“I don’t know what all this stuff is,” says the beginner, feeling overwhelmed.
Can you learn astrology without memorizing the table below? No. That would be like learning to read of write with no alphabet. If you are new to this and don’t know this basic info – print this out and use it as a cheat sheet. You simply can’t go forward without it.
The symbols will be easier to remember and recognize if you have some idea what that mean. For example, see Mars there? Mars is male and that is a hard-on. See how easy this is?
Here is a thumbnail sketch of the meanings. Later you can benefit from reading a deeper and more detailed treatment of the meanings of the glyphs but that kind of stuff comes in time. Recognizing the Venus symbol in a chart next to the Aries symbol and knowing you are looking at “Venus in Aries” is what I am after here. If you can get this much down you will never have to look at a chart again and have it mean NOTHING.
“Oh, that is Jupiter in Virgo.” If you can read that you can go to google, see? It should take less than 15 minutes of your life to remember this chart and for the rest of your life when you see the Pluto glyph tattooed on someone or hanging around their neck, you will know they are probably a Scorpio.
See that album cover? Taj Mahal is a Taurus isn’t he? (Check your sheet). He is a Taurus, he wants you to know it, he has intact self esteem. If you google his picture, you will see the Bull.
Table of Astrology Symbols and Correspondences
Basic Meanings of Astrology Glyphs (Glyphs mean Symbols)
Yang = Masculine; Yin = Feminine
|
Sign |
Symbol | House | Planet | Symbol | Element | Mode | Polarity |
| Aries |  |
1 | Mars |  |
Fire | Cardinal | Yang |
| Taurus |  |
2 | Venus |  |
Earth | Fixed | Yin |
| Gemini |  |
3 | Mercury |  |
Air | Mutable | Yang |
| Cancer |  |
4 | Moon |  |
Water | Cardinal | Yin |
| Leo |  |
5 | Sun |  |
Fire | Fixed | Yang |
| Virgo |  |
6 | Mercury | |
Earth | Mutable | Yin |
| Libra |  |
7 | Venus | |
Air | Cardinal | Yang |
| Scorpio |  |
8 | Pluto |  |
Water | Fixed | Yin |
| Sagittarius |  |
9 | Jupiter |  |
Fire | Mutable | Yang |
| Capricorn |  |
10 | Saturn |  |
Earth | Cardinal | Yin |
| Aquarius |  |
11 | Uranus |  |
Air | Fixed | Yang |
| Pisces |  |
12 | Neptune |  |
Water | Mutable | Yin |
Thanks, I always see these lists separately so its nice to see everything all together because the elements and modes always confuse me.
In the very very beginning of my learning, I used to try to draw/write all of the glyphs, in order, when I was bored to see if I could remember them all. After a month or two, I could read (not interpret) a chart without a problem.
(you don’t have to be a scorpio to like pluto 😉
wyrdling – that was actually a typo (missed word). I meant to say “probably” and I was going to use the Moon as an example and oh man, Saturn in Virgo is a paaaaaaaaaain!!
Fifteen minutes? Elsa, you are mensa or what? Probably! might take a little longer for us normies 😉
Well Loon, I dunno. Most people know the zodiac symbols whether they realize it consciously or not. Venus and Mars are also familiar. The Moon looks like a Moon and the Sun like a Sun. That leaves very little work on and people who read this blog have seen these symbols associated with the words for years in most cases..
I suppose I should have been more specific. They SYMBOLS can me memorized pretty quickly. That’s what I meant. I want people to be able to say “That is Mars in Libra”.
At first they can guess and then check themselves but really this is not that hard and I am trying to entice people so they take this on. I mean, that is my thinking..
That makes sense Elsa!
Fairly recently, I was trying to teach someone who is very intelligent vis a vis computer hardware and software, and who professed a desire to learn the astro/planet symbols.
I think “professed” is the operative word given the fatct that it seemed to take an inordinately long time to “teach” such an otherwise intelligent person(and that is assuming the person ever did learn them all the way).
Anyway and probably, a person who seriously wants to memorize them can get them down pretty fast. (although I could swear I didn’t realize before now that pluto was yin {although I should have,} i suk at the outer planets)
anyway, if I were setting out to memorize these planet and sign gylphs, my little brain might need more than fifteen minutes (if I was an astro virgin tho, which the people here are more advance than that!). I am thinking I would need 15 minutes … three times. Over a few days. Like flash cards. I always do better with ‘testing’ of the ‘memorizing’ that way I learned what I missed before. But I might be a little slow…ya know, that is what they say about Mercury in Taurus ;-).
Re: depending on the source, Pluto, it is presented on two different gylphs. right? I can’t do the other one on my computer, can you?
ps. I love what you said before about being stupid or idiotic (under cardinals). It reminds me of my beloved Guru and how he spoke. Wakes a person up!
pps. I wonder if I look like my sign vis a vis your example herein. Shit I hope not! Is this guy a Taurus rising too? Hopefully my Pisces rising ‘softens’ that ;bulldog; look, ya think maybe? (rhetorical question of course 0-;0)
That is what you said in your last paragraph. sorry Elsa, Loonsounds is being obtuse again.
Taj Mahal is so Taurean… if you listen to his music or see him in person it’s all you can do not to laugh out loud.
I like to hear him sing, “Take all the time you need…” to his lover. Ha ha ha
In concert he talks about how great his songs are (he’s right) and he keeps re-releasing them. He changes the tempo slightly and sells you the thing again!! Definitely knows how to rake in the bucks and he’s just huge but light on his feet. He’s a true artist. Claimed to be able to dance as well as Michael Jackson and then did so… 🙂
Thank ya, Elsa! Hope everybody is havin’ fun!
that’s more what i expected 😉
i’m trying to keep a sense of humor with the virgo lately. otherwise i can’t stand myself….
but i’ve long been told i have an odd sense of humor… and it’s difficult to get across on paper….
Elsa, thanks for the wikipedia link! Because I’m a visual person, I can actually better interpret the meaning of each of the glyphs by knowing what each element represents!
I guess I’ll have to unlearn some song lyrics so I’ll have room in my brain to memorize these 😀
Kat – SNORT!
Oops. Missed a tag somewhere. But the link works to the pic.
Taj!!!!
Thank you once again Elsa for covering the basics for us newbies! Each day, I’m learning something you trigger and am loving it!