The Sun:

Being essentially masculine, the Sun also rules male authority figures -- your father, a male boss, or an important male client; the prominent men in your life, like your current boyfriend or your husband; and to a lesser degree, any male children you might have.

The Sun illuminates any planet that it touches and offers a view of truth, so watch what I write about your Sun and how it relates to other planets in your chart.

So, you say, why aren't all members of each sun sign alike? Because, smarty-pants, you also have an ascending sign (or Ascendant), which is the sign most prominent on the horizon when you were born. But only an astrologer who casts your chart for the exact moment and location of your birth can figure determine the Ascendant in your horoscope.

The Ascendant is important, but don't get bent out of shape if you don't know yours. You can still tell lots by the Sun, including future cycles of expansion or constriction. Remember, the Sun gives you data on how you express your unique individuality -- where your ego needs to put its energy. How the Sun is getting along with the tribe of other planets roaming your chart at the moment also means a lot!

The Sun rules the heart, the sign of Leo. It is no surprise that the Sun rules daylight. The Sun takes a year to circle the zodiac.

The Moon:

The moon in your horoscope reveals your inner character, the part of you that isn't up front and out there, but rather hidden, at least until someone gets to know you better. The moon will reveal your deepest feelings, your instinct and intuition, your emotions, and your reactions. It also rules your private life, including your cozy nook, your private home environment. How you like to be nurtured is described by the moon, even for those independent types out there.

Since the Moon is feminine in nature, it rules your mother and how you see her, as well as any important females around you, including your wife, girlfriend, or a female boss. Yeah, even your ex-wife can be included here. Daughters too? Yes, could be, but not first in line when reading a chart -- mother, grandma, or wife would be more likely to be described.

If the Sun is where you are heading (and it does this quite well), the Moon describes where you've been. That is, the moon rules your history, your background, emotional development, your roots. How easily you get your feelings out are shown by planetary aspects to the Moon. The Moon can also be another indicator of health in a chart, especially if you are female.

The moon rules the sign of Cancer, the stomach and breasts, and of course, moonlight. The moon spends 2 to 3 days in each sign a month and takes about 28 days to circle the zodiac. Every month there is a new moon, and depending where it falls in your horoscope, it is a good time to sow seeds -- that is, to start new things. Two weeks later comes the full moon, and depending where that falls in the chart, it could be a good time to reap -- other words, to crystallize events.

Mercury:

This little planet is known as the winged messenger, the planet of communication and transportation of all sorts. It is a flexible, adaptive planet, which continually accesses new data and responds accordingly. Mercury represents non-emotional, highly rational objective thought, its placement in a given sign reveals your intellectual style. Therefore, all learning and assessing of information is ruled by Mercury, and when it retrogrades (something you will read about from time to time in my column) it tends to scramble information for everyone, making it a highly unreliable time for anyone to sign contracts or make important decisions. This is one of the few universal aspects which will effect every sign in my predictions.

This planet governs your speech and how well you get your ideas across. The sign and house in which Mercury resides will tell you lots about your natural style of gathering and dispersing information. When Mercury is stressed out, others will challenge your opinions, or you may talk too much. However, when it's in harmony with the other planets in your chart, it's a great time to write that contract, buy a new car, or even give a speech.

Mercury also rules sibling relationships, maps, letters, postal matters, travel plans, appointments, roadways, vehicles, advertising, publishing, sales, and public relations. And yes, it rules on-line services, but not cyberspace itself, which is under Aquarius. It even rules Fed Ex and other express couriers.

Mercury rules both Gemini and Virgo and, of course, the most adaptive element of the universe, quicksilver -- known as mercury. Mercury spends about 2-3 weeks in each sign, but when it retrogrades, which it does 3 to 4 times a year, it can stay in one sign as long as 10 weeks. Never far from the Sun, it takes about a year to circle the zodiac.

Venus:

Venus rules your affections, your heart, love life, and your pleasures, including gifts, or even financial luck.

Legendary feminine planet of good looks and beauty, fashion, adornment and art, Venus makes our lives prettier and more fun -- the icing on the cake of life. It can create opportunities to hear music, eat good food, smell intoxicating perfume, see a great art exhibit, or seduce your lover. As you see, it is not a vital planet, but as they say, man does not eat by bread alone. What a dreary world it would be without Venus!

