Planetary meanings
as exponents of the Earth
18.2
page 2 of 5
Old and new
As I already announced in the Foreword, it is not my intention to provide an extensive description of the planet meanings in this website. Nevertheless, this analogical line of reasoning does support the ancient, traditional planet meanings in an integrated way. Therefore I will sketch the various planet meanings briefly here, to show how their essence emerges naturally from their organic interconnection. More complete descriptions can be found in any good textbook about astrology.
Two groups of planets
On either side of Earth, we encounter a group of three planets each, the so-called inner and outer planets.
figure 18.2.1 The inner and the outer planets
For a clarification of the planet symbols used, click here.
The inner planets
Seen from Earth, the inner planets, Sun, Mercury and Venus, are always standing close together. At sunrise they rise together as a group and at night the three of them set together again. Due to this conjunction, Mercury is hardly ever visible. He does not appear in the night sky, and during the day, the Sun’s light is so dominant and close by that his own light is completely outshined by it. Only at a Solar eclipse, or with special telescopes, Mercury becomes visible to us. With Venus, things are a little different. In the twilight of dawn or dusk, during half an hour or so, Venus can be seen daily near the horizon, as either morning or evening star.
figure 18.2.2 Sunset with Mercury and Venus
fig.18.2.3 Sunset with Mercury and Venus, continued
Because of their position in relation to Earth, these three inner planets are never far from each other. The orbits of Mercury and Venus are so close to the Sun that they can never be more than 78° apart, seen from Earth. They are encompassed within Earth’s sphere, as it were. They move along the sky as a threesome, forming an interconnected group without any conflicting aspects between them. They are associated with principles such as unity, light and consciousness. As a group, they are also called the ‘Es’.
Because Venus is actually visible in the twilight sky, she is sometimes referred to as the key to this trinity.
figure 18.2.4 The maximum angle of 78° between the three inner planets, as seen from Earth
index, subjects per page, pictures, blue marked texts, references, tables and overviews, courier, forum