The extent of most people's knowledge of astrology is that we are born into a certain month, which makes us a certain sun sign. What many don't know is that our sun sign is only the tip of the iceberg in exploring astrology. There is an entire map of the sky at the time of your birth that is said to be able to tell a story of your personality, and even predict your future. This map is what astrologers refer to as a "birth chart" or a "natal chart".
If you’ve ever read the traits of your sign only to find you don’t agree at all with what you’re seeing, know that you’re not alone. There are factors in your birth chart that may attribute to you not identifying with the characteristics of your sun sign.
1. Competing elements
In astrology there are 4 elements that all of the signs are divided into; earth, air, fire and water. Let’s say your sun is in a water sign like Cancer — a more emotionally natured sign — but you have several planets that fall into air signs — which are less emotionally driven, and more intellectual and detached. This would make the element of air more dominant in your chart, and as a result you feel less like your Cancer sun, and more like an air sign.
2. Other planets aspect your sun
An “aspect” in astrology is an angle that the planets make to one another in your birth chart. These angles can create squares (which are known to be a more conflicting energy between the two planets) or they can make a triangle, which is referred to as a “trine” (a much easier connection than a square). There are also conjunctions (when the planets are in close proximity), or oppositions (when the planets are on opposite sides of the chart.) All of these aspects can greatly affect the expression of a planet, especially your sun.
3. You relate more to your ascendant sign
The sign on the eastern horizon at the time of your birth is what is referred to as your “ascendant” or “rising sign”. Your ascendant is a crucial part of your chart, and is said to be the flavor with which you present yourself to the world. It’s kind of like the costume you put on to play your role in life, and how others will perceive you upon initially meeting. If your rising sign differs greatly from your sun sign, you may feel contrast in the traits of your sun.
4. Your sun is in the 12th house
Not only is your birth chart divided into the twelve signs of the zodiac, but it’s also divided into twelve houses. The ascendant (as we just mentioned), is where the first house begins. Each house represents an area of life that the signs and planets can fall into. The twelfth house is the trickiest of all, and is often referred to as the house of the subconscious; a place where things can be hidden from our consciousness. If your sun (the ego) falls into a place where it isn’t aware of itself, then surely you wouldn’t identity much with it on a conscious level.
5. Your sun is intercepted
An interception in astrology is when a sign is trapped inside a house (picture a little piece of pie trapped inside a larger piece of pie), and often the characteristics of the trapped sign aren’t developed until later in life. If your sun is sitting in that trapped sign, it’s likely you won’t relate to your sun (the ego) until you’ve unlocked the interception through life experience.
Astrology is certainly a rabbit hole of information and if this article has sparked some interest to learn more, you can visit Astro or Cafe Astrology to calculate your birth chart and dive deeper into your own horoscope!
Melanie Wild
Melanie is a country-living Canadian astrologer, artist, photographer, and mother of two with a deep love of all things metaphysical. She enjoys creating lasting memories with her family, and dreaming up crazy things to add to her bucket list. Learn more about her expertise at The Wild Quiet. You can also follow her @thewildquiet
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