ASTROLOGY BASICS 101
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ASTROLOGY: WHERE TO START
Scroll down if you know the basics
How does astrology work?
It is an ancient study of planetary placements and their influences on humans that has been well-documented throughout history. Astrology isn't just an ego-fest; it has rules. Many ancient cultures used astrology and studied its influence on people. Based on your time of birth, the planets were in certain astrological signs that influence the themes of your life or traits.
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What is a Sun sign?
Mainstream astrology only focuses on the placement of the Sun (not all planets) during your time of birth which leads to large generalities and confusion. For instance, if you were born on August 26th, you’re a Virgo; if you’re born on July 30th you’re a Leo and so on.
What is my Sun sign?
*please note that on different years there can be slight differences on which day a sign may start so look up your birth year if your birth date falls on a cusp of two 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 to February 18)
Pisces (February 19 to March 20)
If people born during certain dates are the same sign, why are some people different?
Astrology is deeper than just your Sun sign. It is a good starting point and reference, but you also have a Moon sign, a Rising sign, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, etc. and another astrological sign may be in some of these planets. Some people who identify closely with their sign or are “typical” of their sign have their “Sun” sign in other parts of their chart so that energy comes out stronger. Having different placements in these planets would mean people of the same Sun sign could exhibit different traits.
Example: Person A: Libra Sun -Libra Moon – Aquarius Rising Person B: Libra Sun – Aries Moon – Scorpio Rising
Mini- Interpretation: Person A has more Libra energy so they may thrive more on personal relationships and others. They also be someone who is a thinker and contemplates before acting since they have Air placements in two major placements. Person B may value partnerships as well, but they may be more individualistic in some ways because Aries and Scorpio are ruled by Mars which can be dominating.
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So, wait I’m not just a Leo, Gemini, Scorpio, Libra, etc.?
No, you’re not! Your birth chart contains other signs and it is possible for you to be more heavily influenced by one sign more than your actual Sun sign. This is why there are people who don’t identify as much with their astrological sign.
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What does each planet represent?
Sun (rules Leo)– your prominent traits, the way one exerts energy, likes/dislikes, ego
Moon (rules Cancer)– how you processes emotions and feelings
Mercury (rules Gemini/Virgo) – your mind/communication style, way of processing information, writing, learning, etc.
Venus (rules Taurus & Libra)- how you love or perceive love and affection, values and money, over-indulgence
Mars (rules Aries & Scorpio) – your initiative, drive & ambition, aggression and dominance
Jupiter (rules Sagittarius) – luck, optimism, fortune/adventure, risk-taking
Saturn (rules Capricorn & Aquarius) – your goals, ambition, structure, harsh lessons
Uranus (rules Aquarius) – unpredictability, change, eccentricity, revolution, invention, science
Neptune (rules Pisces) – dreams, idealism, hopes, illusion, delusion, spirituality
Pluto (rules Scorpio) – transformation, powerful, undercover, destructive
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How do I know what signs my Moon, Mars, etc. are in?
In general, you can find out your Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn & Pluto by simply knowing your full birth date/time, and using a birth chart calculator or consulting an astrologer. My favorite sites I suggest to start from is astro-seek, cafe astrology and the time passages app. Keep in mind, websites and apps are limited in reading you intuitively. To appeal to many people, websites, and even my own YT videos have to talk in general (though I do often give examples of when there are exceptions to astrology rules). The only way to personalize placements for YOU is to get a reading from an astrologer.
However, in order to accurately know someone’s Moon, Rising, or which planets are in which “house” (which are equally as important as the Sun sign), you must have an accurate birth time. An inaccurate birth time could change the Moon sign, Rising and houses. The Moon changes every 2-3 days so in some instances it is easier to guess a person’s Moon sign if the Moon didn’t change that day. Rising signs change approximately every 2-3 hours.
WHY GET A BIRTH CHART READING?
Mostly everyone knows their Sun sign but not everyone can tell you their decan, degree of their Sun, Moon, which house their Moon is in on their chart, or how Chiron affects their life.
Astrology and horoscopes often seem like light-hearted fun for people to blame their weaknesses or bad habits on their sign but the reality is that it goes deeper than that. Astrology is NOT, I repeat, NOT about ego or only focusing on the positives. No two Virgos or two Cancers or two Aries are alike because their charts and life experiences are different. While there may be some overlap in some areas, each person’s chart is unique to their life experiences.
There are generalizations for most people based on their sign but then we always question how some people who have the same sign can be so drastically different. Now, for the most part, most people DO show their Sun sign in some ways but other aspects of their chart need to be interpreted.
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What is in a birth chart?
Your birth chart can tell you your communication style, how you view and behave in love, how action-oriented you are, career mindset, how you view goals and work ethic, your relationship with your mother and father, your family background, your inner desires and conflicts, the areas of your life where you have positive attributes and the one where you need to work on some difficulties. Where the planets are in the chart will also make you different than someone with the same Sun sign.
It’s personalized based on your date, time and place of birth which makes it more in depth than just claiming Libra, Aries, or Taurus. It’s also fun to realize you’re aren’t ALL Virgo, or ALL Leo, and that you may be more successful, dominant or passionate in certain areas of your life based on which zodiac sign is in a respective planet. For instance, you can be a Virgo who is reserved or shy in some instances but you have a Mercury in Leo which means you come alive and are very passionate when it comes to communicating what’s on your mind and when you speak people often listen.
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Is it accurate?
The more accurate the information given to get your chart read, the more accurate people find the information to be. Each birth chart I have done has pinpointed the unique aspects of the individual. No two birth charts are alike which is why you should get yours interpreted as opposed to just using a website to generate one. Even with twins, they may often show different characteristics of the signs they share. Twins or triplets should contact an astrologer for a more in depth analysis than the average person's chart. But differences in twins can be explained by the fact that signs have multiple qualities. For example, one Leo twin could be creative and more reserved. They're more caring and generous, but their sibling is the more outgoing type of Leo. Despite, being in the same household, parents often do interact with twins differently depending on their personalities or likes/dislikes so sometimes differences in nurture also help explain expression.
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Why does this work?
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You don’t necessarily have to understand 100% HOW it works as long as you are open-minded and accept that there may be influences deeper than what’s visible at work in our lives. In general, the belief is that at the time of our birth the planets and stars were aligned in a certain pattern which affects our personality, strengths, weakness, etc. As incredulous as it seems, I have never seen a person whose chart did not directly correlate to a distinct part of their personality or tendencies.
Just as the Moon can affect the tides, why can’t it affect us? As inhabitants of earth, we have to understand the interconnectedness of ancient wisdom and how many ancient people had a different consciousness aligned to how aspects outside themselves affected them. Though we now have more scientific advancements and explanations for certain phenomena, there is a reason this ancient practice has endured. Alchemy which is about transmuting energy and the chemistry of earth’s resources and elements, also discusses the planets and their influences just as astrology does.
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