Unaspected Planets – How do they affect you through your astrological chart?

I was recently having an interesting debate on my Facebook page about unaspected planets as a couple of days ago Mars now travelling retrograde in Libra was separated from all the other planets in the heavens. Unaspected planets, and by unaspected I mean ones not making a major aspect to any other major body (Conj, Sext, Sqr, Tri or Opp) tend to take a special place in an astrology chart and in my view their influence normally increases in relation to everything else on the chart. This prompted me to write a post on this fascinating subject.

So how do unaspected planets affect one’s character? Well, for example the Mars that was separated from the other planets on the 22nd and 23rd March 2014 (you can see Mars sitting alone in the 10th house in the chart above) would not have been able to relate to the other planets or integrate itself with them, and so it would have had the tendency to do it's own thing in it's own special way - this would have been raw, unaffected, undiluted energy. I have always suspected that a planet that does not integrate itself into the rest of the natal chart will present us with a sense of longing for the planet’s properties and qualities, simply because we aren’t initially able to incorporate them into our own character. When you are missing something, the natural instinct of the human psyche is go searching for it. In this behaviour we may over-emphasise what we are searching for and so those qualities tend to (subtly or otherwise) dominate our motivations and subliminal expression. Obviously, unless you are an Astrologer or you know you have this missing link in your character, you won’t be aware that something is amiss, until of course, someone who can see your actions points it out to you.

Putting this all together, I think that unaspected planets cause us to over-emphasise the nature of them without us realising it. It stands to reason then that isolated planets can bring though incredible natural talent in a natal chart as one takes on the properties of the unaspected body, and if you were to look at a list of individuals with them then it becomes obvious how the planet tends to stand out in one's personality.

Lets have a look at the planets and the properties that stand out when they are are working in isolation on an astrology chart. 

Firstly I begin at looking at the largest body in our solar system, the Sun. Those with an unaspected or isolated Sun I find tend to live in their own little self contained world. I think in essence what they do and what they want is important to them, and they will forever be searching for their own identity within themselves, but will they tend to do this at the expense of relating to other people? This tendency to be self-reliant may see the individual seen by others as very independent, selfish or even slightly egotistical and aloof. There is an inner drive to succeed though and people with an isolated Sun can push themselves onwards to great heights. I also believe that an isolated Sun can be an indication of the father not being part of the family unit in the growing up process, as if he was isolated or separated from the family unit.

An unaspected Moon I believe can be a very difficult position to endure. The natural instinct of the Moon is to look for comfort and security, but this Moon is exposed and isolated and so this could lead the individual to feel lonely and unloved. In lacking an integrated Moon, the individual may try to overemphasise the qualities that it normally exudes, thus being incredibly caring and compassionate, clingy or exceptionally family orientated. In this way by giving love and compassion to others, they might see it reciprocated back to themself. It might lead to them being exceptionally moody and irritable if that expected love was never returned; they might even become hypersensitive. The relationship with one’s mother might find her uncaring or aloof and this could transfer in later life to the individual’s attitude to women and to relationships in general. Those with an isolated Moon may feel very emotionally unsettled and may go from one partner to the next searching for a love that never really comes along, almost certainly they will find that they can never really feel emotionally at ease.

Having an unaspected Mercury seems to have a dramatic affect on one’s mind and the manner in which it works. As Mercury is unconnected to the other planets I think that it is unlikely that that this Mercury will be able to take in or understand a full set of experiences from life, thus the mind may not be very well rounded. Where one may lack in one department though, one gains in another and this Mercury may show brilliance or expertise in a specific area of life, or one will get obsessed in the details of one subject before getting bored before fully concentrating on another. This is a position where one may always be chatting about anything and everything and may never know when to stop. There seems to be a real need to organise, to classify and to analyse almost everything that the subject has an interest in. This will be a person who is curious and often very bright and with the brain working at full tilt, they may be quite nervous and a little on edge most of the time.

