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Astrology Essentials

See how the planets and asteroids, elements and qualities come together to give you a better understanding of Astrology.

Sun signs

Sun sign astrology is the form of astrology most commonly found in many newspaper and magazine columns. It is a simplified system of astrology which considers only the position of the Sun at birth, which is said to be placed within one of the twelve zodiac signs. This sign is then called the sun sign or star sign of the person born in that twelfth-part of the year.

The Planets

In Astrology each planet symbolizes a different component of life, a different type of energy

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The Sun

The planet of self. Highlights what it touches, like a spotlight. It illuminates every detail like the sun hitting a tree branch

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The Moon

Ruler of emotions. The Moon is associated with the menstrual period as it takes around one month to repeat itself, just like a woman’s menstrual cycle.

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Mercury

Planet of Communication. Mercury is the Roman messenger of the Gods who had winged sandals and a winged helmet, flying with his news.

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Venus

Planet of Love and Money. Venus was the Roman goddess of love, who was unfaithful to her husband Vulcan and had sex with Mars.

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Chiron

The Wounded Healer. Chiron is referred to as ‘the wounded healer’ but he was best known as a music teacher.

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Mars

The Planet of Passion. Mars is the Roman God of War. Mars is linked to the colour red – the colour of blood, and the colour your face turns when you are angry. 

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Jupiter

The Planet of Luck. Jupiter rules opportunity and expansion. He rules people and organisations who were born lucky, or feel lucky, so they give – and go on giving.

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Uranus

The Planet of Rebellion. Uranus is the catalyst that starts the revolution. Uranus is confronting, challenging, changing, liberating.

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Pluto

The Planet of Power. Pluto was the Roman god of the underworld, who lived in darkness and was only seen once, fully revealed – when he abducted his future wife, Proserpina. He represents transformation in the balance of power

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Saturn

The Planet of Karma. Saturn is the planet astrologers associate with pain. Saturn rules sharp edges and sharp objects, prickly people and prickly plants. Spikes and spikiness. He is associated with not only holly, but also with the blade of a scythe.

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Neptune

The Planet of Illusion. Neptune is avoiding, evading, escaping. Uranus is confronting, challenging, changing, liberating. Neptune is about being comfortably numb. About getting lost, not waking up.

The Aspects

To find aspects in your chart, look for anything at the same number (degree). In modern astrology we use exact numbers or degrees, first.

Don’t worry about the second number after the sign. It’s minutes and very rarely matters.

So, if you have the Sun at 12 Aries 49 and you find Pluto at 12 Libra 12, just use Sun 12 Aries and Pluto 12 Libra.

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The Conjunction – Same Sign and Degree

This is when two factors are in the same sign at the same degree. The Ascendant at 19 Pisces is in a conjunction with the Sun at 19 Pisces. This always doubles the impact of the sign and its house in a life and personality. This person might be a hypnotist who is a devout Anglican.

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The Semi-Sextile – One Sign Along

This is when two factors are one sign apart but at the same degree. The Moon at 12 Aries is semi-sextile Mercury at 12 Taurus. It means you are semi Aries and semi Taurus. A bit of a self-promoter (Aries) and a bit of a shopaholic (Taurus). We think of semi-antique (a bit valuable) or semi-erect (a bit sexy). A semi-sextile is not quite there, but it’s there.

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The Sextile – Two Signs Along

This works nicely in a chart. Two factors are two signs apart, rather like a couple holding hands. Your Venus at 12 Gemini holds hands with your Descendant at 12 Leo. It’s sexy. Sextiles are about attracting factors and attractive factors. A Gemini-Leo sextile is a popular Zoom (Gemini) teacher (Leo).

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The Square – Three Signs Along

What you can’t square. Uranus at 1 Libra is square the Moon at 1 Cancer. You can’t square the endless rejections in your marriage with the great need to conceive a baby. Another example is Jupiter at 15 Virgo square Mercury at 15 Sagittarius. You can’t square your fantastic health record with the need to travel and possibly get Covid. The solution for a square is always to avoid expressing it. Or minimise it.

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The Trine – Five Signs Along

Aries is trine Leo. Taurus is trine Virgo. Gemini is trine Libra. Cancer is trine Scorpio, and so on. When you have an exact trine, two parts of the same element (Fire, Earth, Air, Water) are in agreement. They chime and rhyme. That’s a trine. When things are fine, you’re doing your trine. It’s a gift.

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The Quincunx – Six Signs Along


Hard to say and hard to make it work. Aries is quincunx Virgo, six signs along. Taurus is quincunx Libra, six signs along.

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The Opposition – Seven Signs Along


An internal conflict. When you express one half of the opposition, there is another part of you which feels ignored, rejected, even threatened. Aries is opposite Libra. If you do your Aries and are front-and-centre in football games, your girlfriend who supports the opposite team may hate you.

