ASTROLOGY 101 – the basics
To summarize, astrology is the belief that the constellations in the sky and the alignment of the stars and planets has an effect on every person’s life and actions. Yet, I can imagine you may scroll through Twitter and come across different accounts sharing their Venus sign and what that means in regard to their current partner. You may also come across a post talking about the Moon in Virgo and why that plays into our emotions. It’s normal to think; what in hell are these people talking about? Growing up, we were so used to picking up tabloids such as In Touch or Star and flipping to the horoscope section and reading about the significance of our birthday and what it told us about our current life. I don’t know about you guys, but I could never relate to them. I remember reading the traits for Capricorns (I’m January 3rd) and I would always think: “hmm, maybe? Am I always this cold? It says I am always motivated but I know there are times where I feel lazy.”
What if I told you that astrology is beyond the Weekly Horoscope section? The reason why you may feel like your horoscope is off is because… it is! When you read trendy horoscope posts that are meant to entertain and market to a certain audience, the “advice” comes off as generic and it doesn’t fit to the specific individual reading the article. It doesn’t take a credited astrologer to see this trend. Try it using your birthday and see! Sure, most Capricorns can be hard workers, but this doesn’t cover every single person.
For this reason, astrologers from various different backgrounds and cultures have studied the accuracy of personalized astrological charts, also known as birth charts, and their role to be specific to one person’s life, environment, and actions. See below to understand more about the categorization of all the signs with their planets. In the future we will discuss these birth charts, so you can understand your own personal astrological readings.
THE SIGNS & THEIR PLANETS
To get started, you need to have a basic understanding of all 12 astrological signs. These twelve signs are categorized into four elements: fire, water, earth and air. Each group carries a set of specific traits that are expressed differently within the subgroups, or the actual signs. For example, Fire signs – (Aries, Leo and Sagittarius) are often known as very enthusiastic about their emotions, but people would describe Aries as the confrontational aggressors. I will go into more detail about this in a future article, stay tuned!
EARTH
Capricorn; THE GOAT
Between December 22nd and January 19th. This sign is ruled by the planet Saturn.
Taurus; THE BULL
Between April 21st and May 20th. This sign is ruled by the planet Venus.
Virgo; THE VIRGIN
Between August 23rd and September 22nd. This sign is ruled by the planet Mercury.
WATER
Cancer; THE CRAB
Between June 21st and July 22nd. This sign is ruled by the Moon. This sign is also known as the Mother of the Zodiac.
Scorpio; THE SCORPION
Between October 23rd and November 21st. This sign is ruled by planets Pluto and Mars.
Pisces; THE FISH
Between February 19th and March 20th. This sign is ruled by planets Neptune and Jupiter.
AIR
Libra; THE SCALES
Between September 23rd and October 22nd. This sign is ruled by the planet Venus.
Aquarius; THE WATER BEARER
Between January 20th and February 18th. This sign is ruled by planets Uranus and Saturn.
Gemini; THE TWINS
Between May 21st and June 20th. This sign is ruled by the planet Mercury.
FIRE
Aries; THE RAM
Between March 21st and April 19th. This sign is ruled by the planet Mars.
Leo; THE LION
Between July 23rd and August 22nd. This sign is ruled by the Sun.
Sagittarius; THE CENTAUR
Between November 22nd and December 21st. This sign is ruled by the planet Jupiter.
Now that we have categorized the signs by their element, we must group them again, but this time we will group them by their qualities. This is also known as a quadruplicity, or a group of four. Think of it as a quadrant of the zodiac, and four signs fit within one quadrant in terms of characteristics. In astrology, the quadruplicities we see are Cardinal signs, Mutable signs, and Fixed signs. Each group has its own specific meaning that must be interpreted along with the elemental traits of each sign.
01.CARDINAL signs --- a cardinal means primary, chief, principal, ruler. The following signs are known to be Cardinal Qualities because they fall at the start of every season, which represents a fresh start & new beginning. These signs are known as trail-blazers, idea starters who get the ball rolling! They are also described as new, innovative, creative and ambitious.
ARIES, LIBRA, CAPRICORN AND CANCER
02. MUTABLE signs --- the term mutable means liable to change. Varying, fluctuating, shifting. These signs are known to adapt to whatever environment they are placed in and have a sense of flexibility.
GEMINI, VIRGO, SAGITTARIUS AND PISCES
03. FIXED signs --- to be fixed, you are fastened securely in position. The term is very obvious to the traits these signs hold. They are set, predetermined and firm in their actions and ways of life. Often times paired with a sense of stabilization and stubbornness.
TAURUS, LEO, SCORPIO AND AQUARIUS
I hope this quick lesson makes some of the original confusions easier to understand! When we get into astrological charts, you will see how all these traits and categories appear and affect your life differently based on the planet they represent in YOUR own life.
This is only the beginning. Get ready to expand your mind and watch yourself grow.
