Each planet has its own being and consciousness and unique teaching. All the planets function as doorways to our spiritual evolution, while some planets are more helpful and ease our path in life, others make it more challenging. All the planets contain energies that are one-sided and require borrowing energies from other planets to create a state of harmony in our life and consciousness.

Vedic astrology is not simply about predicting the future, but the art of interacting with the higher cosmic forces that are influencing life on earth. To harmonize these cosmic forces in our life we must commit to a deep relationship with each planet and its teaching, so we do not take too much, or too little from them. Only if we don't understand the energy of a planet whose influence we are under, it will lead to sorrow and conflict. Vedic Astrology teaches us how to balance the planetary energies within us and take them in as part of our deeper self, which leads to greater harmony in our outer life, as well as higher spiritual awareness.

Sun - Seat of Courage

The Sun is called shura, or “hero.” We all need a good Sun in the horoscope to handle the challenges life brings. In the horoscope, the Sun shows the type of energy that sustains us and allows us to stay focused and keep moving forward despite the odds.

The Sun as the prime motivator means that our life journeys will be greatly influenced by the condition of the Sun in the horoscope. While the motivation to be the hero in one’s life story is wired into the consciousness, only the rare, evolved Sun is a natural-born hero. For most of us, the Hero’s Journey is learning to strengthen and elevate our Sun by consciously choosing dharma or “right” action over ego gratification.

Moon - Seat of Happiness

The Moon allows our atman (Sun) to have a human experience. Therefore, the Moon is always subject to the painful and pleasant emotions that define and destroy our happiness.

The Moon shows the structure upon which our primary needs of food, shelter, and most importantly, emotional security were met in childhood. If afflicted, it indicates a lack of adequate emotional support in childhood from our primary caregivers, both perceived and real. The Moon is therefore often referred to as the inner mother, open to being nurtured, and the outer mother, capable of nurturing. On a psychological level, it shows the state of our inner sanctum. It is also what makes us feel “at home”—the house and sign position of the Moon shows us the “home” we will return to, even if it no longer serves us well.

Mars - War and Survival

From the moment we are born, potential risks lurk around every corner. We need Mars’ audacity and courage, so that we are up to the challenge to survive and thrive in our life journeys.

In Sanskrit, Mars is called Mangala, or the auspicious one, because he gives longevity by defeating all enemies, including the dangers inherent in nature. Critical thinking and philosophy are not Mars’ strong suit. He acts first and thinks later, as he is often too impulsive to pause and appraise a situation. He is too black-and-white to strategize like Mercury, lead like the Sun, or idealize like Jupiter. Fortunately, Mars has a high threshold for pain, and so he can endure the battles, conflict, and dangerous situations he often finds himself in. Without Mars, the risks will almost always outweigh the rewards and we will not take chances or forge our unique paths in life.

Venus - Love and Money

At the end of the day, life comes down to two things: love and money. Both are Venus’ prime responsibility. In the horoscope, Any house or sign that Venus occupies or influences has the potential to flourish due to the love, delight, and devotion Venus brings to it. In that sense, her house and sign placement indicate our beloved, or what is precious and dearest to our hearts’ desires.

In the Vedic tradition, Venus is synonymous with the beloved Goddess Sri-Lakshmi. From her hands flows an endless stream of gold coins, symbolizing the bounty of inner and outer wealth that Venus wishes to bring into our lives. Goddess Lakshmi sits upon a blooming lotus, which grows in mud and muck. As the most sacred symbol of Hindu iconography, the lotus is Venus in her splendor, untouched by the dark side of materiality.

Jupiter - Guru

The whole universe can be with us when Jupiter is with us, which is why he is associated with luck, success, synchronicity, and good karma. Even sorrows, obstacles, and separations take on meaning under his influence.

In the yogic system, Jupiter relates to the Ajna Chakra, or the “third eye.” In modern neuroscience, the prefrontal cortex lies in the same general area as the third eye and aids in the higher cognitive mental processing abilities unique to the human brain. It plays an inhibiting and calming role over the emotional and reactive limbic part of the brain (Moon). It is also responsible for decreasing the stress hormone cortisol, which helps limit the automatic “fight-or-flight” response of our baser instincts (Mars, Rahu, Saturn). Yogic practices of asana, mantra, meditation, and mindfulness—especially those that bring focus to the third eye—can help strengthen Jupiter in the horoscope.

Saturn - Kryptonite

Saturn is like Superman donning his cape and being unable to fly; he has to rely on personal effort to defeat his foe, just like ordinary mortals. Losing our superpowers is a classic hero’s rite of passage; invincible protagonists exist only in children’s stories. In adult stories, the hero always has a kryptonite that makes him vulnerable.

Saturn is “the Lord of Karma.” While all the planets release their karmic influence, Saturn represents the cosmic principle of karma: the universe brings to account both the credits and debits of our actions. This accounting accumulates over lifetimes. Contrary to what people believe, Saturn does not make anything bad happen. His planetary periods simply release the results of our past excesses and denials of reality.

Rahu and Ketu - Divine Confusion

Rahu and Ketu are the invisible thread that links our past lives to the present. Placed exactly opposite each other in the horoscope, Rahu’s drive pulls toward a perceived paradise, which is intimately intertwined with Ketu’s paradise lost—what we might be resisting or taking for granted in our lives.

Polarity is the central theme of most wisdom cultures. It teaches us that the superabundance of any force inevitably produces its opposite. The planetary periods of one activates the other, which requires harmonizing the polarities represented by Rahu and Ketu rather than allowing them to pull us apart.

Mercury - The Anti-Hero

Mercury rarely gets to be the hero in myths and stories, because his character exists to take the greatest advantage of the situation in his favor. All the planets have a unique and fixed lens through which they see the world. For Mercury there are no black-and-white situations, only gray shades to navigate. He does not stand in judgment, preferring instead to decide every situation on a case-by-case basis.

It’s hard to predict which side Mercury is on as he blurs the lines between ally and enemy. He may start out as an ally to the hero, but his intention is to take advantage of every situation and stay on the winning side, and so he may betray or help the hero at a critical moment.