Emotional intelligence is defined by Oxford Languages as ‘the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically’. It is a valued social skill–a person who can understand himself and others is deemed to be mature and high-value.

I won’t be taking the academic or philosophical explanation of emotional intelligence. Instead, I’ll just be stating my opinion and intuitive perspective and the astrological connection I’ve made. The rest of this article will come straight from my notes that I took last year while reading a book by Alice A. Bailey.

I describe emotions as energy in motion, and intelligence as recognition, understanding, and regulation of information. Together, emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and regulate energy. There are three planets in astrology that fit this definition:

• The Moon, the planet of emotions
• Mercury, the planet of intelligence, the mind, and communication/language/linguistics
• Mars, the planet of energy, the body itself, and bodily senses.

In Vedic astrology, or Jyotish, Mars and Mercury are considered enemies, and Mercury considers the Moon an enemy though the Moon does not claim to have any enemies. These enemy statuses are due to the differing natures of the planets:

• Mars is malefic masculine, and Mercury is neutral in nature and gender
• Mercury is intellect, and the Moon is intuition.

Technically, the Moon is closer to Mars than it is Mercury, so emotions and the body have a special connection. Emotions cannot exist without a body to express itself through, and the body becomes human because it is colored by emotions.

Mercury is closer to the Sun, the planet of ego or soul depending on perspective. Therefore, the mind and intelligence are only as bright as our ego/soul. Without either, there would be no way to make sense of our existence.

Emotions, a Lunar process, manifest itself through the body via the senses, a Martian process, and the senses are the body’s way of communicating, a Mercurial process. The ability to recognize this process internally and externally is what emotional intelligence is all about.