The inner or personal planets - Mercury, Venus and Mars - are understood by many students and practitioners to be somehow superficial in nature.  They might even be seen as not really very important in an in-depth psychological birth chart analysis - except in terms of self-gratification - which, as we are perpetually being told by more evolved colleagues, is a very selfish motivation.  However, this is negated by:

"Man's main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is". - Erich Fromm

As adults, many of us still suppress our inner most  longings, feelings, and qualities.   Disciplined as children to repress anger, fear, rebellion, etc., we reach maturity still harboring many unresolved issues.  These issues interfere with the development and understanding of our personal authenticity.  They are the blockages that prevent our success, fulfillment, and happiness. 

Contemporary marketing endeavors have surfaced directed at recruiting people experiencing a rough time on the ladder to success & happiness.  You may be familiar with the title "Life Coach" . .  the guru who promises to teach you  everything on the unfailing roadmap towards personal achievement - the professional success coach. 

However, rather than having a coach prod you in a direction you are not really suited for or mold you into someone you are not, there is another roadmap accessible to you.  This roadmap is guided by someone very close to you.  It is the "Little Professor" within.  He is the expert on just what your personalized energies are all about - symbolized by your Mercury, Mars & Venus.  He will clarify your life challenges and offer solutions for happiness, success, and fulfillment.  If you betray these very personal tastes and values, you will not find happiness and success in your life.  Self-betrayal is a lie - to self and the World.

As an astrologer for many years, I truly believe an individual's latent and developed characteristics are symbolized by the personal planets' placement and aspects in the horoscope.  These energies are not guessed at . . . or fabricated.  They are what they are.

What makes a person unhappy may reflect insufficient value and time given to the unimportant building blocks or personal reality that the three inner planets symbolize.  We are not always brought up to respect our ordinary feelings, desires, and perceptions.  Instead, we are encouraged to accept those of others - those embraced as cultural standards.  We must adjust and adapt to the larger world in which we live.   To a great extent, our capacity to express what the three inner planets symbolize within us determines whether we are victims of life or creative individuals with the power of choice.   These inner planets serve what psychology calls the ego, the sense of personal self.

We must live what we are to be happy.  Our complexes may have dictated why we have betrayed our essential personal needs and nature . . . but they will not relieve us of the responsibility of living what we are.

Knowing what makes us happy (Venus), expressing this to others (Mercury) and standing firm in the face of opposition (Mars) are acts of self-affirmation that define the ego.   It is these planets that assist us in mediating the heavy planets with their destructive and transformative potential and challenges.

To obtain a consultation, please contact me. We'll talk to your 'little professor' - the one who resides within you.

The Little Professor

email:  astdome@aol.com