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Life

Astrology for Beginners

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at American chapter.

Astrology has always been a hot topic in pop culture. Horoscopes have been in the conversation since many popular media started including them in their magazines, dating back to 1791 in London. 

However, astrology is a very confusing concept but once you understand the basics, you can use it in every aspect of your life. The main signs are your sun, moon and rising but you can understand what your zodiac means in your life with just your sun sign.

There are 12 zodiac signs which are determined by your birthday, time, and location. Your sun sign is just your birthday. For example, if your birthday is June 23, you would fall under the sign of Cancer. 

Here is the full list of signs and the coordinating dates:

Aries: March 20 to April 22

Taurus: April 21 to May 22

Gemini: May 21 to June 22

Cancer: June 21 to July 22

Leo: July 21 to August 22

Virgo: August 21 to September 22

Libra: September 21 to October 22

Scorpio: October 21 to November 22

Sagittarius: November 21 to December 22

Capricorn: December 21 to January 22

Aquarius: January 20 to February 19

Pisces: February 18 to March 21

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Original Illustration by Her Campus Media

All of these signs are rounded up into four categories of Zodiac elements; Fire, Earth, Air and Water.

Fire signs are Aries, Leo and Sagitarrius. They are known to be very chaotic, high energy and extroverts. Their downsides include being insensitive and emotional. 

Earth signs are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. These signs are known to be patient, hard-working and cautious. Their drawbacks are they can be stubborn and procrastinators.

Air signs are Gemini, Libra and Aquarius. They are known to be social and seek out learning in their lives. Drawbacks could be their objectiveness and unemotional take on situations.

Lastly, Water signs are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. These signs are deeply emotional and compassionate. However, they might be oversensitive in simple situations and moody.

assorted zodiac signs?width=1024&height=1024&fit=cover&auto=webp
Original Illustration on Canva for Her Campus Media

To get even more specific, you can take a look at your birth certificate and find out the specific time you were born and place of birth to calculate your moon and rising/ascendent sign.

Co-Star is an astrology app that you can insert your information into and they will calculate not only just your “Big Three” but your whole natal chart, which includes all the planets and symbols used within astrology. 

Your chart shows how your planets are in relation to each other which affects what each planet means for you. Your chart needs to be understood with all the planet’s significance.

Astrology (as confusing as it already is) has more subsections that are helpful in creating a more niche understanding of your life. Astrocartography is one of those sections. 

Astrocartography is the study of how astrology plays into the energies of specific locations globally. It was developed in the 1970s by Jim Lewis, an American astrologer.

This idea gives us insight on how specific places can affect us and how the planets aligning in that one place affects us all individually. 

By plugging all of the necessary information in to find your natal chart, your astrocartography chart can tell what locations are best for you in regards to romance, career, retirement, vacationing and more.

 Astro.com has free resources to calculate your different charts. Under “Free Horoscopes”, you can find Astroclick Travel.

Big 3 Astrology?width=1024&height=1024&fit=cover&auto=webp
Her Campus Media

There are different lines within your astrocartography chart that show what locations can have a positive or negative influence on your life. Like basic astrology, it has the houses and different planets but is more niche in finding specific locations (even down to the coordinates). 

Places along your sun line is where you will feel most self-fulfilled and where you are able to come into that more if it is not strong.

Locations along your moon line can be where you feel the most at home and will allow you to encompass emotions more fully.

The other lines and planets can be where you foster creativity, love, anger, spirituality and personal growth in every aspect of your life. 

The way to get the most out of your chart is to use one of the resources linked or go talk to an astrologist yourself. Who knows? You might find where your soulmate lies in the world. 

Sarah Metcalfe

American '24

Sarah is a Journalism major at American University. They have fell in love with writing and reporting since they were in middle school. It is a dream come true to still have a strong passion for writing. Learning and researching everyday is important and they hope HCAU and their articles can help everyone!