Horoscope fans should know the planetary “ruler” of their zodiac sign and that this planet is a special friend to them in Astrology. As a reminder, however, below is each sign’s ruling planet, as ancient astrologers assigned them:
| Aries: Mars | Libra: Venus |
| Taurus: Venus | Scorpio: Mars |
| Gemini: Jupiter | Sagittarius: Jupiter |
| Cancer: Moon | Capricorn: Saturn |
| Leo: Sun | Aquarius: Saturn |
| Virgo: Mercury | Pisces: Jupiter |
Humanity saw in the sky only seven planets until a high-magnification telescope was invented in the 1700s. Modern astrologers include on the above list the outer planets, those discovered with a telescope, so you will hear or read that the sign Aquarius is ruled by the planet Uranus, Pisces by Neptune, and Scorpio by Pluto. Or these planets are called “co-rulers” of those zodiac signs, which then have one ancient and one modern planetary ruler. But the planetary rulers in the above list were already classic when first written down 2,000 years ago. Centuries of observation have confirmed those choices.
Feeling confident and grounded and can’t explain why? Maybe it’s because your ruling planet is transiting your Sun sign, where your best-friend planet feels most “at home” and its energy is constant and stable. Each sign experiences this for vastly different lengths of time because every planet circles the zodiac at its own speed.
For example, Cancerians have their ruling planet, the Moon, in their sign for 2.5 days each month. Yes, every month! A Cancerian can schedule important events on Moon-in-Cancer days and reap the advantages. At the other extreme Capricorns have Saturn in their sign for a lengthy 2.5 years, and then must wait 28 years for its return. Saturn – the planet that acts as a disciplinarian – while transiting the sign Capricorn doesn’t worry Capricorns. It reassures them. In Capricorn, the planet Saturn is totally at home. Saturn has its infamous chilling or limiting effect only on other zodiac signs.
Doubled Windows of Opportunity
Sun signs governed by the slower-moving outer planets, Jupiter and Saturn, seem to have excessively long stretches of time – years — between windows of opportunity. Observant astrologers saw other windows of opportunity and luck appearing for those signs more frequently and at regular intervals. They figured out the pattern.
After studying which signs benefited, they decided certain planets are “exalted” in certain signs. “Exalted” means the planet is at the peak of its power. Astrologers also saw that five of the 12 Sun signs had no “exalted” effects on any planets at at all.
Here is the classic list of exaltations, and your nearest new windows of opportunity:
- In Aries, the Sun is exalted. People born under the sign Aries reap benefits when the Sun is in Aries (March 20-April 21, annually) and also when Mars is in Aries (every two years or so). You had Mars in Aries from January 1, 2019, to February 14. You’ll next have Mars in Aries June 28, 2020, to January 6, 2021.
- In Taurus, the Moon is exalted. Taurus people benefit most when the Moon is in Taurus (2.5 days every month) and Venus is in Taurus (about every ten months). Venus is next in Taurus from May 15, 2019 through June 8, 2019.
- In Cancer, Jupiter is exalted. Cancerians benefit monthly when their ruler the Moon is “at home” in their sign, 2.5 days per month, and also when Jupiter is in Cancer, a transit lasting a full year, occurring every 12 years. Cancerians might have noticed a 12-year pattern of luck in their lives. Jupiter will next be in Cancer June 9, 2025 through June 29, 2026. Sorry for the wait.
- In Virgo, Mercury is exalted. Sun Virgos are ruled by Mercury, no matter what sign Mercury occupied at their birth. They are granted frequent windows of opportunity because Mercury transits Virgo for about three weeks every four months. The next time will be September 6 through 21, 2019. Mercury traveling in retrograde through Virgo does not bother Virgos. Instead, it delivers them up to three extra weeks of opportunity.
- In Libra, Saturn is exalted. Venus in Libra is good for Librans, and it visits about every 10 months. Look for it next from September 14 to October 8, 2019. Take advantage, because slow-moving Saturn transits Libra, where it and Librans are exalted, only every 28 years. For Librans, the much-awaited 2.5-year Saturn transit brings huge, refreshing changes. We hope that was the case from 2009 to 2012. Librans won’t see another Saturn transit through their sign until the 2030s.
- In Capricorn, Mars is exalted. Mars next visits Capricorn February 16 to March 30, 2020. This helps mitigate the fact that Capricorn’s ruling planet, Saturn, parks itself “at home” in that sign only every 28 years – but Saturn happens to be in Capricorn right now, through September 28, 2020!
- In Pisces, Venus is exalted. The cosmos delivers Pisceans a menu of opportunities whenever Venus transits their sign, about every 10 months, and the next time will happen January 13, 2020 through February 7, 2020. Pisces hosts generous Jupiter for a full year every 12 years, the next time starting on May 13, 2021 and lasting into 2022.
What About the Other Five Signs?
Ancient astrologers looked all day and all night for planets exalted in the zodiac signs Gemini, Leo, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Aquarius. They did not find any. Instead of making things up, they told the truth. They knew of only seven planets, and each planet could claim to be exalted in only one zodiac sign. That left five signs without a second planetary window of opportunity – but those of us in this group know that we make our own luck.
Geminis, you are luckiest when your ruling planet Jupiter is in Gemini (next time will start in late May 2024).
Leos, you are luckiest every 12 months when the Sun transits Leo, July 20-August 19, every year. Yes, annually!
Scorpios, you’re large and in charge when Mars transits Scorpio (next time will be November 19, 2019, through January 3, 2020).
Sagittarians, Jupiter is now in Sagittarius, until December 2 this year. Go for what you want!
Aquarians, when Saturn next visits Aquarius starting in March 2020, you will have 2.5 years of opportunity. How luxurious!
