Below is a quick-and-dirty lexicon for astrology. It’s woefully incomplete, but it’ll get you started. Each entry includes key associations to help build a gut-level familiarity with the language of the stars with the intention of sparking intuition, not pushing dogma.
7 Classical Planets
The planets visible to the ancients with the naked eye, forming the backbone of classical astrology.
- Sun: identity, ego, vitality, confidence, purpose, creativity, leadership
- Moon: emotions, intuition, dreams, memory, habits, sensitivity, inner world
- Mercury: communication, intellect, curiosity, analysis, learning, adaptability, wit
- Venus: love, beauty, values, pleasure, connection, romance, attraction
- Mars: drive, energy, passion, courage, sexuality, action, ambition
- Jupiter: growth, abundance, optimism, luck, wisdom, expansion, generosity
- Saturn: structure, discipline, time, responsibility, karma, resilience, limits
Outer Planets
These are less personal, decade-long energies that shape collective transformation in society and culture. While the seven classical planets have been part of magical systems since before the advent of writing, the outer planets were only discovered by astronomers starting in 1781 and have been integrated into astrology since then. Because of their modern origins, some witches choose not to work with them, preferring to focus solely on the seven classical planets.
- Uranus: revolution, innovation, disruption, freedom, awakening, sudden change, electricity
- Neptune: dreams, illusion, mysticism, confusion, longing, unity, escapism
- Pluto: death, rebirth, transformation, power, compulsion, shadow, regeneration
Signs
Each zodiac sign influences how energy is expressed.
- Aries: boldness, initiation, courage, instinct, impatience, drive, risk-taking
- Taurus: stability, comfort, sensuality, patience, loyalty, material focus, pleasure
- Gemini: versatility, communication, curiosity, wit, nervous energy, duality, sociability
- Cancer: nurture, emotions, protection, intuition, memory, home, sentimentality
- Leo: creativity, drama, warmth, pride, leadership, generosity, self-expression
- Virgo: precision, service, organization, discernment, healing, practicality, modesty
- Libra: balance, beauty, diplomacy, fairness, connection, indecision, charm
- Scorpio: depth, transformation, sexuality, secrecy, power, intensity, emotional focus
- Sagittarius: freedom, exploration, optimism, belief, humor, honesty, adventure
- Capricorn: ambition, responsibility, structure, endurance, tradition, pragmatism, mastery
- Aquarius: innovation, rebellion, intellect, detachment, community, originality, vision
- Pisces: imagination, empathy, mysticism, escapism, compassion, artistry, surrender
Houses
The houses shows the area of life where energy is felt.
- 1st: identity, self-image, new beginnings, physical body, expression, presence, will
- 2nd: values, possessions, sensuality, finances, self-worth, security, survival
- 3rd: thinking, communication, siblings, short travel, local community, storytelling, information
- 4th: home, family, roots, privacy, security, ancestry, emotional foundation
- 5th: creativity, romance, children, self-expression, joy, performance, leisure
- 6th: daily routine, health, service, responsibility, work habits, wellness, refinement
- 7th: partnerships, marriage, reflection, contracts, mirroring, balance, diplomacy
- 8th: intimacy, transformation, death, rebirth, shared resources, taboos, power
- 9th: travel, philosophy, higher learning, belief systems, teaching, vision, expansion
- 10th: career, reputation, goals, public image, structure, ambition, discipline
- 11th: friendship, social networks, causes, innovation, vision, hopes, collective dreams
- 12th: dreams, subconscious, endings, solitude, healing, mysticism, surrender
Modes (Qualities)
Each sign has a mode that describes its style of movement and response.
- Cardinal (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn): initiatory, leadership, impulse, drive, beginnings, action
- Fixed (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius): stability, determination, grounding, resistance to change, endurance
- Mutable (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces): adaptability, transition, transformation, flexibility, integration
Aspects
The five major planetary interactions that influence how energies combine or oppose.
- Conjunction: unity, fusion, amplification, focus, intensity, blending, oneness
- Sextile: ease, opportunity, cooperation, support, talent, low-pressure growth
- Trine: flow, natural harmony, blessings, confidence, grace, momentum
- Square: challenge, conflict, friction, pressure, growth through struggle, dynamism
- Opposition: polarity, tension, projection, awareness, reflection, dramatic balance