Although the sun, moon, and rising sign get the most air time, the placement of Venus, Mars, and Mercury in your birth chart has a lot to say about who you are. These personal planets, also called the inner planets, orbit closest to the earth and represent the major aspects of your personality—our minds, hearts, and how we get the things we want in life. Understanding the personal planets is the next stop on your grand tour of astrological power players.
These placements may not get as much publicity as the sun, moon, and rising signs, but the personal planets offer us insight into the hot topics and useful snippets that we all love in our horoscopes. These are the actors on the stage of our psyche and they each play their own role. When we want to know about our love life, we check out Venus, for real talk about how we exert our will, we hit Mars up, and Mercury is our go-to for insight into the way your mind works.
Unlike the planets further away in the galaxy, the personal planets are intimately tied to our day-to-day lives. Their transits, retrogrades, and returns, are all tangled up in the energetic currents of our lives. We feel their changing moods and behaviors in part because their orbits make more immediate sense within our lifetimes. The far-out planets move so slowly, that their energies are dispersed over whole generations of people, rather than the specific, emotional sensation of our Venus, Mars, and Mercury placements. But, we’ll get to the outer planets a little later. For now, you just need to know that the movements of these three planets help shape our day-to-day experiences in society, and our internal moods and motivations.
Venus
Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, the astrological Venus fittingly presides over the most romantic and sensual domains of our lives. But, Venus influences way more than which emoji you’re most likely to send your crush. The love planet’s goddess namesake was thought of as the archetypal artist and lover. To the ancient Romans, she represented all that is indulgent and delicious about the human experience. Depending on the planets that Venus interacts with, this planetary influence can be lovingly compassionate or excessively hedonistic. It’s a planet that points out what you value, with your money, time, and energy. Venus’ energy also manifests in the way that we seek pleasure, pampering, and money. To illustrate all the ways Venusian energy influences our lives, let’s consider the zodiac signs that Venus rules.
The planet of love and pleasure prefers to be spoiled, so of course Venus isn’t satisfied to rule just one sign. Venus is in charge of both Taurus and Libra, and learning about these two signs can tell us about the different ways that its energy can manifest. Taurus, the earthy bull, might not seem like the most obvious pick for team Venus at first glance. But, make no mistake, you’ll never meet a more sensual sign. Venus shapes Taurus’ affinity for all the physical manifestations of luxury and pleasure. Taurus loves to be pampered and showered in rewards for their hard work. They want to be wined and dined and romanced—sound like anyone you know, ahem, hello, Venus! Then, we have the sophisticated air sign Libra. Libra is represented by the scales, always seeking to bring things into a state of equilibrium. Libran energy is all about justice and goes about getting it in the most polite way possible. Libra gets their love of harmony, their charm, and their refined taste from Venus.
Mars
Named after the god of war, Mars is the planet of our physicality, our style of aggression, and our sexuality. Traditionally Mars is thought of as embodying the masculine energy present in all of our lives. This is the energy of momentum, the energy that it takes to break out of inertia and create new things. When you’re laying in bed feeling aimless and lacking motivation, it’s Mars you need to look for. The placement of Mars in your chart indicates the nature of your drive and your overall temperament. Mars determines whether you’re more likely to flip a table in the heat of an argument or order another round to smooth over the conflict. It’s okay, though! Learning more about Martian energy is the best way to recognize when you might be burning a bit too bright and how to redirect that energy to productive ends. Mars asks us to be honest about what sparks our passion—where in your life are you courageous and where are you more timid? What makes you get up and go in the morning? How do you chase the things you want? Depending on where Mars is placed in your chart, the way you express your inner fire can vary in big ways.
Let’s talk more about this relationship between Mars and its favorite sign, Aries, the fiery Ram that initiates a whole new cycle in the astrological calendar (after all, it kicks off spring in the northern hemisphere!) Mars’ fingerprints are all over some of Aries’ best-known characteristics. When it comes to Aries, you can see Mars’ seminal energy and that signature quick temper. As the first sign of the zodiac, Aries is all about starting new things and they get that unstoppable momentum from Mars. Aries is also known for telling things straight. The celestial Ram does not sugar-coat the truth, and they don’t mind if they step on some toes in the process. If Mars’ influence gets out of hand in Aries’ life, it can make them a magnet for conflict. But, when Aries works to become intentional and focuses on their passion, all that fire is Mars’ gift!
Mercury
Mercury rules our minds, our intellectual proclivities, and the way we communicate—so you know that this planet has a lot to say when it comes to your personality! We hate that pun too, but Mercury loves wordplay so sorry, not sorry, call Mercury with your complaints. Speaking of phone calls, Mercury is all about ‘em! And texts and emails, and literally all the things we use to communicate with each other, which is why Mercury retrograde gets so much hate. Because your Mercury placement indicates how you go about your day-to-day communications, people tend to encounter your Mercury first in our high-tech world. The placement of Mercury in your chart also tells you about your analytical mind, or how you apply logic and rationality in your life. This is the also placement that indicates how you process information, how you share your ideas with the world, and what topics you’re drawn to learn about. Are you a fast-talking storyteller who loves a tangent? Are you the kind of person that takes your time when learning something new, but once you get it, you’ve got it for good? Do you land your words or are you more reserved? Mercury’s placement in your chart is the place to look if you’re trying to find some answers!
Looking at key qualities of the signs that a given planet rules gives us a practical understanding of the planet’s influence in our lives. In Mercury’s case, Gemini and Virgo amplify different aspects of their ruling planet’s energy. Virgo is the sign that strives for perfection shaped by Mercury’s focus on objective analysis. Virgo loves to analyze systems, tackle complex problems, and make efficient progress toward their goals, shining when they’re able to absorb, process, and synthesize new information. To get a glimpse of Mercury’s influence in full social butterfly mode, look to Gemini. Gemini shines by making quick and surprising connections and sharing those connections with other people. When we say other people, we mean literally everyone—because if there’s one thing a Gemini loves, it’s conversation. Mercury’s energy manifests in Gemini’s embrace of connection, their lightning-fast mind, and their gift of gab. Gemini can out-small talk any sign in the zodiac, but it’s not because they’re superficial. Gemini rocks at small talk because Mercury gave the celestial twins a lively energy and a deep curiosity about the world around them that rivals any other sign in the zodiac.