When people inquire about your zodiac sign, they usually mean your Sun sign. And, to be honest, everyone knows what their Sun sign is. It’s easy to check it up now that we have the Internet, and at the very least, everyone has been intrigued about what the stars have to say about them. Some people completely identify with their Sun sign, while others find it completely incomprehensible.
There are a number possible explanations, including your Moon sign and Ascendant, which I’ll discuss later. Even if you don’t exactly relate to the attributes of that zodiac sign, from the perspective of the sky, you will find patterns that correlate due to planetary motions at any given moment, thus I always urge people to read for the Sun sign in daily/monthly/yearly horoscopes.
Your Sun sign is determined by your birthday. If you were born on a day when the Sun changed signs, you may need to consult a personal natal chart because you may be one sign over the other. Because you can’t have two Sun signs, cusps don’t exist (despite pop culture magazines’ best efforts; Karen, stop trying to make them a thing!).
In This Article...
What is the most effective technique to learn about astrology?
Astrologer Kelly Surtees joins the podcast in this episode to discuss some recommendations for learning astrology and eventually becoming an astrologer.
The conversation is based in part on a post I did on my blog several years ago titled 10 recommendations for understanding astrology. (Update 8/18/2018: watch also my video on five short beginner astrology recommendations.) I wanted to revisit the subject in order to dig a little deeper into some of the suggestions and add a few new ones.
Kelly and I take you from the very first steps you need to take in order to begin your studies in astrology, assuming you know nothing or very little about it, all the way to the intermediate and advanced phases of learning about the subject, during the course of the show.
The end result is a 3-5 year framework for how to become an astrologer, and by the end of the program, we’ll have gotten the listener to the stage where they should be able to transition into professional astrology practice.
I’ve included an outline of some of the subjects covered in the program below, but please visit the original blog post linked at the top of the page for a full article with all of the links.
Studying Astrology: Episode Outline
Kelly’s three key astrological learning suggestions are as follows:
- Readbooks/blogs/websites/journals.
- Make contact with other people who are interested in astrology. Meetups, local astrology groups, and online astrology groups are all options.
- Educate yourself and get official training. Choose a person you can meet in person or an online course that interests you.
Tips for learning astrology in particular:
- www.astro.com can provide you with a copy of your birth chart.
- If at all possible, double-check your birth time.
- Learn the symbols for the zodiac signs, planets, aspects, and more.
- Kelly provides a free handout with the icons for the planets and zodiac signs.
- She also has some more astrological handouts for beginners here.
- Make use of free online resources. Blogs, blogs, podcasts, YouTube, Reddit, and other social media platforms
- Dictionary of Astrology
- Reddit’s Astrology section
- For astrology videos, go to Chris’ YouTube account.
- Get yourself a few astrology books. Here are some decent books for beginners:
- April Elliott Kent’s The Essential Guide to Practical Astrology
- Derek and Julia Parker’s Astrology is a book on astrology.
- Helena Avelar and Luis Ribeiro’s On the Heavenly Spheres
- Richard Tarnas’ Cosmos and Psyche
- Stephen Arroyo’s Chart Interpretation Handbook
- Principles of Practical Natal Astrology, by Kevin Burk, is his most recent book.
- The Mountain Astrologer magazine is available for subscription.
- On their website, they also feature a fantastic beginner’s series.
- Learn to read an ephemeris if you don’t already have one.
- The free online ephemeris from Astrodienst.
- Learn how to use an ephemeris in our guide.
- With Astro.com’s unique daily horoscope, you can start tracking your transits.
- Begin by charting the Moon’s path through your houses or making aspects to planets in your birth chart.
- Examine the horoscopes of your friends, family, and celebrities.
- AstroDatabank has birth information for a number of celebrities.
- Use online forums to connect with other astrologers.
- Skyscript, Astrodienst, Facebook, and other similar services are available.
- Meet up with astrologers in your area. Meetup.com, the NCGR, and a Google search are all good places to start.
- Start your own meetup if there isn’t one already.
- Take an astrological course, either online or in person.
- Kepler College, The International Academy of Astrology, The Faculty of Astrological Studies, The American College of Vedic Astrology, or classes taught by Chris or Kelly are all good places to start.
- Kelly delivers A Beginner’s Online Astrology Course: Practical Astrology.
- Chris teaches ancient astrology through his online course.
- Become a member of an astrological organization.
- AAGB, ACVA, AYA, FAA (in Australia), NCGR, ISAR, AFA, AFAN, OPA, AAGB, ACVA, AYA, FAA (in Australia), and so on.
- Attend a conference on astrology.
- Next week, NORWAC will be in Seattle.
- Obtain certification (?)
- Certification’s benefits and drawbacks.
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What is the meaning of your horoscope?
A natal chart (also known as a birth chart) is an astronomical image of the stars based on the precise date, time, and location of your birth. We compute the location of each planet, as well as the sign of the zodiac and house it was in at the time of your birth, using NASA data.