Western astrology

In modern Western astrology the signs of the zodiac are believed to represent twelve basic personality types or characteristic modes of expression. The twelve signs are divided into four elements fire, earth, air and water. Fire and air signs are considered masculine, while water and earth signs are considered feminine.[13] The twelve signs are also divided into three qualities, Cardinal, fixed and mutable.[14][15]

Sign			Approximate dates of Sun signs		Element	Quality
			Start	End
	Aries	The Ram	March 22	April 21	Fire	Cardinal
	Taurus	The Bull	April 22	May 21	Earth	Fixed
	Gemini	The Twins	May 22	June 21	Air	Mutable
	Cancer	The Crab	June 22	July 22	Water	Cardinal
	Leo	The Lion	July 23	August 22	Fire	Fixed
	Virgo	The Virgin	August 23	September 22	Earth	Mutable
	Libra	The Scales	September 23	October 22	Air	Cardinal
	Scorpio	The Scorpion	October 23	November 22	Water	Fixed
	Sagittarius	The Archer	November 23	December 22	Fire	Mutable
	Capricorn	The (male) goat's horn	December 23	January 21	Earth	Cardinal
	Aquarius	The Water Bearer	January 22	February 20	Air	Fixed
	Pisces	The Fish	February 21	March 21	Water	Mutable

• Note: these are only approximations and the exact date on which the sign of the sun changes varies from year to year.

Zodiac sign for an individual depends on the placement of planets and the ascendant in that sign. If a person has nothing placed in a particular sign, that sign will play no active role in their personality. On the other hand, a person with, for example, both the sun and moon in Cancer, will strongly display the characteristics of that sign in their make up.

Newspapers often print astrology columns which purport to provide guidance on what might occur in a day in relation to the sign of the zodiac that included the sun when the person was born. Astrologers refer to this as the "sun sign", but it is often commonly called the "star sign". These predictions are vague or general; so much so that even practising astrologers consider them of little to no value. Experiments have shown that when people are shown a newspaper horoscope for their own sign along with a newspaper horoscope for a different sign, they judge them to be equally accurate on the average.[16] Other tests have been performed on complete, personalized horoscopes cast by professional astrologers, and have shown no correlation between the horoscope results and the person it was cast for.[17]

The astrological 'planets' are the seven heavenly bodies known to the ancients. The sun and moon, also known as 'the lights', are included as they were thought to act like the astronomical planets. Astrologers call Mercury, Venus and Mars the 'personal planets', as they represent the most immediate drives. The 'lights' symbolise respectively the existential and sensitive fundamentals of the individuality.

The following table summarizes the rulership by the seven classically known planets[21] of each of the twelve astrological signs,[22] together with their effects on world events, people and the earth itself as understood in the Middle Ages.[23]

Traditional planets with their rulership of signs and effects on people and the world

Symbol	Planet[21]	Rules the sign[22]	Effect on world events[23]	Person's nature[23]	Effect in life[23]	Effect in earth[23]
	Sun	Leo		Wisdom, generosity, 'sunny' disposition	Good fortune	Gold
	Moon	Cancer		Wandering	Travel, lunacy	Silver
	Mercury	Gemini and Virgo	Action	Changeability, eagerness, quickness, 'mercurial' temperament	Rapid change	Mercury (quicksilver)
	Venus	Libra and Taurus	Fortunate events	Beauty, amorousness	Good luck	Copper[lower-alpha 6]
	Mars	Aries, classically also Scorpio	War	Strength, endurance, 'martial' temperament	Conflicts, misfortune	Iron
	Jupiter	Sagittarius, classically also Pisces	Good times, prosperity	Cheerful, magnanimous, 'jovial' temperament	Good fortune	Tin
	Saturn	Capricorn, classically also Aquarius	Disastrous events	Wisdom, stability, persistence, 'saturnine' temperament	Accidents, disease, treachery, bad luck	Lead

Also important in astrology are the moon's nodes.[24] The nodes are where the moon's path crosses the ecliptic. The North, or Ascending Node marks the place where the moon crosses from South to North (or ascends), while the South, or Descending Node marks where the moon crosses from North to South (or descends). While Lunar nodes are not considered by Western astrologers to be as important a factor as each of the planets, they are thought to mark sensitive areas that are worth taking into account.