Venus as a planet shows what we value, what we find attractive, what we need to feel secure and how we act in a social sense, and all of these qualities will be affected by it being separated from the rest of the other planets. The more easy going side of Venus in not wanting to ruffle feathers will come out, and those with Venus unconnected to the other planets may be gentle and charming but also lazy too as they will not be motivated to make decisions. This Venus in not having full integration with the other planets will not attract and relate well, will not be attracted to others in a normal manner or in a limited way, and thus the tendency to be rather single minded or obsessive in relationships will come out. There is the possibility that one with Venus unaspected may see a person in how they can monetarily contribute to their life, their possessions and bank balance being the main attraction. This can be a very cool Venus, standing on the side-lines rather than joining in normal social situations. Finally one might be constantly preoccupied with how one looks or what one owns and possesses with this position.

Mars rules force and action and with Mars unintegrated into the rest of the chart the best and worst sides of Mars will be freely exposed into the character. As I said earlier, Mars when separated from the other planets will be raw, wild and untamed. This is a Mars that generally cannot be held back and thus the individual will tend to be a go-getter, very active, competitive, sporting in nature and often very brave. This is a person who will never let the grass grow beneath his or her feet indeed the motivation to be active may be almost compulsive at times. I get the feeling that this person would be very ready to show their temper too and once frustration has built up inside them to an extreme level, then Mars will show it’s full colours. This manner in which Mars will act depends very much on the sign that it sits in. For example, they may explode like a volcano if Mars is in Aries, be cuttingly critical if Mars is in Virgo or be incredibly brutal and or manipulative if Mars sits in Scorpio etc etc.

Jupiter as an isolated planet in a natal chart brings much jovial charm and the need for expansion into one’s life. These people are often react very exuberantly to situations and their joy can be unbridled and infectious but this is a trait will not be one that is permanent; those affected by Jupiter can experience both wonderful highs and depressive lows. Their need for more and more of anything or everything without understanding quite why will be a very noticeable part of their character, and may lead to all kinds of problems be it financial in spending or wanting too much, or it can be a route through to all kinds of addictions and other excesses. Jupiter is the legal planet and either they will be very moralistic or they just won’t respect laws, conventions or people in positions of authority at all; here literally the best and worst of Jupiter can come out. This position can be very idealistic and yet rather disconnected from most common belief systems, and the individual may go on a personal quest to work out what they believe to be true. The philosophical traits here can be quite amazing as this person will not succumb to outside influences and suggestions, and the eventual conclusions that they do come to in the fullness of time may turn out to be deeply profound.

Saturn working alone on a natal chart tends to act in a more pure and unaffected manner. The practical, responsible side of Saturn will be very noticeable in anyone having it unaspected although this may be limited to only the certain areas of life that Saturn actually affects in the natal chart. Here Saturn may exert exceptional control over the character and normally those with it isolated will not be distracted by outside forces in their ambition and desire to succeed, however they may exude a reticence to take on new ideas or a difficulty to adapt to new circumstances. These people can be very hard on themselves, but also can be very irrational at times too and you won’t quite know where you stand with someone with this position. That’s because in other spheres of life untouched by Saturn, they may lack the normal structure that it brings, and so they may be more open to living life in a much more chaotic manner. It is possible in the more difficult moments in life that this individual will be quite inhibited and melancholy, and yet at other times there will be an openness and a need to experiment.

Uranus as an unaspected planet brings a quite interesting response in the subject in so much as it is quite understated. One would think that this unique and revolutionary position would find someone who stands out as being completely different to the rest of society, however this influence will be seen by the individual as the norm and so they will not try to accentuate their differences to others as much as someone with a heavily aspected Uranus might do. This then is a much more muted Uranus, although every so often the truly independent, brilliant and original side of Uranus will show itself with the person wanting to do their own thing in their own inimitable manner and style. It is true that we do update ourselves through the movements of and transits to Uranus as it shakes things up, and because there are going to be less contacts to Uranus from the transiting planets, this individual may make slower progress in life than others because those moments of disruptive change will come fewer and father between. However when change does come in their lives it will be dramatic and incredibly fast. It is my opinion that when it happens for this person it will arrive much, much more violently and more radically than for those who have Uranus plugged into the rest of the chart.

