Planet Meanings in the Birth Chart

What better way to kick off the new year than to learn something new? I’ve got you covered!

A few weeks ago, I gave you guys the scoop on the inner planets in the birth chart (the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars). If you haven’t read that post, I recommend starting there and moving your way toward the outer planets. This is the fourth installment of my Birth Chart Basics series, you can start at the beginning by getting to know your North + South Node—the area of the chart which governs your biggest life lessons + challenges you’ll need to overcome.

Once you’ve become familiar with the Nodes and the inner planets, we can drift out into the cosmos and meet the slow moving—but intensely powerful—outer planets: Jupiter (Growth), Saturn (Discipline), Uranus (Discovery), Neptune (Oneness), and Pluto (Rebirth).

Here’s a quick recap on the inner planets

This group earns the “inner” Planet title because they orbit faster in the solar system, meaning they have more of a day-to-day impact on our lives. The quicker a planet moves through the 12 Signs in the cosmos, the more prevalent / frequent its influence becomes.

Don’t be fooled by the glacial pace of these outer planets. The themes they govern in our chart have a massive impact on our own lives and the collective fate of humanity. Think of their slower pace as a metaphor for the long-term change they can bring. If this energy seems elusive to you, you’re definitely on the right track. The more we try to understand these faraway heavenly bodies, the less they seem to make sense—especially Neptune, a planet which straddles the fine line between that which we can see and that which is unseen (subconsciousness).

Knowledge is power, even if what we’re finding might seem overwhelming initially. It is better to understand these planets in our chart and work with their energy instead of stumbling through our larger challenges ill-equipped to pivot or to grow.

Now that the planetary PSA’s are out of the way, let’s get into the basics of the outer planets

jupiter—growth

Zodiac Sign(s): Sagittarius

House(s): 9th

Orbital Pace: 12 years—roughly 1 year in each Zodiac Sign

Jupiter is big, Jupiter is bold, Jupiter is all about growing + expanding. This need to grow correlates to the largeness of the planet. Add in a shit ton of Helium with that growth, and we have a buoyant + courageous life energy infused recipe on our hands.

Jupiter brings luck, tells us to have faith in our chances, and encourages us to take risks in order to get to that next level—whatever that means for us. Jupiter doesn’t know failure, only opportunity and how to pivot from societally defined setbacks. This blind optimism inspires an openness + generosity toward others because it understands abundance as a given: there is plenty of success + fortune to go around—the planet has 67 moons for crying out loud.

The sign Jupiter transits in our chart indicates how we get lucky, what makes us more faithful, and how we search for meaning. The house Jupiter settles in tells us where we get all of those things (career, travel, partnership, etc.).

Life is a game of balance. Too much Jupiter energy leads to serving cocktails of broken promises, overextended energy, and excessive + risky business. Too little of Jupiter’s energy leads to feeling trapped and isolated in our comfort zone.

We look toward Jupiter to ignite the fires of growth, then we tame + extend the life of that flame using Saturn’s demand for balance + discipline.

saturn—discipline

Zodiac Sign(s): Capricorn

House(s): 10th

Orbital Pace: 29 years—roughly 2.5 years in each Zodiac Sign

Saturn demands we put in the work, and operates as our disciplined teacher who encourages consistent effort, focus, and mastery. There’s no loopholes when Saturn is involved. Sheer commitment and long-term skill development cannot be faked and cannot be avoided.

In the face of Saturn, we’re being served some hard facts. The aspiration of growth and expansion inspired by Jupiter is literally grounded by Saturnian reality: if we dream it, we have to BE it. Dreams cannot manifest through Saturn without action.

Working with Saturn means prioritizing and mastering what is most important to us, knowing that discipline and time will give us wisdom and the satisfaction of dedicating ourselves to a life purpose.

Balance is essential, as it is with most planetary energy, with Saturn. Overdone Saturian influence will result in a workaholic attitude—a tendency to be hard, to remain rigid, and to avoid risk (at the cost of fun + creativity).

Half-baked Saturn results in half-baked dreams + goals, a weakened sense of self, and a loss of control over our own authentic path.

Saturn has its rightful place as our strict but caring authority figure. We need to schedule, to plan, and to put in the work, but also give ourselves the space to be spontaneous + creative + curious (Jupiter). Saturn’s sign placement in our chart governs what we’re putting all of this hard work into and what we may find difficult to commit to.

Saturn’s house placement in our chart rules the area of life we are called to channel that work, where we maximize our efforts, and what we will need to overcome to reap the benefits of success.

uranus—discovery

Zodiac Sign(s): Aquarius

House(s): 11th

Orbital Pace: Approx. 84 years—approx. 7 years in each Zodiac Sign

Uranus swings into our lives with the high voltage energy of revolution, paradigm shifts, and unstoppable progress. You can’t control the free-thinking and strong-willed power of this independent planet.