• - North or ascending Node. Also the ruler of Pathways and Choices.
• - South or descending Node. Also the ruler of Karma and the Past.

In astrology, "essential dignity" is the strength of a planet or point's zodiac position, judged only by its position by sign and degree, what the pre-eminent 17th-century astrologer William Lilly called "the strength, fortitude or debility of the Planets [or] significators."[25] In other words, essential dignity seeks to view the strengths of a planet or point as though it were isolated from other factors in the sky of the natal chart. Traditionally, there are five dignities: domicile and detriment, exaltation and fall, triplicity, terms, and face. However, the later two have diminished in usage. A planet's domicile is the zodiac sign over which it has rulership.

In Western horoscopic astrology the interpretation of a horoscope is governed by:

• The position of the planets in the astrological signs of the zodiac,
• The position of the planets in the houses of the horoscope,
• The position of the primary angles of the horoscope, namely the horizon line (called the ascendant/descendant axis), and the prime vertical line (called the zenith/midheaven and nadir/imum coeli axis),
• The angles formed by the planets relative to each other and the primary angles, called aspects
• The position of deduced astronomical entities, such as the Lunar nodes.

Some astrologers also use the position of various mathematical points such as the Arabic parts.

There are four primary angles in the horoscope (though the cusps of the houses are often included as important angles by some astrologers).

• - The ascendant or rising sign is the eastern point where the ecliptic and horizon intersect. During the course of a day, because of the Earth's rotation, the entire circle of the ecliptic will pass through the ascendant and will be advanced by about 1°. This provides us with the term rising sign, which is the sign of the zodiac that was rising in the east at the exact time that the horoscope or natal chart is calculated. In creating a horoscope the ascendant is traditionally placed as the left-hand side point of the chart. In most house systems the ascendant lies on the cusp of the 1st house of the horoscope.

The ascendant is generally considered the most important and personalized angle in the horoscope by the vast majority of astrologers. It signifies a person's awakening consciousness, in the same way that the Sun's appearance on the eastern horizon signifies the dawn of a new day.[26] Due to the fact that the ascendant is specific to a particular time and place, it signifies the individual environment and conditioning that a person receives during their upbringing, and also the circumstances of their childhood. For this reason, the ascendant is also concerned with how a person has learned to present him or herself to the world, especially in public and in impersonal situations.[27]

The opposite point to the ascendant in the west is the descendant, which denotes how a person reacts in their relationships with others. It also show the kind of person we are likely to be attracted to, and our ability to form romantic attachments. In most house systems the descendant lies on the cusp of the 7th house of the horoscope.

• - The midheaven or medium coeli is the point on the ecliptic that is furthest above the plane of the horizon. For events occurring where the planes of the ecliptic and the horizon coincide, the limiting position for these points is located 90° from the ascendant. For astrologers, the midheaven traditionally indicates a person's career, status, aim in life, aspirations, public reputation, and life goal. In quadrant house systems the midheaven lies on the cusp of the 10th house of the horoscope.

The opposite point to the midheaven is known as the imum coeli. For astrologers the nadir or IC traditionally indicates the circumstances at the beginning and end of a person's life, their parents and the parental home, and their own domestic life. In quadrant house systems it lies on the cusp of the 4th house of the horoscope.

The horoscope is divided by astrologers into 12 portions called the houses. The houses of the horoscope are interpreted as being 12 different spheres of life or activity. There are various ways of calculating the houses in the horoscope or birth chart. However, there is no dispute about their meanings, and the 12 houses[28]

Many modern astrologers assume that the houses relate to their corresponding signs, i.e. that the first house has a natural affinity with the first sign, Aries, and so on.

