Have you ever read your daily or weekly horoscope in the paper or even on our site here, and thought to yourself that this doesn’t sound like you or your situation at all? Maybe you read that you’re going to meet someone new and exciting, but you’re already in a happy and fulfilling relationship. Perhaps the horoscopes talk about your career, yet you’re happily retired.
If this has happened to you, it doesn’t mean that the predictions are completely wrong. However, these predictions are usually made by taking your Sun sign and using 0° of that sign as the ascendant, and that’s not going to be completely accurate for everyone! How can you fix this so that your horoscopes are more useful to you?
I’ve been doing astrology since the 1970s (and reading my own horoscope even longer than that.) and I will admit that there does seem to be a lot of inconsistency! Sometimes you’ll look at your horoscope and it will have you under one sign, yet in another publication, you’re something else!
Sometimes it’s an error on the astrologer’s part, but there are other more mathematical explanations. One is because the equinoxes and the solstices don’t necessarily fall exactly on the same date every year. Also, the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, while consistent, isn’t always as neat and precise as the dates we assign to the zodiac.
It gets into the physics and astronomy of the Earth’s orbit. Astrologers are not astronomers and those that are less than professional may not do their due diligence in researching this information year-to-year.
Your time of birth is also hugely important; that’s why your astrologer will keep pestering you for it. If you think about it, it makes sense. When it’s 12 PM in New York, it’s 6 PM in London, and even later in Paris. When it’s 7 PM in New York, it’s already the next day in Europe, Asia, and Australia! That’s why the time and place of your date are imperative for an accurate birth chart.
The dates that separate two signs, or two houses of the zodiac, are called cusps. Now, here comes the tricky bit. You can’t really be both signs; you’re always going to be one or the other if you know your time and place of birth. That’s because astrology is measured in degrees. However, it’s also fluid.
You might be 0° and 45° Capricorn, but you’re still a Cappy! Even though your Sun sign is definitely Capricorn, you’re on the cusp between Sagittarius and Capricorn, so you should read the horoscope for both signs because you need both pieces of information.
So, you see, the answer is complicated. The very best way to read your horoscope when you fall on the cusp between the signs is as follows. If you do these three things, I promise you that you’ll have a pretty clear indication of what’s going on. It will really help you understand things in a different light!
- Read the horoscope for both signs
- Consider your actual rising sign in your own birth chart.
- See what transits are influencing your natal Sun
Related Article: Moon Sign Horoscopes: How to Relieve Stress by Knowing Your Moon Sign
Another important factor to consider is the way that the ‘one size fits all’ horoscopes are calculated. Most popular predictions are done by putting 0° of the Sun sign as the ascendant in the chart and then doing the forecast based on that. I had someone contact me just last week to ask why his horoscope said that Sagittarius was in his 8th house, but looking at his personal birth chart, it was in his 12th house.
The generic horoscopes for each sign place the Sun—which rules the personality and the ego—and put it in the first house, because that’s the house of personality and countenance. Then the planets are placed accordingly, from that rising sign. There is a lot more to consider when you’re reading and considering the guidance of horoscopes.
Primal Triad
Your Sun sign, Ascendant, and Moon sign combined are what astrologers call your primal triad. Just as you’re not made up of your personality without your feelings, you’re not just your Sun sign. Other planets and markers in your birth chart are important, but none are so important as the placements of your Sun, Moon, and Ascendant—and any aspect and transits made to them.
It’s easy to see how it all fits together if you think of the Primal Triad as being your authentic self (Sun sign), the way you present yourself to others (ascendant), and the way you feel about your life (Moon sign). Other factors in your birth chart influence you and how your life unfolds, sure. They’re not the core of your being, though, and that’s why the Primal Triad is so important.
Sun Sign
Of course, you want to read the horoscope for your Sun sign. Some of you may be born right when one sign changes to another. Sometimes even the dates seem to change from sign-to-sign, depending on where you’re reading your forecasts. There’s a reason for this—and the simplest solution is to read the predictions for both signs.
Your Sun sign is important to your horoscope, because the Sun represents your identity. It’s the area of your chart where astrologers look to see who you are, and what makes you tick. It represents your personality and your countenance. You’re more than just your Sun sign, though!
Rising Sign
Your rising sign is also called your ascendant, and it makes up a very important part of your horoscope. While your Sun sign reveals a lot about your identity, your ascendant shows the mask you wear. It’s the person that you want the world to see.
Sometimes when your horoscope doesn’t sound like you, it’s a good idea to read the horoscope for your ascendant, too. Maybe your authentic self isn’t dealing with the issues that the forecast raises, but it might be relevant to the personality that you present to the world.
Moon Sign
Your Moon sign is another incredibly important factor when it comes to interpreting your birth chart. Your Moon sign is where your emotions lie. Your feelings are the foundation for your spirit and the way that you respond to situations in your life.
We’re all the center of our own lives, simply because we see things from our own point of view. You’re always perceiving the world from your center. Your Moon sign tells you a lot about how you feel and your likely emotional responses. If you know your Moon sign, read the forecast for that sign, too.
Conclusion
You can fix how you read your horoscope by expanding what you’re doing. I recommend that you take a look at the predictions for all three signs; your Sun sign, Moon sign, and rising sign (ascendant). This will help to give you a more rounded idea of what to expect.
The best way to know what’s in store for you is to get a transit report done by a professional astrologer. You can learn a lot by reading all three signs in the horoscopes, but you have to remember how generalized these are. To really use your horoscope right, it has to be your personal chart, and what’s pertinent to you.