The Planet ahead of your Sun—and What It Says about You

©2009 by AstroCocktail–John & Susan Townley

 Donna says: I know John Townley and his work since forever.  He is consistently one of astrology’s finest, most innovative, and—more importantly—READABLE authors.  Yesterday I followed my own link and enjoyed a long visit to AstroCocktail. John’s article on the planet ahead of the Sun was so interesting I asked his permission to reprint it here…but then I kept more and more finding gems on their site.

 So I decided instead to make AstroCocktail  Skywriter’s Internet Find of the Week.  Rather than reprint the whole article—a good, long read in its own right—I’m only putting a snippet here to tantalize you (complete with a link to the full article, of course)  and then an overview of the goodies on the site.  Like Ed McMahon used to say, “Herrrrrre’s Johnnnnyyyyy!”

” There are a lot of important “first takes” in analyzing a chart that don’t require getting lost in a complex web of aspects, positions, and rulerships. These include preponderance of element, chart pattern types (Jones patterns), and planetary order. They tell you a lot without wading too far into the chart.

“Overall planetary order tells the tale of your life, because it gives you what principles get tweaked by diurnal motion every day, and by transit and progression from monthly through life-spanning cycles. It’s your ducks, in a row.

“The most heralded of these is the planet that rises directly before the Sun on the day you were born, the planet just preceding the Sun in Zodiacal position. Depending on your chart, that could be an actual conjunction to your Sun only a few degrees earlier or an entire sign or two or three away, as long as there is nothing else intervening.

“Why is that planet important? Because it is literally your opening act, right before your personality (Sun) is put up front and center by a transit or progression. It’s the experience other people go through directly before they run into you, and it’s also the situation you traverse each time before getting your inner self reinforced. Therefore it colors both your inner expectation and serves as a stage cue for eager fans anticipating your arrival. Some show biz stars always put on a comic ahead of them to warm up the audience. Others like a band with a complimentary (but, of course, not as enthralling) sound, while still others prefer something totally different so they themselves benefit by the contrast. Whatever it is, it sets the mood for your arrival, and you’re stuck with it….”

To find what planet rises directly before the Sun in your own chart and what that tells about you, go to:  The Planetary Order I: Rising Ahead Of The Sun.

BUT WAIT!  First, here’s a preview of some of the fascinating features of the site this link will take you to.

Astrology In The News  is one of the most interesting sections, a digest of news items from around the world.  Recent articles include Star In The East; Democrats Favor Astrology; Saturn’s Hexagon; and Astrological Profiling.

 Their Articles section is a superb collection of wise, witty takes on a large variety of astrological principles.  Here are some of their offerings:

• Composite Charts: They Grow On You
• Sun Sign Sins 
• The Breathing Tide (Retrogrades explained)
• The (Not So) Void-Of-Course Moon

And, of course,  today’s special: The Planetary Order I: Rising Ahead Of The Sun, as well as two follow-up pieces, The Planetary Order II: Your Ducks In A Row  and Planetary Order III: Islands In The Sky .

Are you STILL here? Hard to believe after all those temptations. Want to see more great sites?  Visit Skywriter’s Internet Find of the Week category.