Everybody needs a place to live, and the planets, wanderers though they may be, are no exception. when an astrological horoscope is drawn up for the moment of birth, the map of the planets' positions around each personal horoscope is usually depicted in such a way that it resembles a pizza pie divided into twelve slices with ten anchovies on it. The ten anchovies are the planets and each of the twelve slices of the pizza is a house of the horoscope.
Each planet represents a different energy operating in our lives. This energy is operating in a way that is qualified by the sign it occupies, but the houses can pinpoint the area of everyday life in which these energies will have their main focus.
The signs of the zodiac are the universal backdrop against which we perceive the planets and the energies operating in our lives. But it is the houses which make these energies unique and personal. The degree of the zodiac that determines both the horizontal and vertical lines that make up the skeleton of any horoscope, which in turn determine which house of the horoscope each planet lives and, are determined from the exact place and time of each birth.
The horizontal and vertical lines make up the cross of matter often discussed when talking about the planets. The cross represents the earth and the chart represents the energies of the planets in signs operating in the areas of mundane experience that are symbolized by the houses.
It also looks like a telescopic gun sight, and in a way it works very much like one. Remember, the word horoscope means 'to look at the hour' and a birth chart is a personal scope through which we can focus on our unique existence. It can work like a telescope and provide some distance from ourselves, or like a microscope to examine strengths and weaknesses in minute detail.
Understanding the houses of astrology is best done by discussing the houses out of order. Instead of studying the houses of the horoscope in numerical order, you should start with the four houses that are defined by the cross of matter of the chart. This order will make it easier to explain, and easier to understand, the remaining houses, all of which derive their meaning from the first four houses. For this reason, you should begin your study of the astrological houses with the first, seventh, fourth, and tenth houses.
The symbol for the astrological planet of Pluto looks like a combination of the first two letters of the word "Pluto" or the initials of Percival Lowell, the man who predicted Pluto's discovery. It may have been used at first for those very reasons. However, if we apply our understanding of the cross, crescent, and circle, we see that either conscious or divine planning seems to enter into the simple glyph for perhaps the most complex of planets.
Forget for a moment that Pluto is no longer considered a true planet in our solar system. In the glyph for Pluto, the cross of matter has been broken into its component parts (a horizontal and a vertical line), but they remained joined, creating a single right angle instead of four. Pluto has come to be associated with the process of breakdown and decay that an entity, item, or situation goes through at the end of its useful life. This process reduces it to its most component parts and then allows them to once again take form and be reborn, much like the mythical Phoenix. The crescent representing both the intellectual and the emotional halves of the soul remain attached to the cross of matter during this transition, signifying the soul's transcendence of death.
Pluto seems to rule both the 'highest' and the 'lowest' of humanity. The right angle of the glyph reminds us that there is an inherent danger in dealing with the energies of Pluto. Pluto tends to encourage the philosophy that says there is only one absolute right way to think and to act. This energy is not only at the base of what we call our 'conscience' and what some psychoanalysts call our 'super-ego,' but it also gives rise to dictators, underworld crime bosses (remember that in classical mythology, Pluto was Lord of the Underworld), and other megalomaniacs. Many of the 20th centuries most frightening dictators came to power during the time of Pluto's discovery (1930s). This symbolized that the time had come for humanity to confront those remote, larger than life, mesmerizing personalities who gain or attempt to gain absolute power by claiming to know the one 'right' way.
But this striving for an absolute right is really a perversion of the quest for perfection, and perversion is one of Pluto's specialities. Inhuman action are often associated with the astrological energies of Pluto, as striving for perfection is perverted into the imposition of the will of the stronger upon the weaker.
And yet there is a positive side to this tiny but powerful planet. Pluto reminds us to use the material world for what it is meant for. It should be a place to learn the fundamental principles that are the heart of reality, for in doing so, the soul transcends the material world and reaches a union with the spirit. This union is not apparent at first glance, but if we remember the lessons taught by Neptune, we realize that the union of the soul and spirit would, by definition, have to take place beyond time and space.
While the energies of Neptune (inspiration) are too sensitive to exist fully in the material world, Pluto (conscience) succeeds in gaining power for the individual soul by perfectly balancing the three-fold nature of personal experience (mind, body, spirit). But doing so, it overcomes the seemingly vast distance that separates it from the live-giving Sun, the go, and fulfills the ego's purpose.
