☾Introduction

The horoscopes you see in magazines and on TV are based on Western astrology. But what they actually use is only your sun sign — just one small piece of Western astrology as a whole.

Western astrology uses the sun along with nine other celestial bodies, reading a person's character and fortune from their positions and the angles between them. A horoscope is the chart that shows exactly where those bodies sit and how they relate to one another.

Once you build a horoscope, you'll see that even a one-day difference in birthdate can produce a strikingly different result.

We'll walk through how to read a horoscope, its key elements, and a simple way to use it for divination.

✦What Is a Horoscope?

A horoscope is a "celestial map" — a diagram of where the planets sit in the sky as seen from a specific time and place.

Western astrology is the art of reading the planetary imagery drawn on this chart. The horoscope cast for the exact moment a particular person was born is called a natal chart.

You can easily generate a horoscope with just a computer or smartphone. Search "horoscope generator" and you'll find plenty of sites — pick whichever one feels easiest for you to use.

To read a horoscope, you first need to know your birth time and place. Ask a parent or check your baby book/birth records. If you truly don't know your birth time, try setting it to 12:00 noon when generating the chart. There will be some discrepancy depending on your actual birth time, but as you get more comfortable reading horoscopes, you'll be able to fine-tune the timing yourself.

✧How to Read a Horoscope

Let's go over how to read a horoscope. First, on the chart, the top represents south, the bottom north, the right west, and the left east.

When you look at a horoscope, you'll see it's covered in symbols. Those symbols fall into four main categories:

1. Planets
2. Signs
3. Houses
4. Aspects

This time, we'll focus on two of these four elements in particular: the planets and the signs.

The planets are the ten celestial bodies: the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Note that Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto move slowly enough that they're shared in common by everyone born around the same era. These bodies are also sometimes simply called "planets."

The signs are what we commonly know as the 12 zodiac signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.

Together, the planets and signs let you express how a person feels and how they tend to act. By combining a planet with a sign, you build up a picture of the person represented in the chart.

Since everything on a horoscope is expressed through symbols, it's worth memorizing the glyphs for the planets and signs as best you can.

Planet Symbols

Sun	☉
Moon	☽
Mercury	☿
Venus	♀
Mars	♂
Jupiter	♃
Saturn	♄
Uranus	♅
Neptune	♆
Pluto	♇

Sign Symbols

Aries	♈
Taurus	♉
Gemini	♊
Cancer	♋
Leo	♌
Virgo	♍
Libra	♎
Scorpio	♏
Sagittarius	♐
Capricorn	♑
Aquarius	♒
Pisces	♓

☀Horoscope Elements: The Planets

A horoscope is made up of many elements, but the planets and signs form its foundation. Let's start with the planets.

Sun ☉

The Sun is what most people know as "their sign." But your sun sign doesn't actually describe your innate personality. Instead, it represents the way of life you're meant to carve out for yourself, and the drive behind the life you're aiming for.

"Who do I want to become?" "How do I want to live?" — the Sun points to the very core of how you approach your life.

Sun Keywords

Awareness · Purpose · Self-actualization

Moon ☽

The Moon lurks in your unconscious. It represents your instinctive emotions, desires, and habits — said to reflect raw, childlike feeling.

What the Moon represents gets suppressed by reason as you grow up, but pushing it down too hard can become a source of stress. Understanding your Moon helps you recognize what situations make you vulnerable, and what tends to unsettle your heart.

Moon Keywords

Privacy · The unconscious · A sense of security

Mercury ☿

Mercury represents your communication style and intellect. It shows how you communicate, and specifically what areas you tend to excel in.

Mercury is also directly tied to study and work. If you can make the most of your Mercury's traits, both study and work will come more naturally. If not, you may find yourself struggling or feeling uninspired.

Mercury Keywords

Intellect · Communication · Thought

Venus ♀

Venus symbolizes love and beauty. Whenever you feel something is "nice," "cute," "beautiful," "fun," or "lovely," that's Venus at work. Hobbies and play also fall under Venus's domain.

Venus is closely tied to romance. In a man's chart it's said to show his ideal type of woman, while in a woman's chart it shows her tendencies in loving a man.

Beyond romance, Venus exerts a strong pull on anything you find interesting or enjoyable. You could say Venus holds the key to all the pleasure and joy in your life.

Venus Keywords

Enjoyment · Sociability · Affection · Art

Mars ♂

Mars represents your fighting instinct and drive to act. When you get angry or become aggressive, that's Mars's energy showing itself. Mars's drive is also what you need to actually go out and get something you want.

