Editor’s Note: With the last solar eclipse of the 2020 happening this past Monday, and a lot of emotion swirling around over the holidays, we felt that it was the right time to re-share this post from early 2018. Shout out to Caitlin for sharing your astrological insights!

Okay, I confess, the signs of the Signs of the Zodiac have been a committed interest, if not slight obsession, of mine for quite some time.

Being in the field of Psychology, I’ve found the idea that massive planetary objects in our solar system omit such force and pressure onto our Earth that they actually affect who we are to be absolutely fascinating. Talk about nature versus nurture!

And in my research, I’ve found that the whole Astrological/Zodiac profile of an individual is way more complex than I thought before. Our daily horoscopes that we read online or in magazines are just barely breaching the surface!

For when you’re interested in diving to an even deeper level of detail, below are the various pieces of information that you’ll want to pay attention to, as well as why each element is important.  These elements might just provide the missing pieces of insight you’re looking for to help you take on the day.

Zodiac Sign (aka, Sun Sign)

Most commonly, when you hear people talking about their “sign”, they are talking about their sun sign.  I would describe this to be, at a high level, the center of our personality (more of this is discussed below.) The sun is such a strong force that is describes a lot in terms of the underlying characteristics of our personality and energy level.

I found that, occasionally, there are individuals who adamantly deny identifying to their assigned sun sign. Just like everything else in life, the complexity of the Zodiac signs creates an environment where that totally makes sense. But, that may not be due to the shortcomings of the zodiac wheel, so much as our current understanding in the true complexity of it all.

What I have just discovered is how important all of planets in our solar system go into the making of the human relative to their profile in the zodiac, not just their sun sign.

While we pay a lot of attention to our sun sign, we may have many other strongly influential or even contradictory aspects of our birth chart that account for the lack of alignment we see in some sun signs.

The Planets

Each planet throughout the solar system pulls, draws, and pushes on us. Every planet in our solar system is believed to govern, strongly influence, and/or rule over different parts of our world, society, self.

This is where it starts to get a little tricky… Where each planet was within the zodiac chart upon your birthday influences how that planet governs its respective areas manifest into the life of the individual. The birth chart goes into really making us who we are relative to our astrological profiles.

While I’ve shared what each planet (including the sun) means for us at a high level, I’ve included bullet points that share exactly what each planet brings to our lives, too.

Here’s the break down;

Ascending Sign:

This sign represents our first impressions and impulsive reactions to the world around us. It is how others tend to perceive us upon first meeting.

Sun Sign:

This is the one we all know and talk about. Our sun sign dictates our personality and who we are within the zodiac.

• Interests
• Likes/dislikes
• Expression of Self
• Identity

Moon Sign:

The Moon is in charge of emotions and moods, as it is the tides, waxing and waning, adapting and changing.

• Emotions
• Moods
• Intuitive/psychic abilities  

Mercury:

Mercury is all about how we process information. Ruler of technology, travel and communication, Mercury is about the mind and how we think our way through life.

• Thinking
• Problem solving
• Communication

Venus:

Like the Greek Goddess, Venus is focused solely on love, both the platonic and intimate kind.

• Love
• What we value
• What we like for leisure
• How we attract others or what we are seeking out of others
• What you enjoy or how to define beauty

Mars:

Ruler of our more primitive features, Mars guides what we use for survival, our work ethic, and how we get sh*t done!

• Our drives
• Our aggression or prosocial behaviors.
• Motivations
• Aspirations
• Where and how one directs their energies

Jupiter:

Ruler of morality and the law, Jupiter focuses on what we believe as truth, reigning over the areas of philosophy and religious practices and traditions.

• Ethics
• Education
• Philosophy
• Self-evident Truths
• Truths we are in search of

Saturn:

A fairly serious planet, Saturn houses our boundaries and what might be interpreted as fears.  This planet guides the “lines we won’t cross.”  It will also highlight our various commitments and responsibilities, the stuff we HAVE to do, and the stuff that gets in our way.  It brings to light our mental obstacles.

• Limitations
• Major life lessons

Uranus:

This planet is our ruler of creativity, originality, and electricity. This part of the zodiac is the rule breaker that loves to create new inventions and break old, static patterns of thought.

Interestingly, the qualities provided by Uranus (as well as the two planets below) are shared by full generations due the long amount of time it takes to go throughout the zodiac.

• What makes you authentic
• Changes
• Epiphanies

Neptune:

Neptune guides our dreams, healing, psychic abilities and intuition. It typically rules our spirituality and gives us those sensitive “gut feelings” that tell us what’s right and wrong.

Where this planet is located means that it is also shared by full generations due the long amount of time it takes to go throughout the zodiac.

• What inspires you
• Imagiation
• Creativity

Pluto:

Ruler of all that is below, as neo-Freudians may call it, our “shadow”, Pluto is the ruler of our unconscious. Shared by generation due the long amount of time it takes to go throughout the zodiac.

• Where you feel the extent of big life events in your life
• Intrapersonal Empowerment

Where do you fit?

Each planet is the ruler of an aspect of you or your life. Where the planet was within the zodiac wheel at the time of your birth determines how those ruling areas of your life are expressed.

For example;

• if your moon sign is in Cancer, like me, then you are emotionally secure, an incredibly intuitive nurturer, and might little bit sensitive to criticisms, according to Astrolabe.
• If your Mars is in Leo like me too, you are a self initiator, and you may be stubborn or unyielding in living your life according to your own rules, (which isn’t a bad thing, eh?).

With all of this new information, it makes sense that the way the way we espouse our “signs” is so individualized and personal.  Dive a little bit deeper into your birth chart, and the signs of the ones you love, to perhaps understand a little bit more on how you interpret the world around you.

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