Most of the world is aware of astrology, but do they understand it? Despite common belief, you are more than just your sun sign. Based on the exact time and place that you were born, you have a whole chart. Personally, my favorite place to calculate birth charts is Cafe Astrology. On this website, you can see all of your planet positions, ascendant, house and aspects. Also, how the planets are now will affect you based on your natal chart.
To begin, I would like to state that there are 12 zodiac signs:
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
In addition to this, each sign is broken up into elements such as
Fire: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius
Earth: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn
Air: Gemini, Libra and Aquarius
Water: Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces
The signs are then split by modality, which depends on where the sign is in a certain season. They are split by
Cardinal: Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn
Fixed: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius
Mutable: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces
Lastly, it is split by polarity meaning it can have:
Masculine: Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius and Aquarius
Feminine: Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn and Pisces
The next thing I would like to touch on is what each planet signifies. The Sun represents the conscious mind and rules the zodiac sign Leo. While not considered a planet, the moon symbolizes emotions and regulates the zodiac sign Cancer. Mercury is the planet of communication and intellect and governs two zodiacs, Gemini and Virgo. Venus is the next planet, it personifies love and it reigns over Taurus and Libra. Mars represents aggression and sexual drive and rules Aries. Jupiter is the planet of luck and governs Sagittarius. Saturn symbolizes our boundaries and rules Capricorn. Uranus is the planet of originality and rules Aquarius. Neptune is the planet of intuition and rules Pisces. Lastly, Pluto, which again is not considered a planet, represents the unconscious mind and manages Scorpio.
Next, there are Houses, which are also split into 12 divisions. These houses explain how certain experiences will affect a person’s life. Like planets, each has something it represents and which zodiac rules it. The first house or Ascendant/Rising sign is the house of impressions; it is reigned by Aries. Money and self-esteem are symbolized by the Taurus, which manages the second house. The third house is governed by Gemini, which represents communication. Cancer rules the fourth house and represents home life. The fifth house embodies self-expression and is ruled by Leo. Virgo manages the sixth house, which represents diet and routine. The seventh house is governed by Libra and personifies all relationships. The Scorpio-ruled eighth house symbolizes mystery and property. The ninth house represents the higher mind and travel; it is ruled by Sagittarius. Capricorn rules the 10th house or Midheaven; it determines your career path. The 11th house is social justice and is governed by Aquarius. Finally, the 12th house represents endings such as old age; it is ruled by Pisces.
To conclude this guide, I would also like to discuss Planetary Aspects. In your birth chart, you will see that you have aspects. There are seven major aspects such as Conjunct (same sign), Semi-sextile (1 sign apart), Sextile (2 signs apart), Square (3 signs apart), Trine (4 signs apart), Quincunx (5 signs apart) and Opposite (6 signs apart). There is also Multi-Planet Aspects (when 3 or more planets align): T-Square (3 planets at war), Grand Cross/Grand Square (4 planets at war), Grand Trine (3 planets in sweet, sweet harmony), Yod (Finger of Fate or sextile-quincunx-sextile). Each link in this article will also help elaborate on each topic discussed in this mini-guide!