According to Greek myth, Mercury (or Hermes, whose name derives etymologically from the piles of rocks which marked trails and guided travelers) was the messenger of the gods. He carried orders from Olympus to the mortals on Earth. The child of the illegitimate union of Zeus with Maia, Mercury was born “unknown to the immortal gods” and had to win his place among them by trickery, cleverness, and cunning. This is why he became the vagabond deity of travelers and wanderers. He is the instinctive foe of the settled who see him as an outcast roaming on the outskirts of society: a pariah, a thief, and a swindler. As ruler of the sign of Gemini, the Twins, he symbolizes the brother—the alter-ego who teaches us as much as we teach him and is associated with adolescence, a period of intense intellectual discovery. Mercury thus symbolizes lively, sparkling wit, mobility in any form, mental exchange, and interaction. As a result, a person strongly ruled by Mercury is quite likely to be clever and skillful. If Mercury is “afflicted” in one’s chart, their intellectual velocity may sometimes become mere mental hyperactivity. In any case, these skills are a great resource in the social realm.

As the heart of the solar system and the gravitational center of the travels of the earth and the other planets, the sun is the primordial light, the source of all warmth and life. From the dawn of humanity, it has been worshipped. It has symbolized the absolute power kings and despots yearn for and emulate. The sun king, the nucleus of society, embodied a principle of cohesion and harmony. Various subordinates—aka planets—revolved around it. In terms of psychological symbolism, the sun corresponds to the center of an individual, the factor that rules your psyche. Its luminous aspects are usually associated with knowledge and consciousness. As a creator of life, it is related to the image of the mother and the influence of motherhood on an individual’s consciousness and ideals. As a result, the sun’s position in a birth chart always indicates the way in which an individual will relate to your goals and ideals, what your ambitions and aspirations might involve. A person whose chart is strongly “solar” usually identifies very positively with motherhood. Your personality is friendly, energetic, and creative, with high ideals and a firm determination to accomplish them. You take your own superiority and authority over others for granted, and you have a natural ability to command the attention and admiration of an audience. You are a born leader who enjoys being in the limelight and may behave somewhat theatrically or with dramatic exaggeration. You have definite artistic leanings. The sense of your ideals is evident to you and may lead you to be somewhat self-focused. If ill-directed, your deep aspirations may lead to such faults as egotism, selfishness, or greediness for power.

Barbara Ramirez felt the tug of the moon on her psyche as she looked out the window of her spacecraft. She could see the moon’s craters and the darkness of its interior. It was a beautiful and mysterious place, and it had a special connection to her. As she looked at the moon, she could feel the motherly love that it represented. She felt a sense of peace and security when she looked at the moon, and she knew that it would always be there to protect her.

The eleventh house is an area of the sky which is especially important to Barbara Ramirez. In the following paragraph, we shall explain the general meaning of this fact.

Barbara Ramirez’s eleventh house in her birth chart signals that she has a strong capacity to work and produce something valuable to the community to which she belongs (the country, corporation, etc.). This power may be used for selfish ends or be re-invested for the elaboration of more cooperative social projects. Barbara Ramirez must concentrate on being fair and objective in relation to social successes and/or failures in order to maximize her potential. Any mistakes that she makes are an opportunity for her to learn and grow.

Barbara Ramirez looks up at the ninth house in the sky and sees that it contains several planets, including the one which rules her rising sign. She knows that this information is important to her, because it can help her to understand her personal destiny.