Astrology for Beginners

The Signs

The zodiac has twelve signs, from Aries to Pisces, and the Sun spends about a month in each one. Each sign belongs to an element (fire, earth, air, or water) and has a style: cardinal signs start things, fixed signs hold steady, and mutable signs adapt. Western astrology, including every tool on this site, uses the tropical zodiac, which starts Aries at the spring equinox.

The Planets

Each planet rules a part of life. The Sun rules your core self, the Moon your feelings, Mercury communication, Venus love and money, Mars drive, Jupiter growth and luck, and Saturn limits and discipline. Modern astrology adds Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, which move slowly and shape whole generations. In astrology, the Sun and Moon count as planets too.

The Houses

A chart is divided into twelve houses, and each house covers an area of life, such as home, work, or relationships. The houses depend on the exact time and place, which is why astrologers ask for your birth time and town. The sign rising on the eastern horizon at that moment is your rising sign, or ascendant.

The Aspects

Aspects are the angles between planets. A conjunction (planets together) blends their energy, a trine (120 degrees) is harmonious, a sextile (60 degrees) brings opportunity, and a square (90 degrees) or an opposition (180 degrees) is challenging and brings tension. Today's chart lists every aspect in effect right now.

Retrogrades

A planet is retrograde when it looks like it's moving backward from Earth. It isn't, but the slowdown is a long-standing signal in astrology to review instead of start. Mercury retrograde, three or four times a year, is the famous one: expect delays and miscommunication.

The quickest way to learn astrology is to watch the sky as it happens, a little each day. Here is a simple way to start:

1. Start with your big three: your sun sign, moon sign, and rising sign. Together they cover your core self, your feelings, and how you come across.
2. Look at today's chart each morning. Note where the Moon is and which aspects are in effect, then notice how the day goes. A few weeks of this teaches the planets faster than any list.
3. Track the moon for a month or two in a moon journal. The Moon changes sign every two to three days, so it's the quickest way to see the signs in action.
4. Time one small spell to a planetary day and hour, such as a money spell on a Thursday in the hour of Jupiter, and write down what happens.