One thing to know about Venus -- it's hedonistic but not ethical! Saturn takes over in that department. Here's an example of how Venus works. A good aspect of Venus could encourage you to indulge, but unless Saturn was nearby in your horoscope to advise you about the consequences, you could throw caution to the wind, whether by eating or drinking too much, spending too much money or by having a one-night stand, one which makes you feel like a jerk in the morning. On the other hand, with a level attitude, a terrific aspect to Venus could help you find cool new threads that get you tons of complements, be pleased with the way your new hairdresser styled your hair (finally!), find a check in your mail box, or discover a new scent your lover magically can't resist!

Like Mercury, Venus stays close to the Sun. It stays in a sign for 2 to 3 weeks, unless it retrogrades, in which case it can stay in a sign over 4 months and take from 10 to 12 months to tour all 12 signs. Venus is the natural ruler of Taurus and Libra.

Mars:

Mars is known as the planet that energizes other planets or sectors of the zodiac, the planet most likely to cause something to happen -- a good thing in most cases, since who wants more of same-old, same-old? Aggressive, assertive, forceful, energetic, courageous, competitive, and daring, this feisty little hot planet governs the whole spectrum of masculine events, from sex to war. It's not surprising that it's known as the Warrior planet, known for its courage, passion and pure strength, and its ability (when in harmony) to help you outlast and outdistance adversaries. Mars governs all sharp instruments, fire, and anything combustible.

Mars is needed to be harmonious in any endeavor which requires endurance and determination. When its rays are good, Mars has an ability to lend a nearly survival-type instinct to any situation. Mars allows you to keep on trucking, even when the roadway gets rough. If there is too much Martian energy around, anger or danger of an accident (physical or emotional) could erupt. If you are looking for a sense of spirit or gusto in just about anything, look to see what Mars is up to in your chart.

Mars takes 2 years to go around the zodiac, staying in each sign most commonly for six weeks, but if it retrogrades back and forth in a sign, it can settle in for as much as seven or eight months! It is the natural ruler of Aries, and the co-ruler of Scorpio.

Jupiter:

Jupiter is known as the lucky planet because it expands whatever it touches, including opportunities in the sector it is visiting. It is such a fortunate planet that it also rules wealth and tangible, solid, financial gain. Additionally, Jupiter brings vision, faith, optimism, loyalty, justice, confidence and even wisdom. Jupiter paints a broad picture and makes you want to think big. Think about this: take all the planets in the solar system except the Sun, which is really a star, and put them together. Jupiter is physically larger than all those other planets put together. That's why we call Jupiter the big expansive planet, the Great Benefactor.

Sometimes Jupiter endows a mood to philosophize and find a higher meaning or purpose in the sector it visits. This planet encourages education, especially higher degrees. Since long-distance travel is a factor of the education sector, Jupiter, if activated in your chart, could send you packing for a whole variety of reasons.

Jupiter is the natural ruler of Sagittarius and takes 12 years to circle the zodiac, giving each sign luck for one year.

Saturn:

Saturn is the planet of thoughtful concentration, permanence, tangible rewards, tenacity, ambition, and productivity. This taskmaster planet also rules caution, delay, constriction, limitation, responsibility, rules and regulations, pain, fear, learning the hard way, authority, discipline, control and denial. Before you say, "Ugh! Say something else depressing, why don't you," consider this: without Saturn, we would have little or no progress, because we would have no discipline, no standards, no controls, no final tangible evidence of hard work -- just chaos.

As my mother used to say, "Man learns through pain." She was right -- which is why we have parking tickets, among other things. Saturn is not a planet that tolerates short cuts, nor does it let us get away with anything. It grabs us by the collar and forces us to face up to things, especially things we have been avoiding. Whatever Saturn currently touches in your chart will go through a kind of slow-down or freeze. Saturn rules lead, so you get the picture. But it's through this down-shifting that Saturn does its best work, teaching us the value of maturity, patience, and sacrifice, either for later gratification or for the good of someone else (a rather radical idea to those of our generation).

