Author: nrf5187

Throughout this passion blog, we have explored the many facets of what constitutes traditional astrology and applied their significance in context of what we’ve learned previously, like building blocks or steppingstones. In doing this, we were able to challenge preconceived notions about astrology, like its overgeneralization or only focusing on the sun sign. By understanding the complex historical systems of relationships in a natal chart, between aspects, houses, and signs, for example, we can arrive at a truly authentic appreciation for the study of traditional astrology and what it actually means.

At the beginning of starting this blog, I knew immediately that I wanted to focus on traditional astrology because it is something I have found a deep passion for and a comfort in, but at the same time, I was concerned that some readers would initially discredit astrology based solely on assumptions of pop culture or main media astrology, which tend to offer guaranteed predictions and only focus on the sun sign, which are not astrology at all. This inspired me even more to write about traditional astrology to dismantle some of the commonplaces many hold regarding astrology and encourage open-mindedness and appreciation for its traditional study. In this blog, we learned about the twelve astrological signs, and their elements and modalities, the house system, aspects, rulership, and much more in greater detail. Although these components can often be complicated and hefty to learn, we were able to deconstruct these concepts as much as possible and apply it with what we’ve learned previously, allowing us to come to a more holistic interpretation of an individual natal chart and a more nuanced understanding of planetary interactions that we can apply to our lives in beneficial ways.

With this newfound knowledge, I hope to leave you all with the curiosity to do more digging for yourself as to how astrology can best aid your life, as no one else has the same chart as you, everyone’s completely unique. By relating astrological concepts to your own chart, you can best relate what your chart reveals with your own personality, life events, relationships, etc.. As well, astrology can be an incredible tool for understanding our own temperaments and styles of how we show up in various areas of our lives, allowing us to have a clearer understanding of ourselves and the ways in which we operate. In studying your own natal chart and its significance, it is important to remember that it will not predict or claim for something to happen or how you or others are, it is simply a tool that can help guide you into understanding patterns or baselines for how you engage with the world around you. With this consideration in mind, freely exploring the depths of astrological study can be a truly enjoyable and astonishing journey. I first looked up my natal chart over eight years ago, and while I’ve learned a lot about astrology since then, studying traditional astrology is an undertake that will last a lifetime. I hope to continue this passion of mine long into the future and I hope this blog could inspire you to start your astrological journey too!

Understanding the planetary rulership of your first house is incredibly important in identifying the dominant energy of your chart, where this energy lies, and how it may show up in the day-to-day. The first house marks the beginning of the natal chart and signifies the self as we move through the world, and identifying the planet ruling over this house can offer great insight into how we present ourselves and take action. Planets and astrological signs are extremely interconnected, and in traditional astrology, certain planets are assigned as ruling over specific signs.

In traditional astrology, the planetary rulers include the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. Breaking this down even further, traditionally, the Sun rules Leo, the Moon rules Cancer, Mars rules Aries and Scorpio, Venus rules Taurus and Libra, Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces, and Saturn rules Aquarius and Capricorn. To identify the planetary ruler of your first house, you must first look at the sign occupying your first house, which is also the sign of your ascendant or “rising”. Once this sign has been identified, look to which planet rules over that sign, and that planet will be the ruler of your entire natal chart. The chart ruler has a significant influence over the ways in which we move and act through life, but a key piece to putting this in context is identifying where our chart ruler is located in the natal chart. Seeing where our chart ruler is placed can help us acknowledge which area of life is most prevalent to ourselves and where our primary life focus will be centered. In addition, recognizing aspects this planet makes, other planets in that house, and the sign and planetary ruler of that house can all offer extended insights into how our chart ruler may show up in our lives and the structure and direction it gives to our personas and behaviors, although this complexity can be quite difficult, especially in the beginning, to put together at once and in combination with one another.

