Astrology for Beginners: 5 Things You NEED To Know

Shannon Yrizarry
Published May 19, 2018

I talk to people all the time who don’t know where to begin when it comes to learning about astrology. Thus the birth of this very article!

I’ve put together 5 of the most direct and easy to digest concepts you should familiarize yourself with. Once we unpack these, you can learn to use astrology in a way that can help you align with your soul’s purpose, as well as help you understand how other people tick! You’ll learn to identify your own natural strengths and weaknesses to help you balance and improve upon yourself.

Astrological cycles also help us see when major events will happen, when to start projects, and when to expect delays. We can plan for these changes, can making our lives a heck of a lot easier. Moving into a deeper understanding of the world and the Self is something I know takes time, but it is so worth the investment. We keep you up to date on major cosmic happenings on our website, so check in frequently to see what’s going on and you’ll start to see the themes in your life that cycle with the planets.

Beginner’s Astrology: 5 Things To Know First

1. The Primal Triad

Primal Triad – This refers to the three most influential parts of your birth chart: the placements of the sun and moon and your rising sign. These placements are determined by the exact time and location of your birth. You can know a lot about a person just by knowing their primal triad.

Your Sun Sign is your ego, the mark of the innermost structure of our character. In Western astrology, the sun sign is considered primary. This sign guides your actions, like your career and skill development and how you perform in social interactions. We respond at the deepest level through the filter of our sun sign. It’s a mark of our developmental needs, our core personality.

Your Moon Sign describes your emotional innerself. The moon sign also affects your romantic behavior when in love. This sign represents your physical, emotional and social needs. In Vedic astrology (from India), the moon sign and rising sign are considered most important (along with the houses, which you don’t need to get into at this point). Check out this article that explains why understanding your moon sign will improve your relationships.

The Ascendant (also known as your Rising sign) is your exterior, the face you give to the world, the way you appear to others. It can become the mask you wear that prevents the world from getting to know the real you. This is how we see the world and how the world sees us.

2. North Node

This is what your soul came here to learn. It’s not your comfort zone but how you must push yourself in order to learn. If you stay in your comfort zone (the south node) it can be to your soul’s detriment and cause depression. However, aligning with your north node can lead to an extraordinary, exciting, and fulfilling life!

3. Houses

There are twelve houses and each reveals something about a different aspect of our life. Depending on your time of birth, you’ll have different signs in each. The first house is your persona, the second is your finances. The third is your network, the fourth is your home. The fifth is your creativity and the sixth is your health. The seventh is your partner’s, the eighth is your business. The ninth is your spiritual life while the tenth is your career. The eleventh is your community and the final is your soul’s growth or sacrifice. Your birth chart interpretation will reveal what each sign in each house means for you. It’s revealing of your innermost behaviors and thoughts.

4. Traits of Each Zodiac Sign

There are only twelve signs and knowing their basic themes helps you understand how they affect you when they show up in different parts of your chart. Knowing the signs will help you to better understand other people’s many layers as well. Here are basic ideas of each:

Aquarius is a big picture person. Pisces is an artistic type. Aries is a fast mover and thinker. Taurus is a slow mover. Gemini is indecisive and curious. Cancer is nurturing and sensitive. Leo is extravagant and the center of attention. Virgo is organized and helpful. Libra is intuitive and happy go lucky. Scorpio is erotic and deep. Sagittarius is evolved and adventurous. Capricorn is loyal and business minded.

5. Moon Cycles

Every two and a half weeks the moon is either full or new. During a new moon is when we feel like retreating from the world and often feel tired. When you look in the sky, the moon is completely in shadow, invisible to the naked eye. This is when our creativity is heightened and we can hear the whisper of our soul. We then hold that vision from the new moon to the full moon and take action towards it. The full moon is when we usually see things move forwards. This is when one side of the moon is completely illuminated, a full circle in the sky. The two days before and the two days after a full moon are a window of change for most people. This is when things seem to show up out of the blue and our hard work finally pays off.

Learn more about how to manifest with the moon cycles.

Conclusion

After this, start to track three more things:

The sign the moon is in during the new and full moons to know more specifically what energy is available to you based on the element and traits of the sign the moon will be in.
Know when the sun is moving through which sign so you can see how it affects the general mood for that month.
Plan for Mercury retrograde, so you know when things may feel like they are standing still, when people from the past may show up, and when electronics could malfunction.

I am still learning astrology, layer by layer. It’s a life-long study! When I finally got a handle on the personalities of each sign, I made lists of the symbols of the signs and watched videos on how to read birth charts, linking the zodiac signs to the planets that rule them. This is not something to concern yourself with at first, but just know that the horoscopes you read on a website are just the tip of a huge, cosmic iceberg. Essentially, astrology is a roadmap to your greatest possible fulfillment, success and strong relationships.