Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Astrology: Your Most Asked Questions Answered

This is a guest post written by one of the internet’s leading Astrologers, Nadine Jane. 

With over 240k followers on Instagram, Nadine’s aim is to make astrology accessible, relatable and beautiful. Her new book, Magic Days: Your Journey Through the Astrology, Numerology, and Tarot of Every Day of the Year, is a soulful read for anyone on the journey of self-discovery. 

Whether you’re a newbie looking for your first introduction to spiritual practices, the lost soul who could use some direction in life, the jaded expert looking for a new point of view on the topics, the empathic people-reader who loves to understand others or the complete sceptic, Magic Days guides readers through the wisdom of each day, helping them to channel the energy needed to truly thrive. 

Pre-order her new book here.

Q: What is astrology, and how does it work?

In the most simple terms, Astrology is the study of the planets and their movements and how those movements impact each of us as individuals and as a collective. There is a common phrase used in the practice, “as above, so below”, implying that the sky is a direct reflection of our experience as human beings. A common question I get asked is, “how does Astrology work?” and while there are so many different ways of answering this question, the answer that resonates the most with me is the idea of synchronicity—that the earth is a part of the same energetic field as the planets above, intricately tying the stories of the planets to the stories of our lives.

Q: What is an astrological birth chart?

The natal chart, also known as the birth chart, is a picture of the sky and the planets at play the exact moment you were born. It provides a roadmap to understanding who you are on the most fundamental level, as well as your biggest roadblocks and highest potential. It explains your personality, dreams, hopes, desires and the future. It will tap into your greatest strengths, weaknesses, and all of the hidden talent that you can access with awareness. The birth chart is in my eyes the most crucial tool in astrology, as it gets us out of popularised sun-sign astrology and into the heart of what astrology is about. Your chart is your unique astrological thumbprint. If you are interested in looking up your birth chart, you will have to track down your birth time, and plug in your birth information (date of birth, time of birth, and location of birth) into an online chart generator like TimePassages or astro-charts.com. 

Q: What are the qualities of each sign?

Aries Adjectives: strong, fearless, hot-headed, intense, entrepreneurial, authoritative, self-assured, powerful.

Taurus Adjectives: loyal, steady, reliable, luxurious, earthy, grounded, materialistic, rooted.

Gemini Adjectives: curious, intelligent, quick-witted, spontaneous, restless, inquisitive, dynamic, changeable.

Cancer Adjectives: cosy, nurturing, careful, nostalgic, familiar, self-protective, compassionate.

Leo Adjectives: creative, courageous, outgoing, attention-seeking, bold, affable.

Virgo Adjectives: humble, intelligent, diligent, meticulous, reasonable, practical.

Libra Adjectives: peaceful, diplomatic, partnership-driven, romantic, even-keeled, beautiful.

Scorpio Adjectives: driven, introspective, emotionally intelligent, perceptive, private, possessive, probing.

Sagittarius Adjectives: adventurous, wise, free, expansive, untethered.

Capricorn Adjectives: serious, pragmatic, mature, commanding, authoritative.

Aquarius Adjectives: unique, detached, innovative, weird, quirky.

Pisces Adjectives: dreamy, artistic, empathic, fluid, non-judgmental, open-hearted. 

Q: Why don’t I relate to my sign?

It is not uncommon for folks to not entirely relate to their Sun sign (the sign based on one’s birthday), for a myriad of reasons. The first is that no person is as simple as one sign—there are many planets that influence the personality and traits of an individual, however the Sun sign has been so popularised by Western media culture that it has overshadowed the importance of others planets like the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and while not a planet, the Rising Sign. These other parts of the chart more than likely don’t all fall into the same sign as your Sun sign, explaining why you might not feel too identified with that one sign. The second reason is that without a lot of in depth research into one’s particular Sun sign, it is far too easy to only hear generalisations and even stereotypes about one’s sign. For example, in popular culture, the sign of Gemini gets a bad reputation for being unreliable and even two-faced, so of course one shouldn’t want to identify with that sign! That is why books and credible apps are so useful when it comes to understanding and relating to one’s chart.

Q: What is a Rising sign?

