What is astrology? 

 

Astrology is the mirroring of life on this planet in the patterning of the planets of our solar system.

 

Getting to know the key words for each sign, planet and house will help you to make sense of your chart. Think of it as getting to know a group of friends.  When I write my horoscopes I often have a little character in my head which has been created over the years. For instance, I know when Mercury is in retrograde that Aries won't bother backing up work on computers as they are "spur of the moment” characters who act on impulse. Therefore I have to tell them more than most to make sure that they back up everything, rather like telling off a naughty child.  On the other hand I'd only have to hint about this to a Virgo as they are far more practical and will take any warning to heart. Too much so in fact!

 

 

You can find out which signs you are compatible with in love work and play. Who you should be looking to for solace and who you should be looking to for a party.  Which sign will give you a one-night stand and which signs will give you a lifelong commitment.   

 

Have you ever wondered why some signs make you dumbstruck and you can't find the words you want to say to them, but instead you just stand and stare as your mouth moves but no words come out.  Well now you can discover what conversation the different signs prefer, whether they are listeners or talkers and just which friends are likely to spill the dirt on you or even seduce your partner behind your back.  You may have thought that your mates had dropped a fork under the table but they could just be playing footsy with your other half, so get the inside information, before they do.  You also need to know where to go to find the man or woman of your dreams; you may have spent the last ten years in night-clubs when you should really have been in the supermarket.    Driving down the road in the summertime?  Find out what kind of music you should play to attract the man or woman of your dreams and of course what hobbies and foods they like.

 

Rising Signs

Rising signs can tell us a lot about a person. The ascendant is actually the degree of the zodiac which appears on the eastern horizon in your horoscope and it can have more of an effect on your life than you may realise, for it is the feel that your life will have, it describes the clothes you wear, the first impressions people get of you.

 

Your moon sign is your first instinct and your first reaction that you may have but your rising sign, also known as your ascendant will be the face that the world first sees.  In fact it is interesting to look at what each effect each of the planets has on us and what they say about us.

 

For the purposes of astrology the sun and the moon are included in the ten planets which make up the solar system.  They are also known as the 'luminaries' or 'the lights'

 

In a birth chart each of these planets symbolically represents a psychological function, a facet of your personality and the position of each planet by sign and house gives a very strong indication of your likely traits and characteristics.  So each planet has a different job to do in your horoscope and once you have read what each of the planets do for us and which part of our lives and personalities they represent you can study the sun sign to find out how you act in all of these different areas.

 

Your Sun sign

 

In a year the sun goes through every sign of the zodiac, 1 degree a day.  When someone wishes us many happy returns little do they know that they are actually referring to the fact that the sun has returned to the place it was in the day you were born! The sun is the single most important planet on your birth chart, which is why astrologers in newspapers, me included use it as your daily general guide. Your sun sign is your true self, your personality and is really the essence of you and your conscience. If we look at the sun sign Leo, who is ruled by the sun, then you will learn that those born under the sign of Leo always smile when they first meet people, they are happy natured, but I must also say prone to depression for beneath the brightness of the sun there is a roaring fire and it is unlikely that many people ever get to know the full ins and outs of the lions life.  But our sun sign can tell us a lot about ourselves and how we feel which is why we astrologers use the sun sign when making general predictions in the magazines and newspapers.  To look at someone's moon sign for example is no good in a public paper for who out of any of us would really admit that we get jealous without thinking, or that we are mean with money when we walk into a bar with friends.   We don't like to talk about these facts because after they have occurred we are embarrassed of them.  We would much rather read about our sun sign and our personality traits which we cannot really deny when reading out in public.  The darker sides of our personalities are for reading only in the privacy of a book, not just any newspaper or publication; we would only end up saying what a load of rubbish it all was.  In fact many of us still do even when the frowns that are upon are forehead speak for themselves to say we are a born worrier, yet our mouths are claiming different.

 

Your Moon sign

 

You know when someone says something to you and you cannot help but give a quick quip back, or when your partner comes in late for dinner with a smirk on their face or if they're a Pisces or Scorpio they possibly don't turn up at all and you end up pouring the dinner into their favourite pair of shoes, well that's your moon sign!  Put bluntly it is your first reaction to things and is how you will intuitively and instinctively react and respond, it is the one thing that none of us are truly in control of, our emotions. If you read up more on this then you will be able to discover how you can perhaps avoid those pitfalls, although beware no amount of preparation can really stop you from doing what your moon sign will deem simply irresistible!  The moon rules those born under the sign of Cancer and you can often tell them from their round shaped faces, the norm not always the rule though and these people really are brilliant at coming out with witty comments, just when you least expect it.