To apply this information more concretely, I will provide a personal example of finding my own chart ruler and connecting it to the entirety of my natal chart. My first house is in the sign of Pisces, which is traditionally ruled by the planet Jupiter. With Jupiter ruling my chart, this shows that a great deal of my life’s unfoldings will relate to themes of expansion, optimism, and new experiences. In my natal chart, Jupiter is placed in the 7th house, occupied by Virgo and directly opposing the first house. This gives greater insight to my chart ruler’s effects, showing that in my partnerships and relationships with others, expansiveness and optimism will be at the forefront of these dynamics through my precise and thoughtful approaches with others, and also that this energy has the potential to create tension between the growth and expansion of my self versus that of others in my life.

Although learning how to identify your chart ruler and its effects within the natal chart can be challenging and complex, it is a wonderful tool to better understand the main ways in which we present ourselves and our actions to the world around us. By taking the time to learn and practice connecting our chart ruler with its accompanying aspects and relationships, we can come to a more holistic appreciation of traditional astrology and the intricacies it carries for us to uncover!

Thinking back to my previous blog post, I was able to deconstruct and examine three different types of planetary aspects, including conjunction, sextile, and square. This topic is a complex one, but by putting our newfound knowledge of aspects in combination with what we’ve covered previously, like the signs and houses, we can more effectively analyze how this information shows up within the complex interwoven nature of our lives and relationships. This week, I will complete our exploration of the five main aspects by analyzing the angular positions and significances of the trine and opposition aspects. Once uncovered, this understanding of planetary aspects can help us integrate and connect the separate, idle concepts of astrology into the puzzle pieces of our own lives.

The trine aspect, when two planets are 120 degrees apart, is a highly positive relationship that indicates harmony, creativity, and support between the houses they reside in. Typically, trine aspects occur between planets that share the same element, such as fire, earth, air, or water. This similar relationship creates a mutually beneficial and natural component to how these planets interact, creating support in their coexistence and a unified direction in their unfolding. An example of the trine aspect in my own natal chart is between my moon in Taurus and my Venus in Capricorn. Both Taurus and Capricorn are earth signs, and with my moon in the third house and my Venus in the 11th, this shows a grounded nature to my emotional state of thinking and communicating that aligns well and with and uplifts my practical artistry and enjoyment in areas of community and friendship. The trine aspect is almost certainly inclined to bring about ease, luck, and opportunity between the planets it affects, but these same positive qualities cannot necessarily be applied to the opposition aspect.

The opposition aspect, when two planets are 180 degrees apart, signifies a tension of conflicting energies within oneself. This aspect, where the planets are on opposite ends of the natal chart, shows a reflection of contradiction that the natal must be equipped to navigate and balance. Internally, this aspect may present itself as an inner sense of tension between values and action. Externally, this aspect could also show a displacement of energy from one area into another that helps us ease this tension. For example, one of my most challenging aspects is an opposition between my Venus and Saturn in the 11th and 5th house, respectively. My Venus in Capricorn shows a dutiful, practical, and serious nature to the way I express love to others, especially in my friendships and community, while my Saturn in Cancer places restriction and responsibility on my emotions regarding self-expression and joy. This opposition acts in a way where my restricted emotional expression of what brings me pleasure creates tension against the serious manner in which I express love in my interpersonal relationships and community.

Although certain aspects can be incredibly effortless and rewarding, like trine, or tense and unbalanced, like opposition, neither one is “good” nor “bad”. These aspects indicate certain patterns of energy that show up in our lives and are best used as tools to discover what areas we should devote more attention to if they are comparably more challenging. Studying astrology is a wonderful opportunity to use astrological information to our advantage, and identifying challenging aspects or areas of discomfort in our natal charts can be the catalyst we need to more clearly identify and improve upon what is in our control. With this blog post concluding the five major planetary aspects, I hope to leave you all with a much more nuanced understanding of how these aspects interact and play out with each other and the effects it may create in the manifestation of your life events, whether positive or negatively impacted.