An isolated Neptune tends to bring forward a lot more of the benefits that a heavily aspected Neptune doesn’t have. This planet is the one of seclusion, suffering and sacrifice and these qualities will not be involved into many areas of one’s life, and in the same manner the diffusing, dissolving and deceptive side of Neptune will likewise not be so prevalent. This therefore may be a person who is less likely to be duped and will have a much more structured and materialistic side to their character. I suspect that their view of what they think is ideal and perfect will not be skewed or corrupted by other influences, or by other people either. Neptune is also the planets associated with the qualities of imagination, inspiration and intuition and these will be much more pure and untouched than with those people who have Neptune well aspected into their charts. This is a person who will have beautiful visions in their mind, and if the rest of their chart shows organisational traits, then they will also have the structure or ability to turn these wonderful insights into some kind of concrete form.

Pluto normally is a planet that in the chart is a powerful and compulsive force in one’s character and when it is well aspected it tends to completely dominate others. With someone with an unaspected Pluto though, yes they may seem rather intense, but they will be much more subtle in the manner that they wield their Pluto side. They will tend  to get their own way in a carefully controlled and clever manner so that others won’t realise that they are being manipulated or affected. These people can attain great heights without rocking the boat too much. Every so often though, the individual will exert a hugely intense desire or obsessional tendencies that are completely at odds with their normal behaviour will show themselves. Now of course an unaspected Pluto has less outlets for transformation and regeneration than others will have with their Pluto well connected into their chart, and so when change does come as it inevitably will, the likely anxiety associated with placement this will be far greater than normal. As with those with an unaspected Uranus, when the time to adapt and change comes, it will come more brutally that most of us will ever face. Those fears of change and mortality will arrive to face them head on, as if it is a fight to the death. These subjects intrinsically know this from past experience, and they will quickly prepare for an internal battle with themselves. One talent that those with an isolated Pluto have is that they can be very adept in helping others with psychological and anxiety problems, simply because of their own experience of often facing very difficult life changing situations.

Finally I will look at the wounded healer, Chrion. I think that an unaspected Chiron in a chart creates a psychological wound in one’s life that one will have awful problems in alleviating, as if a dagger is plunged into the area of the chart that Chiron is resident in and it is almost impossible to be removed. Often these feelings of intense hurt will be triggered by a distinct traumatic or upsetting event that occurs at sometime in one’s life. This wound will stay with you until you encounter someone else who has a deep understanding of the problems that you are facing. In offering the kind of help and support that you require, they will be able to pull out the dagger lodged inside you, and in so doing, they will bring the healing and closure that you need. In the same manner later on in your life, you may be put in a similar position of being able to offer some healing to someone else through the experiences that you went through. And so the chain goes on, passing the knowledge from one to another and so on and so on… 

I have been scouring through my database of famous people and I have pulled off a list of those with unaspected planets for you to consider.

Queen Elizabeth II – Sun in Taurus and Moon in Leo, John F Kennedy – Sun in Gemini and Pluto in Cancer, John Lennon – Sun in Libra, F Scott Fitzgerald – Sun in Libra

Louis Pasteur – Moon in Gemini, Jackie Chan – Moon in Gemini

Adele Adkins – Mercury in Gemini, Agatha Christie – Mercury in Libra, Desmond Tutu – Mercury in Libra and Neptune in Virgo, Mahatma Ghandi – Mercury in Scorpio, Piers Morgan – Mercury in Aries, Judi Dench – Mercury in Sagittarius

Al Gore - Venus in Taurus, Martin Luther King – Venus in Pisces, Noel Coward – Venus in Capricorn and Jupiter in Scorpio, Ludwig van Beethoven – Venus in Capricorn, George Clooney – Venus in Aries, Arnold Schwarzenegger – Venus in Cancer

Adam Sandler – Mars in Leo, Jimi Hendrix – Mars in Scorpio, Sylvester Stallone – Mars in Virgo, Paris Hilton – Mars in Pisces

Severiano  Ballesteros – Jupiter in Virgo

Daniel Day Lewis – Saturn in Sagittarius, George W Bush – Saturn in Cancer

Barack Obama – Uranus in Leo, Margaret Thatcher – Uranus in Pisces

Woody Allen – Neptune in Virgo, Walt Disney – Neptune in Cancer

Buddy Holly – Pluto in Cancer

If you have any thoughts on unaspected planets, or any experiences about those in your own chart, please feel free to share them. Thank you…