Astrology 101: It’s Not Rocket Science (But It’s Close!)

Astrology is as Old as the Beginning of Recorded Human History 

Astrology is a spiritual practice that helps us understand the human experience for millions of years (yes, that’s right MILLON).

In ancient times, people conceptualized the movements of planets and stars and the material events unfolding in the human existence on planet Earth. The practice of astrology to this day continues to capture the curiosity many, with it’s sense of mystery, human psychology, and the spiritually healing effect it has on those who take the time to integrate a basic understanding of it.

The Basics of Astrology

Since we are spiritual beings living out a human expereince, the positions of the sun, moon, planets, has a profound impact on our human lives. The most well know tool in astrology, a birth chart shows a snapshot of the sky at the moment a person was born. This chart maps out the positions of the celestial bodies, better known as the twelve zodiac signs.  Each sign representing different traits and tendencies of the human existence.

The zodiac signs are named after twelve constellations found in the sky:

-Aries ♈️

-Taurus ♉️ 

-Gemini ♊️

-Cancer ♋️

-Leo ♌️

-Virgo ♍️

-Libra ♎️

-Scorpio ♏️

-Sagittarius ♐️

-Capricorn ♑️

-Aquarius ♒️

-Pisces ♓️

Each sign is associated with specific characteristics and is ruled by a planet, which further influences its nature.

What Each Planet Represents

In astrology, each planet represents different aspects of life and parts of our personality:

• The Sun: Our best selves, greatest desires, the things that make you say, “in my element”.
• The Moon: How we self soothe, our emotional internal workings, our greatest needs, the most hidden parts of ourselves that we show only to those closest to us.
• Mercury : Learning style, how we communicate, speech patterns.
• Venus: Love language, what we look for in a partner, relationship to money, self worth
• Mars: What fills us with passion, what excites us, how we assert ourselves, how we deal with anger.
• Jupiter: How we get lucky, what we can’t get enough of, where we’re prone to self indulgence, what we are the “guru” of 
• Saturn: How we take responsibility, self discipline, where we can become stagnant, our greatest life lessons 
• Uranus: How we stand out from the crowd, where we’re a catapult for change, what we rebel against the status quo.
• Neptune: Our greatest fantasies, where we can be misled and deceived, how we want to serve for the greater good.
• Pluto: Where we destruct, how we regenerate and transform after trauma, where we become the phoenix rising from the ashes.

You can read more about each of the planets and signs on various websites such as Cafe Astrology

Astrology Today

Each zodiac sign, the house it occupies, and where the planets are placed provides an internal blueprint to an individual’s innate personality, natural capabilities, areas for growth, and the potential to discover their most fulfilling life purpose.

Yes, we do still have the advancements of technology, and scientific discoveries to explain naturally occurring phenomena, but astrology is still wildly used as a tool for self improvement, establishing self awareness and promotes spiritual well being in a world of chaos and confusion.

I’m personally a fan of breaking down the birth chart into 12 pieces. Find out what the hell I’m talking about  

Astrology must be approached with open mindedness, curiosity, and willingness to think outside the status quo.  Over the decades, astrology has gained a bad name due the informative abuse of excusing bad behavior or judging others based on one’s just the sun sign alone.  It has garnered the name, “pop astrology” and is not recognized as real astrology by those practicing it professionally.  Luckily, many more people today are more open to learning about it even if they hold a bit of skepticism.