The aspects are the angles the planets make to each other in the horoscope, and also to the ascendant, midheaven, descendant and nadir. The aspects are measured by the angular distance along the ecliptic in degrees and minutes of celestial longitude between two points, as viewed from the earth.[29] They indicate focal points in the horoscope where the energies involved are given extra emphasis. The more exact the angle, the more powerful the aspect, although an allowance of a few degrees each side of the aspect called an orb is allowed for interpretation. The following are the aspects in order of importance[30][31]

• - Conjunction 0° (orb ±10°). The conjunction is a major point in the chart, giving strong emphasis to the planets involved. The planets will act together to outside stimulus and act on each other.[30][31]
• - Opposition 180° (orb ±10°). The opposition is indicative of tension, conflict and confrontation, due to the polarity between the two elements involved. Stress arises when one is used over the other, causing an imbalance; but the opposition can work well if the two parts of the aspect are made to complement each other in a synthesis.[30][31]
• - Trine 120°(orb ±7.5°). The trine indicates harmony, and ease of expression, with the two elements reinforcing each other. The trine is a source of artistic and creative talent, but can be a 'line of least resistance' to a person of weak character.[30][31]
• - Square 90°(orb ±7.5°). The square indicates frustration, inhibitions, disruption and inner conflict, but can become a source of energy and activation to a person determined to overcome limitations.[30][31]
• - Sextile 60°(orb ±5°). The sextile is similar to the trine, but of less significance. It indicates ease of communication between the two elements involved, with compatibility and harmony between them.[30][31]
• - Quincunx 150°(orb ±2.5°). The quincunx indicates difficulty and stress, due to incompatible elements being forced together. It can mean an area of self-neglect in a person's life (especially health), or obligations being forced on a person. The quincunx can vary from minor to quite major in impact.[30][31]
• - Semisextile 30° (orb ±1.25°). Slight in effect. Indicates an area of life where a conscious effort to be positive will have to be made.[30][31]
• - Semisquare 45°(orb ±2.5°). Indicates somewhat difficult circumstance. Similar in effect to semisextile.[30][31]
• - Sesquiquadrate 135°(orb ±2.5°). Indicates somewhat stressful conditions. Similar to semisextile.[30][31]
• - Quintile 72° (orb ±1.25°). Slight in effect. Indicates talent and vaguely fortunate circumstances.[30][31]
• - Biquintile 144° (orb ±1.25°). Slight in effect. Indicates talent and vaguely fortunate circumstances.[30][31]
• - Retrograde: A planet is retrograde when it appears to move backwards across the sky when seen from the earth, due to one planet moving more quickly relative to the other. Although it is not an aspect, some astrologers believe that it should be included for consideration in the chart. Planets which are retrograde in the natal chart are considered by them to be potential weak points.[30][31]

These are the planets discovered in modern times, which have since been assigned meanings by Western astrologers.

Planets discovered in modern times, with signs and effects

Symbol	Planet	Representing	Rules the sign	Claimed effects on world events	Claimed effects on people
	Uranus	Letter 'H' for planet's discoverer, William Herschel[32]	Aquarius	Innovation, technology[33]	Sudden or disruptive change[34]
	Neptune	Trident, weapon of sea-god Neptune[35]	Pisces[36]		Confusion, sensitivity[36]
	Pluto	PL for astronomer Percival Lowell who predicted Pluto's discovery[37]	Scorpio		Transformation,[38] fate, death
	Ceres	Sickle, Ceres being goddess of corn[39]	(sometimes taken to be Virgo)		Mothering, compassion[40]

There are two camps of thought among western astrologers about the "starting point", 0 degrees Aries, in the zodiac. Sidereal astrology uses a fixed starting point in the background of stars, while tropical astrology, used by the majority of Western astrologers, chooses as a starting point the position of the Sun against the background of stars at the Northern hemisphere vernal equinox (i.e. when the Sun position against the heavens crosses over from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere) each year. The consequence of the Tropical approach is that when we say the Sun or a planet is in a certain zodiac sign, observation of it in the sky will show that it does not lie within that constellation at all.[41]

As the Earth spins on its axis, it "wobbles" like a top, causing the vernal equinox to move gradually backwards against the star background, (a phenomenon known as the Precession of the equinoxes) at a rate of about 30 degrees (one Zodiacal sign length) every 2,160 years. Thus the two zodiacs would be aligned only once every 26,000 years. They were aligned about 2,000 years ago when the zodiac was originally established.

This phenomenon gives us the conceptual basis for the Age of Aquarius, whose "dawning" coincides with the movement of the vernal equinox across the cusp from Pisces to Aquarius in the star background.