The Sun is the center of our solar system. All life revolves around it. In the same way, the ego is the center of personal identity and gives integration and continuity to individual experience. In this sense, it might be said that the Sun in Astrology reveals a person’s character and is the prime indicator of what the individual is trying to achieve. This is the fixed pillar at the center of the person around which all else revolves.

The sign placement of the Sun indicates how your natural drive and ambition are going to be directed. The sign of the Sun is the most primary indicator of the forms of experience you are attracted to. The house placement of the Sun shows the primary area of expression for the individual in life. There is a psychological, emotional, and physical significance to the house placement of the Sun.

Aspects to the Sun show ways that the core of the personality is linked to other component elements in the individual’s life. Aspects to the Sun have a deep and overriding significance in the life of the individual and are generally more important and more prominent than other aspects in the chart.

The Moon inscribes a circle around the Earth. It moves more swiftly than other celestial bodies and thus represents day-to-day and moment-to-moment movements, adjustments, and preoccupations. The Moon in Astrology represents the inner, emotional life and the unconscious, which is molded and shaped by our environment, events, and social and familial expectations. Further, the Moon indicates how we respond to life as a result of our past habits and experiences, our heritage, and our individual and collective instincts.

The sign placement of the Moon tells a lot about your private inner life, how the instinctive and imaginative component of your mind operates, how you express your feelings, and your most general experiences with your family and mother figure.

The house placement of the Moon shows how and where you make day-to-day adjustments and indicates which realm of experience will play a dominant role in your emotional life. Further, it shows the things you are most drawn to in order to gain emotional equilibrium.

The aspects of the Moon show general characteristics of the personality that are emphasized. Planets in aspect to the Moon are symbolic of qualities in the personality that are used instinctively, habitually, and with a high degree of versatility. While the Sun reveals your intended purposes and lessons for this present life cycle, the Moon represents what you have already done and developed, hence, what is instinctive and natural to you and what you tend to do over and over again.

Your childhood is also reflected in the Moon’s placement, because it’s through those childhood circumstances that any unresolved past-life issues are restimulated. Your subconscious predisposition is indicated by the Moon’s position as well. It is the psychic imprint of the past. Furthermore, the nodes of the Moon in an Astrology chart describe behavior patterns from the past and indicate the direction you are evolving toward as you move forward in your life.

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. From our viewpoint on Earth, it seems to dart back and forth across the face of the Sun. Mercury is the planet of your mental life. It shows how you receive, process, and disseminate information. It also relates to short trips, siblings, and other parts of your immediate environment. The sign placement of Mercury shows your basic attitude and mental habits. The aspects of Mercury show your scope of vision and your methods for accomplishing tasks.

The planet Venus shows the way you express your love nature and what you deem good or beautiful in life. It also influences your approach to partnerships and indicates what adjustments will be made in order to encourage a loving relationship. Venus thrives on harmony and is drawn to social activities of all kinds, as well as the arts (music, dance, literature, and drama, among others). The sign placement of Venus describes your style of sharing your love with others. The house placement of Venus shows the natural area of expression for your love energy. The aspects of Venus indicate how and under what circumstances you express the gentle and loving side of your nature.

Mars is the planet of motivation, action, and libido. It shows how you aim at your goals and how you power yourself toward them. Mars represents your most fundamental passions. The sign placement of Mars shows the intrinsic nature of your assertions. The house placement of Mars shows the area of your life where you tend to be most active. The aspects to Mars show how and to what extent your ambitions are involved with other aspects of living.

Jupiter is the king of the planets. He is in charge of the order of creation. Jupiter shows your morals, where you feel confident and in control, and where you feel you have something to teach others. Jupiter also rules religion, philosophy, long-distance travel, and higher education. The sign placement of Jupiter describes your ideologies in life. The house placement of Jupiter shows the area of life where you feel luckiest and where you receive the most help from outside sources. The aspect patterns to Jupiter show the direct network of good and administrative power in your life.

The planet Saturn shows where you feel restricted. You feel obligations and fears through Saturn, the taskmaster of the zodiac. Saturn rewards discipline, hard work, and perseverance. The sign placement of Saturn shows the basic type of energy connected with your obligations. The house placement of Saturn shows an area of life that you feel restricted in and where you have to work hard to obtain the things that come to you. The aspects of Saturn show the most direct involvement of other areas of your life with your feelings of responsibility.

