Solar system’s objects used in vedic astrology
The following descriptions are mixing symbols and material facts.
This association helps to a better understanding of Jyotishi knowledge but it does not justify or explain scientifically vedic astrology.
The moon is a natural sattelite and the most important object used in vedic astrology. The moon’s placement in one’s chart shows your principal zodiac sign. So, it’s different from tropical astrology that used the sun’s placement to determine your principal zodiac sign.
For example: if your moon is placed in sagittarius, and your ascendant is Libra, you are a sagittarius, Libra ascendant.
The moon symbolizes our spirit, our thoughts that leads us to actions. Influencing tides on Earth, the moon is deeply connected to water, body liquids, hormones, emotions, imaginations and dreams.
The moon, which reflects sunlight, allows ego’s expression and self confidence. So, to go further, it represents popularity and self satisfaction. It is cyclic and fast, so it is connected to change, rythm, growth and decreasing.
The moon is the closest object from the earth, planet that feeds us physically. So, the moon is associated with our relationship with the mother, maternity, unconditionnal love and sens of security.
It shows also a connection to the past.
The sun is the star of our solar system and around it gravitates all the planets of our solar system. It represents our ego that is the expression of the self when we are self centered.
It shows our inner light which is seen by others as we emanate it. In fact, it represents the way people sees us, the part of ourself we are able to express on the outside.
Furthermore, sunlight brings life down on earth, the sun is connected to our vitality, our vital force, that strentgh that keeps us incarnated.
By its light that’s been emanated and given, the sun is associated with generosity, kindness from the heart.
Being the heaviest objects and placed in the center of our solar system, the sun represents any kind of authority, power, government, king, the father, a charismatic figure, a chef.
It indicates also our inner strentght, our courage, determination, willpower, our will to shine and chasing glory, charisma, the power to influence others.
Planet of thinking and dicernment, Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. This planet allows us to judge if something comes from the Ego or from the Soul itself.
Mercury is linked to intellect, curiosity, communication (specially writing skills), knowledge and sens of humor.
Its orbit around the Sun is the most ovale from all the planets. With this chaotic path, Mercury is connected to dynasmism.
It represents also gaining knowledge and scientific research.
It indicates also professionnal activity, commercial activity, and relationship with clients.
Jupiter is, without the sun, the largest and the heaviest planet of the solar system. In fact, this planet is larger than all of the solar system planets united together. So, Jupiter is really huge !
Its tremedous size makes Jupiter the perfect representation of expansion. And its composition is quite similar as the Sun, in fact it represents also authority like the Sun but in a different way.
But, opposite to Sun that create and destroy everything around it, Jupiter possesses its own magnetic field and the most powerfull one of our solar system. The magnetic field is keeping around no more than 79 moons ! This effect, that makes so many objects gravitated around it, shows that Jupiter represents a wise and kind leader, like a teacher or a guru.
Strangely, Jupiter give away more energy than it receives from the Sun, so it represents also generosity, gift, devotion, transmission.
Venus gravitates around the Sun with almost a perfect path closest to a perfect circle like no other planets in our solar system. Plus, this planet is the 2nd brightest object visible from Earth after the Moon. Venus is called “morning star”.
So now we can understand why Venus is associated with balance, beauty and harmony.
Beauty is coming from symetry, a perfect balance between different parts of one object. Our body is deeply and sometimes unconsciously sensitive and attracted to this balance. So Venus is connected to sensuality (sentivity trought our 5 senses), subtle perception and attraction.
Furthermore, harmony and balance can be apply to law, justice, diplomacy.
Also, with beauty comes taste for luxury.
Venus has the hottest atmosphere among all planets of our solar system. It also looks like the earth somehow by its size, composition, weight and distance from the Sun. As the perfect soul mate of planet Earth, Venus is associated with love and sexuality.
Saturn is the slowest and most distant from the Earth planet used in vedic astrology.
As a consequence, it represents limitations, slow-down, restrictions, discipline, rigor, structur, order, responsability, fear that blocks you and anxiety. The sens of responsability makes one individual to be reliable with true values.
This planet represents also someone mature or/and from a foreign country.
Saturn teaches us to let go of things in life, everything that’s beyond control. It implies physical and emotional detachment, acting cold but not too much, just enough to endure life’s struggles.
It is associated with isolation, loneliness, no contact with people at all. Planet of sadness, loss of confidence, depression, its ultimate goal is crushing the ego, making it enable to act in order to diminish its power over our existence and over our soul.
The “red planet” doesn’t have a magnetic field and its atmosphere in very thin, saturated by dust which is why Mars has such a special color.
Before that state, Mars had a thicker atmosphere that had maintained a water cycle similar to the Earth. But, a sudden bombing raid of asteroids and a massive volcanic activity transformed everything upside down, mars’s magnetic field slowly disappeared, so did its atmosphere and the water also.
Back to vedic astrology, Mars is associated with transformation, change and alchemy.
Without any protecting field to face cosmic rays and solar radiations, Mars represents lack of protection, attack, violence, agressions, fights, wars, competition and warriors.
Action, determination, force and courage are quality related to Mars as well.
Rahu, or called North node of the moon, is an energetic point in space, observed from the Earth and created by crossing the moon’s ellipse path and the Earth’s path around the Sun. It is symbolized by a creature made of the head’s snake god placed upon a human corpse.
This chimera is pure mental, only made to think, heartless creature without any morals or spiritual values, without feelings nor emotions nor intuition. Rahu is like a robot that search and destroy.
It represents what we didn’t accomplish from a past life so it shows in this present life, a profund will to finish that task once and for all.
So Rahu is connected to our obsessions, ambition, material desires and also going beyond material bounderies which means travels, new technology, research. Rahu wants notoriety and everything that is material with the easiest and the fastest way possible.
Rahu is connected with impetuosity and nervousness. It pushes to be more active to the extreme so it could lead to physical and psychological break down.
Ketu is a unmmaterial point placed on the moon’s path crossing the Earth’s path around the Sun, visible from the Earth. Ketu is symbolized by a human head placed upon a the end of a snake part.
This half god is guided only by his heart, his own intuition, his feelings, he does not think at all because he doesn’t have his godlike head anymore.
Ketu is very much inside oriented, towards his deep feelings, his intuition is powerfull. It’s about clear-sightedness, psychic ability, healing capacity, a strong introspection, spiritual awakening, destruction of materialistic illusions, liberation, shyness, lack of selfconfidence, loneliness.
If we are able to see beyond what can be seen, we can discover secrets, what it is hidden underground also.
In a chart, Ketu is about what we”ve already accomplished in a past life, so, as a result, the house where it’s placed shows domains of your life where you can be completly detached from, not very concerned about.