It’s fun to explore astrology

Brittany Byers, Staff Writer

MICHAEL EDWARDS / CLARION
Illustration by Michael Edwards

How many times have you been asked, “What’s your sign?” Horoscopes are just the start when understanding yourself through Astrology. Using your time and place of birth, astrologers make a graph called a birth chart. This chart shows, at the time of your birth, the location of the moon, sun, planets and constellations.

But let’s delve deeper. What does it really mean to be a Capricorn or Cancer? At the time of your birth, the sun was placed in a specific constellation. This is your Zodiac or sun sign, and it mirrors your personality. It’s one of many important signs from which your identity is composed.

Other important signs are your moon sign, and your ascending (or rising) sign. Your moon sign, defined by what constellation the moon was in when you were born, reflects emotions and your inner self. This is the part of yourself you tend to keep private.

Yet it’s not only important to look at the location of the planets, but the surrounding constellations as well. At the time of your birth, the constellation rising over the eastern horizon becomes your ascendant sign. This sign reflects your outer self, the mask you show the world.

Each of the 12 Zodiac signs interact with twelve constellations in the sky. During their movement around the Earth, the sun, moon, and planets enter and leave each constellation. The constellations function like a circle of rooms, with Earth in the middle – each celestial body enters one of the twelve constellation rooms, stays for as long as their orbit will allow, and then proceeds to the next room.

The combinations formed by the different bodies and their locations within the constellations are further classified to provide greater insight into an individual’s personality. The pairings may be divided into Cardinal, Fixed, or Mutable groups. Cardinal groups tend to be initiative and independent, with strong leadership skills. Fixed signs are often determined, reliable, and stable, yet with a tendency to resist change. Mutable individuals are predominately flexible and adaptable – detail oriented, with a strong ability to be objective in many situations.

Furthermore, the signs are divided by the elements: earth, fire, air, and water. Each elemental identity lends some of its own characteristics to a specific group of signs. For example: the earth signs of Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn are grounded, loyal, and practical. Fire signs such as Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius are passionate and temperamental. The air signs of Libra and Aquarius gravitate toward action, strong ideas, and motion, while the water signs Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces are intuitive, mysterious, and sensitive.

As humans we are complex, constantly evolving and learning. Over the years we have been taught to define ourselves, put ourselves in a box. Astrology helps us to open our mind to be more than the characteristics we allow ourselves to be labeled.