Astrology has become a very popular part of our culture. Many people are aware of the very basics of astrology: the day you were born determines your sign. But many people don’t know that astrology includes way more than just the day you were born, which is called your sun sign. Learning more about your birth chart and its placements can help you to better understand yourself, others, and how you can better improve yourself and your relationships. So, here is a little more information on astrology.
Sun sign:
Your sun sign is given to you based on the day you were born. For example, I was born on March 30th, which makes me an Aries (Aries are born from March 21-April 20th). Aries are the babies of the zodiac, the first sign of the zodiac, and Pisces are the last. Your sun sign is your personality.
Ruling Planets:
Each sign is ruled by a planet, the ruling planet represents the foundational characteristics of the signs. Aries and Scorpio are ruled by Mars, Taurus and Libra are ruled by Venus, Gemini and Virgo are ruled by Mercury, Leo is ruled by the sun, Cancer is ruled by the moon, Capricorn is ruled by Saturn, Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, Scorpio is ruled by Pluto, Aquarius is ruled by Uranus, and Pisces is ruled by Neptune.
Cusp signs:
There are also signs born in a cusp, meaning they are born with two sun signs; born during the transitional period of two signs. Although, usually, people born in a cusp only truly resemble one of the two signs of the cusp. Aries/Pisces cusp is between March 17-March 23, Aries/Taurus cusp April 19-April 23, Taurus/Gemini cusp May 17-May 23, Gemini/Cancer cusp June 17-June 23, Cancer/Leo cusp July 17-July 25, Leo/Virgo cusp August 19-August 25, Virgo/Libra cusp September 19-September 24, Libra/Scorpio cusp October 20-October 25, Scorpio/Sagittarius cusp November 18- November 23, Sagittarius/Capricorn cusp December 18- December 24, Capricorn/Aquarius cusp January 17- January 23, and finally, Aquarius/Pisces cusp February 15-February 20.
Sign Symbols:
Each sign contains its own symbol. Aries is symbolized by the ram, Taurus the bull, Gemini twins, Cancer crab, Leo lion, Virgo virgin, Libra scale, Scorpio scorpion, Sagittarius archer, Capricorn sea/mountain goat, Aquarius water-bearer, Pisces fish. You can look up the dates online to find your zodiac sign.
Earth, air, water, and fire signs:
Horoscopes:
Many apps and websites have been created to give people a reading, advice, and predictions for a certain day based on their sun sign. For many people these horoscopes can be very accurate and helpful, and for others not so much. If you read your horoscope and it doesn’t seem to be accurate this could be because the person, app, or website is writing it for all Aries, Aquarians, etc. in general; it does not take into account a person’s full zodiac chart. Hannah Hippensteel wrote a great article on how her horoscopes affected her and the accuracy of them. You can find her article here.
Moon sign:
Your moon sign is determined by the time of your birth. See other basic astrological info for the link to find your full birth chart. Your moon sign can be any of the twelve zodiac signs. This sign is who you are inside and how you deal with emotions. In my opinion, this is the most influential sign.
Rising sign:
Your rising sign is determined by where the sun was rising on the eastern horizon at the time you were born, to find this you need to enter the place and time you were born in the full birth chart link below. The rising sign can be any of the twelve zodiac signs. This sign determines how you come off to others, your style, and your social personality.
Mercury:
Your mercury sign is the sign closest to the sun, which means it will always be the same sign as your sun sign or the sign that comes before or after your sun sign. If you are a Virgo, your Mercury will either be Virgo (sun sign), Leo (sign before Virgo), or Libra (sign after Virgo). Because Mercury is the planet of communication, this sign determines how you communicate with others, how you think, and how you solve problems. Mercury sign compatibility followed the same rules as sun sign compatibility; earth signs are compatible with earth signs and water signs, and so on.
Venus:
Your Venus never strays more than two signs away from the sun sign, similar to Mercury. Because Venus is the planet of love, this sign determines how we deal with money, what we take pleasure in, what we find beautiful, how we love, and how we express ourselves artistically. The compatibility of Venus signs follows the same rules of sun signs.
Mars:
Mars is the planet of sex and aggression. This sign determines how you view sex, your competitiveness, impulsivity, aggression, how much/how you take risks, how energetic you are, and the way you approach your goals. The compatibility of Mars signs with someone else follows the same rules of sun sign compatibility.
Other basic astrological information:
- It is said that if your mercury and venus are compatible with your significant other, then you are soulmates.
- Your sun sign is probably your most insignificant sign.
- You can get your full birth chart here. Don’t use cafe astrology, as it is unreliable.
- Your placements (mercury, mars, etc.) are placed in certain houses when you are born. There are twelve houses and each is different.
- If your placements are square of each other, that means you have something you need to overcome or improve. It is tension between the planets involved. For example, if your mercury is square with your venus, it can make for tension with communication in your love life and other factors as well.
- On the zodiac wheel, the signs go in order from youngest to oldest and in order of the elements. Fire (starting with Aries), Earth, Air, then Water.
- Whoever is across from you on the zodiac wheel is the sign who is the opposite of yours. For Aries, the opposite sign is Libra, Scorpio is the opposite of Taurus, and so on.
- Every now and then we have what is called mercury retrograde. This retrograde affects everyone, in a good or bad way, but you can always learn a lot during this time. It is a time to improve yourself or fall back into old patterns. If you’ve been doing a lot of work on yourself and are in a good place in life, you will feel more productive. If you are in a not so good place in life and have things to work on, the mercury retrograde can make you feel very emotional. There is always a pre-shadow of the retrograde and an after shadow, meaning you will still feel the effects of the retrograde before and after it occurs. There are other aspects to this retrograde as well, but I am just covering the basics. The Mercury retrogrades in 2020 will be from February 17th to March 10 (occurring right now), June 18 to July 12, and October 14 to November 3. Right now mercury retrograde is a Pisces Mercury retrograde, so it will affect people who have Pisces placements the most.
- All of your signs determine how each sign characterizes themselves; each sign affects the other. For example, your sun sign has an effect on your moon sign.
- The order of the signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces.
- Each planet has a symbol (for example, Venus is symbolized with something that looks like a handheld mirror)
Astrology is a great way to learn more about yourself and people you have any type of relationship with. Although this article covered a lot of information about astrology, there is a lot more to be learned on this topic to get a full understanding of astrology. I hope reading this article has given you an incentive to find your full zodiac chart and learn more about yourself and astrology as reading more about it did for me.