The angles of a planet in one’s chart aspect other planets and points, and these aspects can create varying extents of amplification, harmony, tension, ease, and struggle within their planetary relationships. The links formed from planetary aspects create an intersection of the ways these energies show up in our lives, and when understood, can offer even greater insight into how various realms of our lives are affected and connected. The five major aspects, including conjunction, trine, square, sextile, and opposition, show the nature of the relationships between different expressions we carry in various areas of our lives. In this blog, for brevity purposes, I will explore 3 of the 5 major aspects, including conjunction, sextile, and square, and will analyze the trine and opposition aspects in a blog post coming soon (so stay tuned)!

Conjunction occurs when two planets are very close in proximity or in the exact location, and this aspect amplifies and intensifies the energies of these two planets and the signs ruling them in one’s chart. This aspect blends the planetary energies into a much greater force, which can have beneficial or challenging outcomes depending on which planets are in conjunction with one another. For example, I have Pluto in Sagittarius located in my 10th house in conjunction with my Midheaven point on the 10th house cusp. Pluto is a planet of deep transformation, evolution, shadow, and rebirth, and being in my 10th house in Sagittarius shows that some of the biggest transformations I will endure are likely to revolve around freedom, philosophy, and travel in the public sphere or in my career. This placement in conjunction with my Midheaven, the highest angular point of the natal chart, signifying public reputation and our most recognized achievements, amplifies this energy and indicates that my intense evolution of discovery and philosophy will be known or shown through my career and be received widely by others.

The sextile aspect occurs when planets are roughly 60 degrees apart in one’s nature chart. Sextile aspects indicate that the way the planetary energies interact is complimentary and creates ease without much effort on the native’s part, leading to new opportunities and general luck. An example of this in my own chart is my sun in sextile with Neptune. My Sun is in Sagittarius in the 10th house and is sextile to my Neptune in Aquarius in the 12th house. This sextile aspect creates ease in the way that I navigate illusions, ideals, visions, and fantasies of my inner world and psyche and their integration into the expression of my personality in the public sphere or my career. My personality is influenced by the unique ideals and imagination I carry within the subconscious ways I think and is likely to be a key aspect of my career or what others see me as in my highest light.

The square aspect, when planets are about 90 degrees apart, is quite similar to conjunction in that it blends and infuses the planetary energies in relation to each other. However, the square aspect can create an inner tension in these areas that needs to be addressed and worked on if negatively aspected. The square aspect can bring about internal conflict and power struggles in the areas of life represented by the houses of one’s natal chart. For example, my moon in Taurus in the 3rd house is square with my Neptune in Aquarius in the 12th house. My thinking and communication processes facilitate my emotional states, and the square aspect creates a heavy influence from the Neptunian ideals in my hidden psyche on the ways I deal with emotion. This tension of these planetary energies can create greater empathy, creativity, and spirituality in the way I think through my feelings, but it can also leave me susceptible to disillusionment, romanticization, and subjectivity in this area of life.

With a great chunk of these aspects covered, I hope to leave you all with the understanding that planetary positions do not exist idly, but rather, they intersect in a complex web of relationships that influence how planetary energies show up in multiple areas of life. Learning about aspects can offer a deeper look into how the areas of our lives intertwine and what challenges or benefits we may receive from the aspects between planets in our natal chart. I encourage you all to investigate your aspects and see what types of relationships are present between planets in your natal charts!

Many people might assume that the 12 astrological signs are the most fundamental basis for effective astrological interpretation. However, the first factor to understanding and analyzing your own and other’s birth charts is the astrological houses. In astrology, there are 12 houses represented on a circular wheel that signify the various realms and areas of and within one’s lifetime. The houses represent the native’s life areas, and the sign occupying each particular house, which could be any of the 12 signs depending on the time and location of one’s birth, show the style in which one navigates that particular area of life. In addition, planets located in a certain house tend to add a layer of dimension and significance to that person’s area of life and how they navigate within it.

