In the past, the man has known with the naked eye only 5 planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. He knew of course his own sanctuary: Earth. W. Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781, U.J.J. Le Verrier and C. Adams discovered Neptune in 1846 and C. Tombaugh discovered Pluto in 1930. All the planets are rotating clockwise. In the same direction they also have the movement of revolution. However, the movement of revolution of Venus is in counterclockwise direction.
In astrology, the planets represent power sources or patterns of psychological behavior. Planets are real, they have mass and orbit the Sun. But in astrology they have a symbolic sense.
For example, the Sun and Moon are seen as planets, even though we know that it is not scientifically correct. Another name used in astrology for the Sun and Moon is “luminaries”.
Therefore, in astrology, the planets taken into the calculation of a chart are the Moon, Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
The planets are orbiting the Sun. Thus:
– the Moon needs 29 days to cycle through all the zodiac
– the Sun needs approximately a year
– Mercury takes about 88 days
– Venus takes about 225 days
– Mars takes about 2 years
– Jupiter takes about 12 years
– Saturn takes about 29 years
– Uranus takes about 84 years
– Neptune needs 165 years
– Pluto needs almost 248 years
The alchemists from the ancient times used the planetary alphabet to symbolize the metals. Thus for gold they were using the sign of the Sun, for silver the Moon, for mercury – Mercury, for copper – Venus, for iron – Mars, for lead – Saturn and for tin – Jupiter.
Sun and Moon are also called “luminaries” because they are planets whose light directly affects life on Earth. The light of the Moon has special features and special effects on terrestrial life, as demonstrated by several biological experiments. That’s because the respective “light” is not only the visible one, but a broader spectrum of radiation. Luminaries are those who have the most powerful influence on the individual and general lives, be it biological, psychological or spiritual.
The planets Mercury, Venus and Mars (closest to Earth) are considered planets of individual life details. Their evolution in the sky, compared to the chart of a person, gives the most details about personal life events, along with the Sun and Moon.
The planets Jupiter and Saturn, two heavy planets and far from the Sun, show more how an individual will fit into society, its prospects and possibilities of social and professional success, major successes and challenges of life. The planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are seen mainly as a signifier of generations, with large social implications.
But keep in mind that the planets don’t compel us to anything. Mars does not cause wars, Venus does not cause better understanding between people and Mercury does not push the people to be rational. Planets generate specific vibrations, but people are the ones who decide their own actions and the outcome depends very much on the way they harmonize with the cosmic vibrations.