As a long-time astrology nut, for decades it’s been all about ‘What’s your sign?’ But I’ve found that with the birth of social media astrology, that question has shifted from ‘What’s your sign?’ to ‘What’s your chart?’ And honestly, I love this for us!
As they say, knowledge is power, and you get a more thorough reading of a person by determining what their moon and rising signs are and how that corresponds with their sun sign (that’s the main one).
But for folks who are still wrapping their heads around the basics of astrology, it can be hella intimidating when you’re out at a party or on a date or having dinner with a ~spiritual friend~ when suddenly you’re quizzed about your entire chart.
So as Pedestrian.TV’s resident astrology guru, I’m gonna talk you through your three main signs, why they’re important, and how to calculate yours.
Sun Sign – the essence of you
That’s your main one. The one your birthday falls under. This one is basically the all-rounder that captures the essence of you are and how you think, which is why when you read your horoscopes, you needa suss out this one.
So just like the sun is the center of our solar system and the root of life on earth, your sun sign is the center of you and the core of who you are.
The sun sign represents the big picture of your life, as well as your ego and deep sense of self.
Moon Sign – your shadow side
When the sun goes down at night, what takes its place? The moon. But just because it’s not around during the day, does this make it any less important to the earth’s structure? Absolutely not. Therefore understanding your moon sign is, indeed, valuable.
As the moon rules the tides, it also tells us about our feelings and all those emotions that are deep under the surface – the hidden parts of your personality that may not be immediately obvious.
In order to calculate your moon sign, you’re going to need a full birth date, year, and exact time/time zone. When you’ve got that, you can either consult an astrologer or use an online moon sign calculator (see below) to find out what sign rules your lunar self.
Rising Sign – how people perceive you
Also known as the ascendant, rising signs indicate the version of you that people see at first glance. It’s likely that an astrology-loving mate may have assumed that you were this sign in the past ‘cos this is how you appear on the outside (in tandem with your sun sign).
In order to calculate your rising sign, you’re going to need your exact birth time and place (in addition to the date and year, of course), as rising signs change approximately every couple hours — meaning that even people born on the exact same date are likely to have different rising signs.
So what now? I’ve always used this fabulous calculator by AstroSofa.com that’s easy as and v. accurate.
Go forth and find out more about yourself and your sign.
