In astrology, each planet has a distinct meaning and rules over specific topics. When I speak of 'planets,' this also includes the luminaries (the Sun and the Moon). All of the planets can be divided into personal planets and generational planets.

Personal planets are the inner planets and are closer to Earth. These change zodiac signs frequently and, therefore, have a greater impact on our personalities. These will vary from person to person because we all have a unique natal chart. Generational planets, also called “outer planets,” are further away from us, move more slowly, and change anywhere between every one-and-a-half to 18 years.

Understanding the difference between personal and generational planets in astrology can help you gain a deeper insight into your own personality and the broader societal trends that shape your life and the lives of those around you.

To see your personal and generational planet placements, input your date, time, and location of birth into your favorite astrology app or website. I also recommend using whole sign houses. Below, we will break down the meanings of the planets, but if you want a quick cheat sheet of the planets that includes even more information, I've made one for you! Download here.

Personal planets include the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. These affect your day-to-day life.

THE SUN

The Sun is your personality, willpower, vitality, and ego. It is what you aspire to be. It stays in a sign for just short of a month, so there’s quite a bit of variation to this personal planet placement. Whichever sign your Sun is in is what you typically hear people refer to when asing your sign.

THE MOON

The moon rules over emotions and intuition, as well as how you find comfort and security. It also moves quickly, changing signs every two to three days.

MERCURY

Mercury is the planet of communication, learning, travel, and thought processes. It shifts signs every three to four weeks, depending on retrograde season. Your Mercury sign rules over how you communicate and how you think through things.

VENUS

Venus rules over art/aesthetics, values, luxury, how we love, and what we're attracted to. This planet will move into a new sign every four to five weeks.

MARS

This planet rules your drive, motivation, how you take action and assert yourself. It takes Mars six to seven weeks to move into a new zodiac sign.

Generational planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. These planets reflect society-level feelings and events that will impact entire communities of people rather than just you.

JUPITER

Jupiter rules abundance, beliefs, wisdom, optimism, and how we believe. It moves into a new zodiac sign every 12 to 13 months. I know, it's not quite a span of a generation, which is around 15 to 20 years. This is why Jupiter and Saturn are also known as social planets, or a connection between the personal and generational planets. But we'll leave them in this category for now.

SATURN

Saturn is about lessons, structure, boundaries, authority, time, and responsibility. It highlights challenges in this lifetime and where you need to mature. Saturn takes about two and a half years to move through a sign. Saturn shapes people’s sense of what’s right, what’s valuable, and what’s allowed.

URANUS

Uranus, the planet of innovation, takes about seven years to move into a new zodiac sign. This planet also rules spontaneity, technology, the internet, and the unconventional.

NEPTUNE

Neptune rules over glamour, illusion, spiritual connection, and how we idealize. Neptune often relates to culture, informing the stories humans tell. When Neptune goes into a new sign, there are often new movements in art or film. It will be interesting to see what shifts occur with Neptune moving into Aries on March 30, 2025.

PLUTO

Pluto is about intensity, transformation, regeneration, and how we seek truth. Pluto, the planet of rebirth, takes between 16 and 18 years to move into a new sign. When Pluto shifts signs, things that have been hidden in previous generations often come to light.

Here's an example. The Baby Boomers were born with Pluto in the sign of me-first Leo (1937-58), while the activists and “hippies” had Pluto in ethical, eco-conscious, service-based Virgo (1958-71). You can certainly see the shift!