To ancient astrologers, the planets represented the will of the deities and their direct influence upon human affairs. To modern astrologers, the planets can represent basic drives or urges in the unconscious, or energy flow regulators representing dimensions of experience. They express themselves with different qualities in the 12 signs of the zodiac and in the 12 houses. The planets are also related to each other in the form of aspects, or their proximity to one another as they transit through the skies.
The planets can be divided into three groups, according to their distance from the Sun and the length of their planetary cycles (the time that it takes for each planet to complete one revolution around the zodiac, as seen from Earth).
The three groups of planets are: the Personal planets; the Social planets; and the Transpersonal planets.
The Personal planets are the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. The Personal planets are the planets that are closest to Earth, and tend to play a more concrete role in your everyday affairs. They relate to issues that are largely subjective and within your personal sphere of experience – such as your vibrancy, your feelings, how you communicate, and how you relate.
The Social Planets are Jupiter and Saturn. These two planets can be considered a duo, with planetary cycles relating to major milestones of development within both the personal and collective spheres.
The transpersonal planets are Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The transpersonal planets are the planets that lie outside of the orbit of Saturn, which is the last planet that can be seen with the naked eye. Although the lessons and influence of each of the transpersonal planets is deeply personal, their energies play a huge part in shaping the collective and entire generations.