Planets
The celestial bodies used in astrology and what each one is read for.
This page covers the planets and celestial bodies used in astrology, along with what each one is read for.
Western astrology works with ten major celestial bodies (the Sun, the Moon and eight planets), plus a selection of asteroids and calculated sensitive points. In a birth chart, each body is read for a specific area of life or kind of energy.
Personal planets
The personal planets take little time to circle the zodiac and are closely tied to individual personality, daily habits, and how you relate to the world around you. They form the foundation of any natal chart interpretation.
| Planet | Symbol | Signification | Time to circle the zodiac | Keywords |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | ☉ | Self and identity | 1 year | Willpower, vitality, life purpose |
| Moon | ☽ | Emotions and inner life | ~27.3 days | Sensitivity, instinct, daily rhythms |
| Mercury | ☿ | Intellect and communication | ~1 year (with retrogrades) | Thinking, language, learning, travel |
| Venus | ♀ | Love, beauty, and values | ~1 year (with retrogrades) | Romance, art, money, harmony |
| Mars | ♂ | Drive and energy | ~687 days (~1.9 years) | Passion, competition, courage, anger |
Sun ☉
The Sun is the central body in any chart, representing your core identity and the direction of your life. Your Sun sign, the one people mean when they ask “what sign are you?”, is the zodiac sign the Sun occupied at the moment you were born.
It governs willpower, creativity, and self-expression. People with a prominently placed Sun tend to display strong leadership qualities and a clear sense of purpose.
Moon ☽
The Moon reveals your emotional nature, unconscious reactions, and what makes you feel safe. If the Sun is the face you show the world, the Moon is who you are behind closed doors.
Because it moves faster than any other body, the Moon changes signs roughly every two and a half days and moves about 13 degrees a day. Its sign describes how you process emotions and what you need to feel at home.
Mercury ☿
Mercury governs how you think, learn, and communicate. It shows the way you absorb information, organize your thoughts, and express ideas to others.
It also influences writing style, conversational habits, and how you approach problem-solving. Periods when Mercury is retrograde are read as a good time for review and double-checking.
Venus ♀
Venus represents love, attraction, and aesthetic taste. It describes the qualities you find appealing in a partner and the way you express affection.
Money, material comfort, and personal values also fall under Venus’s domain. The sign and house placement of Venus can reveal a great deal about your artistic leanings and spending habits.
Mars ♂
Mars embodies action, drive, and competitive spirit. It is the engine that propels you toward goals and the force behind how you assert yourself - or lose your temper.
Physical energy, athletic ability, and resilience in the face of obstacles are all Mars themes. The sign Mars occupies shows how you go after what you want and how you handle conflict.
Social planets
The social planets bridge the gap between the personal and the transpersonal. Taking from about 12 to 30 years to circle the zodiac, they describe your relationship with society, ambition, and long-term growth.
| Planet | Symbol | Signification | Time to circle the zodiac | Keywords |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jupiter | ♃ | Expansion and fortune | ~11.9 years | Growth, philosophy, faith, travel |
| Saturn | ♄ | Structure and responsibility | ~29.5 years | Discipline, trials, patience, mastery |
Jupiter ♃
Jupiter is the planet of expansion and growth. It represents generosity, optimism, and the pursuit of higher meaning, pointing to the areas of life where opportunity comes most naturally.
It takes roughly twelve years to travel through the entire zodiac, spending about one year in each sign. Jupiter’s sign and house placement reveal where you are most likely to experience abundance and personal development.
Saturn ♄
Saturn is the planet of limits and responsibility. It shows the areas where life demands hard work, patience, and maturity - the lessons that shape who you become over time.
Saturn returns to its natal position at about age 29. This is the “Saturn return”, and it is considered a time when a review of how you live tends to come up. You can check it on the triple wheel. The domains Saturn touches in your chart are the ones where perseverance ultimately builds lasting competence and authority.