But all houses are not created equal…

Arguably, the most significant and prominent houses in any birth chart are the angular houses, including the 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th houses. These houses encompass the way in which we apply our drive and take action. The first house falls under the sign ruling our ascendent, and influences who we present ourselves to be, how others perceive us, and the way in which we experience the world around us. The 4th house represents family, our hidden natures, and childhood, and is considered the lowest angular point of the natal chart. The 7th house directly opposes the 1st house and represents relationships, other people, and partnerships. Lastly, the 10th house represents career, ambition, publicity, and achievement, and carries the midheaven on its cusp, signifying the highest angular point of one’s natal chart. The succedent houses represent our stability and confidence in our inner resources, with the 2nd house representing everything material and tangible, the 5th house showing our inner creativity and joy, the 8th house representing intimacy, secrecy, other’s goods, and the 11th house showing our community, friendships, and social support. Lastly, the cadent houses encompass a transition into a new life cycle, showing what we’ve learned and experienced. The third house rules our communication, learning, and thought processes, the 6th house rules our health, work, and responsibilities, the 9th house represents education, travel, and philosophy, and the 12th house shows our subconscious, dreams, and spirituality.

To put this information into practice, I will provide some examples of my natal chart’s houses, any planets that reside in them, as well as the sign each house is in. My first house is ruled by Pisces, and I also have Mars located in my first house. With the first house encompassing my persona, how I take action, and my outward appearance, Pisces adds a passive, go with the flow, and floaty flair to the way I go about my day. However, mars being in my first house amplifies this presentation, paradoxically giving intensity, depth, and aggression to the way this dreamy persona manifests in how I move throughout my day. Another example from my chart is my 11th house in Capricorn, occupying both Venus and Mercury. With the 11th house representing social circles, community, and outward support, Capricorn refines these concepts and creates a deepening of the loyalty, consistency, and stability I often seek in my social life, manifesting as having a few very close, long-lasting friendships. In addition, with both Mercury and Venus in this house, I often find the most ease in communicating my thoughts clearly and also feel a heightened sense of values and love when I am with these friends.

Although understanding the house system, what each house means and symbolizes, and how houses can be interpreted in a natal chart can be quite confusing, it is absolutely fundamental to understanding the framework of how astrology can be used to relate to our own lives. I encourage you all to explore this topic and examine your house placements, it might just offer you a new insight on the areas of YOUR life!

Many people have the basic understanding that there are 12 astrological signs, including Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. The uptick of popular astrology in the media has led to the mainstream consensus that we have only one sign, based on the position of the sun when we were born. Although the sun sign is an important factor of one’s astrological identity, we have signs that represent all of the planetary positions and other specific angular points from when and where we born, which carry significant importance in various realms of our short-term and long-term processes.

The “Big Three” is a term that has been recently popularized to identify and share the signs occupying the sun, moon, and ascendant, also known as “rising”, which is actually not a planetary position but rather a specific angular point. Beyond this, we have signs occupying the original positions of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Pluto, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, as well as the highest and lowest angular points of the natal chart noted as the Midheaven and the Imum Coeli, respectively. The signs that occupied these planetary positions at the exact time and place of one’s birth offer an insight into the style or manner in which each planetary energy is manifested. The 12 astrological signs can be grouped into their elements and modalities. The four elemental groupings include fire, water, earth, and air, and represent the tendencies of the signs in their expression, with Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius as the fire signs, Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn as the earth signs, Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius as the air signs, and Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces as the water signs. Fire signs tend to have an inner forceful, powerful, and emotional presence, whereas water signs have an emotional presence that is subtle and everchanging as it moves through its environment. Earth signs have clear, practical thinking that is rooted in reality, thoughtfulness, and routine, whereas air signs have clear and insightful thinking that is used to conceptualize the abstract and innovate towards something unseen. In addition to signs being classified through their elements, the modalities are cardinal, fixed, and mutable and are used represent the force and movement of how these signs tend to present. Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn are cardinal, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius are Fixed, and Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces are Mutable. The cardinal modality is the initiator of the astrological signs, representing activity, immediacy, leadership, and ambition. The fixed modality is steady in its presentation, representing objectivity, stability, and determination. The mutable modality signifies transition and change in astrology, and represents qualities of adaptability, versatility, and chameleon-like.