Taurus is opposite Scorpio, common in families where there is a dispute over the will. Gemini is opposite Sagittarius and there will be language barriers with foreigners. Cancer is opposite Capricorn and relocating for career can result in homesickness. The solution for an opposition is to find a creative way of satisfying both sides of you!

Asteroids

Asteroids are named after Roman archetypes are found in your personal birth chart.

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Cupido

Son of Venus, husband of Psyche. Symbol of desire and short-term passion.

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Psyche

Wife of Cupid, daughter-in-law of Venus. Symbol of what is eternal, immortal.

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Vulcan

Husband of Venus. Symbol of tightly controlled anger and desire; restrained fire.

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Juno

Wife of Jupiter. Symbol of commitment and the loss of freedom/gain in security.

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Fortuna

Daughter of Jupiter. Symbol of fortune. Highs become lows and vice versa.

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Minerva

Daughter of Jupiter. Wise and all-knowing. A symbol of deep intelligence.

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Diana

Daughter of Jupiter. Child-free and marriage-free. A symbol of independence.

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Apollo

Son of Jupiter. Symbol of leadership. One of the few gay gods in Ancient Rome.

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Bacchus

Son of Jupiter. Symbol of the pure pleasure principle. Hedonism and indulgence.

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Aesculapius

Grandson of Jupiter. Symbol of rescue, resurrection, rebirth. The ultimate healer.

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Hygeia

Great-granddaughter of Jupiter. Symbol of prevention being better than cure.

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Panacea

Great-granddaughter of Jupiter. Symbol of the ethical issues around all cures.

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Ops

Wife of Saturn, mother of Jupiter. Symbol of hope and happy endings after pain.

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Vesta

Daughter of Saturn. Symbol of one male/many female ‘harem’ scenarios.

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Salacia

Wife of Neptune. Found in the year of the Asian Tsunami. Similar to Neptune.

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Ceres

Pluto’s mother-in-law. Symbol of power struggles and compromises in control.

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Proserpina

Pluto’s wife. Symbol of go-between status, bridging powerful people/entities.

The Houses

The twelve houses in your horoscope – the twelve segments of the circle – describe all the departments of your life. Each one is ruled by a zodiac sign.

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The First House

The first house is about appearances. You can be the real you, away from what you wear, and how you use your body language, and how you are profiled. But – image matters.

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The Second House

The Second House is about everything you earn, own or owe. Money, credit cards and shopping are Second House matters.

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The Third House

The Third House, at its core, is about being heard and read. Thus we go into areas like literacy, translation, speech impediments, deafness, public speaking, and of course vision, as one has to read, in order to translate and transmit.

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The Fourth House

Cancer is a sign very much associated with home. House, apartment, land, garden, home town, homeland.  I often find crab shells in the water, which are reminders that Cancer carries her/his ‘home’ as part of himself or herself.

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The Fifth House

The Fifth House of your horoscope is ruled by the Sun and the zodiac sign Leo. The Sun is a symbol of the father. Leo is a symbol of royalty.

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The Sixth House

The Sixth House is very much about daily rituals and the method and order of your regular routine.

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The Seventh House

The Seventh House is ruled by Libra and Venus. Venus also rules the Second House, which is about jewellery, gold and money, as well as food – all the valuable items of life.

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The Eighth House

The Eighth House is ruled by Scorpio and Pluto. Robert Hand notes, “Death. Inheritance. Other people’s money” in his book, Horoscope Symbols but neglects to mention sex.

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The Ninth House

The Ninth House of your horoscope is ruled by Sagittarius and Jupiter. It describes travel and travel in the mind. Real journeys and intellectual, educational, academic or spiritual journeys.

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The Tenth House

The Tenth House is ruled by the zodiac sign Capricorn and Saturn. This is where you climb to the top, achieving your goals and becoming successful.

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The Eleventh House

The Eleventh House of the horoscope describes your communities – groups of friends and acquaintances – and social media.

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The Twelfth House

The Twelfth House of your horoscope is ruled by Neptune and Pisces. This already has quite a fluid, watery feel, thanks to the symbolism of the ocean, and fish.

The Elements

In modern astrology each of the elements are associated with different astrological signs

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Earth

Earth has to deal with loyalty.

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Air

Air has to deal with playfulness and wits.

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Fire

Fire has to deal with bravery.

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Water

Water has to deal with emotion, intuition, and intelligence.

Current Planetary Positions

Every day at jessicaadams.com you can check the position of the planets, the asteroids and other important heavenly bodies, in the twelve signs of the zodiac. These positions are calculated in real time. The best way to view this is with your premium member birth chart handy.

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