Transpersonal planets
The transpersonal planets move so slowly that entire generations share the same sign placement, which is why they are also called “generational planets.” Their influence tends to play out on a collective level, shaping cultural movements and historical shifts.
| Planet | Symbol | Signification | Time to circle the zodiac | Keywords |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uranus | ♅ | Revolution and originality | ~84 years | Innovation, freedom, rebellion, technology |
| Neptune | ♆ | Dreams and blurred edges | ~165 years | Imagination, intuition, illusion, sacrifice |
| Pluto | ♇ | Transformation and renewal | ~248 years | Destruction and renewal, power, the unconscious |
Uranus ♅
Uranus symbolizes sudden change, innovation, and the drive to break free from established structures. It takes about 84 years to circle the zodiac, spending roughly seven years in each sign.
Generations sharing the same Uranus sign tend to revolutionize a particular area of society. In an individual chart, the house Uranus occupies is where you are most likely to experience unexpected turns and express your uniqueness.
Neptune ♆
Neptune stands for dreams, imagination, and everything that blurs the line between reality and fantasy. Its roughly 165-year orbit means it spends about 14 years in each sign.
It is the wellspring of artistic inspiration and intuitive knowing, but it can also tip into escapism and self-deception. A strongly emphasized Neptune is read as an interest in music, film and other forms of expression.
Pluto ♇
Pluto represents radical transformation: the cycle of destruction and renewal that strips away what is no longer needed. Its 248-year orbit is highly elliptical, so it spends anywhere from 12 to 31 years in a single sign.
On a societal level, Pluto reshapes power structures and exposes hidden truths. On a personal level, transits from Pluto to natal planets can coincide with profound psychological turning points.
Asteroids and sensitive points
Beyond the ten major bodies, astrology makes use of several asteroids and calculated points. Add them when you want a finer reading of the chart.
| Body / Point | Symbol | Signification | Keywords |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiron | ⚷ | Vulnerability and care | Vulnerability, care, the ability to teach |
| North Node | ☊ | Direction of growth | Unfamiliar challenges, growth path |
| South Node | ☋ | Familiar habits and strengths | Patterns you lean on, existing strengths |
| Lilith (True) | — | Held-back impulse | Wildness, impulse, what does not fit social norms |
| Part of Fortune | — | Where things come easily | Material well-being, natural talent |
Chiron ⚷
Chiron is an asteroid known as the “wounded healer.” It is read for where you are easily hurt, and for how that experience turns into care for others and the ability to teach.
Orbiting between Saturn and Uranus, Chiron takes about 50 years to complete a full cycle. Its sign and house describe a theme you tend to revisit, and the situations where that experience becomes a source of support for others.
North Node ☊ and South Node ☋
The North Node and South Node are the two points where the Moon’s orbital path crosses the ecliptic (the Sun’s apparent path). They always sit in exactly opposite signs.
Many schools read the North Node as the direction of growth and the South Node as familiar habits. The North Node points to challenges that feel unfamiliar and widen your range the more you take them on. The South Node points to ways of doing things you already have and strengths you can rely on; leaning on them too heavily can leave you stuck.
Lilith
Lilith is a sensitive point calculated from the lunar apogee, the farthest point of the Moon’s orbit from the Earth. HOSHIDOU uses the true Lilith. It is read for impulses you have held back and parts of you that do not fit neatly into social norms.
The sign and house of Lilith show where you may have muted what you really think, and where there is energy you could let out more.
Part of fortune
The Part of Fortune is one of the Arabic Parts (also called lots), calculated from the positions of the Sun, Moon, and Ascendant. It is read for material well-being and the area of life where your talents flow most naturally.
The sign and house where this point falls suggest the domain in which you are most naturally “lucky” - where effort feels like play and rewards come readily.
How planets appear in HOSHIDOU
HOSHIDOU displays each celestial body as a glyph (symbol) on the chart, making it easy to see planetary positions at a glance.
Chart wheel
On both the single wheel and the triple wheel, glyphs are placed at the exact degree of each planet’s zodiac position. When planets cluster closely together, the app automatically adjusts spacing so that every glyph remains legible.
Planet table
Switch to Table at the top of the single wheel to see the planet table. It lists every active body with its sign, degree, and house. Any planet currently in retrograde is marked with an R badge.
Customizing displayed bodies
From Points & Aspects Settings, you can choose which bodies and sensitive points appear on the chart. In addition to the ten major planets, you can switch Chiron, North Node, South Node, Lilith, and Part of Fortune on or off.