The planet Uranus is beyond the orbit of Saturn and can’t be seen without the aid of a telescope. It represents the sky in us -- that which transcends the limits of finite life. Uranus represents originality and unconventionality. It can stimulate sudden or erratic change, like that expressed in revolution, or the invention of new ways of doing things. The sign placement of Uranus shows your broadest striving for freedom. The house placement of Uranus indicates your area of direct unique expression. The aspects to Uranus indicate the way you express your need for higher consciousness.

The planet Neptune has an almost perfectly circular orbit. It represents the part of our nature that strives for perfection, that looks to some higher ideal. The planet Neptune rules the ocean and the part of us that is beyond the limits of the shores of personal existence, namely the unconscious. It also rules our dreams. The culture moves with the cycles of Neptune and it is the primary indicator of your connection to the culture that you live in. The sign placement of Neptune shows an ideal that you desire to manifest. The house placement of Neptune shows the area of your life that you want to express this ideal in. The aspect patterns of Neptune indicate the networking of your personality into the world at large.

The planet Pluto represents the dark, underground part of you. It shows your ability to transform the most fundamental properties in your own inner nature. The sign placement of Pluto is the way the obsessive, compulsive, and committed part of your nature expresses itself. The house placement of Pluto shows the area of life where you make your most fundamental and potent changes. The aspects to Pluto show the deepest, most unconscious links in your personality structure.

The Ascendant -- also called the Rising sign -- is based on the time, date, and place of birth, and indicates both the sign and degree of the 1st house of a birth chart. The Ascendant represents your outside appearance to the world and the world’s general perception of you as a person. It is also widely believed to rule your physical characteristics.

The Midheaven (English for “Medium Coeli”) is the highest point of a birth chart, located on the cusp of the 10th house. To astrologers, the Midheaven governs career, public reputation, and interactions with authority.

Fire ignites action and enthusiasm

Earth represents practical, material world concerns

Air is the element of ideas and thought

Water represents feelings and the empathetic impulse

How you appear to the world and the first impression you make on others; your external presentation, including physical characteristics (body type, facial features, etc.)

Money matters, material possessions, and your relationship with both

Communication with others, short trips, and your relationships with siblings and neighbors

Your childhood, ancestral roots and influences, and what brings you comfort and security

The ways you express yourself creatively, romantically, and personally; also love affairs, children, and luck

Health concerns, work, service, and routine

Your identity in relation to others and your patterns in all 1-on-1 relationships

The influence of other people’s money and talents; secrets; your feelings about sex and intimacy

Long-distance travel, education, religion, and philosophy; mental expansion of all kinds

Your social status, career goals, and potential for success; your relationship to authority, government, and power

How you integrate with friends, groups, and the community; your hopes, aspirations, and ideals

Your connection to spirituality and the universe; your subconscious mind; solitude and privacy

If two planets occupy the same degree or are very close to each other, they are said to be conjunct. Most astrologers believe that conjunctions are dynamic, but not as difficult and challenging as squares and oppositions. Planets that are conjunct tend to energize each other.

If two planets are close to being 60 degrees apart, they are said to be sextile to each other. Sextiles are similar to trine aspects and considered favorable.

If two planets are close to being 90 degrees apart, they are said to be square to each other. Almost all astrologers agree that squares are motivating but can be difficult. Some astrologers emphasize the negative potential of a square, while others focus on the character-building potential inherent in this aspect.

If two planets are close being 120 degrees apart, they are said to be trine to each other. Most astrologers agree that trines are soft and easy, pleasant and harmonious, but sometimes lazy. However, trines can provide relief from the tension inherent in more challenging aspects that may also be present in a person’s chart.

If two planets are close to being 150 degrees apart, they form a quincunx aspect. Most astrologers view the quincunx as being awkward, bothersome, and requiring adjustments from a person.

If two planets are close to being opposite to each other in the sky, they are forming an opposition aspect. Most astrologers agree that oppositions are difficult and often emphasize challenges with other people. However, the challenges suggested by an opposition can be balanced and resolved with effort.

If two planets are close to being 30 degrees apart, they form a semi-sextile aspect. This is generally regarded as being a slightly harmonious or favorable minor aspect.

If two planets are close to being 45 degrees apart, they are in semi-square aspect. This minor aspect is similar to a square aspect, though often not quite as intense. Some astrologers feel that the semi-square creates very internal challenges or conflicts.

If two planets are close to being 135 degrees apart, they are in sesquiquadrate aspect. Generally regarded as being similar to a square, but some astrologers feel that this minor aspect is easier to release and express than a square aspect.