Sun Signs

What’s my Sun Sign?

 

I have been repeatedly asked this question ‘What’s my Sun Sign?’

 

Well this concept is applicable only to Western Astrology and does not hold good for Vedic astrology. Fundamental difference between these systems is that they use different Zodiacs, namely, the Sidereal Zodiac is used in Indian or Vedic Astrology, and the Tropical Zodiac is used in Western Astrology. Vedic Astrology is based on the actual stars and constellations. Western Astrology, however, is based on the seasons, or on the tilt of the Earth toward the Sun between the two tropics.

 

For this, we need a bit of Astronomy. This is first because Astrology is based on Astronomy. From an observer’s point of view on Earth, the Sun moves through a series of constellations—twelve of them—spending about a month in each one per year.Sun,whose background is a particular constellation, we say the Sun is “in that sign”.  The day you were born, the Sun was in a particular sign, and in Western Astrology, the common vernacular is that you “are” that sign. So if the Sun was in Leo when you were born, you are a Leo or simply, your Sun sign is “Leo’

 

Let me say some things about Sun Sign Astrology. As mentioned in previous paragraph, you know that on the day you were born, the Sun was in a particular position in the sky, and that behind the Sun was a particular constellation. Which constellation depends on what time of year you were born. If you were born at the beginning of the year, before the 21^st of January, then the Sun was in the sign of Capricorn. That makes you a Capricorn. If you were born in the middle of the year, say in the last week of July, then you are a Leo. Your Sun sign is determined by the time of year you were born.

 

Each sign has certain energy and certain human traits are found in people born under that energy, there is a lot one can say about Capricorns, or Leos, or any of the other signs. Aries people are impatient and energetic, Taurus folks like security and to ponder before leaping into anything, Geminis talk a lot, etc, etc. There is some truth to these things, just as there is a grain of truth behind every stereotype, but that doesn’t mean that every person born under Scorpio is devious and jealous, or that every Piscean is spacey and artistic.

 

There are 9 other planets in standard Western Astrology birth charts, besides just the Sun. There’s the Moon, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Many astrologers also use asteroids such as Chiron, Ceres, Vesta, Juno, Hera, and Pallas Athena in their charts. There are the Lunar Nodes (Rahu & Ketu of Vedic Astrology) and the Part of Fortune. Each one of those heavenly bodies or astronomical points gives information as to who you are and how you see and deal with the world. Sun Sign Astrology doesn’t give the whole picture, not at all. It gives a lot, but nothing like a birth chart.

 

When you read in the newspaper or on your favorite website the forecast for your Sun sign, what you’re reading is a general idea of how all folks born under that sign might be experiencing the current transits. Often, if houses are mentioned, those houses are calculated not from your particular birth chart, but from what’s called the Natural Chart ( Kala Chakra of Vedic Astrology), where Aries is in the first house, Taurus in the second, and on through the Zodiac in order.

That’s what Sun Sign Astrology is about. If you like your Sun sign, and feel that the descriptions of it fit you perfectly, you are completely right to continue to think of yourself as one of that sign’s children. If you think there are other parts of your psyche with which you might identify more strongly, and that your Sun sign has never really quite told the whole story, well that’s true, too.

 

The best way to really understand all the different parts of yourself and how they mesh together is to consult an astrologer. The astrologer will tell you where each planet was in the sky the moment you took your first breath. They will explain the energies of that planet, in that Zodiac sign, and in that house of your birth chart.

 

I hope this helps clear up some of the misconception about Sun signs changing vis-a-vis Vedic Astrology and that you have a better idea of how Western Astrology works, and why chart readings can give you lots more information than Sun sign horoscopes. Please feel free to get in touch with me for further clarifications, if any.

 

Below is a chart of zodiac sign dates and sign attributes for quick and easy reference.It very helpful to keep a chart like this by your side. Some people are terrible with dates and times, so having a reference chart like this one tucked in their organizer really helps them remember the astrological divisions.

Zodiac Sign	Symbol	Date	Quick Characteristics
Aries		March 21 – April 19	Active, Demanding, Determined, Effective, Ambitious
Taurus		April 20 – May 20	Security, Subtle strength, Appreciation, Instruction, Patience
Gemini		May 21 – June 20	Communication, Indecision, Inquisitive, Intelligent, Changeable
Cancer		June 21 – July 22	Emotion, Diplomatic, Intensity, Impulsive, Selective
Leo		July 23 – August 22	Ruling, Warmth, Generosity, Faithful, Initiative
Virgo		August 23 – September 22	Analyzing, Practical, Reflective, Observation, Thoughtful
Libra		September 23 – October 22	Balance, Justice, Truth, Beauty, Perfection
Scorpio		October 23 – November 21	Transient, Self-Willed, Purposeful, Unyielding
Sagittarius		November 22 – December 21	Philosophical, Motion, Experimentation, Optimism
Capricorn		December 22 – January 19	Determination, Dominance, Perservering, Practical, Willful
Aquarius		January 20 – February 18	Knowledge, Humanitarian, Serious, Insightful, Duplicitous
Pisces		February 19 – March 20	Fluctuation, Depth, Imagination, Reactive, Indecisive