What “Placements” Mean in Astrology

Pop astrology likes to focus on the Zodiac signs—Virgo, Capricorn, Cancer, and so on. Hell, so do I. The Zodiacs fun and easy to make memes about.

But as you’re probably guessing … “Being a Leo” because you were born in August is not the full story!

That just means that the Sun was passing through Leo (or seemed to be, from the vantage point of Earth, which is what astrology is all about) on the day you were born.

But the Moon was passing through a Zodiac sign, as were all the other planets and key astrological points.

(Yes, astrologers count the Sun and Moon as planets, and we call them luminaries—just go with it).

And here’s the deal:

Which planet is in which sign matters. There’s a difference between being a Libra Moon and a Libra Venus.

And bear with me, but we need to add one more layer…

All of the planets were in a particular Zodiac sign and a particular house.

For example, me personally? …

• I’m an Aries Sun in the 10th House

• I’m a Taurus Moon in the 10th House

• A Sagittarius Jupiter in the 5th House

There are my placements. Yes, they’re also my signs … I’m an Aries Sun, Taurus Moon, etc, and those do mean something all by themselves, but it’s not quite the full picture—placement takes into account the extra layer of the house.

Placements = A planet in a zodiac sign in a house.

(it also matters where these placements are in relation to each other…more on that in the Aspects section)

Put differently, placements are sometime shorthanded to be “signs,” but again, signs tends to be a bit Zodiac focused, and a little overly simplistic. Because, yes, each sign has a set of characteristics, but the planets and houses all have their own thing too.

So for example, someone might give us their sign by saying, “I’m a Virgo Mars…” Which is shorthand for:

“I get things done with precision, spreadsheets, and a mild tone of judgment. If you’d like help, I’ve already color-coded the steps.”

And it very well may be true! But if they give us their placement: “I’m a Virgo Mars in the 2nd house,” now we know where that energy shows up: in their relationship to money, routines, and personal security. This is someone who budgets like it’s a moral duty, labels the leftovers, and considers fridge organization a legitimate form of stress relief.

Each planet represents a different part of you/your personality, each Zodiac sign has its own flavor, and each house determines where in your life that energy/flavor manifests.

And when you factor in that there are 12 houses, 12 Zodiac signs, and 10 planets + a few other crucial points, that’s a lot of combinations. All of which help explain the complexity that is you.

See now why “I’m a Leo” doesn’t even scratch the surface?

A reminder about houses

To know your houses, you need your Rising Sign, which is determined by your exact birth time—because the Rising sign sets the wheel. It’s like the "You Are Here" dot for your entire chart.

No birth time? Don’t stress. You won’t know your houses, but placements still can tell you plenty. A Moon in Gemini is still chatty and restless, whether it’s in the 3rd house of communication or the 10th house of career. The house just adds another layer of specificity—like knowing not just the character, but where they’re causing problems in the plot.

But what does it mean?!

If you’ve already pulled your birth chart, you’ve now got a list of your placements … maybe you’ve just learned your moon is in Leo in the third house, you’re a Venus Libra 8th house, and so on. But now you want to know what that actually says about you, right?! For me, understanding my placements felt like the best self-help gift I’ve ever received.

If you haven’t pulled your birth chart, here’s my beginner-friendly guide!

Once you do have your placements, here are a few suggestions on how to start adding meaning to the placements.

Option ONe — Do Your Own Research

Learn what all of the individual elements mean, and piece it together on your own. Learn what each planet does, what each zodiac sign means, what each house represents. You can start to glean insights like the moon is all about emotions, Leo is all about attention and glamour, and the third house is about communication and learning. So you kind of surmise something like: “Moon in Leo in the 3rd House means you express your emotions with dramatic flair and crave heartfelt connection through communication.”

Option Two — Subscribe to the Vault

The above interpretation is fine, but mushy, right? That’s why I created the Vault. 2,000+ descriptions of placements in real-world language, so for the above placement, here’s a freebie from the Vault:

You speak your feelings like a monologue with great lighting. You’re expressive, persuasive, and secretly need someone to say “you’re right” before you can fully exhale. You process emotions out loud, in group texts, or via passionate voice memos. If no one’s responding? You’ll talk to your reflection. Or a cat. Either way, you’re not bottling it up.

See how much easier it is to translate what “Leo Moon in the 3rd House” means when it’s in real-world language? Even if the above doesn’t fit you exactly, the weirdly specific-language makes it easier for you to identify how your own behavior might fit into that placement.

Option Three — Get a Professional Reading

Outsource the chart interpretation, and get a professional reading. Either from me or another astrologer whose style resonates with you—this is very important! Astrology is very much about intuition and interpretation, and every astrologer approaches it differently. Some are very deeply spiritual, others poetic, some focused on healing. Personally, I’m hung my shingle to do readings for those people that love personality tests, and just want to know what astrology says about their personality in real-world language.