Study Notes ♒︎♊︎

My cheat sheets for the building blocks of a chart: what each planet, sign, aspect and house means, plus the big life cycles of Jupiter and Saturn.

Curiosissimus, which means to be attentive; attentive to seeing the symbolism of the planets in our daily lives.

Planets Signs Aspects Houses Life cycles

Planets

The what: the energies or drives in a chart.

Sun: identity, ego, vitality, core self, life force, purpose, will, father archetype
Moon: emotions, instincts, subconscious, nurturing, mother archetype, habits, memory, comfort
Mercury: communication, intellect, perception, logic, commerce, travel, information processing
Venus: love, beauty, attraction, values, pleasure, harmony, aesthetics, money, relationships
Mars: action, drive, aggression, desire, ambition, energy, courage, competition, sexuality
Jupiter: expansion, luck, abundance, wisdom, faith, optimism, excess, philosophy, higher learning
Saturn: restriction, discipline, structure, time, karma, authority, responsibility, limitations, mastery
Uranus: rebellion, innovation, disruption, awakening, freedom, eccentricity, sudden change, technology
Neptune: dreams, illusion, spirituality, dissolution, imagination, escapism, transcendence, confusion
Pluto: transformation, power, death/rebirth, obsession, secrets, destruction, regeneration, the underworld

The how: the style in which a planet expresses itself.

Aries: initiative, impulse, courage, impatience, pioneering, raw, direct, competitive
Taurus: stability, sensuality, persistence, possession, patience, indulgence, grounded, stubborn
Gemini: curiosity, duality, adaptability, communication, restlessness, wit, scattered, mercurial
Cancer: protection, emotion, nurturing, defensiveness, intuition, nostalgia, moody, home
Leo: creativity, pride, generosity, drama, self-expression, attention, warmth, ego
Virgo: analysis, service, precision, criticism, humility, health, perfectionism, discernment
Libra: balance, partnership, diplomacy, indecision, aesthetics, justice, charm, people-pleasing
Scorpio: intensity, depth, secrecy, obsession, transformation, power, jealousy, penetration
Sagittarius: exploration, truth-seeking, optimism, excess, philosophy, freedom, bluntness, wanderlust
Capricorn: ambition, discipline, authority, coldness, strategy, legacy, pessimism, achievement
Aquarius: detachment, innovation, humanitarianism, rebellion, eccentricity, idealism, aloofness, vision
Pisces: dissolution, empathy, escapism, spirituality, confusion, imagination, martyrdom, boundlessness

How planets talk to each other, based on the angle between them. In short: ☌ amplification, ✶ opportunity, □ conflict, △ harmony, ☍ tension.

Conjunction 0°: fusion, intensification, blending, emphasis, new beginnings
Sextile 60°: opportunity, ease, cooperation, talent, gentle support
Square 90°: tension, friction, challenge, motivation, crisis, growth through struggle
Trine 120°: flow, harmony, natural talent, ease, gifts, sometimes laziness
Quincunx / Inconjunct 150°: adjustment, awkwardness, blind spots, health, necessary adaptation
Opposition 180°: polarization, awareness, projection, balance, relationship dynamics, push-pull

The where: the area of life where a planet's energy plays out.

1st house: self, appearance, first impressions, identity, the body
2nd house: money, possessions, values, self-worth, resources
3rd house: communication, siblings, short trips, early education, neighborhood
4th house: home, family, roots, private life, endings, the father (some say mother)
5th house: creativity, romance, children, pleasure, risk, self-expression
6th house: work, health, routine, service, daily habits, pets
7th house: partnerships, marriage, open enemies, contracts, the other
8th house: death, sex, shared resources, transformation, the occult, inheritance
9th house: higher education, philosophy, travel, publishing, belief systems, law
10th house: career, reputation, public image, authority, the mother (some say father)
11th house: friends, groups, hopes, wishes, community, the collective
12th house: the unconscious, isolation, secrets, self-undoing, spirituality, hidden enemies

The slow planets come back to where they were when you were born at regular ages. These "returns" mark the big chapters of a life.

1 yearSun (Earth's year): a solar return every birthday

~12 yearsJupiter (11.86 years): a Jupiter return every 12 years, about one year per sign

~30 yearsSaturn (29.5 years): a Saturn return every 30 years

Age	Cycle	Phase	Theme	Focus
0–12	1	♈︎ Aries	Survival & impulse	Learning boundaries, raw initiation into life
12–24	2	♊︎ Gemini	Belief formation	Questioning culture, learning systems
24–36	3	♌︎ Leo	Identity & status	Establishing self in the world
36–48	4	♎︎ Libra	Partnership	Marriage, balance, relational stability
48–60	5	♐︎ Sagittarius	Teaching & expansion	Wisdom, mentoring, legacy building
60–72	6	♒︎ Aquarius	Evaluation	Assessing achievements, life review
72–84	7	♓︎ Pisces	Spiritual closure	Reflection, emotional completion, preparing for transition

Age	Cycle	Theme
0–30	First Saturn cycle	Youth and foundation building
30–60	Second Saturn cycle	Productivity, responsibility, career
60–90	Third Saturn cycle	Elderhood, legacy, wisdom transmission