Yes, you’re still a Sagittarius… but you might be a Capricorn too?
Let me explain. Your Sun sign is determined by the position of the Sun in relation to the Earth at the time you were born. If you’re reading this article, then you probably already know what your Sun sign is (see below if you don’t!) The Sun is one of the most important planets to astrologers because it represents your identity, personality, and sense of self. Unlike other planets, your Sun sign is pretty easy to figure out yourself. But here’s where things get complicated.
Although your birth chart — including your Sun sign — stays with you for your entire life, astrologers like to talk about this thing called “progressed Sun.” When your Sun progresses, you become a little bit more like the next sign in the zodiac. Which can explain things like midlife crises and personal transformations.
Each year, the Sun progresses one degree through the zodiac. Since there are 30 degrees per sign, that means that it takes about 30 years for the Sun to move into the next sign… but that doesn’t mean that everyone’s Sun progresses when they turn 30. In order to figure out when your Sun will progress, you need to take into account its starting point (aka your date of birth).
To figure out approximately how old you will be when your Sun moves into the next sign, count the number of days between your date of birth and the start date of the next zodiac sign. Here’s a little reminder in case you forget when that is:
Aries: March 21 – April 19
Taurus: April 20 – May 20
Gemini: May 21 – June 20
Cancer: June 21 – July 22
Leo: July 23 – August 22
Virgo: August 23 – September 22
Libra: September 23 – October 22
Scorpio: October 23 – November 21
Sagittarius: November 22 – December 21
Capricorn: December 22 – January 19
Aquarius: January 20 – February 18
Pisces: February 19 – March 20
The number of days = your age when your sign progresses for the first time. It will progress for a second time 30 years later, and a third time 30 years after that. When your Sun progresses for the second time, it moves into the sign 2 signs after your birth sign. (Let’s say that you were born on December 7th, so your sign is Sagittarius. Your Sun would have progressed into Capricorn when you were 15. It will progress into Aquarius when you turn 45, and Pieces when you turn 75.)
Aaaand… cue the identity crisis. Many of us attribute a lot of who we are to astrology — as we should! — so it might come as a shock that your Sun sign will progress (or that it already has). But don’t worry. Your true sign will always remain the same; you just get to experience another one eventually too. In terms of horoscopes, you should continue to read the section about your original Sun sign (or download this app that will send you your own personalized horoscope every! single! day!)
Wondering what to do with all this new information? Reading up on your new sign is a great place to start. Learn more about each of the signs here. Read about the science of secondary progressions here and here.