Understand the Elements

Creating a character is challenging because there are infinite possibilities. Recently, I was building a Dungeons and Dragons character and of course, I was overthinking EVERYTHING! Should I be an elf or a half-elf? Should I be good or evil? Should I be sneaky or charismatic – although, maybe I could be both?

The trick to using Astrology to build characters is to not get bogged down in the details. Instead, simply pick an element as your base, and build from there.

For example, I’m inspired by hot-headed people. I find boldness fascinating; therefore, my sample character throughout this article is going to have strong fire sign energy.

To understand fire sign energy (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), think of the element fire. Fire is chaotic, wild, hot, sometimes out of control, bold, loud, and intense. Do you know anyone like that? Can your character embody this energy?
To understand earth sign energy (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), think of the element earth. Earth is stable, grounded, big, definite, slow, steady, and reliable. Do you know anyone with these qualities? How can your character embody these traits?
To understand air sign energy (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), think of the element air. Air is breathtaking, free-floating, fast moving, wispy, adaptable, and light. Have you ever seen a person move through the world like this? Can you think of a character you could build around this energy?
To understand water sign energy (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces), think of the element water. Water is deep, feeling, sometimes fast and sometimes still, sometimes flowing and sometimes calm. Can you think of someone in your life like that? Would you build a character around parts of their personality?

For more elemental inspiration, check out these Musical Healing – Elemental Playlists.

Use the Planets to Determine What Your Character Would Do

In Astrology, the planets are an essential piece in everyone’s makeup. Every planet cycles through the twelve zodiac signs when we are born; therefore, every planet influences us in some way. So let’s layer in more Astrology and keep building our character from step one.

For example, Mercury is the planet of communication and the mind. Since I determined that my character is fiery in step one, I will use Mercury to show readers that my character is not afraid to speak their mind. Their Sun sign however, will show the readers how my character naturally identifies, which in this case, is bold and unafraid.

Keep in mind, everyone has every “planet” in their birth chart. Even though I only mentioned two planets so far, you can factor in every planet when building your character.

The Sun shows how their ego gets in the way and who they identify as.
The Moon shows how they feel about certain things and what they need.
Mercury shows how they communicate and what languages they speak.
Mars shows how they take action and what lights their inner fire.
Venus shows how they love and who they are attracted to.
Jupiter shows how they level up and how lucky, or unlucky they are.
Saturn shows how responsible they are and what their traditions are.
Uranus shows how they rebel and what they want to be free from.
Neptune shows how they dream and what they fantasize about.
Pluto shows how they transform and where their death/rebirth occurs.

Discover more information on the Planets in Astrology.

Add Some Personality with the Zodiac Signs

Now that you understand the elements and planets, you can add more personality by assigning zodiac signs to each planet. Of course, if you want to be accurate, be careful about the signs you choose. That is to say, in real life, Mercury is either the same or one sign away from the Sun. But remember, this is just an exercise, and there is no pressure to be astrologically accurate when building a character.

For example, with prominent fire placements, my character speaks their mind, even if it hurts others. So let’s say their Sun and Mercury are in Aries. Although, I also want their motivation to be determined by an internal need for adventure, so let’s add more fire and give them a Sagittarius Moon too.

+ Conflict: Along with this fiery energy though, my character has Jupiter in earthly Capricorn. This means traveling is hard because they have massive responsibilities at home (Capricorn). Additionally, luck is rarely on their side (Jupiter).

Fire
– Aries is bold, hot-headed, instinctual, and takes no shit!
– Leo is fun, dramatic, loud, and leads their team to victory.
– Sagittarius is adventurous, philosophical, optimistic, and lives for travel.

Earth
– Taurus is sensual, stubborn, determined, and values security.
– Virgo is detailed, a perfectionist, logical, and doesn’t make silly mistakes.
– Capricorn is practical, hardworking, responsible, and won’t always take big risks.

Air
– Gemini is adaptable, witty, two-faced, and thrives in chaos.
– Libra is balanced, diplomatic, hypocritical, and always looks good.
– Aquarius is friendly, weird, emotionally detached, and is the black sheep.

Water
– Cancer is emotional, compassionate, moody, and will cry if provoked…and will cry just because.
– Scorpio is intense, jealous, powerful, and stings you with their words.
– Pisces is dreamy, sensitive, romantic, and might get lost.

If you’re still confused by the terminology, then check out this Astrology Glossary for more keywords; otherwise, check out this resource for more specifics on Zodiac Signs.

Show Where Your Character is Going with the Houses

Before we get into step four, please note that if the houses confuse you, you can stop at step three. If needed, check out these additional resources for clarification and keywords relating to the houses in Astrology. Also keep in mind that I use the whole house system. With this system, each house contains one zodiac sign. Based on the houses I chose, the sample character throughout this article is a Libra Rising. Therefore, Libra is in their first house, Scorpio is in their second house, Sagittarius is in their third house, etc.

Now that you have determined planets and zodiac signs for your character, it’s time to determine what houses these planets and signs fall in. Layering in the houses shows where your character is going within the story. The houses can point to your characters home life, relationships, religion, and more.

For example, my character boldly speaks their mind and appears tough; however, there’s something at home that’s holding them back. Since we know they have their Sun and Mercury in Aries, their Moon in Sagittarius, and Jupiter in Capricorn, we’ll say they have the Sun and Mercury in the seventh house, the Moon in the third house, and Jupiter in the fourth house.

This means my character boldly speaks to others about their passions (Aries Sun and Mercury in the Seventh House); however, they struggle to move forward because their father, who lives with them, is addicted to gambling (Capricorn Jupiter in the Fourth House). It’s through my characters strong bond with their sister though, that they find a way to nurture their passion for exploring (Sagittarius Moon in the Third House). Although they can’t travel too far from dad, they’re able to use their imaginations in their own backyard and ultimately discover an unsolved mystery that leads them on an epic adventure.

The First House– where they find themselves and how they’re perceived.
The Second House– where they find value and what they care about.
The Third House– where they find their voice and what influences their communication.
The Fourth House– where they find their home and what’s going on there.
The Fifth House– where they find creativity and how they have fun.
The Sixth House– where they find routine and physical health stats.
The Seventh House– where they find companions and how they relate to others.
The Eighth House– where they find shared resources and who they’re supporting or being supported by.
The Ninth House– where they find faith and what they believe in.
The Tenth House– where they find their social status and how they fit in.
The Eleventh House– where they find friends and how they help their community.
The Twelfth House– where they find their subconscious and what trauma is inside of them.