If you fear Mars's energy and try to bottle it up inside, it can rebound as accidents or trouble. It's worth understanding what kind of power your Mars holds so you can put it to good use.

In romance, a man's Mars is said to show his tendencies in loving a woman, while a woman's Mars shows her ideal type of man.

Mars Keywords

Drive · Assertiveness · Courage

Jupiter ♃

Jupiter represents expansion, growth, and enlargement. It's often said to bring luck and success, but really Jupiter's tendency is to expand everything it touches.

In a horoscope, Jupiter shows the attitude you need in order to seize good fortune, and it can also reveal what values you hold dear.

You could say Jupiter holds the potential to grow your luck and your chances.

Jupiter Keywords

Expansion · Growth · Goodwill · Generosity · Philosophy

Saturn ♄

Saturn represents trials and limitations. The challenges Saturn hands you are meant to be overcome, and it points to the things you need to consciously keep in check.

In a horoscope, Saturn shows the areas where you feel less confident. By taking the time to face what you're weak at, you open the door to a fuller life.

Saturn Keywords

Stability · Discipline · Limitation · Effort · Trials

Uranus ♅

Uranus represents creativity and innovation. It reveals sudden changes and unexpected happenings in your life.

Uranus Keywords

Originality · Breakthrough · Reform · Invention · Inspiration

Neptune ♆

Neptune represents intoxication, illusion, and the mystical. It blurs boundaries and erases the line between dreams and reality.

Neptune Keywords

Mystery · Dreams · Uncertainty · Rapture · Service

Pluto ♇

Pluto is known as the planet of destruction and rebirth. It holds immense power and can overturn things at their very foundation, transforming them entirely.

Pluto Keywords

Destruction and rebirth · Extremity · Absoluteness · Transformation

You might picture these ten planets as all existing within you, each one stepping forward depending on the situation.

✦Horoscope Elements: The Signs

Now let's go through the 12 signs.

Aries ♈

As the first sign of the zodiac, Aries is the true pioneer, the trailblazer. Undaunted by difficulty, Aries charges toward the unknown — that's the defining trait of this sign. Aries can also be quick to catch fire and quick to cool off.

Aries Keywords — "I am"

New beginnings · Freshness · Purity · Simplicity

Taurus ♉

Taurus moves at its own pace, is persistent, and can be stubborn. It has strong senses — sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. Wanting to make things its own, and working to claim them, is the hallmark of Taurus.

Taurus Keywords — "I have"

Materiality · The five senses · Rumination · Slowness

Gemini ♊

Gemini is intensely curious, always turning its attention outward. Light on its feet and quick to shift gears, Gemini excels at adapting on the fly. Knowledge combined with the drive to act defines this sign.

Gemini Keywords — "I think"

Change · Reaction · Intellect · Information

Cancer ♋

Cancer embodies motherhood, so it carries strong family love and a caring, nurturing streak — though it can also be a bit shy. Cherishing and nurturing family and close friends is the defining trait of Cancer. This sign is deeply emotional and can sometimes become oversensitive.

Cancer Keywords — "I sense"

Protection · Home-loving · Cautious · Shy

Leo ♌

Leo seeks praise and respect. Warm-hearted and naturally drawing people close, with a proud bearing — that's classic Leo. Skilled at enjoying life, Leo often prefers things to unfold dramatically.

Leo Keywords — "I will"

Leadership · Creativity · Proactive · Self-focused

Virgo ♍

Virgo thinks analytically and practically, and wants to be useful to others. Noticing small details and doing excellent work defines this sign, though Virgo can sometimes become overly critical. Virgo often has a delicate, nervous temperament.

Virgo Keywords — "I analyze"

Attentive · Diligent · Efficient · Prone to worry

Libra ♎

Libra strongly values balance in everything. Valuing fairness and holding a strong sense of justice defines this sign. In seeking harmonious relationships, Libra may bend so far to accommodate others that it comes across as indecisive.

Libra Keywords — "I weigh"

Considerate · Cooperative · Sociable · Fair

Scorpio ♏

Scorpio holds deep emotions and commits wholeheartedly to specific goals. Pouring intense feeling into particular people while staying detached from everyone else is classic Scorpio, and this sign tends to bottle up emotion.