Saturn is the ruler of Capricorn. It rules the base structure of things, like teeth and bones and the organizational hierarchy of a company, as well as historical, artistic, or archeological artifacts from the past . It takes 29 years to circle the zodiac, staying in each sign for 2 1/2 years.

Uranus:

Uranus is the planet of surprise and all that is unexpected. It also rules the future and all new technology -- all that has just been invented and all that is yet to come. Yes, the Internet and all of cyberspace come under the domain of Uranus, sure to be right up the ally of any Pathfinder reader. Innovative, unpredictable, resourceful and experimental, Uranus also rules pure creativity and even genius. This planet also rules the breaking up of any established patterns or structures, creating sudden -- even radical -- change.

Uranus gives a strong impulse for rebellion, independence, and even shock. Exciting and liberating, Uranus can turn over anything traditional, conventional or orthodox in its path which it deems no longer of value or having outlived its usefulness. This planet produces quick, liberating results, blending fact with intuition in its quest to discover universal truths. Yet because it is considered the higher octave of the highly intellectual planet Mercury, Uranus is strongly objective, rather than emotional. Those with strong Uranian influences in their charts are trailblazers and forerunners in their crowd. Since Uranus also holds sway over social change, it also regulates the global brotherhood of man and all humanitarian concerns, including environmental issues.

Uranus rules the sign Aquarius and electricity. It also rules astrology, and most good astrologers have a prominent Uranus in their charts (yes, you are in good hands--I have Uranus on the horizon, exactly on the "ascendant"). This planet stays in a sign for seven years and therefore takes 84 years to circle the zodiac.

Neptune:

Neptune, being the higher octave of Venus, brings beauty to a higher, more spiritual level. It also holds rule over dreams, the subconscious mind, illusions, fantasies and all things magical and enchanting. Neptune adds to intuition (which is governed mainly by the Moon) and is nothing if not compassionate. It is for this reason that Neptune often requires a selfless sacrifice for the good of someone else. Neptune imparts a giving spirit and instills one with the ability to sympathize deeply.

Neptune refines, purifies, cleanses. Any planet visiting Neptune will come away purer for it, since Neptune cannot bear coarseness. Highly sensitive, Neptune helps us become sensitive to subtlety, and therefore increases the artistic side of the personality. Neptune rules all communication which is done with symbols or gesture, such as photography, film, ballet and other dance arts, music, painting and poetry. It also rules the sea and all other bodies of water (no matter how small), rain, ice and anything frozen, liquids of all kinds (including beverages and alcohol) and drugs, both the bad ones which make us suffer and the good ones which make us well.

Neptune is, after all, The Mist, and makes us want to escape mundane, everyday reality into a more ideal, heavenly state. It urges us to excel and to exceed boundaries, rejecting any and all limitations. But since the Mist alters reality, there are times that Neptune clouds issues and makes it hard to decipher facts. Neptune can make us deceive ourselves (or be deceived by others), or just make us misunderstand or be misunderstood. It rules all that is glamorous and sparkling, but bear in mind that Neptune's visions are not very real. But, hey, it's Saturn's job to give us cold, hard truth. We need a planet to inspire us too, and that is Neptune's province.

Neptune is the ruler of Pisces. It takes 146 years to circle the zodiac, with a stay of about 14 years in each sign.

Pluto:

Pluto rules the phoenix as it rises from the ashes in transformation, the symbol of rebirth and ultimate survival in the never-ending cycle of beginnings and endings. Its ability for metamorphosis cannot be overemphasized. If its cycle is active in a chart, this planet can aid an individual in his triumph over all odds.

Pluto intensifies and strengthens any sector or planet that it touches. It also rules obsessive behavior, taboos and compulsions, even crisis, and covers many fundamental issues, including life and death itself (the ultimate transformation of energy). Pluto rules all that is hidden, unseen or buried, including secrets, undercover work (such as detective or spy work) strategic planning, and even the roots of plants or vegetables. It also rules the unearthing or unmasking of whatever has remained concealed below the surface.

Pluto takes 246 years to circle the zodiac, with a stay ranging from 11 years to 32 years in a sign! It has rule over the sign of Scorpio.