Astrology: Your 10 Step Guide to Better Self Awareness

Astrology and Self Improvement

There are many reasons why people get into astrology. Most of you have read a horoscope and some of you will have taken your interest in astrology further and read astrology books and blog articles. However, all of you will have used astrology to discover more about what makes you the unique person you are. With this in mind, I started to think about how astrology works to reveal your inner self.

Most of you will be familiar with the sign occupied by your natal Sun – and some of you will also be familiar with your Moon Sign and Rising Sign or Ascendant too. However, all of the planets represents part of the human psyche. So, in astrological terms, when you look at the planets together you get really clear image of the person you were born to be.

By looking closely at what each planet signifies in astrology, what sign it occupies and where it’s located in your natal chart, we discover how complex we are as human beings. Look further and you discover how each part of that complex whole (represented by the planetary energies) is a vital part of you as a human being.

So, let’s remind ourselves of what each planet represents in astrology. Learning how each planet works in your life – and using your knowledge to ensure their energies are expressed as well as possible – is your own ‘10 step program’ to better self-awareness, and deeper understanding of what it’s like to be you.

Sun in Astrology

Regardless of sign, the Sun, ruler of Leo, represents the basic essence of your character – your personality. It’s the energy you radiate into the world. The Sun is your ego. It lights up your self esteem and if you’re that way inclined, your self importance. It governs your pride – and we all know the difference between being proud of our achievements and, well, just being proud.

Understanding how your Sun‘s energy works according to it’s Sign and house position is the key to you becoming aware of how you can use your Sun to increase your self esteem. Solar traits can be acted out in both positive and negative ways. The more conscious you are of your own character, the easier it is to combat the expression of negative traits by bringing them to light and accepting yourself as you are. The Sun is your source of confidence, courage and creative expression. Use it well.

Moon in Astrology

The Moon, ruler of Cancer, governs your emotional responses, your sense of security and the things that make you comfortable – or not. Getting to know your Moon is a great way of upping your levels of emotional intelligence. However, the Moon is unconscious and instinctive and it’s not always easy to bring your deepest emotions and needs to light. This is because the Moon has a dark side – the emotions and feelings we are happy to repress as we find them hard to deal with.

So, a great way use your Moon wisely is to understand that it’s sign and house position tell you how best to process your responses to the world around you. Being comfortable with life and emotionally balanced is always preferable to hiding your more difficult feelings away on the ‘dark side’. The Moon represents your comfort zone – the people, places and patterns of behaviour that you are drawn towards. It’s habit forming, so try to ensure your habits are good ones.

Mercury in Astrology

Mercury, ruler of Gemini and Virgo, is where and how you make contact with the world. Your speech, movement, transportation – even your choice of car and phone – will owe a great deal to the sign that rules your natal Mercury. Mercury’s house position in your natal chart and Mercury by sign govern how you use and enjoy language, which books you read – and how your communicate your thoughts and ideas.

Mercury is the planet of curiosity and by sign and house position it tells you a great deal about how you take in and process information, organise your thoughts – and organise yourself. You need Mercury to make decisions, to evaluate between one course of action or another, to understand those handy instruction booklets that come with every appliance – and to process and understand everyday life itself. Without Mercury your life would be a lonely place.

Venus in Astrology

We often think of Venus, ruler of Taurus and Libra, purely in terms of relationships, as Venus is the goddess of love. Your Venus sign describes your approach to relationships – and love relationships in particular. Venus shows who you find attractive, but to focus on this to the exclusion of all else is selling Venus short. Venus represents your desire nature in the deepest sense. Use Venus to discover what you really want from life.

Venus describes your basic values in life; the things that are truly important to you. Venus also shows where you find pleasure. Venus governs your personal tastes and your artistic and aesthetic inclinations. Venus is, of course, always happy to spend money to indulge those tastes – your Venus by sign is a good indicator of your attitudes to material things – especially cash – and her house position shows where you may spend money on activities and objects that bring you joy.

Mars in Astrology

Every Venus needs a Mars. Venus may rule desire but Mars represents your most basic go getting drive – the force that enables you to pursue your desires, broad objectives or a personal goal. Mars, ruler of Aries, wants to ‘win’ – and I use that word in the broadest sense as in ‘to go after and get’. Mars shows you where you need to put yourself first. It shows where you may face challenges and be brave. Courage is available to you wherever Mars is found in your birth chart.

Mars is your basic survival instinct and your Mars sign shows how your Martian side behaves. Your sex drive, your competitiveness, how well you control your temper , the ways and force with which you assert yourself will be determined by the nature of your natal Mars sign. Natal Mars by house will show the part of your life where those Mars energies are most likely to act out. Mars is easily provoked, so expect someone or something to annoy you in the house of Mars.