Scorpio Keywords — "I desire"

Secretive · Loyal · Possessive · Passionate

Sagittarius ♐

Sagittarius has a generous, teacher-like personality and a philosophical mindset. Optimistic and future-oriented, Sagittarius doesn't always think things through, which defines this sign. It can also chase dreams over reality, adventurer-style.

Sagittarius Keywords — "I understand"

Friendly · Freedom-loving · Knowledgeable · Optimistic

Capricorn ♑

Capricorn excels at management. Ambitious and driven to rise, this hardworking sign has a strong sense of responsibility and delivers polished, professional work — the classic Capricorn trait. Practical by nature, Capricorn may have little interest in relationships that offer no benefit.

Capricorn Keywords — "I use"

Practical · Realistic · Patient · Conservative

Aquarius ♒

Aquarius isn't bound by convention and values independence. Respecting others' individuality, Aquarius treats everyone fairly and rarely gets emotionally invested in any one relationship — that's the classic Aquarius trait. Its cool demeanor can come across as detached.

Aquarius Keywords — "I know"

Individualistic · Rebellious · Original · Objective

Pisces ♓

Pisces shows strong empathy and compassion. Feeling others' emotions as if they were their own, Pisces can sacrifice themselves out of excessive respect for others. Service-oriented with a healing touch — that's the defining trait of Pisces.

Pisces Keywords — "I believe"

Highly sensitive · Dreamer · Vague · Self-sacrificing

That covers the basics of the planets and signs that make up a horoscope. Houses and aspects are also important elements of a horoscope, but this time, for beginners, we'll focus on reading with just the planets and signs.

⚖How to Read a Horoscope for Divination

Let's use a horoscope to read a person's nature.

The ten planets and twelve signs we've just introduced represent that person's individuality.

Build a horoscope and check the planets and signs. You can use your own chart, or you may find it easier to start with a sibling's or family member's.

We recommend starting by looking at Mercury, Venus, and Mars.

Why not the Moon or Sun first? The Moon governs your unconscious and shows reflexive, reactive tendencies, which makes it hard to view yourself objectively through it. That said, the Moon can be very revealing when looking at your parents or siblings, since it shows the private face people show away from the outside world, not their public one.

And the Sun doesn't represent your innate personality — it's something you work to achieve — so it can feel difficult or confusing to interpret at first.

One caution when reading the Moon: if you don't know your exact birth time, be careful. The Moon moves roughly once every two hours. If you set your birth time to noon and the Moon lands at 23 degrees or later in a sign, consider that the next sign is also possible.

If you don't know your birth time and a planet sits at 29 degrees, try generating a chart for 11:59 PM to check as well.

Mercury represents intellect and communication. It shows the methods and thinking style you lean toward when studying, working, or interacting with others.

For example, someone with Mercury in Aries takes an eager interest in new fields at work or school and dives enthusiastically into new territory. But because they catch fire quickly and cool off just as fast, they may lose motivation if they have to keep doing the same thing for too long.

In situations that call for communication, they likely don't mind talking to strangers and tend to handle surprises well.

Venus reveals your romantic tendencies, hobbies, and the things you like.

For example, someone with Venus in Taurus tends to want a stable relationship. The bond between the couple is calm and tends to last a long time — though they may come across as quite possessive.

They likely enjoy things related to the five senses — for instance, being particular about food, loving soft, comfortable clothing, or being easily moved by scent.

Mars represents drive to act. It shows what methods you use to pursue something you want, and what kinds of situations get you motivated.

For example, someone with Mars in Gemini isn't exactly the calm, settled type. They take an interest in many different areas and handle them skillfully, so they tend to do better juggling two or three things at once rather than focusing on just one.

In this way, you build a picture of the person in the horoscope by combining planets with signs.

The planets are the actors; the signs are the script.

Try imagining which script each planet inside you plays out.

It may help to think about the differences between people you know. Some can talk to anyone right away, others find strangers difficult; some care a lot about a new acquaintance's age, job, or school, others don't. Some always reach for the newest product at the convenience store, others always buy the same thing; some always check reviews before visiting a restaurant or cafe, others don't — your own behavior isn't universal to everyone.

Whenever you notice a difference between yourself and someone else, that's a good place to start unpacking why.

✦Summary

So, what did you think of this introduction to the planets and signs shown on a horoscope?

A horoscope contains many other elements too, but the planets and signs are its foundation.

Once you can understand the differences between yourself and the people around you, it becomes easier to accept how others think — and that, in turn, helps you take better care of yourself too.

We hope this article has sparked your interest in horoscopes.