Delineation of the Sun in a Natal Chart

The Sun's psychological function in a natal chart is your basic identity and conscious purpose. Most people think that this is what they are that this is all there is to astrology but this is just one part of the greater whole. It is a vital part of the whole, but it is modified by the rest of the chart's planets, placement and aspects. Every member of a sun sign is different, some may be more similar than others but it is a remarkable to study the differences in personalities when you have the knowledge to read natal charts and see their subtle variations. I hope after this exercise you will have more self-knowledge and understand why you are the way you are and not necessarily the way the horoscopes say you should be!

Your sun sign shows your inner self, how you see yourself, your essence, your central core, your purpose or motivation. The Sun along with the Ascendant and Moon forms an astrological trinity that sets the tone for your entire chart. These three function as a unit of sorts(I'll go into this in more detail after we delineate each of the planets in your natal chart)

At this time, look at the information you have written down about your sun. At this time you should also note the element, polarity, modality and orientation if you have not already done so.
I'll use mine as the example:

Sun in Virgo in the 11th house
Element:Earth
Polarity: Yin
Modality: Mutable
Orientation:Interpersonal

Keywords for Signs:

ARIES
relates to Mars
corresponds to the first house
sign's primary need: to be independent and develop self-awareness

skillful application:
innovative, daring, spontaneous, direct, energetic, assertive, headstrong, independent, competitive, fearless, courageous

unskillful application:
careless, reckless, irresponsible, self-centered, starts but doesn't finish, impatient, overpowering, selfish, combative, uncooperative, coarse, temperamental, overbearing, belligerent

TAURUS
relates to Venus
corresponds to the second house
sign's primary need: to be resourceful, productive and stable

skillful application:
practical, earthy, sensual, resourceful, steadfast, stable, reliable, trustworthy, patient, deliberate, consistent, determined, artistic, aesthetic, domestic, placid

unskillful application:
materialistic, conservative, possessive, overcautious, stubborn, bull-headed, sluggish, lethargic, self-indulgent, lazy, passive, gluttonous

GEMINI
relates to Mercury
corresponds to the third house
sign's primary need: to communicate with and learn from others

skillful application:
intelligent, learns easily, witty, curious, inquisitive, logical, alert, rational, fluent, studious, verbal, articulate, talkative, sociable, flexible, adaptable, lighthearted, changeable

unskillful application:
superficial, spacey, shallow, over-intellectualizing, unemotional, wordy, gossiping, nosy, imitative, inconsistent, scattered, noncommittal, indecisive, high-strung, fickle, flighty, impatient

CANCER
relates to the Moon
corresponds to the fourth house
sign's primary need: to give and receive emotional warmth and security

skillful application:
feeling, receptive, sensitive, psychic, gentle, sympathetic, nurturing, protective, domestic, shy, collecting, tenacious, retentive

unskillful application:
insecure, moody, defensive, over-emotional, hypersensitive, touchy, brooding, smothering, clingy, overprotective, dependent, fearful, withdrawn, afraid to let go

LEO
relates to the Sun
corresponds to the fifth house
sign's primary need: to creatively express self and be appreciated by others

skillful application:
self-assured, self-confident, dynamic, radiant, authoritative, dignified, honorable, proud, thrives on appreciation, a leader, courageous, loyal, self-expressive, creative, dramatic, loving,
big-hearted, warm, playful, generous, romantic

unskillful application:
vain, self-centered, selfish, overbearing, conceited, stubborn, domineering, haughty, arrogant, patronizing, snobbish, childish, egocentric, possessive, demands to be center of attention, flirtatious, melodramatic, doubts own creative abilities

VIRGO
relates to Mercury
corresponds to the sixth house
sign's primary need: to analyze, discriminate and function efficiently

skillful application:
practical, efficient, clear, analytical, differentiating, discriminating, discerning, precise, detailed, meticulous, economical, fastidious, disciplined, helpful, serving, dutiful, humble, conscientious, health-conscious, unselfish

unskillful application:
petty, picky, skeptical, nitpicking, critical, judgmental, lacking confidence, self-deprecating, self-denying, prudish, obsessive-compulsive, workaholic

LIBRA
relates to Venus
corresponds to the seventh house
sign's primary need: to cooperate with others and to create beauty, balance and harmony

skillful application:
cooperative, sharing, partner-oriented, social, agreeable, easygoing, gregarious, considerate, balanced, just, tactful, diplomatic, charming, aesthetic, artistic, refined, pleasing, tasteful

unskillful application:
dependent, can't act alone, gives away power to others, indecisive, hesitant, passive, vacillating, over-compromising, superficial, vain, imbalanced

SCORPIO
relates to Pluto
corresponds to the eighth house
sign's primary need: deep involvements and intense transformations

skillful applications:
regenerating, cathartic, transforming, complex, healing, renewing, musical, probing, joining, piercing, erotic, magnetic, powerful, emotional, mysterious, hidden, deep, psychological

unskillful application:
power-hungry, destructive, violent, annihilating, sarcastic, obsessive, fixed, excessive, overwhelming, jealous, possessive, resentful, revengeful, vindictive, secretive, deceptive, paranoid, suspicious, repressed