 

Your Mercury sign

 

Mercury is the planet of communications and so this is how we will communicate with the world and how we put our message across.  It is actually the fastest moving planet next to the sun and rules the signs Gemini and Virgo.  Ever wondered why you couldn't get your homework in on time at school and when the teacher was telling you off for being late you were trying to explain that not only had you done what was asked of you when researching your subject but that you visited people that knew about it, questioned them and even became a member of any societies that linked to it.  This is because your mercury sign is probably Pisces and those people can't help but go all in on a project.  They will also be able to talk until the cows come home.   Mercury also relates to rational judgment, co ordination, the brain and nervous system is controlled by this, the conscious mind.

 

Your Venus sign

 

Now I'm sure you can guess what your Venus sign governs.  Yes, that's right love and romance and of course sex all come into this lovely part of your horoscope.  How you handle love and of course what you seek in a partner can all be found here and as Taurus and Libra share Venus as their ruling planets you will find that they will both do anything for the people they love.  These signs really do fall in love hook, line and sinker and they find it very hard to get out of it too.  You have seen those people that are dressed impeccably in a business suit but they secretly have a red g string on underneath it, well that is the Libran with their Venus in Scorpio and who knows, they may even have the stockings on to match if Venus is in Pisces!  Venus also controls our need to be sociable and affectionate; it is what makes us get on with other people.

 

Your Mars sign

 

This is a great one, for it is how you will fare in an argument and how you handle and approach any war type situations.  The food that is off in a restaurant may not be a problem to the waitress that gives you a cocky look and says no, but she should watch out for if your Mars is in Aries then you may just flip the whole plate over her head. Mars rules Aries and Scorpio and so if you have both your Sun and Mars in Scorpio you would definitely be a force to be reckoned with.  What you want you get, no matter how long it takes you to do so, and no one will be able to tell you any different.  This is all about your abilities and your desire to assert yourself, anything in fact which requires energy.   Also desire and passion of course and the need for physical and sexual excitement.

 

Your Jupiter sign

 

Now the planet Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces and these characters have the strength to make plans succeed, as much for others as for themselves and so would make great agents and supporters to those around them.  Your Jupiter sign will show how you grow and progress in life and can help you to make opportunities where before there were none. The sign that this planet is in will show how strong a chance you have of getting your man or woman at the pace you desire and will also show what beat you dance to, whether you will salsa them to the bedroom or whether it is a quickstep that is more your style. Of course I mean your pace of seduction and moves in life and not the dance, but you get my gist!  Jupiter is also about grace and urges you to connect yourself with something greater than yourself, such as faith.

 

 

Your Saturn sign

 

Now this is the most distant and slow moving of the planets so he deals with things like restrictions in life.  Can't seem to get where you want as quick as you would like well that would be because of slow moving and restrictive Saturn.  Ever had all day to do your shopping but once you get to the supermarket checkout you start giving signs and moans to the person in front that is taking for ever, that's your Saturn influence that you are battling it out with. This planet rules Capricorn and Aquarius and so they are forever trying to get things done to a schedule.  This is also about luck and fate and is a most interesting part of our charts and characters indeed.  Saturn is also about self-control and discipline and urges you to build for you and your close ones security.  It provides you with your challenges, painful as they may be and places tests before you.  It is rather like an authoritative father figure.

 

 

The New Planets

 

Now when I call these new planets, I mean new in terms of astrology.  Uranus, co ruler of Aquarius was discovered in 1781, Neptune was discovered in 1846 and Pluto was discovered in 1931.Pluto is all about regeneration and Neptune governs our fantasies and sacrifices.  Pluto is the co ruler of Scorpio and is where this sign often gets its fascination from to dabble with drink and drugs. It also transforms everything it touches. Here's where you can play a bit of detectives for yourselves. Obviously I'm not allowed to name celebrities names that have been linked with drug or alcohol problems that would be slanderous, but we know who they are, we see them in the media.  Look up their dates of birth and you can almost guarantee that the majority of them will be Scorpios. Pluto only changes signs every fifteen years and so this is where the age generations start to find some common ground and where we see phases and fashions finally mince together but not always I'm afraid on a constructive level.  Uranus, co ruler of Aquarius was the first new planet beyond Saturn and is all about resistance and dissociation. It is about deviation from the normal, inventive impulses, freedom of oneself and is the planet of originality and revolution.