Astrology Basics for Beginners

There is more to astrology than simply reading your sun sign. It is a complete work of all the planets and more to make a chart just about you.

How many times have you opened a book about astrology and read all you could about your Sun sign, only to put the book down and think, “That doesn’t explain me at all.” The reason for that is because there is more to your astrology chart, personality, and life path then just your Sun sign. And even though your sun sign may explain your personality in a broad spectrum, you need to know how the rest of astrology works before you can really make sense of who you are.

The Sun

The Sun is the most active force in your astrological chart. It is the most talked about and the most popular. That makes sense since it is the bigger part of your personality, and that part is what the world gets to see the most often. The Sun is the living force for our entire planet, and as such, the Sun sign is the living force for who you are and how you achieve your goals. It is the part of yourself that you can at most times control, the force behind how you act, and how other people perceive you. Yet, it is not the only planet in your birth chart and, if read on its own, seldom makes complete sense to the reader.

Decanates

Your Sun sign is broke down into three decanates. The first decanate is the first 10 days of the sign, the second is the next 10 days, and the third is the last 10 days. It doesn’t always follow a 10-day cycle since not every month has 30 days. Decanates help to refine your Sun sign without losing the basics for the sign. This is the first of many reasons why two people with the same sign can seem very different.

Cusps

To be born on a cusp is to be born on the day that one sign moves into the next sign. People born on a cusp often have the influence of both signs in their personality, yet one is always stronger. That is because a sign doesn’t change just because the calendar marks it. It is when the Sun will move from one to the next. A person who is born on Sept 23, the day Virgo moves into Libra, will be one or the other depending on the time of their birth. If that person is born at 8:32 AM and the Sun is still in Virgo until 4:03 PM, that person is a Virgo, not a Libra. It is important for people born on a cusp day to know what time they were born and where the Sun was on that day to know which sign is truly theirs.

The Moon

The moon is the second most important planet in your birth chart. In some ways, it is just as important as the Sun, for one doesn’t work without the other. The moon sign is the inner, sometimes darker workings of your personality. It controls emotions and how you feel, reacts, and fantasize. It forms the parts of your personality that you normally don’t want others to see, and at times you yourself don’t want to admit too. All your secrets and inner personality are formed by your moon sign.

The Other Planets

Of course, it doesn’t end there; the rest of the planets and how they were aligned the day and time you were born to play a part in the forming of your unique personality. Each planet controls a different aspect of human nature. They are as follows:

    * Mercury-Intelligence
    * Venus-Love and Pleasure
    * Mars-Physical Energy
    * Jupiter-Good luck, Optimism, Success, Generosity
    * Saturn-Responsibility
    * Uranus-Change, Originality
    * Neptune-Mystery, Illusion
    * Pluto-Awesome power

When each planet is charted, it is then put into a House. Houses divide the influence of the planets into specific functions to further narrow down who you are and how you make life decisions, form opinions and achieve your goals. There are twelve houses, all representing something different for your personality and your life path.

    * House of Self
    * House of Money
    * House of Communication
    * House of Home
    * House of Creativity
    * House of Service and Health
    * House of Partnership and Marriage
    * House of Death and Regeneration
    * House of Mental exploration and long-distance travel
    * House of Career and Public standing
    * House of Friends, Hopes, and Wishes
    * House of Secrets, Sorrows, and Self-Undoing

Getting to Know Yourself

There is more to astrology than a person’s sun sign. This is just the basics. To fully understand all the elements of astrology and birth charts, one must study the subject. By learning about astrology, you get the chance to understand yourself from the inside out. Astrology is about learning and understanding human behavior, and the first step in understanding is to first get to know who you are.