Getting Started with Astrology: A Beginner's Guide
With the advent of the internet, the study of astrology ought to be more accessible than ever… Yet anyone who has wasted hours reading generic online explainers will affirm that a good astrology guide is hard to find. This hands-on guide is for you to take those initial steps in astrology. It provides you with essential information while encouraging you to ‘play’ along as you read.
Contents:
The significance of symbols in Astrology
Generating your Birth Chart
Getting to know your Zodiacal (or Sun) Sign
The 12 zodiac signs
Understanding the rising sign (or ascendant)
What the Planets mean and their influences
The crucial role of Birth Charts and the Twelve Houses
The zodiac circle
how you can discover your natal promise
significance of symbols in Astrology—Symbolic dances in the sky
Astrology tends to be viewed as a “fortune telling tool” or some fated divination scry.
Yet its earliest origins were for practical insights into the cycles of Nature and the interplay with us humans as players on earth. As the ancients began to illumine certain symbols in the skies to describe earthly occurances, astrological knowledge grew.
A more psychological and evolutionary perspective in astrology takes these metaphor & archetypes to help you understand why certain issues recur in your life. It offers possibilities for developing your strengths more fully while embracing and integrating with your weaknesses.
The famous Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung became very interested in astrology and wrote about it in his books. And some modern scientists certainly do not laugh at astrology. They are using research methods to try and understand why the beliefs of astrology seem to be true. They are discovering exciting things about the different kinds of energy that each planet emits, and are beginning to realise that the Moon really does have a powerful effect upon living things.
Astrology is not a science. Instead, it is a discipline which delves into the intricate connections between celestial bodies, time, and events. At its core, astrology communicates through symbols – a language intricately woven into the fabric of the collective unconscious, as described by Jung.
The promise of astrology is more relevant in these times than ever because it concerns itself with human values more than most other sciences. It can help us to understand that our lives have purpose; our personal lives are part of a fabric of the whole.
Ancient beliefs across cultures hold that we and the planets are all part of one unified cosmos. Knowing a little about astrology can help to open your eyes to many things, and the most important of them all is who you really are, deep down inside.
Key Astrology Terms
Astrology is an ancient practice that connects our lives to the cosmos. At its heart are the zodiac signs, each representing a segment of the sky and associated with specific archetypal energies. The twelve signs – from pioneering Aries to compassionate Pisces – form the essence of astrological exploration.
Zodiac Signs: These are the 12 constellations through which the sun, moon, and planets transit throughout our solar year. Each sign imparts unique characteristics and influences.
Birth Chart: Also known as a natal chart, it's a snapshot of the sky at the moment of your birth, showing the positions of the planets and stars in various zodiac signs.
Houses: The birth chart is divided into 12 segments, known as houses, each ruling different aspects of life, from career and relationships to personal growth.
Planets: In astrology, planets like Venus (love), Mars (action), and Jupiter (luck) represent different energies and drives.
Transits: Refers to the movement and alignment of the planets in a person’s birth chart influencing one’s life events (either past, present or future).
Generating your Birth Chart
You can generate your own natal chart using an online calculator. Astro Dienst is unbeatable for its encyclopedic quantity of astrological information and data—all for free!
Have an accurate time of birth! The time should be as accurate as possible as the Ascendant is time sensitive, travelling approximately one degree every four minutes and changing sign every two and a half hours.
In the same way the Sun rises, the Ascendant (or rising sign) is the constellation travelling up over the Eastern horizon at the time you were born. The Eastern horizon in the natal chart is the nine o’clock position or confusingly, the Western point on a compass.
The Moon is also time sensitive, though it is slower moving than the Ascendant, changing signs every two to two and a half days. So as you can see, accuracy is important when generating your birth chart, and every second counts!
If you aren’t sure what your birth time is but would like to have a consultation, please contact me to discuss your options.
A pre-formatted response when exploring each of the symbols may contradict the last. “Cook-book” style astrology can offer nuggets of truth, yet it can be hard integrating each separate explanation into a cohesive statement which makes sense to you.
It’s just not possible for computer-generated interpretation reports to relate and explain how the conflicts in the natal chart work together to bring out what is YOU.
Nothing compares to having your chart interpreted by an experienced astrologer who can explain your birth-chart and how it is expressed through your unique journey.
If you’re thinking about booking a consultation, don’t hesitate. You’ll immediately gain clarity, understanding and self-awareness and will feel at ease with your current situation, no matter how tumultuous.
the 12 Zodiac Signs (Constellations)
The astrological chart is made up of the zodiac wheel with 12 signs. Each of the 12 astrological signs belongs to a certain element in one of its states.
Thus, the twelve zodiacal signs boil down to four basic kinds, commonly referred to as the elements: Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. The signs are also organised into the three zodiacal modes of Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable that relate to three types of action.
These varying qualities provide the “backdrop” to the planetary positions. As each horoscope has different planets in different signs, there can never be a “pure” Aries or a “pure” Scorpio.