Let’s say you’re an Aries and you meet another Aries…but you couldn’t be more different. That is where your birth chart comes in. They could be an Aries with a Cancer Rising, making them much more reserved and shy than you. You could be an Aries with a Leo Moon, making you much more creatively expressive than the average Aries. No person is as simple as one sign. The Rising sign is the sign at dawn on the Eastern horizon at the exact moment you were born, defining quite literally how you dawn upon people; your first impression. It explains why you may be super shy and timid upon first impression or have a desire to work the room and control the conversation when you are first meeting others. The Rising sign also helps explain your role within the family or your best survival mechanism growing up. Some of us learned to be perfect and useful growing up; we may have a Virgo Rising. Some of us learned to be nurturing and self-protective growing up; we may have a Cancer Rising. And some of us learned to be fiercely independent and self-assured; we may have an Aries Rising. The Rising sign is a very crucial part of the birth chart in regards to understanding our instincts and purpose, perhaps as important if not more important than your Sun sign.

Q: What signs am I compatible with in astrology?

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this pertinent question. Compatibility in astrology, otherwise known as synastry, is a hugely complex subject and requires a great amount of nuance. However, there are some simple tools for understanding compatibility, like using the elements (fire, earth, air and water) of each sign. The signs that share the same element, generally speaking, have an easier time getting along because they share similar qualities. So say you’re a Taurus, an earth sign, you will have some degree of flow and ease with Virgo and Capricorn, the other two earth signs. Say you’re an Aries, a fire sign, you will have some degree of flow and ease with Leo and Sagittarius, the other two fire signs. Say you’re a Cancer, a water sign, you will have some degree of flow and ease with Scorpio and Pisces, the other two water signs. And lastly, say you’re a Gemini, an air sign, you will have some degree of flow and ease with Libra and Aquarius, the other two air signs. However, if you are looking to dive deep and understand the compatibility between you and say your romantic partner, working with a trainer astrologer would be highly recommended.

Q: What are The Houses in astrology? 

The 12 Houses are the invisible divisions within the sky, each ruling over some important aspect of our lives. These houses help astrologers understand where a planet was in the sky when you were born (for example, was it above or below the horizon line?) and how its position influences how that planet will manifest in your birth chart. For example, your Sun in Aries could be in the 9th House, a house of higher education and philosophy, making you fearlessly ambitious when it comes to chasing higher truths and understanding the world around you. The Houses add an extra layer of depth to each planet and sign, explaining the best environment for that planet to flourish in. 

Q: What do the 12 Houses rule?

1. The First House Rules

• Quite literally how you dawn on people; your first impression
• Your external identity
• Your appearance
• How you approach life
• Childhood coping mechanisms

2. The Second House Rules

• Money & Personal Income
• What you value and why
• Your relationship (or lack thereof )
• with the physical world and your body
• What grounds you

3. The Third House Rules

• Your intellectual and personal comfort zone
• Siblings, friends, and neighbours
• Your childhood neighbourhood
• Your ideal social activities

4. The Fourth House Rules

• Your definition of home
• Your true roots
• Family and ancestors
• The hidden, less authoritative parent
• Your personal history

5. The Fifth House Rules

• Your creativity
• True love and passing love affairs
• Fertility
• Your truest self-expression
• Personal drama

6. The Sixth House Rules

• Work service
• Personal health & fitness
• Daily habits and routines
• Your sense of usefulness

7. The Seventh House Rules:

• Partnership (platonic and romantic)
• How we share and topics of equality
• Marriage, contracts,
• Interpersonal dynamics
• The things we can gain from trusting others

8. The Eight House Rules

• Sex, death and rebirth
• Merging and deep intimacy
• Shared finances, debt and inheritance
• Mystery and transcendence

9. The Ninth House Rules:

• Long-term and distant travel
• Wisdom and philosophy
• Your relationship with higher education
• Religion and spiritual institutions
• Ethics and moral values

10. The Tenth House Rules:

• Our public image
• Historical relationship with authority figures, including parents
• Topics of career, fame and honour
• Our personal expertise
• Long-term goals

11. The Eleventh House Rules:

• Groups, networks, clubs
• Our sense of community
• Our relationship to social justice
• Philanthropy
• Our hopes and wishes for the collective future

12. The Twelfth House Rules:

• Your inner world
• Personal privacy
• Dreams, subconscious beliefs
• Karma
• Deeply personal relationship to spirituality

Q: What if I want to learn more about astrology?

Start by discovering your birth chart! You can look it up on apps like TimePassages or sites like astro-charts.com. From there, you can begin researching more about each sign that you have in your birth chart. There is a ton of free information out there if you are willing to dig a bit. And lastly, if you want to dive head-first into understanding your chart, book a reading with a professional astrologer.