What makes a planet strong
Astrologers have several ways to judge a planet’s strength. The main ones are where it sits among the houses, and how many other planets it’s in contact with. A planet near the start of the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th house is well placed to be seen. A planet tied by close aspects to several others gets involved in everything. Some also add points for being in a sign that suits it, which is called essential dignity.
A strong planet shows up as a persistent urge, something that keeps wanting expression whether or not it’s convenient. It also tends to be where you pick things up easily. A strong planet isn’t automatically a comfortable one, and you can have a loud Saturn or a loud Neptune and spend years working out what to do with it.
How the app finds yours
When MatchMachine shows you your chart for the first time, one section is called “Your strongest force.” It names the planet with the most power in your chart, adding up its house position and its aspects to your other planets. The Ascendant isn’t in the running. That planet, usually along with your second strongest and your Sun’s element, also goes into the archetype name you see on your chart.
Dignity counts in the app’s reading of your chart as well, but as harmony: it affects how comfortably a planet works. It doesn’t make the planet louder.
One honest caveat: this works best when one planet clearly stands out. If your second and third planets are close behind, you’ll probably recognize a mix of them. That’s common, and any description below will fit only partly.
What each one tends to bring out
- Sun. Likes to lead and be recognized. Warm, proud, generally at their best with a stage of some size.
- Moon. Reads people and rooms. Needs to be needed, and home tends to matter a great deal.
- Mercury. Talks, learns, connects. Often the one with the fact, the joke and three tabs open.
- Venus. Makes things pleasant and people comfortable. A strong eye for beauty and a dislike of ugly scenes.
- Mars. Goes first and fixes it later. Physical, direct, and restless without a project.
- Jupiter. Sees the big picture and expects things to work out. Generous, and sometimes a little loose on the details.
- Saturn. Plans, persists, takes the long view. People tend to hand them responsibility, and they tend to accept it.
- Uranus. Won’t take the default option. Inventive and independent, and easily bored by rules that have no reason behind them.
- Neptune. Lives close to imagination, music and compassion. Sensitive to atmosphere, and often better at the ideal than the invoice.
- Pluto. Goes deep and looks for what’s underneath. Resilient, private, and quick to spot a hidden motive.
When it comes up in love
Your strongest planet tends to be the first thing a partner finds attractive, and the first thing they want you to turn down a little. If you’re Saturn-strong, they love your reliability until they want you to take a day off. If you’re Mars-strong, they love your energy until it’s aimed at them. It can help to tell someone early, “this is how I’m built, and here’s what I’m working on.”
Comparing your strongest planets is a pleasant way to spend an evening. It isn’t a compatibility test. To see how two whole charts interact, read how to read a synastry chart.