A Self-Test of How Well You’re Using Your Planets © 2011 Donna Cunningham, MSW *Test instructions follow. Calculate your score on the planetary strength tests found on the home page at http://skywriter.wordpress.com under the tab marked “Take the Planetary Tests.”
Planet
Qualities
Date: ___ / ___ /20___
Sun Sign: Degree: House: Score:* Moon Sign: Degree: House: Score: Mercury Sign: Degree: House: Score: Venus Sign: Degree: House: Score: Mars Sign: Degree: House: Score: Jupiter Sign: Degree: House: Score: Saturn Sign: Degree: House: Score: Uranus Sign: Degree: House: Score: Neptune Sign: Degree: House: Score: Pluto Sign: Degree: House: Score:
The Sun’s roles: shining star, King or Queen, golden girl or boy, center of action. Constructive traits: confident, high visibility, charismatic, dramatic, personable, sunny, regal, focused on self-expression and self-development in areas of that house. Problematic traits: egotistical, conceited, demanding attention, hungry for praise, high maintenance, self-centered, self-absorbed, selfish, narcissistic, grandiose, melodramatic. The Moon’s roles: nurturer, parent, domestic worker, caretaker, feminine role model. Constructive traits: nurturing, caring, emotionally aware, listens to “gut” feelings, sensitive, intuitive, receptive, attuned to lunar cycles, domestic, maintains family and tradition. Problematic traits: “smother love,” moody, living in the past, hypersensitive, clinging, dependent, codependent, insecure, worrier, changeable, conservative, habits hard to change. Mercury's roles: communicator, messenger, information specialist, speaker, writer. Constructive traits: communicative, persuasive, fast learner, connecting people, full of ideas, articulate, bright, adaptable, humorous, trendy, well-informed, curious. Problematic traits: distractible, fidgety, restless, “talking head,” motormouth, superficial, nosy, fickle, knows all/tells all, squanders time on chatting, not always truthful. Venus’s roles: mediator, peacemaker, beautifier, matchmaker, social coordinator. Constructive traits: sociable, charming, attractive, warm, adaptable, harmonious, conciliatory, affectionate, agreeable, has people skills, team player, likable, can compromise. Problematic traits: people-pleaser, vain, overly concerned with appearance, coasting on charm rather than effort, indolent, hedonistic, greedy, superficial, wishy-washy. Mars’ roles: leader, explorer, warrior, athlete, bully, competitor, initiator, pioneer. Constructive traits: brave, daring, strong, assertive, energetic, tireless, determined, zesty, dynamic, adventuresome, vivacious, athletic, bold, heroic, independent, self-starting. Problematic traits: aggressive, hotheaded, arrogant, pushy, belligerent, brusque, rash, impulsive, cruel, domineering, stubborn, driven, inconsiderate of others’ needs and wants. Jupiter’s roles: teacher, sage, preacher, elder, citizen of the world, gambler, know-it-all. Constructive traits: upbeat, joyful, aspiring, wise, philosophical, optimistic, lucky, generous, studious, able to synthesize diverse sources of information, lifetime student. Problematic traits: overindulging, gambling, pushing one’s luck, preachy, given to exaggeration, opinionated, fanatical, overconfident, pompous, dogmatic, greedy, hypocritical. Saturn’s roles: planner, supervisor, parent, troubleshooter, organizer, manager, authority. Constructive traits: painstaking, hardworking, able to delay gratification, well-organized businesslike, serious, realistic, disciplined, structured, reliable, responsible, high standards. Problematic traits: perfectionistic, pessimistic, somber, depressed, negative, fearful, anxious, rigid, demanding, authoritarian, conservative, conventional, stingy, unbending. Uranus’s roles: inventor, scientist, tech support, trendsetter, maverick, activist, adolescent. Constructive traits: avant-garde, futuristic, state-of-the-art, leading edge, genius, humanitarian, thinking out of the box, idealistic, innovative, brilliant, detached, free. Problematic traits: willfulness, knee-jerk rebel, saboteur, agitator, maverick, provocateur, eccentric, cold, contrary, elitist, erratic, undependable, distractible, explosive, inconstant. Neptune’s roles: spiritual seeker, dreamer, poet, visionary, dedicated helper. Constructive traits: creative, compassionate, intuitive, imaginative, empathetic, idealistic, spiritual, willing to serve, forgiving, devoted, meditative, non-materialistic. Problematic traits: hazy, daydreamer, confused, lives in a fantasy world, unrealistic, impractical, addiction-prone, codependent, fraudulent, deceitful, deluded, escapist, martyr. Pluto’s roles: psychologist, healer, occultist, magician, renovator, analyst, hospice worker, genealogist, banker, financier, medium, magician, shaman, seer, researcher, detective. Constructive traits: deep, psychologically astute, analytic, natural healer, perseverance. Problematic traits: suspicious, mistrustful, loner, resentful, unforgiving, possessive, obsessive, compulsive, spiteful, vengeful, manipulative, enmeshed in power struggles.
