“What’s your sign?”
Have you heard that before? I bet you have, and not just from watching some silly movies from the 90s! It still considers to be one of the best ice-breakers even today.
But what does that even mean?
Your sign means your Zodiac (Sun) sign. Let me try to explain it in a simple way: Earth is moving on its orbit around the sun. But from our perspective here on Earth, the sun, all throughout the year, appears to be “travelling” through certain constellations. Those 12 constellations make up the Zodiac (a Greek word, meaning “a circle of animals”) that originated a few thousand years ago, in ancient Egypt. The sun spends approximately a month in each of those constellations, marking the seasons here on Earth. Sun in the constellation of Aries—Spring Equinox; Sun in Cancer marks Summer Solstice in the northern hemisphere and so on.
On the day that you were born, the Sun was “marching” through the constellation/sign of Virgo and that means your (Sun) sign is Virgo. The Earth’s travel around the Sun is somewhat constant and predetermined; that means that the sun’s “apparent” wandering through those 12 constellations is also fixed and expected. That way, we know that everyone who was born on a certain day of the month (even years and years apart) share the same Sun sign.
But we also know that there are other planets in our solar system that travel around the sun and around those same constellations. All those planets make up the Astrological Chart and they all have their Zodiac sign placement in the chart, just like the sun. We all have certain Moon, Venus, and Mars signs. Jupiter and Saturn have their own sign placement and so do other outer planets. Being born on the same day might mean that you and someone else might have the same Sun sign, but your other planets’ Zodiac sign placements might differ and that’s what makes each individual Astrological chart unique and beautiful.
It’s common to know one’s own (Zodiac) Sun sign… but knowing one’s Venus or Mars signs is way too cool, especially with this growing interest in spirituality!
Next time, we talk about the meanings of the planets in astrology and their importance in our charts. Until then have a stellar week, everyone!