Astrology is the study of the stars and planets influence on human beings. The general knowledge of astrology focuses on your “sun sign,” which is determined based on the day you were born. Your sun sign dictates your overall personality and determines how others interpret you. However, your sun sign is not the tell all of who you are in an astrological sense. Astrology is a complex subject that aims to eloquently define every aspect of your persona. It focuses on the deep connection between every individual and the placement of the planets at the exact time and place they were born. Having said that, it is important to acknowledge not only your sun sign but the other planets that influence your character as well, when trying to understand yourself through astrology.
The secondary key signs under your sun sign are your moon and rising sign. The moon is in charge of emotions and your inner self. Your moon sign also represents who you are to people you have intimate relationships with because it is a vulnerable aspect of your character. Your rising sign, on the other hand, represents how other people interpret you. Your rising sign often controls how you come off more than your sign sun does. Understanding the influence of your moon and sun sign impacts key elements to understanding how zodiac signs impact who you are. Your inner and external self, represent you more than your personality because they are aspects of yourself that you cannot help but show unlike how you can control your personality.
Just as the sun and moon influence who you are, the other planets come into play with determining aspects of your life. Mercury impacts how you communicate and how you think. Venus controls your romantic essence, drives your affectionate nature and what you desire in intimate relationships. Mars is in charge of your motivation, confidence, and sex drive. Jupiter dictates your ethics and your truth. Saturn focuses on your ambitions and drive in all aspects of your life. Uranus establishes your free and rebellious sense. Neptune demonstrates what inspires you as well as your creativity. Last, but not least, Pluto (although in the world of science it is no longer a planet) defines where you experience change and how you want to grow. (AstrologyAncients.com) The planets contribute to various aspects of our lives through astrology. Almost every emotional and physical essence of your life can be justified by the placement of planets and their control on us. The planets also rule over specific sun signs; for example, your sun sign may be a Taurus but your ruling planet would be Venus as that is the planet that controls your sun sign. Following this example as a Taurus, your general personality will be loving and affectionate as that is what Venus caters to.
In order to discover the planets roles in your life, you have to chart your birth. You can do this online at cafeastrology.com using the date of your birth, the time you were born and the location. Your birth chart will tell you where the planets were located at the time of your birth, providing you with different zodiac signs that accompany the planets. To fully understand your chart, use the sun sign descriptions of astrology as a guideline. For example, Pisces is an emotional sign, so a moon in Pisces would be equivalent to your inner self-being. Using this example, you can look at your chart and understand the complexity of what makes you who you are in your relationship to the planets. Understanding who you are through astrology can serve as an opportunity for reflection and aid you in self-actualization as you matriculate through life with a deeper understanding of self.
Chart your birth here and get in tune with parts of yourself you may have never taken note of before!