What is Astrology?
What’s your sign? While most of us are familiar with our main astrological identity, based on our birthdate, our Sun sign barely scratches the surface of who we are, cosmically speaking. Astrology is predicated on planets and other celestial bodies having an affect on each other. One of the most well-known physical examples of this is the moon’s gravitational pull on the Earth, influencing large bodies of water with varying tides. Let’s take a look into the history of this modality, as well as get into the basics of the 12 Zodiac signs, elements, qualities, planets, and more!
A Brief History of Astrology
For thousands of years, people have been observing the mysteries of the sky and making connections to life on Earth. “As above, so below,” a central tenet of Hermetic philosophy which had a great impact on astrology’s development, points to the correlation of larger phenomena having an effect on humans, and vice versa.
Astrology has its origins in Ancient Babylon, Egypt and Greece, where the movements of “planetes” or “wandering stars” were observed. These “planetes” were given the names of Gods, as it was believed that celestial cycles could only be the work of Divine beings. Therefore, these stars and planets must influence us humans. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn could be seen with the naked eye, so these planets were observed and taken into account. In 17th century BCE Babylon, the Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa was created, charting the movements of Venus. While its exact purpose is unconfirmed, it was likely made for predictions concerning various kings. The Zodiac was later invented in 500 BCE in Mesopotamia. At this time, it was standardized so that the different signs of the Zodiac corresponded to different constellations, and each of the twelve signs were given 30 degrees. This means, on a Zodiacal wheel or natal birth chart, the 12 signs will make up 360 degrees, or an entire circle.
Subsequently, Babylonian astrology made its way to Egypt where it mixed in with local spiritual traditions. Later, by the 6th and 7th centuries BCE, these became intertwined with Greek beliefs. This mélange brought forth the Hermetic tradition, which combined the Greek god Hermes with Egyptian god Thoth, and resulted in many texts in the Hermetic philosophy. Some of these writings concerned astrology, combining previous findings from Babylon, Egypt, and Greece. The adage “As above, so below” emerged from this tradition.
Hellenistic astrology from this time period contains many of the elements we associate with the modality today - birth charts including natal planets and the rising sign set on the circle of the zodiac. Claudius Ptolemy was a significant figure in early astrology, writing Tetrabiblos in Alexandria, Egypt. He was responsible for dividing the Zodiac into houses, and also integrated medicine into the art by proposing that certain herbs were more effective when they were gathered during particular moon phases. Then there was Roman astrologer Marcus Manilus who wrote a long poem speaking about the signs of the Zodiac, connecting them to the Roman gods of his era.
In the Middle Ages, astrology was denounced as pagan blasphemy by the prevailing religion at the time - Christianity. Despite this, people still consulted professional astrologers. The Renaissance produced two notable figures in astrology - Nostradamus and John Dee, who was Queen Elizabeth I’s court astrologer and personal advisor. The 20th century brought forth figures such as Dane Rudhyar, responsible for integrating Jungian psychology into astrology, and introducing an approach known as “humanistic astrology,” highlighting a methodology grounded in free will, largely concerned with personal self-discovery and how we relate to the world around us.
It is important to note other types of astrology emerged since or around the same time as Babylonian and Hellenistic astrology such as Islamic, Vedic, and Chinese. Different forms of astrology have developed over centuries and are practiced throughout the world, but in this article we will be focusing on Western Humanistic astrology.
Astrology Basics
The Zodiac Signs, Qualities, and Elements
There are 12 signs of the Zodiac, divided into the following 3 qualities and 4 elements:
3 qualities - Cardinal, Fixed, Mutable
Cardinal - beginning of a season, initiating energy
Fixed - middle of the season, self-aware and often fixed in its ways
Mutable - end of the season, adaptable and flexible energy
4 Elements - Fire, Earth, Air, Water
Fire - passion, action, will, expansion, impulse
Earth - the material world, persistence, reliability, practical, sensuous
Air - the mind, intellect, ideas, communication
Water - emotions, sensitivity, intuition, perception, understanding
The Zodiac is typically represented in a wheel, which is a useful depiction, since a natal chart is also a wheel, divided by sign. In this way, we can understand the journey through the 12 Zodiac signs as an evolution of energy, beginning with Aries, ending with Pisces and starting again. A beautiful cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth.
The Zodiacal Wheel, starting with Aries at the top (♈︎) proceeding counterclockwise through the signs, concluding with Pisces (♓️).
Below is a breakdown of each Zodiac sign, its element, quality, ruling planet, and keywords. Some signs have ancient and modern planetary rulers since the planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto have only been known for a few hundred years. In the case of these signs, their ancient rulers are noted in parentheses.
The Big Three - Sun, Moon, and Rising Signs
In a natal chart, most people focus on their “big three” signs - their Sun, Moon, and Rising or Ascendant. This can provide a useful glimpse into key aspects of an individual’s essence.
Sun Sign
Your astrological Sun sign is based on your date of birth and is determined by the astrological period of that date. The time frame of each of the 12 signs of the Zodiac correspond to the subdivision of different seasons.
For example, the beginning of Aries season and the astrological new year corresponds with the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. From such events, the 12 astrological seasons are divided throughout the year. Your Sun sign is where the Sun was on the day you were born, in relation to where you were born. The Sun represents your soul, the core of who you are, and your main identity.
Moon Sign
Next, your Moon sign in astrology represents your inner world, emotional landscape, unconscious self, and intuition. It is determined by the placement of the moon at the time you were born. We can already begin to construct an interesting picture of who you are just by looking at the Sun and Moon sign, and observing how they play off each other.
Rising Sign or Ascendant
Your Rising sign or Ascendant is one of the most specific components of the birth chart, as it is determined by the exact time of your birth. It is the Zodiac sign that appears on the Eastern horizon when you are born. Due to the movement of the Earth's axis, this sign will change approximately every two hours.
The Ascendant represents your personality, the first impressions you give off, generally the mask you present to others. We might identify more with our Sun sign, for example, and may not necessarily have a good grasp on our Rising sign, especially when we’re younger. If you dare, ask people you know about their first impressions of you, and they’ll likely be more along the lines of your Rising sign, not your Sun.
For example, I’m a Cancer Sun, Aquarius Rising. I remember one time at a party, a friend told me that I had a “resting bitch face,” which I found a bit perplexing. “What!? I’m a Cancer, I’m nurturing and sensitive!!” As I became better acquainted with my Rising sign, I realized that I probably come off as a bit distant and detached, although there’s a big part of me that is caring and emotional.
Other Planets in Astrology
Although the big three are very significant, the other planets in your natal chart can tell you a great deal about who you are. Each planet is said to rule a different aspect of our personality, and the sign it’s in can give clues as to how a certain planetary energy is likely to manifest.
Mercury - how you communicate, process information, intellect, how your mind operates
Venus - how and what you love, your values, money, beauty, aesthetics, social interactions
Mars - your drive, how you act, sexuality, aggression
Jupiter - where you find luck and expansion, big-picture wisdom and life lessons
Saturn - discipline, fear, responsibility, major life lessons, ambition, boundaries, reality, the material world
Uranus - your uniqueness and originality, sudden changes
Neptune - spirituality, creativity, deception, imagination
Pluto - your magnetic power, transformation, regeneration
As above so below. As within so without.
Did you learn anything new from this article? What are your big three? I’m a Cancer Sun with Moon in Virgo, and Aquarius Rising, how about you? Let me know in the comments below!
If you’d like to go deeper with your own personal astrology, book a session with me here.
