Looking Past the Sun (Sign)
Dealing with misconceptions about Western astrology
On Sunday, writer
shared on her Substack a video of astrologer Christoper Renstrom providing an analysis of her natal planetary placements and discussing them in relationship to her legal battles with Trump and the assault he committed that started it all. She asked her readers, “What sign are you? Does the description fit you? Have you ever had a reading? How did it turn out? Right? Or Wrong?”
I read through all the comments because I wanted to see what the overall mindset was. There were several curious folks, quite a few of us who have studied astrology for years & have experience in astrological chart interpretation, and a few naysayers. While the comments were about what I’d expected, I felt the astro-curious commenters were dominating the conversation. Even so, I noticed quite a few misconceptions about astrology, and as I’d already been drafting content on myths & misconceptions about astrology for a new website I’ve had in the works for a few years, I thought, why not put this on my Substack, too? E. Jean, ever the adventurous Sagittarian, said “Go for it, Corinne!”, so here we are.
The biggest misconception I repeatedly see is that the Sun sign (meaning the zodiac sign that the Sun was in on the month and day we were born) is the arbiter of all things astrological. I hear multiple variations of “I’m nothing like my zodiac sign” or “my horoscope never applies to me” from people when I tell them I’ve been studying astrology for more than 20 years. But there’s way, way more to astrology than Sun signs. And often, once I tell these people why they’re not wrong about their Sun sign, they are way more interested in learning more.
Before I continue, I’ll set a few parameters:
1. My focus is on tropical astrology, often referred to as Western astrology. Tropical astrology is based on the Sun’s path (known as the ecliptic) and when the Sun crosses the vernal point, known as the vernal equinox, aka the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
2. Astronomy and astrology are two different studies. Even if they use the same planets and the zodiac signs share names with constellations, that does not make them the same thing. Western astrologers don’t look to NASA to determine changes to the zodiac, and NASA doesn’t consult with astrologers to determine changes in constellations1.
As astrologer Chani Nicholas writes, “…the tropical zodiac (aka the system most of us use in North America) doesn’t correspond to the physical location of the constellations… That can be pretty confusing if you’re new to astrology, but the signs have always been symbolic, rather than adhering to objective space. The ancients were aware of this slow shift. That’s why they rooted the tropical zodiac on a point that doesn’t change: the vernal equinox — a day in the year when every location on Earth experiences equal hours of darkness and light. Because it follows the winter in the Northern Hemisphere, where this system was created, it’s a day that represents rebirth and vitality. And for that reason, it corresponds to 0° Aries, the beginning of the zodiac.”
Astrologer Ryhan Butler writes, “[Zodiac] Signs are equal mathematical divisions of the ecliptic. Constellations are visible groups of stars. The signs were named after the dominant constellational figures along the ecliptic, but they were never thought of as or intended to be interchangeable with one another.”
Let’s continue…
Remember these numbers: 12-10-12-5. It’s these four numbers that contain multitudes of possibilities when it comes to astrology. These numbers help us look past the Sun sign to understand why many people experience astrology as being accurate in its descriptions of human behavior and world events.
There are 12 signs in the zodiac, and astrologers list them starting with the sign that kicks off spring in the Northern Hemisphere: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces. Each of these 12 signs represents how we show up in the world.
There are 10 planets used in astrology to represent what we’re made of: this includes our communication style, our likes & dislikes, what motivates us, the ways we expand and contract as we gain knowledge and experience. The planets are the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.2 3
When an astrologer creates a chart, whether it’s of a person or event, they are essentially creating a map of what zodiac signs the planets were transiting at that moment in time. These charts are circular and are divided into 12 houses, with each one representing where specific events or activities happen. These houses cover all aspects of life.
In an astrological chart, the 10 planets relate to each other in different ways, based on the signs and houses in which they are placed. These relationships are called aspects. There are 5 major aspects to describe these relationships: conjunction, sextile, trine, opposition, and square. At this point, astrology gets way more math-y.4
This also may be the point where some readers will throw up their hands and say, “It’s all too confusing. You didn’t mention there was going to be MATH involved!” I know, I know, the math is a lot. And many astrologers and astrology students can get so excited talking about all the astrology things that people scream “SKIP TO THE END.”
I’m a fan of analogies, so I’ll put it like this: if we keep in mind that 12-10-12-5, and we accept that astrologers are mindful of this 12-10-12-5 when they construct and interpret an astrological chart, then that means we all have a chance to be a special little snowflake5. E. Jean Carroll is a Sagittarius Sun, yes—and so are Joan Didion, Jane Austen, Jane Fonda, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Britney Spears. If we looked at just their Sagittarius Sun, we’d definitely find similarities. But we’d miss out on the bigger picture when it comes to these incredible women and their contributions to the world. We wouldn’t be considering their different communication styles as indicated by the planet Mercury, or their personal aesthetic as indicated by the planet Venus. We can do like Christopher Renstrom did with E. Jean’s chart and assess where their ruling planet, Jupiter, is located, and that would give us an idea of where these women have experienced a stroke of luck or abundance, and where they go big or go home. It’s when we account for all of these things and more by looking past their Sun sign that we can fully appreciate the complex natures of these women.
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This is why astrologers roll their eyes every time that old yarn about a 13th zodiac sign pops up in the news. I won’t link to any of that here because it’s not relevant to the discussion.
Western astrologers don’t include Earth because it’s geocentric—we are looking at the planets based on our position on Earth. I’ve listed these planets in ascending order, based on how long it takes for them to orbit or transit through all 12 signs.
In a future post, I’ll write more about the three “modern” planets—Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto—and how many astrologers work with these planets to understand the similarities and differences between generations.
Astrologer Chris Brennan has excellent content on the aspects on his “The Astrology Podcast.” For a basic introduction, watch here (starting at 1:52) and here (starting at 15:19).
But in a good way, of course, not the Veruca Salt “I want it now” kind of way.
So out of curiosity what did you make of Renstrom’s reading of E. Jean’s chart?