Psychological Divisions of Planets

Photo by Saxon Moseley (cc)

The planets can also be grouped according to the areas of the psyche or the human experience that they govern. Besides the luminaries, the classical pairing of the Sun and Moon, there are three categories: Personal planets, interpersonal planets, and transpersonal planets.

Luminaries:

The Sun and the Moon, the two basic facets of the personality. A very ancient categorization.

Personal:

Mercury, Venus, and Mars. Correspond to a person’s unique personality, values, and motivations.

Interpersonal:

Jupiter and Saturn. These planets describe one’s outlook and interactions with the world.

Transpersonal:

Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Since they move so slowly, these planets describe the experiences of a whole peer group or even generation.

A whole branch of astrology is devoted to exploring the relationship between astrology and psychological analysis. The analyst Carl Jung, in particular, was fascinated by the relationship between the development of character, astrological symbolism, and timeless archetypes. It is now one of the most active fields of astrology, and many modern astrologers have professional counseling backgrounds.

Liz Greene, a British astrologer and Jungian analyst, founded the Centre for Psychological Astrology with Howard Sasportas in 1983. She is considered the world’s foremost psychological astrologer, and her books are mainstays in many astrologers’ libraries. The CPA’s five-volume series Seminars in Psychological Astrologyis a great starting point for serious students.