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 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. You communicate easily and effectively, orally or in writing. Your ability to unite and transmit would be a good resource in diplomatic or commercial endeavors.

As the second light of the solar system, the moon has always been associated with the sun in the minds of men. The moon and sun are the primordial cosmic couple. This satellite of the earth, which mysteriously waxes and wanes, has been compared to the eternal feminine principle, the mother hovering over your infant’s cradle. Psychologically, the moon is thus symbolic of the mother and the mother image. This figure is a primordial element in the psyche of each individual. Depending on your nature, the mother figure may correspond to your biological mother, a grandmother, or a woman who cared for you in infancy and childhood. When you reach adulthood, this mother-figure and all the emotions and bonds associated with you may be transferred to something else: a spouse, a companion, an institution, a church, corporation, or political movement, a cult, etc. In short, any individual or structure likely to take on the mother’s duty of caring for and nurturing the vulnerable aspects of an individual. To be more down-to-earth, the mother figure corresponds to the habits which were learned and then definitively incorporated into the individual’s identity as you gradually became acculturated and progressed toward social independence. As a result, a strongly “lunar” personality often finds it difficult to adapt and is uncomfortable outside the secure setting of familiar routines. Closely tied to your past, you may be unwilling to detach yourself from it and embark on your life as an individual in the here and now. You still identify somewhat with your inner child and may display a child’s capricious behavior, indulging in moodiness and indecision. Your passivity may make you easily influenced, your sensitivity makes you subjective, and you hesitate to open up and lay your soul bare. In your daily life, psychic activity will rule. Your imagination, memory, sensitivity, sensation, and sentiment nearly overwhelm your psyche.

The sun is the center of the solar system, the source of all warmth and life. It has been worshipped by humanity since the dawn of civilization. It symbolizes the absolute power kings and despots yearn for and emulate. From the dawn of humanity, it has been associated with motherhood, and 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.

Angela Ruch reads the horoscope for the tenth house. It says that the planet which rules her rising sign is located in this house. This means that this planet will have a strong influence on her life.

The North Node, the gateway into the tenth house, corresponds to the vertical line connecting the zenith to the nadir. The North Node can be opposed to its partner, the South Node, the lowest point on the map of the sky.

As the highest point, it symbolizes your elevation, your social position. You are sure to derive some power from your social eminence, such as money, prestige, or privilege, but you also have duties to fulfill. When this area is the site of significant activity, it does not mean that you will automatically have a high social eminence. It means that you will invest a great deal of energy in acquiring a form of social power.

Because the energy is somewhat vague, you will have to become aware of the various desires, needs, and ideals which are motivating and inspiring you. As a result, you will probably become conscious of how closely your social destiny is linked to your family’s reputation. Indeed, all you can give society is what you have managed to make of yourself from the raw material you received from your background.

When the tenth house is especially significant, it means that the use of power deriving from social rank is problematic for you. Your attitude toward both accomplishment and failure may be somewhat obtuse. As a result, you should always be asking yourself why you aspire to a certain career or profession, what your learning is worth, what meaning you want to give your relationship with society, what you are ready to give of yourself, and what you want from society in exchange.

Angela Ruch reads the paragraph above and understands that the fourth house is important in her theme.

Traditionally, the fourth house is associated with the home, family, inheritance, cultural heritage, traditions, the dwelling, the native land, etc. The South Node, one boundary of the fourth house, corresponds to the vertical line connecting the Zenith to the Nadir. The polar opposite of the North Node, the highest point on the map of the sky, the South Node is the lowest and, as a result, symbolizes the individual’s past; your foundation, sources, and inner self. Within the inner self, in the intimacy of the memory and the unconscious, your family and ancestral past dwell concealed, mingled with the roots of your future development.

Psychoanalytic theory demonstrates that an individual’s future is determined by early childhood experiences. Astrology does not contradict this assumption when it points to the fourth house as the basis of any social or spiritual growth. The fact that this area is significant in your chart means that you are seeking your personal center. You sometimes experience a feeling of insecurity which inspires you to establish a stable foundation for your life. As a result, you may be reluctant to leave behind the psychic and material pattern you inherited from your biological family and lineage. Certain important crises in your life may be related to this emergence, this construction of a new home in the here-and-now.

If you are able to perceive the hidden bond between your reluctance to assert yourself as an individual and your roots in your family’s past, you will be able to attain true stability.

Angela Ruch observes the second house in the sky and its significance in your astrologicaltheme.