We often hear how Gemini is ruled by Mercury, Taurus by Venus, Sagittarius by Jupiter, and so on; but these are the exoteric rulers of these signs. Each sign also has an esoteric ruler, so today let us dive into the esoteric wildlands to deepen in our understanding.
Each sign has both an exoteric ruler and an esoteric ruler. The exoteric ruler of each sign is considered to be the pure outer expression of the sign’s nature and characteristics, while the sign’s esoteric ruler bestows the spiritual support for the life force energy and personality.
For example, esoteric astrology views the natal Ascendant as the one that holds the spiritual destiny and life’s purpose of a native. Exoterically, it acts like a vehicle of the soul, through the body and path of life, to uplift the soul’s consciousness; and esoterically, it describes the soul’s expressions and needs. The house placement of the esoteric ruler of the Ascendant essentially show us where the native will be offered and offer spiritual opportunities. Similarly, the esoteric ruler of your Sun sign offers you insight into spiritual support for your life force and fuel of life.
Exoteric and Esoteric Rulers of the Signs
Aries
Exoteric: Mars
Esoteric: Mercury
Taurus
Exoteric: Venus
Esoteric: Vulcan*
Gemini
Exoteric: Mercury
Esoteric: Venus
Cancer
Exoteric: Moon
Esoteric: Neptune
Leo
Exoteric: Sun
Esoteric: Sun
Virgo
Exoteric: Mercury
Esoteric: Moon
Libra
Exoteric: Venus
Esoteric: Uranus
Scorpio
Exoteric: Mars/Pluto
Esoteric: Mars
Sagittarius
Exoteric: Jupiter
Esoteric: Earth**
Capricorn
Exoteric: Saturn
Esoteric: Saturn
Aquarius
Exoteric: Saturn/Uranus
Esoteric: Jupiter
Pisces
Exoteric: Jupiter/Neptune
Esoteric: Pluto
*Vulcan’s number is h55, which you can find through the additional asteroids option on platforms such as astro.com
** The sign of your natal Earth is always 180 degrees from your natal Sun; for example, if your Sun is 1 degrees Aries, your natal Earth is 1 degrees Libra.
In order for us to embody the purest and higher expression of our sign exoterically, we need to move through our inner and esoteric nature. Depending on our relationship to it and inner development, the external will be reflected. So let’s go through a couple of examples.
The exoteric ruler of the sign of Cancer is the Moon, which deeply desires to shape forms and move in the flow of the water; the outer shell nurtures and nourishes and protects the depth of emotional worlds. Through its changing shapes it actually builds something of value for others, such as a home, and it also moves the flow and rivers of emotions within other people – so it is a very heart-centric expression of the soul.
The esoteric ruler of Cancer, Neptune, bestows imagination and inspiration from the higher realms that is very pure in nature, which shows the inspired creativity of this sign; and it also shows the potential for the higher expression of Neptune, which is about divine love and the invisible assistance and support from the other realms to bring the untangible into the tangible, giving form from the inspired imagination and bringing it into reality. These Neptunian impressions rising from the deep oceans of the dream worlds and invisible mystical spiritual kingdoms manifest as vivid imagination, high creativity, and are a nourishment for the soul if the native learns how to use this energy constructively. What nurtures their soul are spirituality, mysticism, storytelling and fairytales, creativity and art, music and poetry, and even when cooking they can make art through it and nourish the hearts of others.
Something most people often find interesting about the esoteric rulers is that for Pisces it is Pluto, so let’s look into this also. Ruling the natal 12th house, Pisces is where all goes to disappear. Their outer expression of Neptune gives them a desire for be of sympathetic service and often, they find themselves when they lose themselves. The exoteric expression of Neptune here creates more outer fogs and veils that the natives may often not even know they are there; so there can be a lot of blind spots. While the Jupiter idealism and seeking higher pulls them towards spirituality, they may often just swim a bit more on the surface, just like the fish do, following the currents and waves, not necessarily dive deep with a sharp focus.
And this is where the esoteric ruler Pluto comes in: he takes them in to do the real inner work, the real shadow work, so that they can come into their higher expression of self and feel fulfilled on all levels. Esoteric ruler Pluto helps Pisces to renounces the emotional body and face all their inner limitations such as self deception, illusion and delusions, distraction, self denial, biases etc.; and are thereby then reborn a powerful intellect with clarity of mind. They are then able to push past and dissolve the previous limitations of their inner world and beliefs and shed some light on their blind spots, and truly step into their life’s work as the inner limitations no longer exist. Pisces natives can step into their higher expression only after they have moved through the Plutonian depth of inner work and transformation.
Another interesting one is actually Libra, and its esoteric ruler Uranus. What bestows the spiritual support for Libra is the progressive and evolving mind through the Uranus esoteric energy. This reminds us that balance is not static, it is dynamic and ever changing and ever moving; and through the energy of Libra we aren’t just to see things fixed, we need to be innovative and progressive in mind, free in mind, and open to new insights that may enter us and inform us.
The focus of Libra thereby then becomes the progress of mind, rather than over-focus on the external beauty and relationships; and when Libra shifts its eyes inward, towards its inner relationships to and with itself, developing its inner spiritual and emotional worlds, it finds the fulfillment it seeks and awakens its intuition and true beauty of soul and heart. This is why it is said that the higher purpose and karmic responsibility of Libra is to learn the true meaning of beauty, which is the inner beauty not the outer one.
What about house placements of the esoteric rulers?
As I wrote in the beginning the house placement of your Ascendant ruler is particularly insightful. Suppose you are a Taurus Ascendant, and your esoteric ruler Vulcan is in the 3rd house. This shows you have quite the exquisite mind, though it may not have always had its outer expression through the voice – but rather through the written word. It shows your words are powerful and if in the higher manifestation, perhaps even emotionally and spiritually moving for others, and even healing.
In order to develop the higher expression of this energy you need to use more honey than swords when you express yourself, i.e. use your gift for good and embrace positive relationships that uplift positive attitudes in humanity. Intimacy is key with this placement also throughout your life, so when you are in a relationship, you need to be able to bare your soul to another and accept their soul in return. Vulcan in the 3rd house deals with the mutable cross, so you need to embrace this – which in this Venusian esoteric expression means to embrace beauty that colours the lines of your words. Beauty opens hearts, softens skins and opens minds – and for you, great inspired beauty may flow through your writing, which serves to uplift all others also.
The 3rd house is quite the mystical house, and in the old days it was known as the Moon’s temple for the priestesses; so in this house we see the channeled messages and especially the natal Moon’s placement here, if well supported, can show someone who was a priestess and mystic and channeler in a past life, and in this life too they can keep these gifts naturally and be natural channelers and intuitives.
I recently had a client whose Sun was in Gemini, and her Sun was her atmakaraka also, which gave it further strength. The esoteric ruler of Gemini is Venus and her natal Venus was in her 3rd house. And when I shared with her how it is precisely the written word through which she probably feels soul fulfilled and nourished, and connects her to her intuitive and spiritual self also, through divine messages, she shared how that’s exactly it.
I also mentioned how mysticism is her sacred space, and even wisdom too is something she may consider sacred and protect it and treasure it, and it is these quiet sacred spaces when she devotes to her writing that mysticism becomes alive for her and she strengthen her spiritual core, which also supports her health and wellness. She said that’s exactly how she feels and how deeply this resonates.
Astrology is a spiritual study with richness of insights, but there are many layers. Sometimes it is precisely through these esoteric rulers that we can follow new river flows, new pathways, and new doorways may open us and insights may enter us.
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Cover art is “Bluebonnets near San Antonio, Texas” by Julian Onderdonk, 1918.