DIAGRAMS OF CONCEPTS IN ASTROLOGY by Susanne Hoepfl and Gwynne Mayer
MOST IMPORTANT CONCEPTS IN ASTROLOGY
| SIGN | Spiritual Ego/Buddhi | Psychological Keys Physical Ego/Shadow |
| Aries ♈ | Pioneering, Independent Path, Leader, Creator, Motivator | PE Independent, assertive, action oriented, quick learner SH impulsive/compulsive, headstrong, confrontive. |
| Taurus ♉ | I have | enduringly, possessively |
| Gemini ♊ | I think/communicate | communicatively |
| Cancer ♋ | I feel | protectively, cautiously |
| Leo ♌ | I will/create | creatively, joyfully |
| Virgo ♍ | I analyze | critically, detailed; analytically |
| Libra ♎ | I balance | harmoniously; unitedly |
| Scorpio ♏ | I desire | passionately, penetrately, secretively |
| Sagittarius♐ | I seek/aspire | philosophically, widely, deeply |
| Capricorn ♑ | I use/utilize | prudently; aspiringly |
| Aquarius ♒ | I understand | coolly, detachedly; scientifically |
| Pisces ♓ | I believe | nebulously, inspirationally, confusedly |
| SIGN | Karmic Connections | Positive/Negative Karmic Indicators |
| Aries ♈ (Fire, Energy) | Pioneer New Paths | takes initiative, warrior/impulsive, misuse of power |
| Taurus ♉ (Earth, Senses) | Stable Realistic Ownership | Authoritarian, realism/possessive ownership, judgemental |
| Gemini ♊ (Air, Thinking) | Communicator and Thinker | Ability to see both sides, sibling connection/ worry, superficial thinking. |
| Cancer ♋ (Water, Feeling) | Family, Career, Responsibilities | protective, secure, safe/emotional, secretive, depression |
| Leo ♌ (Fire, Energy) | Master teacher, energizer | Energize, Creative, Leadership/Lazy, Procrastinates, self-serving |
| Virgo ♍ – M | I analyze | critically, detailed; analytically |
| Libra ♎ + C | I balance | harmoniously; unitedly |
| Scorpio ♏ – F | I desire | passionately, penetrately, secretively |
| Sagittarius♐ + M | I seek/aspire | philosophically, widely, deeply |
| Capricorn ♑ – C | I use/utilize | prudently; aspiringly |
| Aquarius ♒ + F | I understand | coolly, detachedly; scientifically |
| Pisces ♓ – M | I believe | nebulously, inspirationally, confusedly |
| PLANET | URGE | KEY WORDS |
| Moon ☽ | to change | fluctuation, emotionality, response |
| Mercury☿ | to communicate | communication, mentality, transport |
| Venus ♀ | for love and beauty | harmony, love, beauty |
| Sun ☉ | for self-expression/to shine/to manifest | power, vitality, self-expression |
| Mars ♂ | for aggression | energy, heat, activation |
| Jupiter ♃ | for expansion, knowledge, wisdom, compassion | expansion, optimism, preservation |
| Saturn ♄ | for discipline | limitation, constriction, foundation |
| Uranus ♅ | for rebellion/towards rebellious freedom | unexpected, sudden, disruptive, revolution change |
| Neptune ♆ | for deception and self-deception; toward art and the non-material, the non-confined, the mystical, the spiritual | nebulousness, impressionability, inspiration |
| Pluto ♇ | for rebirth/regeneration; to quickly eliminate things not wanted | renewal, regeneration, elimination |
| (IMPORTANT) ASPECT | DEGREE | TYPE OF FORCE | PLANET | ||
| Conjunction ☌ | 0 | power +/- | Sun | ||
| Sextile ∗ | 60 | opportunity + | Venus | ||
| Square □ | 90 | disruptive — | Mars | ||
| Trine △ | 120 | luck ++ | Jupiter | ||
| Inconjunct ⊼ | 150 | stress – | Saturn | ||
| Opposition ☍ | 180 | opposing – | Moon | ||
| HOUSES | SIGN | ATTRIBUTES | |||
| 1 | Aries ♈ | Self (interests), personality, natural disposition, worldly outlook | |||
| 2 | Taurus ♉ | Wealth, memory tract, financial affairs, possibility of loss or gain of things | |||
| 3 | Gemini ♊ | brothers and sisters, journeys, mental inclinations, neighbors | |||
| 4 | Cancer ♋ | Mother, home environment, old age, conditions at the end of events/relationships etc. | |||
| 5 | Leo ♌ | Creation, recreation, procreation, children, games and gambling, speculation; hobbies | |||