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How to Use the Table Photocopy the test or print a copy. (You are welcome to use it for yourself, clients, or students, so long as you retain my copyright.) Highlight or circle traits you relate to under each planet, using different colors of ink to indicate whether they apply to you seldom, sometimes, or often. (Highlighting will give a clearer visual clue of your strengths and vulnerabilities.) Here’s an explanation of the individual features you’ll analyze. Roles You Play: A role is a set of behaviors, rights, and obligations through which society governs the actions of an individual in a particular social position. One of our major roles is the career we’ve chosen. Roles aren’t limited to occupational status, nor does being cast in one role during working hours prevent us from taking on other roles: mate, parent, caregiver, garden club president, and so on. For each planet, highlight roles you’re called upon to play, and evaluate how you perform them. If you've chosen other people to fill certain roles for you, consider whether that still serves your development. Constructive versus problematic traits: Problematic traits are often just over-the-top versions of constructive ones. Confidence is a useful trait of the Sun, while egotism is an exaggeration. A strength of Venus is the ability to be adaptable and able to compromise, while a weaker expression is to be wishy-washy. A desirable Mars trait is assertiveness; carried to an extreme, it’s aggressiveness. Stability is a useful quality of Saturn, but the final result could be rigidity. By becoming familiar with the pluses and minuses, you can consciously draw on positive expressions and rein in the less desirable ones. Studying the constructive traits of a planet and working toward them over time can bring you closer to enjoying the gifts your chart contains. Note that many of the qualities listed can be either positive or negative, depending on the context of how—and when—they’re used. It would also depend on your viewpoint. If you’re a Uranian type and are out there demonstrating against Wall Street, then you’d consider being an activist an important contribution to society. What you don't want to do is to suppress one of your planets, no matter how troublesome, because any planet that isn't integrated into our lives festers. Suppression is likely to bring on a train wreck somewhere down the line under the right transits or progressions. Perhaps 80% of you would vote to have Mars removed from the picture, when Mars – the Energizer Bunny – is actually rocket fuel for greatness. Many people see competition as negative, and yet welldirected competition raises the bar for us all and becomes a healthy spur to human progress. If Mars is one of the stronger planets in a chart, the person will never NOT be somewhat competitive. What are needed are safe, socially constructive outlets for those energies. Planetary Scores: Under the Planetary Tests tab on Skywriter’s homepage, you'll find links to a series I created to measure the relative strength of each planet in the chart. The higher the score, the more significant the traits ascribed to it are likely to be. If a planet isn’t used constructively, a high score may represent a stumbling block. (Beginners and clients probably won’t be able to compute the scores.) Personalizing the test: Feel free to adapt the table to suit your needs. Using the cut and paste function in your word processing program, rearrange your planets in zodiacal order by sign and
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degree, making it easier to track transits and progressions. (For example, Venus at 10° Aries would go before the Moon at 6° Leo, and both would be listed before the Sun at 27° Pisces.) Likewise, for a planetary grouping like a stellium, triple conjunction, or a major configuration like a T-square, Grand Trine, Grand Cross, or Yod, cut and paste copies of the descriptions of those planets into a separate table. This makes it easier to evaluate the functioning of that configuration and follow transits to the various parts.
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