HOW HOROSCOPES WORK
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How do horoscopes work?

What we may find today to be a fun way to start our day, when we open our daily paper or our inbox and go straight to that horoscope that’s delivered daily, actually comes from an ancient form of study that was done by some of the earliest civilizations. The people who formed these civilizations took great attention to the fact that the stars, planets, and moons, would be on a constant shift and would be forever changing. Knowing that this must be important in some way, they related these shifts and changes to the changes that were happening in their own lives, whether it pertained to the changing of the seasons, outbreak of war, hard economic times, or simple weather patterns. This study of relating what was happening in the sky to what was happening in their own lives was both scientific and religious and came to be what we know today as astrology.

This study continues today by many, who are constantly studying the shifting patterns and relating it to individual lives. But what is it really all about? What do the different signs mean and how can they tell about one person’s character? Astrology is one of the most intricate and controversial subjects and while some are firm believers in what their horoscopes say, others think that it’s just silly nonsense, while some have even referred to astrology as a form of black magic. But can it really be all bad, especially if it can lend insight into who we are as people and help how we relate to those around us? And can horoscopes and astrology really help us predict the future? To really understand astrology, and decide for yourself whether it’s something to be taken seriously or not, you must first understand the basics and beliefs behind it.

What is Astrology?

So what is astrology, exactly, besides simply looking up at the sky and making something up about your own life? It’s actually quite more than that although there are many different forms of astrology. However, any form of astrology will look at the position of objects in the sky, generally stars and planets, and determine the impact that they have on human lives. What’s important, and how astrology can be related to one specific person, is the position of certain suns, moons, planets, and stars, on the date of their birth. These positions along with the date of birth can be studied to determine what one individual’s personality will be and what life will hold for them.

When most people first hear of astrology, they immediately think of what their ‘sign’ is. This refers to a form of sun-sign astrology and one’s sign refers to one of the 12 signs that fall within the zodiac. This is an extremely simplistic form of astrology and all that’s needed to tell everything about one individual is their date of birth. Even firm believers in astrology say that this form of astrology is so vague that it could either pertain to just about anyone or be so far off the mark that it’s simply unbelievable. Astrologers, who want to be taken seriously, usually perform a much more in-depth reading for those who want a glimpse into their future and this reading will usually involve a detailed look at the exact time of the individual’s birth, what sign each planet was in, as well as other things such as certain houses or angels. These are all pieces of a puzzle that come together to form a complete picture of one person’s personality, what their life will hold for them, and how they will fair in relationships.

There is no one form of astrology that is firmly followed by all astrologers. The astrology that ancient civilizations practiced is what has been most of the basis for astrology in the Western world today. In the East, there are also many different, and well-known, forms of astrology. Some of the most well-known are Chinese, Vedic, and Tibetan astrology. In the Western world, just as was in ancient civilizations, there are still many different form of astrology. These different forms of astrology have different methods of getting a reading and they are also used for different purposes.

How Your Sign is Determined

As mentioned earlier, a person’s sign refers to what zodiac sign they are within the zodiac calendar. This sign is determined by looking at the person’s date of birth and looking at what constellation the sun was in at that date. This may be easier to imagine if you imagine looking at the stars and moons, and everything else in the night sky and picturing that they are on a gigantic sphere. They actually are, and this sphere is known by astrologers and astronomers as the celestial sphere. This is a critical part of studying what’s in the sky because it allows for measurements to be given and derived from the sky.

We all know that the Earth revolves around the sun. As it does this, the sun also moves in a path along the celestial sphere, and this is known as the ecliptic path. The sun moves extremely slowly along this ecliptic path, progressing only one degree each day, which is approximately a 23.5 degree difference from the axis that the Earth rotates on. The difference in this degree is what is responsible for the amount of sunlight the Earth receives and seasonal changes can also be attributed to this. Once the sun is in a certain position in the sky, depending on the time of year and the astrological method being applied, the sun will have a sign that appears behind it in the daytime sky. Those astrologers from the earliest civilizations determined this sign by observing what sign rose first in the evening and which sign would set last in the morning. Therefore, if someone is a Pisces, it means that the sun was in the constellation of Pisces on the day that they were born.

