Having a stellium in your birth chart is an important indication that your soul has chosen to focus its growth through that area of your life.
You’ll know, for certain, if you have a stellium in your birth chart, by identifying a single (or multiple) cluster(s) of 3 or more planets on your natal chart.
Now, while three or more planets grouped together is a stellium in astrology, there are some other important aspects of that stellium in your natal chart that will make a significant impact on how those energies play out in your life.
I’ll explain.
(But first, if you don’t yet have your own birth chart made up, you’ll need to go and get one. You can create one here for free using this free online calculator. Make sure you have your exact time of birth, birth date, and birth location to use this online calculator. I explain why your exact birth time is really important for your chart calculation here.)
The planets must be within a 10 degree orb.
In astrology, a conjunction (2 or more planets or celestial bodies being right next to each other and sharing energy) is considered to happen only if the zodiac planets are within 10 degrees of each other.
So, for example, there can be multiple planets within the same house and sign, however they are only considered to be part of a stellium if all 3 of those bodies are within 10 degrees of one another.
In the example below, I have posted an image of Bob Marley’s natal chart. In it, you will see that he has Mars, Venus and his Sun in the 2nd house. While he definitely has a 2nd house emphasis in his chart because of having this grouping of planets, this is not considered a stellium because the planets are not within a 10 degree orb of one another.
The energy will be stronger if the planets are all in the same sign.
When all planets or bodies in the stellium are in the same house, there is a concentration of that house and sign energy being expressed.
There is no break between the end of one sign or house, and the beginning of another. So, this means that if someone has a planet within the last degrees of a house or sign, and then other planets at the beginning of the next house or sign, they still have a stellium.
In those situations, the stellium would comprise the energies of both signs and houses, and would express themselves together.
So, the expression of the energies would be less concentrated, and while the planetary energies would still express themselves together, the areas of life that they effect would be different.
This situation is especially interesting because the last degree of a sign (29th degree) is called the “anoretic degree”. Typically, a planet here denotes that the person’s soul is finishing a cycle relative to the planetary energy and the sign and house involved. When a planet is at the last degree of a sign it often expresses itself through the shadow side of that energy.
When you combine that with 1 or more other planets and houses or signs on either side of that energy, it will be harder for that individual to consciously separate the energies.
In my own experience, I have a stellium in my 6th house and it is very difficult to separate the energies; it feels like they all express themselves together.
In my life, in specific instances where I see this energy played out, the situations always have aspects of all 3 of the planets involved.
A stellium will be felt differently with personal planets vs. outer planets
There are 3 different types of planets in astrology: inner planets (or personality planets), interpersonal planets, and outer planets.
These 3 categories all have different objectives and are experienced differently both by you, and by the people that interact with you.
The proximity of each planet to the earth tells us about how naturally conscious we are of that planet’s energies, and whether or not those energies tend to act in our conscious or subconscious.
The further out the planet is, the harder it is to consciously use and access that energy, and the more connected it is to our subconscious minds.
As humanity has grown and evolved, we have discovered celestial bodies further out into the systems. So, we know that when we are able to identify further out celestial bodies, our human consciousness has expanded to that specific level.
For example, you can look at the planet of Pluto, which is the furthest out in our solar system and the most recently discovered. Pluto represents our soul’s desires for this lifetime and is the most subconscious planet in our birth charts. Pluto energy is very hard to grasp! I’ve heard it compared to gravity: it is something that we live and work in daily, yet is not something that we can touch or hold.
Plutonic energy is what drives us in our lives at the most subconscious level. So, it has a most profound influence on our lives, and yet is the hardest for us to tangibly grasp or connect with.
Planets like Mars, however, that are quite close to the earth are a lot easier for us to understand. Mars in our birth chart tells us about our instinctual response to life, how we initiate new beginnings, and is connected to our primal urges. Sex, survival and fighting are all linked to our Mars energy, and can be very easily felt and identified in our own lives.
So, to put it in context, you can think of the difference between Pluto and Mars like the difference between feeling an inner pull towards creativity (Pluto) and the feeling of sexual arousal (Mars). Pluto energy is very subtle even though it is extremely powerful. Whereas Mars energy is quite imminent, obvious and in the present tense.
This difference is a good way to look at the distance between the way that you experience the energy of personal planets vs. transpersonal and outer planets.
Outer planet energy is also less personal in that its connection to you has to do with your soul’s agenda for collective contribution. While we experience the effects of outer planets in our lives personally, the purpose of outer planets is to provide a pathway to the collective.
Uranus has to do with how you break established social patterns to bring innovation to the group.
Neptune has to do with how you bring inspiration, connection and surrender to the Divine through the practical aspects of your life.
The transpersonal planets, of which there are 2, are located between the personal planets and the outer planets. Their placement tells us that they act as transition points between the conscious and personal experience that we have of the inner planets, and the subtle and separated experiences of the outer planets.
There is a certain nuance in the way that we experience the transpersonal planets in that our access to the benefits of their energy requires us to take a certain amount of responsibility and aligned action in order to benefit from the gifts that they bring.
Where Saturn is concerned, we are required to take personal accountability for our lives and what we want from our lives. This must be done through the process of growing in emotional maturity.
Jupiter, on the other hand, is often referred to as “the planet of expansion”. So, Jupiter will expand whatever it is in contact with…this can be both a good and bad thing. The aligned action that Jupiter requires of us is that we direct this energy. That we put it to use where it is that we want to see growth, as opposed to being complacent and allowing it’s expansive energy to increase the negative things in our lives.
Below, you’ll find a handy table that goes over which category each planet is in.
Astrological Planets And Their Categorical Placements
| Mars | Personal planet |
| Venus | Personal planet |
| Mercury | Personal planet |
| Sun | Personal planet (luminary) |
| Moon | Personal planet (luminary) |
| Jupiter | Transpersonal planet |
| Saturn | Transpersonal planet |
| Uranus | Outer planet |
| Neptune | Outer planet |
| Pluto | Outer planet |
Conclusion
In order to have a stellium in your birth chart, you must have 3 or more planets grouped together within a 10 degree orb. A stellium will also be experienced differently whether the planets are all in the same house or sign, and based on if the stellium is comprised of inner or outer planets (or both).
The term “stellium” is really a technical one, however the important thing to remember when identifying one in your own chart or someone else’s is that this is a chart emphasis.
When there is a chart emphasis, it is being communicated that there is a special focus during this lifetime in growing and evolving in whatever house and sign the stellium is in.
The great thing about knowing that you have a stellium is just that: the knowing. The awareness of it allows you to delve into the meaning and intentions of each energy so that you can direct that energy in a way that will support your life in a meaningful way.
Essentially, it is a pocket of condensed energy that, when you become conscious of it, can be a powerful catalyst in building the life that you’ve always dreamed of.
The life you are excited to wake up to every. single. day.
You know, that Zoi Life.
XX,
-Aja Celeste
If you enjoyed this article and are interested in booking an astrological consultation with me, please reach out to me at info@thatZoiLife.com
Aja Celeste is a mom to 6 beautiful children and a twin mom! She is also creator and writer of That Zoi Life and a professionally trained Evolutionary Astrologer who has been doing astrology for 7 years. She is also a health care assistant, has a Bachelor of Ministry Degree, and is passionate about supporting people in conscious parenting. She also does Psychosomatics using Recall Healing.
Please contact her at [info@ThatZoiLife.com] if you would like to find out more about working with her.