SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC

Sometimes when I’m working with astrology clients, they tell me some version of:
I don’t like my sign.

Whether we are talking about the sign on the Ascendant, their Sun sign, or the sign of their Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn—or any of the other planets—sometimes people come to astrology with preconceived biases.
And to be clear: that’s not their fault.

Often times people have ideas about which signs are “good” or “bad” based on things they’ve read or heard on the internet, on social media, on podcasts, or even things that a friend or acquaintance who is really into astrology told them that one time.

People can internalize these fleeting pieces of information, whether they even know their chart or not.
And especially if they do not have the familiarity or training with which to critically consider the bases of these statements about the signs, these internalized biases can contribute to a sense that they aren’t good enough or that their chart describes some kind of personal deficiency.

Sometimes practicing astrology with clients involves doing repair work around wounds inflicted by things someone said about signs of the zodiac online.
[There’s a version of this post that twists toward our relationship with online media and critical thinking, but that’s not where we’re going today.]

Let’s start with the basics:
Everyone has every sign of the zodiac somewhere in their chart.
Signs of the zodiac are literally measurements of space, analogous to a system like longitude on the surface of the Earth.

The signs of the zodiac developed primarily as a system of reference for locating the planets.
The signs of what is called the tropical zodiac are not the same as the constellations that share their names, but are rather twelve equal divisions of a 360º circle called the ecliptic, which is the path of the Sun through our sky over the course of a year.
These signs are measured out from specific astronomical points that align with the equinoxes and solstices: for example, the first degree of Aries aligns with the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, when the Sun crosses the celestial equator on its northward journey, when the length of night and day are equal and the hours of daylight begin to grow longer.
From that point, the sign of Aries is given 30º of the circle of the Sun’s path, with the remaining signs measured out from these points, creating the full circle of the twelve signs of the zodiac.
The signs of the zodiac primarily tell us where the planets are in space.

The signs are also given particular qualities based on their relationship to the cycle of the seasons and the planets that are said to rule each sign.
A sign’s modality—described as quadruplicity in ancient astrology—is determined by where it sits in relation to the seasons, defined by the equinoxes and solstices.
Cardinal signs come at the beginning of the season, fixed signs come at the middle of the season, and mutable signs come at the end of each season.
The signs are also assigned one of the four elements—fire, earth, air, or water.
And each sign has a planet that is considered to be the ruler of that sign based on an ancient doctrine called the Thema Mundi, which assigns each planet as a ruler of one or two signs based on their light, speed, and distance. So, the signs also describe which planets are responsible for different parts of our charts and lives.

The signs also form geometric relationships to one another and in turn can describe the relationships between planets placed throughout the signs.
These geometric relationships between the signs are the foundation of what are called aspects in the system of astrology.
Aspects can indicate easeful or supportive relationships between the planets in the signs, relationships that may be more tense or challenging, or where there is no direct relationship between the planets.

All of these factors are considered as part of the quality and condition of any planets in those signs.
In other words, way before we associate the signs of the zodiac with personality types, preferences, behavioral tendencies, or our exes, the signs are primarily a system for locating the planets and describing how planets might function in the story of a life.

The signs that have the potential to be the most personal for each person are the sign that is on the Ascendant—which describes the self—as well as sign in which the planet that rules the Ascendant is placed. The qualities of those signs may have more to offer in terms of someone’s personality or how they become who they are becoming.

From my view, it is much more useful to think of the signs as places or territories with specific qualities—like different landscapes or ecosystems—rather than types of people. Our social world is already burdened with too many systems for sorting people into different categories. We don’t need to use the signs of the zodiac—or astrology more broadly—to categorize people, let alone invent more ways to be prejudiced based on conditions beyond someone’s control—like where the planets were when they were born.

When we consider the signs as places or territories that inform how the planets function, every sign—which is also to say every part of the cycle of the season—brings something meaningful to the story of the life.
Our practice of astrology can become so much more nuanced, inclusive, and affirming when we consider how each sign contributes to the story of someone’s life, rather than ranking these measurements of space as “good” or “bad” or “better” or “worse.”

​If you would like to explore how the sign placements in your chart contribute to the story of your life, you can do so through the Bookings page.