The Buddha told us that all compounds grow old and we are to seek our own salvation with diligence. Uranus demands that these rigid compounds should crumble. This innovative + calculated destruction of tradition brings us clarity, fresh visions, and unusual insight in our own lives and the fate of the collective—Uranus is a pioneer for social and technological change.

When Uranus is too strong, we can fall victim to instability, thoughtless rebellion (it's not a phase, mom!), and an overwhelming detachment from reality. This form of detachment brings feelings of isolation and misunderstanding—we just don’t fit in. We can tone down this energy by grounding in the body, connecting to nature, and embracing physical sensations in response to lofty vibes + stimuli.

Here’s the tea: if you ignore Uranus, this planet will force the change to happen whether we like it or not (overdue leaving a job? Uranus lays you off. Clinging to a relationship for comfort? Uranus curates that partner leaving instead).

We need to embody that which makes us weird and follow our innovative intuition by giving ourselves permission to chase the freedom our souls crave.

The sign Uranus lands in our chart tells us how we get our fix for genius and revolution and the house placement calls out where in our lives we need this change the most.

neptune—oneness

Zodiac Sign(s): Pisces

House(s): 12th

Orbital Pace: 165 years—approx. 13.75 years in each Zodiac Sign

Neptune exists, astrologically speaking, beyond space and time. All of the “woo-woo” practices of transcending the physical plane can be attributed to Neptune. The goal of most religious + spiritual pursuits to live an enlightened + open life (meditation, prayer, fasting, trances, music, dancing) all harness the cosmic Nirvana that Neptune delivers.

This illusive energy becomes more indescribable as we try to define it. The excellent bliss of love, of art, music, and expression cannot be fully pinned down. The mystical union of the physical and the spiritual is where a balanced Neptune thrives.

If we’re too enveloped in this energy, we are quite literally out-of-this-world—kiss all your mundane responsibility goodbye. Saturn will come banging on Neptune’s door to demand we own up to our lack of action and or commitment.

On the other hand, a lack of Neptunian nuance can lead to a fool’s journey of seeking external fulfillment. Neptune teaches us that all the answers are within us if we wish to follow our highest, most authentic life path.

Neptune’s sign placement in our chart defines our palette for mystical + spiritual pursuits and the house placement signifies where in life we experience true bliss or receive deceptive + confusing lessons + relationships.

pluto—rebirth

Zodiac Sign(s): Scorpio

House(s): 8th

Orbital Pace: 240 years—11 to 30 years in each Zodiac Sign

Pluto is an astrological atom bomb—cataclysm in a tiny package. Pluto demands change by any means necessary and nothing can stop this destructive renewal. Plutonian power lies in facing our shadow work: pulling all of the darkest parts of ourselves into the light, where we’re forced to sit in our shame, have a sudden death of self, and rise from the ashes reborn.

This metamorphosis is necessary and Pluto’s glacial pace influences change on generational levels. With Pluto, we reveal darkness, we destroy it, and we change forever in the process.

Deep dark corners of self, of systems, and of civilizations cannot remain hidden so long as Pluto orbits our solar system. What remains in secret will ultimately implode. Our secrets can fester + destroy us, or manifest a rebirth when we learn to surrender to the chaos.

A Plutonian overdose leads to a life of manipulative + controlling behavior, a lack of trust in all areas of our journey. But no Pluto, no power—we will fall victim to harsh manipulation + systemic misuse of power.

When we surrender to that which is inevitable—change—we are learning to trust in the vision of the universe and reclaim our own power. Only then will we be able to consciously navigate the destructive path of Pluto.

Pluto’s sign placement reveals what needs transformation and the house placement indicates the area of our life which demands our insight + where we need to brace ourselves for an irrevocable metamorphosis.

My hope for you is that you’ll utilize these basic summaries to empower your own shadow work, and find that you are more capable to face obstacles + embrace inevitable change on your path toward your most authentic self. While each of these planets serve their own form of chaos—depending on how you interpret risk-taking and change—there are plenty of actionable tips for finding balance within + utilizing their energy.

For even more context, you can check out my post on the Houses in the birth chart, and use your new planetary knowledge to find out how each planet within your chart is thematically influencing your journey through life.

Birth Charts are a complex web of connections, and we’ve hardly scratched the surface! There are many more Birth Chart Basics coming your way. Be sure to follow me on Instagram to receive weekly updates about new content posted on the blog, as well as updates on what’s going on in the cosmos!

I’m a beginner to astrology myself, and I’m stoked to share what I’m learning with you along the way. But you don’t need to wait on me to study further, I’ve compiled my astrology resource master list for beginners who are eager to learn more about this complex discipline.

Jessica Lanyadoo

Star Power

Vanessa Montgomery