Being a student of astrology for the past eight years has helped me learn a lot about myself and the world around me. I stumbled upon it one day while on Tumblr almost a decade ago and instantly I was hooked! Understanding my birth chart has been the key to understanding my subconscious. Astrology has been such a helpful tool in my life, that it felt like a crime not to share it! So, here’s a miniguide to learning the basic fundamentals of astrology.
- Sun Signs and Beyond
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The sign that you most likely go by is what’s known as your sun sign. Your sun sign correlates with what day you were born. For example, my birthday being July 16th makes me a Cancer! However, you have a sign in every planet from Mercury to Pluto (excluding Earth & including the Sun which is treated as a planet in astrology) Each planet represents different things in life. Understanding this is the foundation to understanding astrology.
To find your other signs, take your birth date and plug them into a birth chart calculator! My favorite one is located at astro.com. However, for beginners, I recommend using astro-charts.com because of the less complex interface. Time isn’t required for this part, however, it will be necessary for finding your ascendant (aka your rising sign) and houses. Once you plug-in your information, you’ll see a wheel. This wheel is called your natal chart (or birth chart) and it is a visualization of the sky at your time of birth. Your natal chart is the center of your personal astrology.
- The House System
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Each planet falls into a house. Each house in astrology represents a different aspect of life. There are 12 houses just like there are 12 signs and in most cases you will not have a planet in each house. Some will appear to be “empty’ and that’s okay, it just means that the particular house, or aspect of life, is not influenced by that planet. The first sign in your first house is known as the ascendant and it is usually how people that don’t know you well see you for the first time. For example, I’m a Cancer, but my rising sign is Virgo so my first impression on people is probably that I’m a Virgo.
Remember, to view your houses and ascendant, you MUST have your time of birth. The most accurate time indicator is almost always your birth certificate. Your Houses will be inaccurate without the correct time as the planets in the sky are constantly changing.
- How astrology helped me & How it can help you
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Astrology has worked wonders for me. I’ve been able to understand myself better by studying the things I see in my chart. I learned things about my relationships with everyone ranging from my family to my love life. It’s been a game-changer for self-care and self-awareness. I’ve been able to look at my strengths and weaknesses and reevaluate them. Studying my birth chart even helped me pick a major that I love! It’s so much more than just magazine horoscopes and with the right amount of study, you can use it for almost anything. However, I have just a few tips and tricks that can help any beginner succeed.
Delete Co-Star immediately (bonus points if you never had it downloaded) Co-Star is terrible for anyone that wants to become serious about astrology. They often generalize placements and overall have a pretty confusing and inaccurate chart setup. To top it off, they are not run by real astrologers. If you want to use astrology apps, I recommend Time Passages which will give you accurate information, written by astrologers for astrologers.
Don’t be afraid to get involved with astrologers on social media. Following my favorite astrologers is how I got to learn and become more acclimated with certain astrology related topics. It can be helpful to have a trusted person to ask questions and if you’re anything like me, you’ll have many questions.
Like any other subject in learning, astrology has its own tools and language. The tools include the natal wheel and the many parts to it. It sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is. With a decent amount of studying your chart and it’s meanings, you too can make it work for you! If you find that you need an extra push or that you aren’t quite sold yet, try getting a birth chart reading done from a trusted astrologer. Overall, it’s one of the best-kept secrets that’s been shrouded by a watered-down version of itself. It gets a really bad rep and I must say, don’t knock it ‘til you try it! I accidentally stumbled upon it years ago and it’s continued to be the gift that keeps on giving. The Ancient Babylonians and Egyptians were definitely onto something. You owe it to yourself to check it out.