The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac and what they Mean

So what are these 12 signs of the zodiac and what all is included in them? Each zodiac sign has its own name, its own symbol, and its own personality traits. Each sign is also considered to be masculine or feminine and these alternate throughout the zodiac calendar. However, the masculine and feminine traits don’t refer to the fact that they are male or females but rather relate to the Chinese Ying and Yang and represent traits that balance each other out. The different signs are also considered to be cardinal, which is related to movement; fixed, which resists change; or mutable, which is very adaptable to change.

These are generally the most commonly accepted symbols for the 12 different zodiac signs:

In addition to all of this, the different signs are very commonly grouped by elements. The four elements the signs are categorized by are Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. The signs that fall under the Fire element are: Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. Fire signs are thought to take on leadership roles, be enthusiastic, are aggressive, and easily adapt to change. The signs that fall under the Water element are: Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. Water signs are most known for being extremely sensitive, passionate, and emotional people. Earth signs include: Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn and these signs are most known for their high rationale and their very specific goals. The last element, Air, includes the signs: Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius and these signs are thought to be highly intellectual signs.

All of these components are studied to create basic personality profiles for people that fall within certain signs. This, combined with detailed examinations and talking about their current, and past lives, can provide astrologers with a better understanding of an individual. Below is a listing of the 12 different signs and all of the different personality traits that they possess.

	Date of Birth	Personality Traits
Aries	March 21 – April 20	Proud, young, spontaneous, courageous, competitive, aggressive, arrogant, short-tempered
Taurus	April 21 – May 21	Conservative, loyal, stubborn, has materialistic goals, does not like change, possessive
Gemini	May 22 – June 21	Has influence over people, likes to always ‘be in the know’, very literate, curious, adapts easily to change, absent-minded, loves traveling
Cancer	June 22 – July 22	Wary, family-oriented, romantic, domestic, has a vivid imagination, shy, thorough, likes to remember the past with a particular focus on tradition
Leo	July 23 – August 21	Proud, brave, outgoing, vain, ambitious, open-minded, often linked with royalty, has a very optimistic outlook
Virgo	August 22 – September 23	Extremely conservative, uptight, very calm, introverted, concerned with matters of health, questions everything, very kind
Libra	September 24 – October 23	Outgoing, analyzes everything, secretive, tactful, wants peace and harmony, does not deal with conflict or crisis well, objective
Scorpio	October 24 – November 22	Vengeful, sarcastic, brave, concerned with protecting themselves, possesses survival skills
Sagittarius	November 23 – December 22	Adventurous, proud, impatient, is both refined and polished yet rugged and passionate, outgoing, is always looking to the horizon, progressive, eclectic
Capricorn	December 23 – January 20	Neurotic, often looks inward, has many inhibitions, conservative, methodic, practical, detail-oriented, good at planning things

Star Charts

The 12 different signs in the zodiac, and where the sun falls within that sign are key elements to understanding astrology. These are the elements that are mostly focused on by critics and what most horoscope columns in newspapers are based on. However, serious astrologers take a closer look at these signs and determine what signs the planets are in.

This is done much the same way that the sun signs are determined. Astrologers use mathematical and scientific formulas, which are placed onto charts, to determine where a planet will be on any one day in the year. They determine these formulas and charts by determining the different movements of the planets. Based on this knowledge, astrologers can then determine where a certain planet will be on any one day of the year, for any year. Although theoretically, this can be done for any date, the further you get from the present date, the harder it is to correctly determine where the planet was or will be. Just like all the different signs have different influences and traits, so do the different planets and correctly aligning a person’s sun sign with the movement and shifts of the planets, is when serious astrology comes into play and becomes more than you would get from the daily paper. How the planets are positioned within proximity to each other and the different angles and mathematical calculations are all also taken into consideration.

To make it easier to understand, an astrologer may see that Saturn is in Sagittarius. Saturn is a planet known for its patience and disciplined nature. Sagittarius however, is free-willed and extroverted so when these conflicting traits meet, it’s an astrologers job to interpret what that means. Because astrology is a science that is much left up to interpretation, the different theories that could be provided are endless and this is why one person could go to 10 different astrologers for a reading and be left with 10 very different results.

 

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