Planetary energies are often represented by the various symbolism, feelings, and concepts they have been traditionally associated with. For example, the sun is indicative of one’s outward personality, the way they make act around friends and colleagues, one’s conscious behavioral choices, and what they believe about themselves, whereas the moon represents inner emotional states, what we need to feel secure, and the mother and feminine energies. My sun sign is in Sagittarius, meaning that I tend to express my personality to others humorously, enthusiastically, and spontaneously. This is the point where many people feel stuck in their astrological questioning, as they may argue that it is improbable that everyone born under the sun sign of Sagittarius is adventurous, humorous, risk taking, and excitable, and to that I wholeheartedly agree. The signs occupying different planets in one’s chart add nuance and flavor to the presentation of these energies. My moon sign is in Taurus, and this shows a tendency for my internal state to be stable, calm, slow moving, and grounded. The sign of Taurus occupying the moon in my natal chart does not discount my sun residing in Sagittarius, but instead, my emotional nature adds balance and softens the presentation and expression of my personality outwardly.

Although much more could be said about the astrological signs, what they mean, how we identify them, and how they show up in our lives, this explanation will have to suffice for now. I hope that this has provided greater explanation and insight into the broadness of the 12 signs and how the signs associated with more than just the sun are crucial to understand a natal chart more holistically. I suggest looking up you “Big Three” and seeing for yourself if you resonate with it!

Have you ever had something along the lines of, “I can’t be friends with Leos, they’re too feisty” or “I’m such a Taurus, I love to eat and stay in?” These statements arise frequently in discussions and beliefs about astrology, and are often the reason why many people discount astrology as having any tangible meaning or purpose in the real world, instead seeing it as a inaccurate generalization of people into 12 strict categories that cannot be representative of all individuals. These types of statements frustrate me, as well as many other astrological followers, as they misrepresent the long-standing history and complexity of astrological study and perpetuate misguided beliefs about astrology’s applicability in real life affairs.

Differentiating the traditional study of Astrology from Astrology presented in the media and pop culture is the first step in uncovering the extensive and complex history behind how astrology came to be. Astrology began in the earliest stages of civilization, with groups of people across Europe and Asia syncing lunar cycles, star formations, and planetary positions to make predictions of one’s natural temperament and life cycle. Extending far greater than just the twelve zodiac signs many of us are already familiar with, traditional astrological study utilizes a house system that is dependent the various planetary and asteroid positions present in the location and time of one’s birth. The twelve houses of the traditional astrological study are representative of different areas of life, and the most significant angular houses, 1, 4, 7, and 10, are indicative of realms of the self, family, partnerships, and public, respectively. Each person has their own unique natal chart, with no houses, planets, asteroids, or aspects being the same for any individual. Recognizing this helps to illuminate how traditional astrological study is used to gather historical information to develop a predictive symbol of the areas of life that are unique to each of us. Traditional astrology has been studied for thousands of years and will continue to be so indefinitely, as each chart and future planetary positions reveal indications of greater insights into the workings of the world above us.

I have been an enjoyer of astrology since I was in elementary school, often looking at Pinterest posts that would tell me silly facts of what color or season I was based on my sun sign. As the years have passed, however, I am continually enlightened by the new information and insights I learn about the complexity of traditional astrology and have been able to translate what I’ve learned into the ways I navigate and perceive my life’s unfolding. While I don’t believe that my life is dictated by what astrology indicates based on my chart, I have found great revelations in how certain events and indiscernible feelings in my life have shown up in planetary transits alongside my natal chart’s progression. Since having studied traditional astrology, I feel that I approach the world around me with a greater sense of ease and acceptance, have a greater understanding of my inclinations to behave and think in certain ways, and have a heightened spiritual connection with something beyond myself.

These factors compound into my unwavering passion and joy in studying traditional astrology and sharing its vast complexity with others. Just as others many centuries before me have studied this discipline, I feel amazed that I can continue in their progress and share the insights astrology has given me for myself, others, and what is beyond all of us. Understanding astrology in its entirety is an unfeasible task, and exploring its depths and intricacies is part of what makes this study so inviting, inquisitive, and enjoyable.

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