by Robert Wilkinson
One of the most crucial factors in us being able to know what's going on for us yesterday, today, and tomorrow involves what sign our "ruling" planet is in, what phase of that sign, and even what degree. These obscure but important factors can quickly and easily show us what we're going through, and how to best deal with whatever challenges or breakthroughs we're experiencing.
From times of antiquity, the seven visible "planets" (including the Sun and Moon) supposedly "ruled" the 12 signs. Each planet was given rulership of two signs except the Sun and Moon, resulting in the following system: Moon rules Cancer, Sun rules Leo, Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, Venus rules Taurus and Libra, Mars rules Aries and Scorpio, Jupiter rules Pisces and Sagittarius, and Saturn rules Aquarius and Capricorn.
Even with the discovery of the invisible outer triad of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, the ancient rulerships do not change. The "invisibles" rule the invisible world, or spiritual dimension, of the different signs, whereas the visible planets rule the various departments of our personal affairs in the three dimensional world of forms.
Thus for Leos, the sign the Sun is in matters greatly, if they are to understand what they're going through and why. The same for Cancers and the Moon, Geminis and Mercury, Tauruses and Venus, and so forth. For example, when Leo's ruler, the Sun, is in Aries, Leos experience an Aries focus. When the Sun moves through Taurus, Leo will take on, manifest, or be illuminated by Taurus energy. At the very least, their ruler illuminates and vitalizes their Taurus sector.
To take it further, because Aries is the 9th house from Leo, Leo people focus on 9th house affairs when the Sun is in Aries. Because Pisces is the 8th house from Leo, Leos will focus on 8th house affairs when the Sun is in Pisces. So right now, Leos are focusing on partnerships and equality in relationships, since all of these are associated with Aquarius, the 7th house of Leo.
Beginning February 18th this year, when the Sun goes into Pisces, Leos will focus more on 8th house affairs, and seem to have more Pisces traits. Beginning March 20th, when the Sun goes into Aries, Leos will focus more on 9th house affairs, and seem to be more like Aries. Beginning April 20th, when the Sun goes into Taurus, Leos will seem more like Tauruses and focus more on 10th house affairs, since Taurus is the 10th house from Leo.
All Leos (and Leo Ascendants as well!) will go through a high profile phase (transiting Sun above their horizon) of 8th house regeneration, 9th house envisioning the future and/or a greater truth, and 10th house professional and/or personal fulfillment, and see the flowers of past effort dominate the landscape of their lives, when the Sun transits Pisces, Aries, and Taurus over the next few months. After that, when the Sun goes into Gemini, Leos will often seem more Geminian than usual, and be focused on relationships and communications, as well as friends, goals, ambitions, or forms of world service, since Gemini is the 11th house from Leo.
That's why it's important for anyone with Cancer planets or Ascendant in their chart to learn about the Moon and what sign it's in. Cancer is more sensitive to the Moon than any other sign, and since the Moon changes signs every two to three days, Cancers feel more changeable than the other signs. Its nature, being "movable water," also contributes to this quality.
Those who approach practical astrology from a Lunar basis, tracking the Moon and its changes, often see and know things that other more scholarly astrologers miss. I knew a person whose only astrological knowledge was her ability to track the Moon and its changes, and she was able to see much larger recurring patterns of what happened when the Moon was in certain signs, and anticipate accordingly. All very practical and mundane, but very important nonetheless.
Even though Cancer and Leo are ruled by different "lights," they should be seen as a duo, since the Moon can only reflect the captured light of the Sun. Each month the light of a sign is captured by the Moon transitting through all the signs, yielding 144 Sun-Moon combinations that are brilliantly discussed in Grant Lewi's pioneering masterpiece, "Heaven Knows What."
Tomorrow, in Part 2, we'll explore the nuances of the changes of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
© Copyright 2007 Robert Wilkinson
Comments