SAGITTARIUS
relates to Jupiter
corresponds to the ninth house
sign's primary need: to explore and expand the horizons of the mind and world

skillful application:
wise, understanding, philosophical, aspiring, ethical, idealistic, visionary, moral, truth-seeking, open minded, optimistic, jovial, benevolent, tolerant, adventurous, wandering, seeking, outspoken, frank, loves animals, athletic, freedom loving

unskillful application:
condescending, pompous, ungrounded, self-righteous, opinionated, dogmatic, deluded, impractical, extravagant, indolent, scattered, exaggerating, seeking a free lunch, irresponsible, tactless, insensitive, wasteful, gambling

CAPRICORN
relates to Saturn
corresponds to tenth house

AQUARIUS
relates to Uranus
corresponds to eleventh house

PISCES
relates to Neptune
corresponds to twelfth house

1st HOUSE
2nd HOUSE
3rd HOUSE
4th HOUSE
5th HOUSE
6th HOUSE
7th HOUSE
8th HOUSE
9th HOUSE
10th HOUSE
11th HOUSE
12th HOUSE
[the rest of the signs and houses to be posted soon]

Keywords for the Elements:

FIRE
aries leo sagittarius
fiery, ardent, enthusiastic, spontaneous, self-sufficient, romantic
misused: bossy, too forceful

EARTH
taurus virgo capricorn
practical, earthy, dependable, conservative, sensual,
love material comforts, good recuperative powers
misused: dull, too materialistic

AIR
gemini libra aquarius
good communicators, intellectual, able to handle abstract reasoning,
logical, broadminded, objective, idealistic, unprejudiced
misused: cold, impractical

WATER
cancer scorpio pisces
feeling, sustaining, receptive, emotional, intuitive, responsive, sensitive, deep, susceptible to moodiness, easily influenced by the environment(no fighting in front of these little ones!!)
misused: can be self-indulgent, self-pitying, wavering
(note: because of societal pressures these signs are
usually harder for boys to handle than girls)

KEYWORDS FOR THE POLARITIES:

YANG (+)
FIRE(aries,leo,sagittarius)
AIR(gemini,libra,aquarius)

EXHALE
active
masculine
day force
extroverted
positive
electric
levity
conscious
logical
individualistic
outgoing
expressive
left-brained

YIN(-)
EARTH(taurus,virgo,capricorn)
WATER(cancer,scorpio,pisces)

INHALE
receptive
feminine
night force
introverted
negative
magnetic
gravity
instinctive
intuitive
social-collective
ingoing
receptive
right-brained

Keywords for the Modalities:

Qualities of the Cardinal Modality
aries - libra - cancer - capricorn
Skillful Application:
generating, beginning, doing, initiating,
originating, enterprising, active, direct,
purposeful

Unskillful Application:
starts but does not finish, impatient,
dissatisfied, overactive, forceful,overcommitted

Qualities of the Fixed Modality
taurus - scorpio - leo - aquarius
Skillful Application:
concentrating, stabilizing, sustaining,
finishing, establishing, preserving, conserving,
steadfast, focused, powerful, persistent,
constant, determined

Unskillful Application:
stubborn, rigid, resistant to change,
stuck,obsessed, overly retentive, inert, habit-bound

Qualities of the Mutable Modality
gemini - sagittarius - virgo - pisces

Skillful Application:

distributing, adaptable, flexible, adjustable,
connecting, linking, mental, adapting, learning,
changing, versatile, dual

Unskillful Application:
scattered, unfocused, depleted, dissipated,
diffused, distracted,inconsistent, prone to worry,
indecisive, restless, unfinishing

KEYWORDS FOR THE ORIENTATIONS OF THE ZODIAC:


PERSONAL
(Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer)
focused on personal wants and needs

INTERPERSONAL
(Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio)
social, focused on others

TRANSPERSONAL
(Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces)
universal, focused on ideals and abstractions

Delineating the Planets in Your Natal Chart

I am going to start to explain how to start delineating your natal planets. We will start with the Sun and move through the personal planets(Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) and, finally, the Trans-Saturnian(or generational) planets. We will take one at a time and look at the planet itself, its sign placement and house placement. I will post general info in this post and start the planets in a day or two. Please feel free to leave comments with queries if you are confused. I do check these everyday even if I don't have time to write a new post!:o) Once we get through all of the planets we will discuss the angles and then the aspects. We will also discuss Chiron and other aspects of natal charts after we have a basic understanding of the individual birth chart.

So here's basic guidelines and suggestions!

* Looking at your Natal Chart write a list of all of your planets, their signs and placements.
Leave enough room to note the element, polarity and modality of each planet.
-i.e. (Using my own chart)
Sun in Virgo in the 11th
Moon in Leo in the 11th
Mercury in Virgo in the 12th
Venus in Virgo in the 12th
Mars in Leo in the 11th
Jupiter in Virgo in the 12th
Saturn in Aries in the 7th
Uranus in Virgo in the 12th
Neptune in Scorpio in the 2nd
Pluto in Virgo in the 12th

*Remember, the planets are the basic driving energies of the chart, the signs are how the planet functions and the house indicates where[what area/department of your life] the planetary action takes place

* Basic meanings of the planets:

Sun: represents your basic identity and conscious purpose

Moon: represents your emotions,feelings and daily habits

Mercury: represents your capacity to think, speak, learn and reason

Venus: represents your capacity to attract people and things that you love

Mars: represents your capacity to initiate, act and assert based on personal desire

Jupiter: represents your search for meaning, truth and ethical values

Saturn: represents your capacity to create order, form and discipline in your life

Uranus: represents your unique individuality and capacity to liberate yourself from past limitations

Neptune: represents your capacity to transcend the finite self through expressing unity with a greater whole.

Pluto: represents your capacity to transform and renew yourself