The External Planets: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn

The major planets outside the Earth's orbit (external

to us) are Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. These are the planets

describing the outer world and circumstances surrounding

the child, the status, well-being and conditions she is

born into and what urges her on to greater achievements as

she grows. Mars will tune you in to what motivates your

child and the way she approaches life. Jupiter shows us how

she is most apt to channel that energy, and Saturn decrees

what sort of obstacles will confront her on the road to

success. Again: Saturn tells us about the territory we will

be going through, Jupiter the way or path through it, and

Mars what kind of push or drive we can count on to keep

going.

Mars: Action Through Desire; Drive, Motivation, and Anger

Mars is the planet of emotion and drive. When we search

for the meaning of something, it is Mars that urges us on,

keeps us searching. Mars will tell us what motivates our

child, what captures her interest. By studying the aspects

formed between Mars and other planets we discern if our

child expresses desire in a healthy and direct manner or

whether she feels blocked (squares) by inner or outer

conditions. We also learn how our child expresses anger,

whether in strong bursts (Mars in Fire Signs), bottled up

and tears (Mars in Water Signs) or with cutting words (Air

signs). With greater understanding we can help our child

deal with her feelings in a constructive way. Mars tells us

about our child's interest and aptitude (or lack of it),

for physical exercises, sports, recreation. Mars drives us

against things, too, and sends us into war and combat. Mars

imparts courage and stamina. The house position of Mars in

the child's chart will tell us in what area of life she is

likely to enter the greatest degree of active conflict or

activity: In the 11th, with friends, in the 3rd, perhaps

with sisters and brothers, or in competitive learning at

school.

Virgo is an Earth sign on the thinking cross. Its

symbol is The Virgin. Mars in Virgo children are motivated

to help and be of service. They need child-sized tools and

real jobs to get to work. Work well done merits praise and

recognition. Your child must develop a sense of the worth

of her work, and her own worthiness lest she offer her

services indiscriminately. Otherwise, friends could take

advantage of her by playing upon her need to serve others.

Your child likely has an innate urge to save, salvage and

conserve, and can make a silk purse from a sow's ear. She

can't bear waste and is very thorough and precise. Your

child is apt to be a perfectionist, but watch out!

Discrimination is fine, but criticism and pettiness would

lose her many a friend if not pointed out and corrected! As

an adult, an over-fastidious and demanding attitude

typically leads to contention with co-workers or with

employees. An overconcern with every little picky detail

sometimes means the job never gets done at all! On the

brighter side, the Mars in Virgo child is usually patient.

She is capable of learning and applying detailed techniques

whether this be in crafts, in well-laid out botany

displays, in building models or in writing papers.

Your child is apt to do her best work in a neat and

structured environment. She could feel frustrated, angry

and/or disoriented in a messy room (even her own)!

Many artisans and craftsman have Mars in this detailed

earth sign. Your child might enjoy sewing, embroidery or in

some way working with cloth. Mars in Virgo children are

born investigators. They love to research the laws behind

manifestation. A walk through the woods that turns into a

research project would excite your child. Since she tends

to be methodical and likes to plan, you could set out your

project before venturing out! She enjoys the mental

stimulation of inductive learning. Try presenting her with

math problems and then let her come up with the rule!

Virgo is a practical sign related to the healing arts. As

she matures, you might discover that medical research,

dentistry (especially with strong Saturn positions),

nutritional analysis or psychology may be your child's

forte. Mars in Virgo is common in the charts of

researchers, critics, analysts, accountants, mathematicians

and engineers and other professions where precision,

detail, and analytical ability are requisite. If Mars is

afflicted, the child could be quite restless and prone to

worry. She needs to learn to relax.

Jupiter: The Teacher; Opportunity, Career and Life Path

The Hindu word for Jupiter is Guru. Jupiter is the guru

and guide, the way we go through life, our life path and

personal philosophy. Our first teachers and guides are

usually our parents. Then there are our school teachers,

ministers, and other significant adults who enter our life

and guide us. Jupiter is the body of knowledge and wisdom

made available to us, our method for dealing with the laws

of life, our Saturn, or limitations. Saturn represents the

father, structure, rules of behavior and social norms we

must learn to abide by. Jupiter is the light or path.

Jupiter rules religion, philosophy, culture, travel,

history; how we expand our horizons, our philosophy of

life. It has always been an indicator of how successful we

may be, our vocation. In the child's chart, we look to

Jupiter for clues as to how our child seeks to know more

about life, what appeals to her, and where she may need to

pull in the reins and balance exploration (Jupiter) with

greater discipline (Saturn). A child with Jupiter in the

1st house in Aries, for example, will jump to the occasion

for a trip, an experience to broaden her horizons and