Air.
In transit: information coming from, and into, familiar areas or people. Local areas.
Fourth House
Home. The soul. Innermost realm, private world, source of deepest feelings, intimacy, and nurturing. The family. Premonitions and dreams. The sense of home, nurturing, mothering. How we relate to intimacy and nurturing. "I feel."
Natural associations: Cancer, Moon, Water.
In transit: physical abode, family; end of an issue.
Fifth House
Self-expression and creativity. Joy, playfulness, hobbies; true love, flirting, love affairs; children; entertainment, artistic pursuits. "I show myself."
Natural associations: Leo, Sun, Fire.
In transit: children, pregnancy, teaching of children, recreation, productive creativity, romantic love.
Sixth House
Service, work, health. Routine, habits, everyday working life (place, contents, way of working, methods, results). Health, diet, disposition to illness. Worries. "I integrate myself."
Natural associations: Virgo, Mercury, Earth.
In transit: daily domestic routine; health, diet; breaking habit patterns; duty, service.
Seventh House
Partnership. Reveals needs, desires, expectations in relationship. Sacrifices. Ability and willingness to commit and adapt. No secrets - the enemies, partnerships represented here are public. "I commit myself."
Natural associations: Libra, Venus, Air.
In transit: personal relationships; business partnerships; union with the divine or spirit; court cases.
Eighth House
Transformation. Life's enigmas. Death, birth, sex, healing, psychology, mysticism. The cryptic and profound. Deep psychological work. Regeneration. "I progress."
Natural associations: Scorpio, Mars and Pluto, Water.
In transit: transformation, beginnings, endings, death, birth, money; cycles; intense, irrevocable change; transformation
Ninth House
Philosophy and adventure. Inner and outer journeys, finding a purpose, truth, meaning. Adventure, far travel, religion, cultural exploration, teachers, gurus. "I believe."
Natural associations: Sagittarius, Jupiter, Fire.
In transit: travel, that which is unfamiliar or alien; study, places of education; books, publishing
Tenth House
Career. Contribution to society. Personal fulfillment. How we relate to discipline, tradition. Father figure. Social status. Achievement, things becoming increasingly important through lifetime. "I am called."
Natural associations: Capricorn, Saturn, Earth.
In transit: social status, career, how community classifies you; life activity of personal fulfillment; changing how you're seen publicly
Eleventh House
Community, friendships. Social contact. Peer groups, types of friends we attract. Humanitarianism. "I make friends."
Natural associations: Aquarius, Saturn and Uranus, Air.
In transit: groups, friends, counseling; interactions between colleagues, groups, casual relationships; teamwork
Twelfth House
Spirituality. Psychic abilities, unconditional love, mysticism, trance, transfiguration, withdrawal from the world. Self-undoing; addiction, escapism, unconscious drives. The house of being alone, retreat. Configurations here may be explored in private, or go unseen for a long time (while continuing to develop). "I dream."
Natural associations: Pisces, Jupiter and Neptune, Water.
In transit: being alone, retreat; that which is hidden; illness, confusion; intuition, psychic activity
Dualities
To me, Yin and Yang feel more expansive to me than the "masculine" and "feminine" terms, particularly in this age where we are finally beginning to challenge what "masculine" and "feminine" even mean.
However, since you'll bump into these terms in Astrology out in the world, and because the overall archetypal concepts carry value, I've included them here.
Masculine
Direct, outgoing, energetic, yang.
"Masculine" signs are Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, Aquarius.
Feminine
Receptive, self-contained, yin.
"Feminine" signs are Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces.
Elements or Triplicities
🜂 Fire (associated with Wands in Tarot)
Fire signs are enthusiastic, spontaneous, and inspiring (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius).
🜃 Earth (associate with Pentacles in Tarot)
Earth signs are stable, slow, and pragmatic (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn).
🜁 Air (associated with Swords in Tarot)
Air signs are intellectual, social, and communicative (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius).
🜄 Water (associated with Cups in Tarot)
Water signs are sensitive, intuitive, and emotional (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces).
Modalities
🜍 Cardinal
Cardinal signs are connected with creation and the beginning of each season (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn).
🜔 Fixed
The fixed signs embody qualities of preservation, stability, and dependability. They mark the midpoint of each season (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius).
☿ Mutable
Mutable signs have to do with transformation—flexibility, change, and adaptability—and they show up at the end of each season (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces).