History and Understanding
Astrology is an ancient wisdom, a mathematical system and an art, not to mention a science that actually predates astronomy. Though ancient, its wisdom is every bit as applicable today as it was thousands of years ago.
2 Zodiac Basic Understanding
In the twentieth century, astrology shifted from what was once a fatalistic perspective of dire predictions to what it is today -- a much more humanistic tool to be used for personal growth. In the updated version of astrology, its wisdom encourages us to face down the challenges presented in our birth charts and within the courses of our lives.
2 Zodiac Basic Understanding
It began when humans at the dawn of time started trying to understand the relationship between the Earth and the heavens, and the movement of the stars in the sky. Astrological interpretations of star omens first showed up on cuneiform tablets found in Mesopotamia.
2 Zodiac Basic Understanding
Various forms of astrology have shown up in countless eras and media since those early days. Versions of astrology were developed concurrently in Africa, Asia, India and the Americas, where they're still used today. Shakespeare referenced astrology in his plays, penned in the fifteen and sixteen hundreds (such as Romeo and Juliet's 'star-crossed lovers'). The three wise men in the Bible were actually astrologers who followed the Star of Bethlehem to honor the birth of Jesus.
2 Zodiac Basic Understanding
Some people like to claim that astrology doesn't work -- that it provides only generic information that could be applied to anyone. But take a look at a reading of your birth chart, and you'll find out just how specific the information gets! You'll be amazed by the picture of you that astrology paints, including in-depth analysis of your emotional life, your dreams and motivations and your subconscious drives.
3 The Basic Understanding of the signs
The Signs There are twelve signs in the Zodiac, one for each month of the year. Unfortunately, the signs and the calendar don't align perfectly. The Zodiac begins in mid-March, not on January first; and signs span from roughly the 20th or 21st of one month to the 19th or 20th of the next, not the 1st to the 31st. (Are you confused yet? No? Good!) When someone asks you what your sign is, they're referring to your Sun Sign -- where the sun was in the Zodiac at the exact moment of your birth. But every other planet in your birth chart is also located in a particular sign, and is influenced by that sign's unique energy. This explains why everyone who's born under the influence of the same Sun Sign can still have such vastly different personalities; each of us is made up of a complex and unique combination of influences from the twelve signs, the twelve houses and all the planets, asteroids and points... Now, that's definitely getting complicated! But clearly, having lots of planets in a certain sign in your chart will only intensify that sign's influence in your life. Each sign of the Zodiac is associated with a particular symbol, usually an animal, like the Ram (Aries) or the Bull (Taurus); an element, such as Air (Gemini) or Water (Cancer); and a quality, such as Fixed (Leo) or Mutable (Virgo). Each of these variables helps us to understand more about the signs that influence us and the energy inherent in each.
3 The Basic Understanding of the signs
The Planets The planets were in a certain, distinctive pattern in the sky at the exact moment that you were born, and a map of their configuration is called your natal chart, or birth chart. Each planet represents something in itself -- your personality (Sun), the way you think (Mercury), the way you love (Venus) and so on -- but together, the angles and connections among all of them also paint a highly specific and accurate portrait of who you are as an individual.
4 The Basic Understanding of the Planets
Astrologers divide the Zodiac Signs into groupings that link signs together by specific characteristics, and which make it easier to learn the signs. The four elements associated with the signs of the Zodiac break down the signs into the basic groupings of Fire, Earth, Air and Water. The natural world fits into these four classifications, whose basic characteristics -- the heat of fire, the stability of earth, the changeability of air and the fluidity of water -- can be applied to human nature. People with a lot of Fire in their charts (meaning, several planets in the Fire Signs of Aries, Leo or Sagittarius) tend to be hotheaded and warmhearted, for example, while people with lots of Earth such as Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn are practical and usually down-to-earth. The Air Signs of Gemini, Libra or Aquarius are cerebral and expressive while the Water Signs of Cancer, Scorpio or Pisces are emotional, intuitive and sometimes hard to fathom.
