To my own surprise, I am often able to guess outright a person’s “zodiac” or “sun” sign. In my friends whose charts I have done, I see how their “rising” or “ascending” sign is often times more present than their sun sign in their personality. Allow me to over-over–simplify: knowing your sun sign is knowing only 30% of your astrological self! There’s a whole ‘nother 30% of personality traits in your rising sign, and another 40% packed into the rest of your chart. The rest of your chart, meaning, your “natal” or “birth” chart-–a mish-mosh of intricate synestries between planets, houses, degrees, aspects, transits, luminaries, eclipses, lineups, qualities, etc. It’s very complex schtuff! It is for this very reason, that I believe it’s so important to have your own chart drawn up. And today, with the help of precise mathematical computer programs, it’s easy to aquire your own natal chart. Studying your astrological profile can be great entertainment and also sincerely helpful as a life guide. Little problem here is, you NEED to know your exact time and location of birth. To receive a copy of a birth certificate that CONTAINS this information (state issued certificates often don’t), contact the county clerk’s office where you were born. I know it’s a pain in the butt, but it is SO worth it! If the time of birth is unknown, contact a RECTIFICATION ASTROLOGER to provide one. By studying past events and using special astrological formulas, a time of birth can be determined.

Everything from people, to pets, to plants, to buildings, to countries, to a new job, has a beginning… a point of conception. With humans, that is the moment we breathe our first breath. Imagine a snapshot being taken of us as we enter this world. The background of the photograph is composed of all the planetary alignments occurring at that minute. That momentary and fleeting essence would be captured forever on film; reflected in our self–portrait and our very beings. We are but a moment in time–a frozen piece of the universe-–whose personality and destiny will be shaped to some extent by the unique positioning of the celestial bodies. Throughout the course of our lifetime, cosmic patterns will influence us down here as they are also acted out above. A clear example of this would be the phases of the moon, which is physically manifested in the tides and our emotions. The moon is just one of many, many planetary movements that affect us here on earth.

ANANATOMY OF A NATAL CHART:

SUN SIGN = Birthday Suit! This is the REAL you. Representative of your identity and destiny-–it is what you’ll strive to become in this lifetime. As a Capricorn, I’m supposed to occupy the corner office. Yeah, I’ll keep ya posted on that…

RISING SIGN = All dolled up! This is how you act and appear towards other people. It’s like, you with make up on. As this requires a precise birth time and geographical location to formulate, many people are unaware of their rising sign. One thing is certain though, if you are reading this blog, then you have definitely have MARTINI RISING!!!

MOON SIGN = The warm fuzzies! What you crave and actually NEED to feel good and comfortable. For some, it’s this season’s Prada bag. For someone else, it might be living in a wolf den.

MERCURY = Head-case! The way you think and communicate. Are you a chatty cathy or the strong silent type? The placement of Mercury in your chart is the reason why.

VENUS = La planet d’amoure! Married your high school sweetheart? Been divorced six times? Blame (or thank) Venus.

MARS = Go get ‘em tiger! Unbridled passion paired with tireless energy creates a zeal for haute couture shoes, saving fuzzy kittens, or world domination. Depends on where mars falls in your chart. But you’re definitely passionate about something.

JUPITER = Big, fat, lucky ducky! This is the biggest planet and whatever section of your chart it lands in will be BIG. Expansive mentally (through study), or physically (through say travel or food). Jupiter makes you want more of it, and because this is the lucky planet, chances are you’ll get it.

SATURN = Karmic Buzzkill! It won’t come easy, but it will come-–Saturn makes you work hard for that lesson you need to learn. We’re all working towards our own unique goal, dictated by the area of your chart that Saturn occupies.

URANUS = Lotsa jutzpah! This planet will make whichever area of your chart it falls in very different from the societal norm. Maybe you grew up on a farm that raised it’s own meat, and you came from a family of hunters, and all your friend’s were huge carnivores. And you were a vegetarian. Different like that.

NEPTUNE = Deep thinker! Neptune plunges you into the foggy recesses of your mind, and propels your brain into the stratosphere of fantasy. Depending on it’s location in your chart, you’ll be pondering something intangible and feeling something unexplainable. Hard to grasp? So is Neptune.

PLUTO Size doesn’t matter! Officially not a planet, Pluto is considered a “dwarf planet”. But this little lady packs a powerful punch. Death, rebirth, sex, intensity, hell… all friends of Pluto! That’s some party, huh? I should know, it’s my rising sign and all I can say is ouch.