| 6 | Virgo ♍ | Sickness, service, servants; work, hygiene, living wealth, small animals, limitations caused by partnerships | |||
| 7 | Libra ♎ | Marriage, open enemies, partnerships, general public, friends in foreign countries, mentality of one’s children | |||
| 8 | Scorpio ♏ | All matters concerned with death, legacies, astral experiences, other people’s money, tax; gains through marriage, occult | |||
| 9 | Sagittarius♐ | Higher education, philosophy, law, long journeys; foreign countries, spiritual tendencies; dreams; key methods of expanding one’s consciousness | |||
| 10 | Capricorn ♑ | Father and authoritarian figures; one’s profession; the house of destiny, government, honor and fame; the rewards of Karma | |||
| 11 | Aquarius ♒ | Friends and associates, aspirations, hopes; organizations | |||
| 12 | Pisces ♓ | Heaven and hell going/self-help and self-undoing; unexpected or unforeseen trouble, confinements, seclusion, exile, secret sorrows and/or enemies; hospitals, large animals; house of worries; | |||
| PLANET | RULER OF | DETRIMENT | EXALTATION | FALL |
| Moon ☽ | Cancer | Capricorn | Taurus | Scorpio |
| Mercury☿ | Gemini, Virgo | Sagittarius, Pisces | Virgo | Pisces |
| Venus ♀ | Taurus, Libra | Scorpio, Aries | Pisces | Virgo |
| Sun ☉ | Leo | Aquarius | Aries | Libra |
| Mars ♂ | Aries/Scorpio | Libra, Taurus | Capricorn | Cancer |
| Jupiter ♃ | Sagittarius | Gemini | Cancer | Capricorn |
| Saturn ♄ | Capricorn | Cancer | Libra | Aries |
| Uranus ♅ | Aquarius | Leo | Scorpio | Taurus |
| Neptune ♆ | Pisces | Virgo | Leo | Aquarius |
| Pluto ♇ | Scorpio/Aries | Taurus/Libra | — | — |
| North Node | Gemini | Sagittarius | ||
| South Node | Sagittarius | Gemini |
The two energies are yin or yang:
| Yang – masculine/direct/assertive/extroverted (Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, Aquarius) Fire/Air | Yin – feminine/indirect/passive/ introverted (Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces) – Earth/Water |
| Specific | Holistic |
| Positive | Negative |
The three qualities are cardinal, fixed, or mutable.
| Cardinal (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) | Fixed (Taurus, Leo , Scorpio, Aquarius) | Mutable (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) |
| Independent | Persistent | Adaptable |
| Impatient | Consistent | Flexible |
| Go-Getting | Reliable | Mercurial |
| Efficacious | Focused | |
| Self-starters | Determined |
The four elements are fire, earth, air or water.
| Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) | Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) | Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) | Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) |
| Energetic | Practical | Intellectual | Emotional |
| Courageous | Skillful | Social | Intuitive |
| Passionate | Down to Earth | Thoughtful | Romantic |
| HOUSE-POSITION | QUALITY | KEY WORDS |
| ANGULAR (1, 4, 7, 10) | self-activating quality (how you initiate action) | ACTION – strong planets (like exalted signs) (AC, IC, DC, MC) – very important when dealing with the horoscope/felt more strongly |
| SUCCEDENT (2, 5, 8, 11) | individual desires and the areas we want to control (shows outcome of whatever was started in angular) SECURITY/PRODUCTIVITY | SECURITY/PRODUCTIVITY (strength as if it were in the sign of its detriment) They sync with the fixed sign quality of rooting in, to be able to fully materialize, prosper, bring to completion |
| CADENT (3, 6, 9, 12) | where there is input, exchange, and distribution of thoughts and observations (how you maintain what was started in angular) | LEARNING/COMMUNICATION These Houses are in flux, the planets are here the weakest (like a sign in its fall) |
Some tips:
- Sign position – is it strong or weak depending on the harmony of the planet to that zodiacal sign (e.g. Venus in Aries vs. in Taurus)
- Planet rulership (domicile; exaltation, detriment, fall): How strong is the vibration of the planet in that sign?
