Cosmic Bodies & Other Birth Chart Symbols

The main players of a birth chart are the Sun, the Moon, the seven planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and last but not least, Pluto, which is not considered a planet. I call them Cosmic Bodies.

One of the most fundamental stages of reading a birth chart, is the interpretation of the cosmic bodies’ positions in the signs and houses of the chart.

Each cosmic body represent an aspect of your personality. In order to learn about yourself through you chart, you need to understand the personality aspect related to each of the cosmic bodies. For example, Mercury’s position in your chart will indicate the way you think, while the Moon’s position in the chart will indicate how you process emotions.  

There are other symbols in the chart such as north node and south node. These are not actual cosmic bodies but rather calculations of the points where the moon’s path crosses the ecliptic. These points are very significant to understanding your personality and your direction towards evolution.

In this section you will find essential information on each cosmic body and other main symbols in the birth chart. 

Cosmic Bodies Info Explanations

Primary Ruler: Each cosmic body rules one or two signs. It is the primary ruler of these signs.

Traditional Ruler: Before Pluto, Uranus and Neptune were discovered, other planets ruled the signs of Scorpio, Aquarius, and Pisces. These other planets are called the traditional rulers of these signs.

Stays in a sign: Each planet circles the sun at a different pace. The closer the planet is to the sun, the faster it moves around it, the shorter the time it stays in a sign, the more personal it is in your chart reading.

Personality Aspect: here you’ll find the most important information on the personality aspects related to each of the cosmic bodies.  

Cosmic Bodies

Sun
Primary Ruler:
Leo
Traditional Ruler:
Stays in a sign:
One month
Personality Aspect:
Persona, ego, personality, energy level, your wants and how you realize them, father figure.​
Moon
Primary Ruler:
Cancer
Traditional Ruler:
Stays in a sign:
Two and a quarter days
Personality Aspect:
Inner world, emotions, domestic life, family relationships and parenting, your needs, mother figure.
Mercury
Primary Ruler:
Gemini, Virgo
Traditional Ruler:
Stays in a sign:
One Month
Personality Aspect:
Way of thinking, thought patterns, way of learning, way of communicating and socializing.
Sun
Moon
Mercury
Primary Ruler:
Leo
Cancer
Gemini, Virgo
Traditional Ruler:
Stays in a sign:
One month
Between two to three days
One Month
Personality Aspect:
Persona, ego, personality, energy level, your wants and how you realize them, father figure.
Inner world, emotions, domestic life, family relationships and parenting, your needs, mother figure.
Way of thinking, thought patterns, way of learning, way of communicating and socializing.
Venus
Primary Ruler:
Taurus, Libra
Traditional Ruler:
Stays in a sign:
One Month
Personality Aspect:
Taste buds, type of people and things you are attracted to, how you attract others to you.
Mars
Primary Ruler:
Aries
Traditional Ruler:
Scorpio
Stays in a sign:
Two months
Personality Aspect:
Energy level and expression, courage, passion, sexuality, assertiveness, way of pursuing wants.
Jupiter
Primary Ruler:
Sagittarius
Traditional Ruler:
Pisces
Stays in a sign:
One Year
Personality Aspect:
luck, expansion, philosophical and spiritual worldview, enjoyment and fun.
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Primary Ruler:
Taurus, Libra
Aries
Sagittarius
Traditional Ruler:
Scorpio
Pisces
Stays in a sign:
One Month
Two months
One Year
Personality Aspect:
Taste buds, type of people and things you are attracted to, how you attract others to you.
Energy level and expression, courage, passion, sexuality, assertiveness, way of pursuing wants.
luck, expansion, philosophical and spiritual worldview, enjoyment and fun.
Saturn
Primary Ruler:
Capricorn
Traditional Ruler:
Aquarius
Stays in a sign:
Two and a half years
Personality Aspect:
Life lesson, discipline, responsibility, structure,, challenges and limitations.
Uranus
Primary Ruler:
Aquarius
Traditional Ruler:
Stays in a sign:
Seven Years
Personality Aspect:
Uniqueness, the way in which you stand out, unexpected changes, brilliance, humanitarism.
Neptune
Primary Ruler:
Pisces
Traditional Ruler:
Stays in a sign:
Fourteen Years
Personality Aspect:
Spirituality, compassion, creativity, imagination, mystical connection, vagueness.
Pluto
Primary Ruler:
Scorpio
Traditional Ruler:
Stays in a sign:
Twenty-one years
Personality Aspect:
Depth, intensity, growth through hardships, power, fear, transformation.

Other Symbols

Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Primary Ruler:
Capricorn
Aquarius
Pisces
Traditional Ruler:
Aquarius
Stays in a sign:
Two and a half years
Seven Years
Fourteen Years
Personality Aspect:
Life lesson, discipline, responsibility, structure,, challenges and limitations.
Uniqueness, the way in which you stand out, unexpected changes, brilliance, humanitarism.
Spirituality, compassion, creativity, imagination, mystical connection, vagueness.
Pluto
Primary Ruler:
Scorpio
Traditional Ruler:
Stays in a sign:
Twenty-one years
Personality Aspect:
Depth, intensity, growth through hardships, power, fear, transformation.

Other Symbols

True Node, North Node
Your path towards self evolution.
Ascendant, Rising
You soul's choice, physical body, the first impression you make on others.
Midheaven
Career and public persona.
True Node, North Node
Ascendant, Rising sign
Midheaven
Personality Aspect:
Your path towards self evolution.
You soul's choice, physical body, the first impression you make on others.
Career and public persona.