CHIRON = No pain, no gain! Ms. Chiron is considered a large asteroid. But let’s refer to her as a heavenly body, shall we? This is the healing planet; to heal oneself and to heal others. As out of darkness comes light; from each wound comes a lesson. Generationally, Chiron is forcing us to see how we’ve mistreated earth, and is pushing us to fix our planet. Individually, we all have our own crosses to bear–and repair.

NODE = Skeletons in your closet! This relationship between the moon, earth and sun is sometimes underestimated. The nodes are essentially your past—good, bad and everything in between. The section of your chart in which they fall will be inevitably and powerfully impacted by your collective past lives–your karma. Hope you’ve been a good girl!

MIDHEAVEN = Career woman! This point in your chart represents what you want from your work. That can mean navigating the mommy-track, climbing the corporate ladder, or climbing mount Everest—literally. You go girl!

OTHER TYPES OF HOROSCOPES:

ELECTIONAL HOROSCOPE = Omigod, What next!?! Used regularly by non other than President Ronald Reagan, is the electional or horary horoscope. This scope predicts the best time to take action regarding a specific situation. Like say, i dunno, the Berlin Wall and when to dismantle it?
“Virtually every major move and decision the Reagans made during my time [1985-1987] as White House Chief of Staff was cleared in advance with a woman in San Francisco who drew up horoscopes to make certain that the planets were in a favorable alignment for the enterprise.” —Donald Regan
Generic electional horoscopes, in the form of daily, weekly or monthly profiles are readily accessible and do provide relevant insight. Many astrologers feel that in addition to your sun sign, you should also read your rising sign’s profile.

SYNASTRY HOROSCOPE = Can we be friends? Also referred to as a compatibility horoscope. This combines two natal horoscopes into a third composite chart–-obviously practical for marriages and business partnerships. So girls, remember, prenups and synastry charts are our friends!

MUNDANDE ASTROLOGY = What’s up world? Mundane, judicial or world astrology predicts and analyzes past and future world events. Dictatorships, tornadoes, iconic deaths, societal shifts, groundbreaking discoveries… this is the astrological big leagues we’re talking about here.

ESOTERIC HOROSCOPE = Bare your soul! This highly complex and increasingly popular type of astrology focuses solely (pun intended) on a person’s soul evolution and future.

ZODIACAL WEATHER FORECASTING = Hello, Sunshine! Who knew…astrological weather predictions are sold in bookstores across the country every year.

FINANCIAL ASTROLOGY

MEDICAL ASTROLOGY = A planet a day keeps the doctor away! Each area of the body is ruled by a different sign. For example, our hearts are ruled by Leo. So next time you’re in for a check up, be sure to tell your doctor what sign you are…

HERBAL ASTROLOGY = A plant a day keeps the doctor away! Technically under the umbrella of medical astrology, Herbal astrology is enjoying a small renaissance at the moment. As each body part is a different sign, so also, is each plant. This knowledge can be helpful in curing afflicted parts of the body. INTOXICATED ZODIACâ„¢ is primarily involved with this type of zodiacal study (see herbal astrology post for more info). Rose thyme martini anyone?

ASTROLOGY QUOTES:

“We are born at a given moment in a given place and like vintage years of wine we have the qualities of the year and of the season in which we are born. Astrology does not lay claim to anything else.”—Carl Gustav Jung Zürich (Leo w/ Aquarius rising)

“There’s not even a blade of grass, however infinitesimal, that is not ruled by some star”—One Rabbi Eleazar, quoted in the 13th-century Zohar a mystical work compiled by Spanish Jews.

“A medic without the knowledge of astrology has no right to call himself that.”— Hippocrates

“Courteous Reader, Astrology is one of the most ancient Sciences, held in high esteem of old, by the Wise and the Great. Formerly, no Prince would make War or Peace, nor any General fight in Battle, in short, no important affair was undertaken without first consulting an Astrologer.”—Benjamin Franklin

“Astrology is a science and it contains the knowledge that enlightens. It taught me a lot and I owe it a lot. Geophysical proofs are discovering the power of the stars and the planets in relation to the Earth. In return, the astrology confirms it. That is why astrology is a life elixir of humanity”— Albert Einstein

WHO CAN ARGUE WITH ONE OF ONE OF THE GREATEST SEERS TO EVER LIVE? CHEERS TO ASTROLOGY, AND ALL THE OUT OF THIS WORLD COCKTAILS IT INSPIRES US TO CREATE : )