- Retrograde planets: They tend to produce an urge that is more frustrating or inharmonious to the planet involved.
- Intercepted signs: It becomes much weaker than it would usually be. It forced the planet to function more mentally or secretively.
- Benefic (urges are easier to handle) and malefic (urges are more difficult to handle) – (Jupiter and Venus/Saturn and Mars)
- House position (if planet rulership has no issues/advantages) – angular, succedent; cadent. Also: Sign rulership has greater strength over the house position of a planet. If there is a conflict between the two, one should refer to the zodiacal placement rather than the house position.
As a general rule, the planet that rules a house is stronger than a planet located in that house. - Aspects to the planet: The closer the aspect, the stronger the force; the greater the number of aspects, the stronger the planet (is the aspect harmonious or inharmonious; is the orb wide; is the aspect forming or formed/closing or closed; the aspecting planet malefic or benefic; harmonious in itself; angular/cardinal; in a fruitful or barren sign) – look to the faster moving planet in an aspect
| HOUSE AND KEYWORDS | MAIN CONCEPTS | RULES | ELEMENTS WITH KEYWORDS |
| 1st house – Personal/Self- identity; physical body, early childhood, tied to health/ANGULAR = self-activating quality (how you initiate action). ACTION | The first house has to do with how we appear or the way we come across, thus our appearance and personality | Rules our personal self and everything about us that draws a reaction from our surroundings or others. | Fire – Trinity of Life – attitude toward life and the experience of being alive/ Planets in the fire houses affect the individual’s attitude toward life itself and the person’s entire sense of faith and confidence in self/IDENTITY. |
| 2nd house – values, memory, self-worth, material possessions, inner resources/SUCCEDENT = individual desires and the areas we want to control (shows outcome of whatever was started in angular); SECURITY/PRODUCTIVITY | Is concerned with how we respond to or field whatever impulses or unique and personal qualities we manifest via our first house | Refers to how we secure ourselves, the kind of response we get from life and those around us. How we hold/have things/possessions | Earth – Trinity of Wealth – associated with the level of experience wherein we try to satisfy our basic needs in the practical world/MATERIAL |
| 3rd house – communications, knowledge, siblings, short trips, immediate environment/CADENT = where there is input, exchange, and distribution of thoughts and observations (how you maintain what was started in angular); LEARNING/COMMUNICATION | Is concerned with explorations, investigations, and inquiry and research of all kinds | Rules connections, communications, wires, tubes and rules short journeys, siblings | Air – Trinity of Relationships – associated not only with social contacts and relationships of all types, but also with concepts/SOCIAL AND INTELLECTUAL |
| 4th house – psychological foundation, roots, domestic affairs, home and family, how things end; early years/ ANGULAR = self-activating quality (how you initiate action). ACTION | Where we send down roots, find our limits, and generally secure ourselves | This is our home and the base from which we can work, feel, and experience. | Water – The Psychic Trinity – All of these houses deal with the past, with the conditioned responses that are now instinctual and operate through the emotions. The person with an emphasis on these houses lives a great deal in the feelings and in his or her deeper yearnings/EMOTIONAL AND SOUL. |
| 5th house – self expression, romance, play, art, children, creativity, pleasure, hobbies, vacations/ SUCCEDENT = individual desires and the areas we want to control (shows outcome of whatever was started in angular); SECURITY | Has to do with awareness, emotion (to move out), and expression (to press out) | All forms of expression and offsprings are connected to this house — children, animals, creative expression, and so on | Fire – Trinity of Life – attitude toward life and the experience of being alive/ Planets in the fire houses affect the individual’s attitude toward life itself and the person’s entire sense of faith and confidence in self/IDENTITY. |
| 6th house – work and service, daily routines, health, habits/ CADENT = where there is input, exchange, and distribution of thoughts and observations (how you maintain what was started in angular); LEARNING | Has to do with salvaging and preserving what is good and healthy in our experience | Is an attempt to save the heart of an experience, one that already by that attempt is beginning to pass or not cohere. | Earth – Trinity of Wealth – associated with the level of experience wherein we try to satisfy our basic needs in the practical world/MATERIAL |
