What is Astrology? 

What’s your Sun sign? 

If I were to ask you what your sign is, you’ll most likely know the answer to that question. What that question is really saying is, “What sign was your Sun in when you were born?” And what that really means is, what phase of a particular season were you born in? Our ancestors used the constellations as markers to remind them what time of the year or what season they were in. So it’s not the constellations that we get meaning from for the Zodiac signs, it’s really the energy of the seasons.

Every season has a beginning, middle, and end. And there are four seasons. Four times three equals twelve–poof, the Zodiac signs. So if you were born in the middle of the summer, you were born a Leo Sun. What happens during the middle of the summer? You go on vacation, you go to the beach, you get your full dose of vitamin D, and you celebrate life. If there’s anyone who knows how to get out of a slumber and rejoice in this beautiful gift called life, it is a Leo. Now, not so fast. You might be a Leo Sun reading this and not 100% agree with what I just described. Even though you might have been born in the middle of summer–with your Sun in Leo–you might have also been born with your Moon in Cancer. Instead of being expressive and performative in front of an audience, you might be quite sensitive, internal, and would rather spend your time in your cozy home than be dancing your butt off on a dancefloor. In astrology, we don’t look at placements in a vacuum and that’s because you’re not just your Sun. Every planet, including the Moon and what we call the Ascendant has something to say about who you are.

Astrology is a language that was created by our ancestors noticing patterns between the celestial bodies in our solar system and the constellations (which, once again, the constellations reminded our ancestors what phase of a season we were in). This ancient language has three main symbols: the planets, the signs, and the houses. The planets symbolize what part of a person’s psyche we’re talking about. Signs flavor the planets by providing them with the core values and motivations. And the houses represent which areas of a person’s life are of great importance (depending on what houses the person’s planets fall in). Let’s explore each symbol a little more.

As you can see, there are more layers than just being a “Leo.” Notice I put a word in that list that isn’t a planet? The ascendant. Also known as a person’s rising, the ascendant represents how you must compose your outward style in order to feel centered and aligned.

In astrology circles, you’ll often hear people sharing their big three: their Sun, Moon, and ascendant. A good description for these three placements is phrasing them as the primal triad. When I give a reading, I begin with describing these three placements first because focusing on these will get the ball rolling in understanding your essence.

The Primal Triad

Your vitality, your happiness, and your outward style are pretty big things to balance if you are going to want to be in alignment with the energy you have been equipped with, and that is why people focus on their primal triad.

If planets are asking what part of a person’s psyche we’re looking into (the what), then the signs provide the needs and motivations that drive the planets (the why and how). We can say signs flavor the planets. The signs in the Zodiac are the one symbol out of the three that most everybody knows in astrology. It is also the most misunderstood and we can blame pop astrology for that, but we can also thank pop astrology for helping to broadcast astrology into the mainstream. 

People are starting to learn that there’s more to one’s Sun sign. People are curious and want to learn what sign is compatible with their Sun sign. But just like other teachings, there are different perspectives to astrology, and in the social media world, the accounts most followed are the ones that usually talk about the toxic or shadow of signs, so people aren’t really getting an honest look at the real meanings of signs. Every sign has the potential to be toxic. Just as every sign has the potential to express its most beautiful qualities. What it boils down to is what level of consciousness is a person at. One person born a Pisces can be an addict, spacy, and deceitful. Whereas another Pisces can be mystical, imaginative, and compassionate. It all depends on their level of self-awareness.

With that being said, I do want to emphasize a point. Signs aren’t static, just like people aren’t either. Therefore, the Pisces in the first example can evolve from its shadow characteristics to the sign’s higher/healthier expression. Instead of escaping reality through drinking, drugs, and mindlessly watching tv, the Pisces can do the challenging work of being honest with itself by allowing his feelings to permeate his consciousness. If this Pisces can cultivate a meditative practice whether through the traditional route of sitting down with your eyes closed or through a meditative movement like surfing, then he will be supporting his sensitive psyche resulting in an individual who is present, empathetic, and imaginative. In essence, it’s ultimately up to the individual to decide how the signs they embody will be expressed. Will they do the work and express the beauty of their signs or will they remain stagnant and express the shadow sides?

 Last but not least, are the houses. This third symbol of the astrology language represents arenas of life (the where). When you look at an astrology chart, you are looking at a circle that is sliced up into twelve sections. The planets with their corresponding signs are going to land in any of the twelve slices. Depending on which houses your planets fall on will provide more data as to what is meaningful for you. Houses add a tremendous amount of value to a person because you can gain insight as to where to focus your energy (planet-sign combination) into. Let’s say your Sun is in Sagittarius. For you, it’s imperative that you make living life a quest to ultimately find meaning. In order to support that quest, it’s recommended that you travel, be a student for life, and immerse yourself in cross-cultural experiences. That already is giving you some information that can assist you in enhancing your vitality as a Sagittarius, but there’s one more piece to add: which house is your Sun in? Let’s say, for example, you’re a Sagittarius Sun and it is in the twelfth house–the house of consciousness. For you, my fellow archer, you’re going to take that adventurous, life-giving spirit of yours into the internal world. You’re going to find meaning by logging hours in altered, transcendental states. Maybe you travel to India to do a meditation program or you study a specific spiritual or even religious practice. Whether it’s meditating, staring into a bonfire, or contemplating on a mountain top, those behaviors are going to keep the flames of your Sagittarius sun burning.

Now, these descriptions are concise. They get the ball rolling, but aren’t the full description of each. Each house can take a whole chapter in a book. I just wanted to introduce you to this symbol that many people are unaware of but plays a huge role in what makes astrology beautiful.

If you would like a thorough analysis of this three symbol combination (the planets in their signs and houses), then click the button below to begin the journey of learning more about yourself through the lens of astrology.