Pluto rules the eliminative organs, which include the sexual organs. The theme of 'highest' and 'lowest' is at the very heart of what Pluto is to astrologers.
Some of the qualities associated with Pluto include: transformation, power, transcendence, resurrection, purging, regenerating, ruthlessness, mercilessness, absolute, conscience, the super-ego, control, obsession, breakdown, judgement, purifying, power struggles, elimination, death, and rebirth.
The symbol of the astrological planet of Neptune represents the crescent of the individualized soul impaled on the cross of matter. Neptune is closely associated with the messages of ego-denial, selfless love, sacrifice, and a faith in the unseen. Sometimes this inspiring ego-denial for a higher cause becomes perverted by fear into self-destructive, escapist tendencies like suicide, drug and alcohol addiction, and a defeatist attitude.
The true home of the soul is not the material world. Science has yet to pinpoint how and where the mind, emotions, and body interconnect. The soul has its origins beyond the material world, and it is this concept that is represented by the planet Neptune. While Saturn represents what we normally think of as reality, Neptune represents the reality that is beyond our senses. In other words, it represents the true home of the soul, whatever we define that to be.
This other world is beyond time and space. It is the world of intuition, mental telepathy, and ESP (extrasensory perception) of all kinds. Neptune, in classical Roman mythology, was the god of the oceans. When you put your foot into the sea you are connected to all the oceans in the world as well as all the continents. In this way, Neptune represents a constant connection to all that is.
When you are attuned to the subtle vibrations of the world represented by Neptune, you are connected to all there is, all that was, and all that will be. The unenlightened call this mysticism, illusion, or even delusion. But Neptune rules all that cannot be seen, and so much more. It rules oils, essences, gasses, veils, films, and all those things you might consider to be mysterious.
The energies of the planet Neptune can be difficult to use in the material world without perversion. Just when you think you understand, your understanding dissolves and you get distracted by a new wonder or a previously-concealed mystery. Neptune is the planet of distraction. Neptune rules the feet, which are connected to all the other parts of the body (according to the science of reflexology). So, in a sense, Neptune rules the entire body.
Qualities associated with the astrological planet Neptune include: ego-denial, otherworldly qualities, spirituality, inspiration, faith, idealism, fantasy, imagination, dreams and dreamlike states, clouds, confusion, delusion, illusion, deception, weakness, dissolution, sacrifice, surrender, suffering, martyrdom, escape, and addiction.
The symbol for the astrological planet of Jupiter shows the broken circle of the intellectual and emotional halves of the individualized soul, just as Saturn, but this time the cross of matter is below the broken circle. This demonstrates that the energies of the planet Jupiter are those where there is a useful and harmonious connection between the individualized soul and the material universe.
The soul knows that abundance is its birthright and Jupiter symbolizes this abundance. While Saturn is anchored in the material world, Jupiter can be seen as a "sky-hook" that connect us with what we want, using the knowledge that we're going to get what we desire simply because we should have it. Some people call it luck. It is not surprising that the world "jovial" is derived from "Jove," the Roman word for Jupiter. But when lucky people act like they have all the answers, then the bragging, exaggerated aspect of Jupiter rears its ugly head.
Jupiter represents the tools used to aid growth in knowledge and understanding. While Mercury symbolize piece-by-piece perception of individual facts, Jupiter represents assembling the broader picture. It is the "forest" to Mercury's "trees." When Jupiter is tuned into the search for understanding of the human condition, laws, religions, and philosophies are produced, as well as the teaching and widespread dissemination of these subjects through publishing and broadcasting. The search for different approaches to life leads to foreign travel.
Influenced by Jupiter, a lucky, jovial, philosophical person may go overboard in his enjoyment of the finer things in life. It is no wonder than Jupiter is said to rule the liver as well as the blood, veins, and arteries, for they carry life to the farthest reaches of our bodies. Jupiter also rules the hips and the thighs, which help to move us around our own world.
Some of the qualities of Jupiter include: expanding, enlarging, increasing, developing, movement, achievement, integration, encouragement, prosperity, positive outlook, luck, wealth, generosity, bounty, teaching, broader perspective, higher education, law, philosophy, religion, broadcasting, travel, publishing, and happiness.