I’m going to add a brief note about Mars and Venus. They are male and female archetypes, and in traditional astrology, it was thought men found it hard to express their feminine, Venus qualities and vice versa. I don’t hold with that view – regardless of gender or sexual orientation, we are all capable of expressing Venus and Mars energies is a positive manner and should strive to do so. Those energies are part of you and should be honoured.

Jupiter in Astrology

Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius is a social animal. Your Jupiter sign shows how you seek to expand your world by acquiring knowledge or by engaging in any activity that pushes your boundaries. Your attitudes towards long distance travel, higher education and anything foreign or alien to you are governed by your Jupiter sign. Jupiter brings new opportunities, so if you feel stuck in a rut use Jupiter as your way out of it. Discover how you to express your Jupiter energies by sign; Jupiter’s natal house shows where that energy is best deployed.

If you’re frustrated with life, you’re probably overlooking your Jupiter potentials. You need to think big, to trust your own abilities, and how other people will respond to your efforts. You need to be positive and optimistic. Make an effort to improve your life. Getting to know Jupiter can be great way of opening your mind and developing the wisdom you need to be truly happy in life. Spread your wings with Jupiter and enjoy the flight.

Saturn in Astrology

Saturn, ruler of Capricorn is the complement to Jupiter and is often seen as a depressing influence. Saturn is like green vegetables; essential for your wellbeing though you’d rather eat something else. However Saturn is the great stabilizer; by sign, Saturn shows how you approach responsibility and hard work. It describes your attitude to authority. Saturn helps you develop self-control and self-discipline. Regardless of sign, that potential is always there with Saturn.

Saturn shows your attitude to commitment. It reminds you of your limits and shows how you mature. Saturn also shows where you procrastinate in life, what you shy away from, what you fear or try to ignore. Facing up to difficulties or fears is the only way of dealing with them. Saturns lessons are perhaps the greatest lessons you will learn. Limitations are often self-imposed; use Saturn’s energies to get over yourself. It hurts to hear that but sometimes it needs to be said.

Uranus in Astrology

Uranus may be the first of the ‘generational’ planets, but that doesn’t prevent Uranus from being personal. Its influence will be felt in the house it occupies in your natal chart – and often in a disconcerting way because Uranian energy is disruptive.Uranus in your birth chart shows where you experience change and stress. However, some people welcome the excitement that Uranus brings – and this approach offers the solution to dealing with this chaotic influence.

Learning to embrace change is perhaps the best way to deal with it. However, that’s not always easy as it involves having to accept changes that are often uncomfortable – especially at first, or if those changes are unplanned. Uranus can eject you out of your comfort zone with astonishing speed, but the purpose of this is to discard people and situations that are moribund or outworn. Allow new and surprising things into your life; you may discover they’re not so bad after all.

Neptune in Astrology

It’s difficult to describe Neptune‘s energy as, well, energy. In fact it’s difficult to describe Neptune at all. Another generational planet, Neptune’s house placement shows where you find it hard to stay in the present. The planet of escapism and dreams, Neptune can be inspirational, creative, addictive or delusional and it can be the most difficult planetary energy to deal with as it is so elusive.

The house where Neptune, ruler of Pisces, is situated can feel like a soap opera – but even that tells you one obvious thing – unless you let go of the people and emotions that keep turning your drama into a crisis you will never find the inner peace you need. Sometimes you need to get real and enforce a few boundaries – it’s the only way you will achieve inner peace and be able to relax.

Pluto in Astrology

Finally, the darkest energy of all. Pluto, ruler of Scorpio, is the outermost planet (in astrological terms), and is associated with raw primeval energy – the dark side of our existence. Plutonian energy is difficult for many people to own. Pluto‘s energy is influenced by it’s sign but it’s most noticeable in the house Pluto occupied at the time of your birth.

Depending on it’s house placement, Pluto‘s energy can erupt as obsession. Pluto in your natal chart shows where you need to be in control – because underneath you feel powerless and out of control. You can see it can be incredibly self destructive – both to yourself and others – manifesting as jealousy, manipulation, bullying, stalking, coercion and control.

Deal with your Pluto energy by meeting it head on. Pluto wants you to look deep inside yourself and root out the fears, phobias and obsessions that have taken over your life. Stop projecting your fears onto others – and transform your life by accepting yourself as you are. This is the legacy of Pluto – the ability to heal using unrelenting honesty as your medicine.

© Sara Shipman 2019