5 The Understanding of the Elements and Qualities.
Besides the four elements, there are three qualities that influence the signs -- Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable. These qualities speak to a person's general attitude and the way they tackle a project. The Cardinal Signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. These folks are self-starters who naturally gravitate toward leadership roles, as they have the drive and initiative needed to get a project off the ground. But they can lack follow-through, and that's where Fixed Signs of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius come in. These people have the persistence and determination to see a project through to the end, but they can be rather stubborn and resistant to deviation from the plan. Mutable Signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces on the other hand, are happy to be flexible. Though they can be wishy-washy as a result, they're the adapters of the Zodiac, the people who can follow a Cardinal Sign's lead and throw in their weight behind a hardworking Fixed Sign.
5 The Understanding of the Elements and Qualities.
A cusp is that mysterious boundary between one Zodiac sign and the next, when the Sun, or any planet, changes signs and shifts energies from one to the other. If you were born on the cusp of two signs, you may feel like you embody characteristics of both, but the actual sign you were born under is your true, natural sign.
6 The Understanding of Cusps
Astrology doesn't just give you insights into the future; it reveals tendencies and truths about human nature, not to mention the world at large. And it gives you the tools you need to make better, more intelligent and informed decisions in your life. The more you learn, the better you'll be able to apply astrology's wisdom to your own life.
7 What is Astrology?
Though people may talk about astrology in woo-woo terms, like magic or ghosts -- 'Do you believe in astrology?' -- it's not a belief system, and it's definitely not a supernatural phenomenon. It's an ancient and complex system based on careful observation of the heavens, one that you can use to better understand human nature and life here on earth. There are so many components to astrology that it can get pretty confusing. Sun signs, birth charts, planets and aspects... Lots of factors go into an accurate reading of astrological conditions and how they relate to you. But just for starters, at the exact moment that you were born, the planets were in particular positions in the sky. Together, they tell all about you, heart and soul.
7 What is Astrology?
Aspects are an essential part of interpreting a birth chart because they describe the exact relationship between two planets -- a physical relationship that's specific down to the degree. An astrological chart is mapped out in a full circle of 360 degrees, and aspects occur when planets are zero degrees apart, thirty, sixty and so on. Soft aspects, such as sextiles and trines, bring positive, beneficial influences with them, while the hard aspects, such as conjunctions, squares, oppositions and quincunxes, are thought of as bringing intensity, drama and challenges. You might not notice the easy effects of a soft aspect, while the hard aspects can be either interesting or difficult to deal with -- or both
8 Understanding Aspects and Orbs
The orb of an aspect determines how far apart an aspect can be, in terms of degrees, and still have an influence that will affect your life and personality. For example, for two planets to be in opposition, they must be one hundred eighty degrees apart on a Zodiac chart. But with an orb of ten degrees, one planet can be up to ten degrees closer or farther than the exact opposition, and still be considered to be effective aspect, with all of the opposition's attendant influences and meanings. The orbs for the different aspects vary; some, such as the sextile and the quincunx, must be within just five degrees to still be considered a true aspect.
8 Understanding Aspects and Orbs
The relationships among the planets in an astrological chart -- meaning the angles between them, and how they interact -- are called aspects, and each aspect has a different meaning and influence. Some aspects are considered to be beneficial in their influence (soft aspects, like the sextile and trine), and some are considered more difficult (hard ones, like squares and oppositions). Sometimes, a series of planetary aspects group together in a chart to form one super-aspect -- what's known in astrology as a major planetary or aspect configuration, which carries its own powerful meaning and intensity. These configurations, or patterns, include the Stellium, the Grand Trine, the Grand Sextile, the Grand Cross, the T-Square, the Kite, the Yod and the Mystic Rectangle. Some pretty funny names for some serious planetary influences! Just as an aspect itself is a focusing of a particular kind of energy, an aspect configuration is a further intensity of that energy, or a combination of various ones. The Grand Trine, for example, is a combination of the energies of three or more planets that all trine each other -- a triple-trine energy that increases the benefits of a normal trine, but also the need for motivation and goal-setting. Use this section to learn more about the Grand Trine and other major planetary configurations, and to gain a deeper understanding of the way that aspects work in an astrological chart and in your life.
9 The Understanding of Major Configurations
