Personal planets
“The starry vault of heaven is in truth the open book of cosmic projection.”
— Carl Gustav Jung
Understanding the personal planets (Mercury, Venus and Mars) in your natal astrology chart
How to interpret Mercury in your natal chart
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the fastest planet in our solar system – travelling through space at nearly 29 miles (47 kilometres) per second. It’s also the smallest planet and only slightly larger than the Earth’s Moon. Did anything in that previous sentence stand out to you or bring questions to your mind? For example, how can Mercury be the smallest planet in our solar system while also being larger than the Earth’s Moon? Put simply, our Moon is not considered a planet but a satellite of Earth. And, why did I say “Earth’s Moon” and not “the moon”? Because there are actually 293 moons orbiting planets in our solar system with more than 470 satellites orbiting Kuiper Belt Objects (KBUs) beyond Neptune, that’s why. Saturn itself has 146 moons!
Anyway, you get my point about moons - so, back to Mercury. With it being the fastest planet that is also closest to the Sun, it makes sense why there's been a deity associated with Mercury since time immemorial that wears winged sandals to travel between heaven (God’s place) and Earth (our place); and, as we know, “God” has always been synonymous with the Sun. The winged sandal wearer I’m speaking of is the supposed passer of wisdom to the ancient Egyptians - Hermes Trismegistus, also known as Thoth. The Greeks, who attempted to interpret and preserve the ancient wisdom lying desecrated in the sands of Egypt during the Ptolemaic era, shortened the deities’ name to just Hermes. It’s important to note that, unfortunately, by the time the Ancient Greeks came to Egypt - even the Egyptians living there were completely void of understanding the Ancient Egyptian wisdom that lay neglected therein - leaving the question, where did those who instilled and understood it disappear to and why didn’t they pass it on? But, that’s one of our universe’s biggest can of worms that I’ll leave for another day.
Hermes is also associated with one of the most famous symbols of all time that can be seen all over the word from neolithic sites to modern medicine - the caduceus, a staff with two snakes wrapped around it and wings at the top. The winged staff was believed to induce sleep - hinting at one of Hermes’ many roles of being the mediator between the living and the dead, the awake and the asleep and the underworld and overworld. Mercury, then, governs the intellectual or thought plane. Which brings to mind one of the seven hermetic principles “as above, so below” which, in fact, originates from the “Emerald Tablets of Thoth” - an ancient hermetic text written by Hermes Trismegistus himself. In the Rider Waite Smith tarot deck, The Magician – number one in the major arcana after number zero, The Fool – is depicted with one hand pointing upwards towards the sky and the other pointing down towards the earth. With, in front of him, a table with the four classical elements of earth, water, air and fire laid upon it. The Magician tarot card depicts the “as above, so below” mantra and is ruled by the planet Mercury. As the planet Mercury speeds through the solar system above us, so below our thoughts, ideas, communications, creations and commerce are governed by it.
It’s the Romans that we can thank for the name Mercury after putting their own name onto their version of the Greek Hermes and Egyptian Thoth. It’s the same Romans that we can thank for having a seven day week as opposed to an eight day one - imagine how tired we’d all be if each week had an extra day (I jest)... The days were then named after the classical planets of Hellenistic astrology, in the order: Sun (Helios), Moon (Selene), Mars (Ares), Mercury (Hermes), Jupiter (Zeus), Venus (Aphrodite), and Saturn (Cronus). Wednesday is named after Mercury, which can still be identified slightly within the French ‘Mercredi’.
Note the house that Mercury resides in within your natal astrology chart - those are the subject areas that tend to occupy your mind the most. Likewise, looking at a solar returns chart to see when Mercury will return for you and noting the house it will be in will give you insight into what will be on your mind in that period. Mercury changes its zodiac sign every seven to eight days.
How to interpret Venus in your natal chart
Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system - something that, if ‘she’ heard me say, I’m sure she’d take as a complement. It’s also the second planet from the Sun, our nearest planetary neighbours and the sixth largest planet.
Like Mars (one of the other personal planets), Venus embodies and is the symbol of one of the oldest archetypes known to man - love. Named, of course, after the Roman goddess Venus. The etymology of the Latin ‘Venus’ is an interesting one, stemming from the Proto-italic (pre Latin) ‘wenos’ meaning ‘desire’. The word ‘‘wenos’ has a Latin derivative ‘venenum’ meaning ‘poison’ - stemming from ‘wenes-no’ meaning ‘love drink’ or ‘addicting’. Friday is named after Venus, which can still be identified slightly within the Italian ‘Venerdì’.
Like the Moon, Venus corresponds with the emotional plane. Thus, Venus can be thought of as your attractor field. Venus, along with Jupiter, is known as a benefic. Meaning that their energy and influence can be helpful and positive. The placement of Venus in your natal chart can offer insights into who, and what, is drawn to you and why. Venus is also about the favours bestowed upon you, so the house your natal Venus occupies reveals what blessings you were born with. Venus changes its zodiac sign every 18 to 19 days.
How to interpret Mars in your natal chart
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, the seventh largest and the only planet we know of inhabited entirely by robots. Mars, coupled with Venus as one of Earth’s two closest planetary neighbours, embodies and is the symbol of one of the oldest archetypes known to man - war. War and love. Push and pull. Destruction and creation. Death and life. Swings and roundabouts, eh?
In Greek culture, Mars was identified with the Greek god Ares; one of the twelve Olympians, son of Zues and Hera and god of war and courage. In Roman culture, he was reinterpreted under the name of Mars with most of his festivals occurring in the month of March - the month named after him. Tuesday is the day named after Mars, which can still be identified slightly within the French ‘Mardi’.
Wherever, in your life, a climax, crescendo or denouement can be had - the essence of Mars will be found underneath it all. Mars is assertion - denoting how we utilise our inner fire, determination and aggression. The personal planets are the fastest moving planets, with the Moon changing signs every two days, the Sun every 22-23 days, Mercury every seven to eight days, Venus every 18-19, and Mars the longest of all at 57-58 days; give or take, of course.
Mars, along with Saturn, is known as a malefic. Meaning that their energy and influence can be intense and challenging. Due to this, in traditional astrology, Mars denotes strife. Thus, the house that Mars occupies in your natal astrology chart will denote areas of life subject to struggle or conflict.