Aries
Cardinal fire; ruled by Mars
Willpower, impulsive, initiative, courage, energy, activity
Often rushes headlong into things.Taurus
Fixed earth; ruled by Venus
Sensual, pleasure-seeker, steadfast, strives for security
Sees red when provoked for a long timeGemini
Mutable air; ruled by Mercury
Mental type, witty, communicative, mobile, takes pleasure in learning. Rarely touches down.Cancer
Cardinal water; ruled by the Moon
Emotional type, stubborn, seeks safety and closeness
Very much a family person.Leo
Fixed fire; ruled by the Sun
Glamour, generosity, organizer, the center of attention
Likes to take the lion's part.Virgo
Mutable earth; ruled by Mercury
Precise, differentiates, does what is necessary, utilitarian
A critical point of viewLibra
Cardinal air; ruled by Venus
A sense of beauty and proportion, tactful, seeks balance and harmony. Sometimes hovers between the scales.Scorpio
Fixed water; ruled by Pluto
Corrosive, passionate, piercing, extreme situations
Frequently quarrels with the spirits he called.Sagittarius
Mutable fire; ruled by Jupiter
Free spirit, carefree, love of movement, cheerful
Wanderlust, often seems to be elsewhere.Capricorn
Cardinal earth; ruled by Saturn
Enduring, has a sense of purpose, proud, ambitious
Can get stuck in craggy heights.Aquarius
Fixed air; ruled by Uranus
Communicative, humanitarian, progressive, fraternal
Universal spirit with occasional astonishing obstinacy.Pisces
Mutable water; ruled by Neptune
Sensitive, compassionate, helpful, sociable
Very adaptable, hard to get a hold on.
What the Planets mean and their influences
Typical horoscopes only talk about the Sun (and its how many of us got to know about astrology). The other lights in the sky, such as the moon and the other planets in the solar system, each represents a different kind of energy:
☉ Sun: ego, identity, and role in life — It symbolizes your individuality and the way you express yourself.
☽ Moon: emotions, moods, and feelings — It reflects your inner emotional world, moods, and subconscious, including self-sabotage patterns.
☿ Mercury: how you communicate, talk, think, and process information — It influences how you think, process information, and express yourself verbally.
♀ Venus: how and what you love — It governs relationships, romance, aesthetics, and your values related to pleasure and harmony.
♂ Mars: sex and aggression — It shows your drive, motivation, and how you go after what you want.
♃ Jupiter: growth, expansion, progress, and philosophy — It signifies luck, optimism, and opportunities for personal and spiritual development.
♄ Saturn: responsibility, restrictions, limits, boundaries, fears, and self-discipline — It reflects your limitations, challenges, and the need for self-control.
♅ Uranus: innovation, progression, rebellion, and change — It represents individuality, originality, and unconventional thinking.
♆ Neptune: dreams, imagination, and the unconscious — It influences creativity, mysticism, and the ethereal realms.
♇ Pluto: power, intensity, obsession, control, and transformation — It signifies deep personal changes, rebirth, and the uncovering of hidden truths.
the twelve houses in astrology Charts
the astrological houses show us which spheres or aspects of life receive more weight than others in a horoscope. Each astrological house stands for a particular sphere.
Various mathematical models calculate the houses differently. Consequently, there is quite a long list of differing house systems (Placidus, Regiomontanus, Equal, Vehlow, etc.). Most of these differ only in the method of calculation used to divide the quadrants.
The Whole Sign house system considers the whole sign of the zodiac that contains the Ascendant as the first house. In this system, houses are always complete zodiac signs.
Beginning from the sign that was rising from the east when and where you were born, the sky is divided into 12 sections, which symbolize areas of your life.
1st house: Self-image
2nd house: Your personal resources
3rd house: What you know
4th house: Home life
5th house: Pleasure & creativity
6th house: Productivity
7th house: Significant relationships
8th house: Beginnings and endings
9th house: Open-mindedness
10th house: How people see you
11th house: Friends & acquaintances
12th house: Unconscious
What's the relationship between houses, planets, and signs?
It can be helpful to think of the relationship between houses, planets, and signs as questions of “where,” “what,” and “how,” respectively. The houses represent specific areas in which situations might arise. The planets represent the kinds of energy that you could bring to those situations. The signs, finally, represent how that energy is expressed.
For example, if you want to understand how you relate to your personal resources, you can look at what planets show up in your 2nd house, or what sign that house is in. If you want to understand your emotional self, you can look at what house and sign your Moon is in.
An astrological reading
When we interpret an astrological chart, we call the process “reading.” That’s because astrology is a language built on archetypes, and every chart is a story. As I read a birth chart, I’m translating the core story that anchors it: the central themes and narratives that help divulge your unique needs, values, conflicts, and cravings.
how you can discover your natal promise
My head isn’t all up in the stars and I’m interested in astrology as a tool for earthly manifestation. It pairs beautifully with other systems (like coaching, therapy, journaling, and even personality quizzes) to help unearth and examine important bits of personal truth, path, and purpose.
For this reason, astrology readings here are neither psychic nor fortune-telling, either, though I do use my intuition. Every article, offering, reading here invites you to join me in exploring this complex language, so you can understand and get to the essence of your life.