Which planet rules your world?

tags: rulership

What is the importance of a ruling planet, and how do I figure out which planets are my rulers?

Laurel

Hi, Laurel—
Planets are said to have rulership, or affinity, with certain signs.

It goes like this*:

The Sun rules Leo
The Moon rules Cancer
Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo
Venus rules Taurus and Libra
Mars rules Aries
Jupiter rules Sagittarius
Saturn rules Capricorn
Uranus rules Aquarius
Neptune rules Pisces,
and Pluto rules Scorpio.

*It’s actually a weensy bit more complicated.. see my tutorial on rulerships.. but this list will get you started.

These are good to know if you want to understand astrology. The similarity between the energy of a sign and that of its ruler makes it easier to remember their meanings!

A planet in the sign of its rulership is very strong. For example, a person with Moon in Cancer has extremely powerful emotions which ebb and flow like the tides.

Your natal chart is a map showing the location of the Sun, Moon and planets, relative to the stars and to the earth, at the time and place of your birth.

If you’re learning to read charts, knowing the ruling planet for each sign is very useful. You can analyze the ruling planet to understand how the energy works.

For example, consider two people with the Sun in emotional water sign Cancer. Cancer’s ruler is the Moon. One has the Moon in Scorpio, a deeply passionate and intense water sign, and the other has the Moon in Aquarius, a logical and dispassionate air sign.

The fact that the Sun is in Cancer establishes that this person is emotional. The sign of the Moon, Cancer’s ruler, tells me how this person’s emotions work.

So a Cancer with a Moon in Scorpio is someone very deep, secretive. Cancer and Scorpio are both water signs, so you know this person is not just emotional but REALLY emotional. With the passionate, sexual, often jealous intensity of Scorpio. This is a person with remarkable insight, intuition and healing abilities, but at times the powerful emotions may be difficult to handle.

In a Cancerian with Moon in Aquarius, the emotional nature is very strong, but so is the distaste for emotional display or “drama.” So there needs to be a balance. It can be a very strong combo, the intuition and ability to deal with emotions, plus the objectivity not to take things too personally, the friendliness to reach out to others in a nurturing way. It works well, as long as they don’t try to explain away feelings with logic, a common Aquarian misfire.

You can also read the ruling planet of each planet and house in your birth chart, for more information about the part of life it represents.

Comments:

1. Do you do individual charts? I have mine I just dont know how to extesively read it.
   Thank you!
   Ann
   
   — ann    27 September 2005    #
2. Yes, I do-- details on my consultations page.
   
   — Molly    28 September 2005    #

3. I don’t have a chart but I do keep track of what I am
   I’m a leo, my element is fire, My card thing is clubs, and I’m ruled by the sun

   
   
   — Sophia    8 April 2006    #

4. the information is really good however i agree with ann because it is very hard to read the chart without a example u need to show a exmaple of a chart which will then make your readers understand better of how it works , how u read it, what it means and what hapens etc…..

   
   
   — babita    11 August 2006    #

5. Something “seems” a bit wonky with the website, but it could be me. Nevertheless…

   My Question is: What can you tell me about synastry, i.e., compatibility-wise. Is there a book available that you can recommend?

   What I’m looking for is something that tells you How you Affect someone’s else’s chart, etc. as if you were to do an overlay. Example: How does someone else’s Venus in your 12th house run it’s energy on you.

   I hear things like, if someone’s Venus is in your 12th it typically is a disappointing outcome, or anothers Sun/Moon in your 12th means separation,

   or Mars activates specific activities there.

   Does this make sense and IS it important? Isn’t the composite chart more indicative of mutual energy, vs. what I’m addressing. It doesn’t have to be lovers, but people, children the whole wash basin of interacitons.

   I think this would be useful since we all have our blindspots, but if we know where we might be pushing the wrong buttons, we could better manage our actions whereby not triggering someone else’s reaction negatively or the like.

   
   
   — Barbara B    4 October 2006    #

6. Hi Barbara—

   Thanks for your concern, but there's nothing I can do with "wonky." If you're having a specific issue you can describe to me in detail, I can look into it.

   I think what you’re looking for is a book on synastry. You might try The Astrology of Human Relationships by Sakoian and Acker, or Planets in Synastry by E.W. Neville. Keep in mind that that these authors will sometimes talk in absolutes, “x paired with y will never work,” that kind of thing. Use these books as a starting point, and take them with a grain of salt.

   
   
   — Molly    4 October 2006    #

7. How much difference is half an hour likely to make in my natal chart? I’m not sure exactly when I was born, but know within 30 minutes.

   Thanks
   Alysa

   
   
   — alysa    19 October 2006    #

8. Alysa,

   It’s not likely to change much except for the placement of the houses. Try running a chart for the beginning of the range, and another for the end, and you’ll see what is different.

   
   
   — Molly    19 October 2006    #

9. im the moon

   
   
   — firestar    5 March 2008    #