| 7th house – relationships, partnership, marriage, dealing with others, public, grandparents/ ANGULAR = self-activating quality (how you initiate action). ACTION | The house of partnerships, relationships, social life, and all that carries us beyond our personal self into an awareness of other people, community, and the like | Includes spiritual awakening and the discovery that we are more than just our personality. Marriage and yoga, or union, is indicated in this house | Air – Trinity of Relationships – associated not only with social contacts and relationships of all types, but also with concepts/SOCIAL AND INTELLECTUAL |
| 8th house – other’s resources, taxes, inheritance, sexuality, occult, hidden things, death, rebirthing, inheritance, transformation/ SUCCEDENT = individual desires and the areas we want to control (shows outcome of whatever was started in angular); SECURITY | Is concerned with getting rid of excess parts of ourselves that we see we no longer need | Covers initiation and any activities where we are transforming toward a more integral position, getting to the heart of things | Water – The Psychic Trinity – All of these houses deal with the past, with the conditioned responses that are now instinctual and operate through the emotions. The person with an emphasis on these houses lives a great deal in the feelings and in his or her deeper yearnings/EMOTIONAL AND SOUL. |
| 9th house –, inspiration, philosophy, world view, education, travels, higher mind/ CADENT = where there is input, exchange, and distribution of thoughts and observations (how you maintain what was started in angular); LEARNING | Covers long journeys and religion. Here is what remains of the purification that takes place in the eighth house — the seed, or essence, of an entire cycle of experience. | Essential ideas, philosophy, and all that is the very heart of things belong here. | Fire – Trinity of Life – attitude toward life and the experience of being alive/ Planets in the fire houses affect the individual’s attitude toward life itself and the person’s entire sense of faith and confidence in self/IDENTITY. |
| 10th house – career and ethics, ambitions, status/public image/ ANGULAR = self-activating quality (how you initiate action). ACTION | Is a house of practical vision and clairvoyance, for here we can see clearly what is. Reputation and career are often connected to this house | This house is where we have real vision and can see to do and work. Planets transiting this house may provide moments of insight and clear-seeing as well. | Earth – Trinity of Wealth – associated with the level of experience wherein we try to satisfy our basic needs in the practical world/MATERIAL |
| 11th house – community, social activities, ideals, groups, friends, clubs, humanitarian interests/ SUCCEDENT = individual desires and the areas we want to control (shows outcome of whatever was started in angular); SECURITY | Has to do with putting our visions and dreams (from 10th house) to work. | This house has always been connected with altruistic and humanitarian goals and trying to set them in motion. It is the house of friends and community, because when we are powered by a real insight or vision we share with all — irrespective of differences | Air – Trinity of Relationships – associated not only with social contacts and relationships of all types, but also with concepts/SOCIAL AND INTELLECTUAL |
| 12th house – spirituality, house of illusion, addictions, dreams, hidden resources, psychic phenomena, inner, meditative, entrapped, spiritual, hospitals/ CADENT = where there is input, exchange, and distribution of thoughts and observations (how you maintain what was started in angular); LEARNING | Is about all that we go through in order to make our dreams into reality and manifest them in the world around us. It covers what we are willing to put up with, the sacrifices we will make in order to bring across what is really important. | This is connected to prisons, institutions, betrayal, self-undoing, and the like, because it is here that we must choose to take some possible abuse for the sake of the message we are carrying, or blow it all away with a negative reaction. | Water – The Psychic Trinity – All of these houses deal with the past, with the conditioned responses that are now instinctual and operate through the emotions. The person with an emphasis on these houses lives a great deal in the feelings and in his or her deeper yearnings/EMOTIONAL AND SOUL. |
Sun (5) – personal identity, ego (who you are)
Moon (4) – emotional development, unconscious (why you do what you do)
Mercury (3,6) – defines our mind and the way we use it (communication)
Venus (2/7) – qualities of love, culture, affection
Mars (1/½ 8) – aggression, impulse, courage, action, will, motivation, drive
Jupiter (9/ ½ 12) – luck, expansion, development
Saturn (10/ ½ 11) – teaches through experience, problems – endurance, patience, determination
Uranus (11) – revolution, change, unpredictability, electricity
Neptune (12) – mystical, spiritual, psychic forces (rules drugs, alcohol, subconscious)
Pluto (8) – power, death, rebirth, transformation, crime, secrets