Let's Talk About Stars, Baby

“Oh you’re a Virgo sun? And you’re a Capricorn moon? Sorry, we can’t be friends.”

See that I just can’t get down with.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Astrology; I think it’s incredibly interesting and strangely accurate in a lot of ways, but I would never base my opinions of someone solely on their Natal Chart. But this is where us folks who like Astrology get a bad name. You own one crystal and know your Rising sign and suddenly you’re a bad guy. It’s worse if you actively ask someone their sign, say something like “Oh that makes a lot of sense,” and get the response of: “You know that’s all fake, right?”

Well hear me out.

Astrology has its roots in Babylon, which in itself is fascinating. They would read the celestial bodies in connection to the gods and also gave the planets positive and negative aspects. This was further expanded upon by the Egyptians and Greeks. The Babylonians were the ones who divided the sky into 12 sections and then it was the Ancient Greeks who finally named the signs what they are today. These ancient civilizations would look to the night sky and watch how the stars changed throughout the seasons, which helped them with non-divination related things too like farming.

Ptolemy, one of the great mathematicians, philosophers, and geographers of Rome, was an astrologer. And you could easily label him a scientist. For a long time, astrology and astronomy were one in the same until the sky was turned into something that was mathematical instead of divine.

You can actually read in detail the history of the Zodiac on in an article on Time.

So if you want to say it’s all made up and not based on strict science, you can go ahead. It takes some level of belief to fully appreciate astrology, but it’s technically an ancient science that helped civilizations feel connected to their gods and the earth around them.

But like many Pagan traditions (a lot of which got hijacked by Christianity) it sometimes gets labeled as nonsense.

Take a look at your own Zodiac sign: does it describe you at all? Are you a hot-headed Aries? A Taurus who considers themselves a foodie? A Scorpio who’s drawn to the taboo? Some people are quite literally the definition of their sign while other people are...questionable.

Take me for example. I’m a Leo. A lot of people like to hate on Leos because they’re known as the attention-seekers of the Zodiac who need the spotlight. But me? That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Like please never make me the center of attention, I would rather sit in a room for 10 hours and listen to Baby Shark on repeat. And by no means am I fiery, confident, or dramatic. I’m the one at the party who finds and befriends the cat instead of talking to people. But am I warm-hearted, generous to those I care about, and maybe even a little competitive? Yeah I can maybe get behind that.

But what you need to factor in is that not everyone is meant to entirely encapsulate their entire sign. People go through so many experiences in their lives that shape their personality that it could very well account for a shift that makes them unlike their sign at all. But, this is all where your Natal Chart becomes particularly interesting. And honestly, kinda scary.

So your Natal Chart is determined by the placement of the sky on the time of your birth. You can go to a lot of free websites (I recommend Cafe Astrology for a nice detailed reading) that ask for your birth place and time to determine what the sky looked like when you were born. The place of your birth is important because if you were in New York and born at 7am, the star positions wouldn’t be the same as being born in Beijing at 8pm (which would be the equivalent time there). Think of how we can only see constellations at certain times of the year due to the Earth’s rotation. For example, in the U.S., it's why the Big Dipper changes locations all year round but some constellations disappear from the sky completely (like Orion leaving in winter). So the most accurate Natal Chart you can get requires time and place to give you the best reading.

What’s particularly interesting is that some positions in the sky don’t change because of their location, so there can be readings in a whole generation of people that are the same. Which can help really talented readers know events or traits that might describe a group of people at once.

I had wanted to know my Rising sign (also called Ascendant) for a long time. They always say that the Ascendant sign is actually more accurate to your personality because it describes more of your emotional self. It’s also how you present yourself to others. So if, like me, you don’t feel particularly connected to your sign, maybe your Ascendant will give you a better sense of yourself.

And then I found out my Ascendant was freaking Pisces.

Well, okay fine.

Pisces are the dreamers of the Zodiac, the emotional ones, head is always in the clouds and they are easily hurt. Empathetic creators who are often the victim.

I can’t exactly argue with it.

The thing about an Ascendant sign is that it isn't much different of a description than someone's Sun sign, but it's the meaning of the Sun, Moon, and Ascendant signs that make the difference. Your Sun determines what your actual Zodiac sign is, aka why I'm a Leo. It's meant to be the core of your personality, which is something I struggle with believing for myself. Am I an outspoken Leo who thinks she's better than everyone else? Hell no. Do some of these traits sit at the core of my personality? Eh...Leo's are also lovers of luxury and also 'lazy like lions.' So does that mean I want get a fancy meal delivered to my 5-star hotel room while I'm lounging in bed? Well yeah, obviously. But who wouldn't?

The Ascendant is, like I said, how you show yourself to the world and how others perceive you. Does this mean I'm a fierce lion hiding beneath the guise of a kindly little fish? I guess that's...acceptable. Maybe even a hopeful look at the complicated aspects of my personality. And it turns out that having Pisces as your Ascendant is fairly rare.

Now for your Moon sign. That's those inner aspects of your personality, those that are sometimes hidden, and your emotional response. So what did I expect for my Moon sign? Maybe it would be generous Sagittarius? Quirky Aquarius? Particular Virgo?

Nope...I'm a damn Aries moon.

Who the hell am I?

Don't get me wrong, I have a weird fondness for Aries people (maybe it's because I was a secret Aries Moon all along). But I never thought that another strong fire sign would be coupled into my chart. Aries are independent, brash, sometimes hot-headed go getters who are occasionally pretty sensitive. I just didn't think I was one.

But, it sort of does make sense I guess. I am almost frustratingly independent because no, I never want help doing something. Yes, I do get hurt easily. But I wouldn't consider myself some great trailblazing pioneer. Still, with my chart as it is, it seems to point to good things, and that I can appreciate. Funny when all those tarot readings you do for yourself are corroborated in your Natal Chart, huh?

Not that I plan to get into the details of my chart, but I definitely recommend anyone get theirs. Because yes, it tells you all about your Sun, Moon, and Ascendant signs, but it also gets into the incredibly interesting details of things like the position of planets and the Houses they fall into. And sometimes these are freakishly accurate.

For example, in my chart, Mercury is in the 6th House. This says that I'm generous in nature, good at making lists and organizing, good at crafts, a bit of a hypochondriac, and also probably nervous because there's too much going on in my head.

Um...I'm sorry, is someone watching me?

That's what I mean by scary accurate.

But there's all sorts of unique readings that can be just as illuminating in your chart. Each House has a different meaning when it's connected to a certain sign or planet. And then you have things like your Black Moon Lilith which is your darker, repressed side. Or the South Node which are traits that we can be too comfortable in as opposed to the North Node which are traits to build upon to reach harmony.

It's intriguing to say the least.

I can understand why people can't believe in Astrology as being relevant, but in many ways, it's more tangible than a lot of things people put their belief in. Because isn't it at least a little fascinating that your Natal Chart is determined by the alignment of the stars and planets whose meanings and placements were decided 1000s of years ago?

I've always been a lover of stars. Of the things in life that aren't based in science but that certain kind of magic that I think we need to keep our imagination alive. I don't think my Natal Chart is perfect, but not many things are. To think that I was born at just the right time to give me all these placements that describe me so well...can't totally be a coincidence, right? That ancient civilizations were looking to the stars, giving them name, and they're the same stars that give us our signs today.

There's something so lovely in that.

For reference, here's what a Natal Chart looks like! Not that it's easy to read. In the chart you can see my Sun is Leo, Moon is Aries, and the second to last is the Ascendant (ASC I) which is Pisces. Take your birth place, your birth time, and go see what the stars say about you. You might be surprised what you find.