Can astrology be used as a tool for self-realization?

To some extent, I believe so. However, I’m well aware it sounds a bit absurd to some since we are taught that astrology is pretty much fantasy and what we find in the horoscope section on the back of a newspaper. We look at the horoscope to determine whether we will have a good day or a bad day. If we will make money or find love, etc.

I have studied astrology for a few years now, and not only am I astounded by how much knowledge the stars hold, but I have realized that astrology is an actual science of the self when studied in-depth. “As above so below,” we have probably heard this phrase multiple times, and I am a big believer that the microcosm mirrors the macrocosm and vice versa. When we look at history, we find that astrology dates back to the Babylonians and ancient Greece.

Astrology isn’t so much about predicting what the future holds or playing fortune tellers, and this is where most people mistake what astrology is really about. Yes, there is an energy system that controls life on earth. Still, astrology is there to help us be in touch with who we truly are so that we can understand its influence and tap into the many layers of our distinct personality traits.

But most importantly, to study our various inclinations when it comes to our purpose, vocation, intuition, family life, work, romantic love, the physical self, our social life and understanding, philosophy, dreams, spiritual life, etc. It is a metaphysical science, and it goes beyond what we sense in the physical.

How does astrology work exactly?

When we look at astrology, first, we find our sun sign. So if you’re born in January, for instance, then your sun was positioned in the constellation of Capricorn. If you were born in March, then you’re ruled under the sign of Pisces, etc. Now, this is just the tip of the iceberg. In actuality, astrology must go beyond the sun sign. If we want to understand astrology and its influence, we need to look at our own natal chart, a free service that you can easily find on the web today as long as you know your time of birth, date, & location.

We have to keep in mind that all the different planets in the solar system helped design life as we know it on planet earth. That is why each individual planet means something very different in astrology. Each planet being like a separate chakra or vital organ in the solar system, helps us experience these energy vibrations from all other planets. In basic astrology, we want to know where the planets, the sun, and the moon were positioned at the time of our birth.

We use astrology to know and understand ourselves better. How easy is it to know ourselves? Is there anybody out there who knows themselves that well? We’re all human, we all make mistakes, we all have a unique set of karmic implications in our lives due to our upbringing and social conditioning. We all have specific patterns we have difficulty breaking. We all struggle with certain addictions in life, like sex, romance, drugs, money, alcohol, food, etc.

When you look into an astrology chart, when you look at the planets and where they were frozen in space at the time of your birth, you can actually weed through some of the karma and patterns you weren’t aware of before. Now I don’t want to take this post too far into complex astrology but want to keep it relatively simple. I will talk about the fundamental meanings & vibrations of each of the twelve signs and why you should know your sun, moon, & rising sign.

Ruling planets for each of the zodiac signs- Astrology 101

Aries-Mars (March 21- April 19)
Taurus-Venus (April 20- May 20)
Gemini-Mercury (May 21- June 20)
Cancer-Moon (June 21- July 22)
Leo-Sun (July 23- August 22)
Virgo-Mercury (August 23- September 22)
Libra-Venus (September 23- October 22)
Scorpio-Pluto (October 23- November 21)
Sagittarius-Jupiter (November 22- December 21)
Capricorn-Saturn (December 22- January 19)
Aquarius-Uranus (January 20- February 18)
Pisces-Neptune (February 19- march 20)

Each sign is ruled by an element:

Earth- Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Water- Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Fire- Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Air- Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Basic meaning or vibration for each sign & its ruling planet:

Aries vibration/ Mars vibration/ 1st house:
The self, childhood, identity, lifeforce, the battery, ability to begin, initiation

Taurus vibration/ Venus vibration/ 2nd house:
The values of the self, what the self likes, what it wants, what it needs, how it loves and how it expresses itself

Gemini vibration/ Mercury vibration/3rd house:
How the self communicates, verbally and mentally expresses itself, psychological factors, self’s brothers and sisters

Cancer vibration/ Moon vibration/ 4th house:
Where the self lives, how it resides, the past of the self and past lives, mother or maternal factors, emotions, how the self feels

Leo vibration/ Sun vibration/ 5th house:
How the self creates, what it makes, what it manifests, its primary power, its talent, its gift, the paternal factor/father, children, procreation, fun, how the self leads and organizes, the family

Virgo vibration/ Mercury vibration/ 6th house:
Where the self works, how it serves, the health of the temple/the body, how the self analyzes and researches and how the self gathers information

Libra vibration/ Venus vibration/ 7th house:
How the self relates, how the self balances energy with other people outside family, how the self loves in commitments, partners, marriage, intimate expression of love

Scorpio vibration/ Pluto vibration/ 8th house:
How the self intimately relates with other people, sex, deep emotional ties, entanglements, subconscious triggers, heavy things concerning the self and other people’s assets, legally bound to others, ability to make babies, rebirth, transformation, metamorphosis

Sagittarius vibration/ Jupiter vibration/ 9th house:
How the self philosophizes, freedom, how the self travels, dealing with foreigners or foreign countries, the self’s attachment to teaching, college, luck

Capricorn vibration/ Saturn vibration/ 10th house:
The self and success, ambitions, career, logic, practicality, ethic, and karma. debts that we owe to our self

Aquarius vibration/ Uranus vibration/ 11th house:
Friends, goals, organizational involvement, humanity, genius, science, intelligence of a higher level, intellect, invention of the self

Pisces vibration/ Neptune/ 12th house:
Multidimensional self, psychic self, intuitive self, the destructive self, spirituality dreams, anything that is not visible, illusions, choice of going beyond this dimension and evolving beyond life or self-destruction, blowing our karma and remaining here

Sun, moon & rising signs in your birth chart

Why are the sun, moon and rising signs so important?

The Sun: Represents the essence of who you know yourself to be, your conscious purpose and identity. on an esoteric level, the sun refers to the present- the inherent potential you have to work within the here and now.

The Moon: Represents the innermost core of your being, your private feelings, and subconscious habits and attitudes. on an esoteric level the moon refers to your past-early childhood influences, racial heritage, and past lives

The Rising or Ascendant: It is the sign of the zodiac rising or ascending over the easter horizon at birth. the ascendant represents the outer layer of your being, your mask or persona coloring how you present yourself to the world at large. on an esoteric level the ascendant refers to the future-your direction of soul growth and unfoldment

Sun sign vs. Rising sign

Your inner self / your outer self
How you see yourself / how others see you
Your essence / your image
Your central core / your mask or persona
Your purpose or motivation / the vehicle for its expression

Example of sun, moon & rising traits:

Sun in Capricorn – inner self is ambitious, career oriented and longs for success. in essence logical and practical and ethical. many karmic lessons to be endured

Moon in Capricorn – shows their love in material ways, emotionally guarded, as a child lacked proper nurturing from mother figure, old soul, fearful, emotional needs are stability & security

Rising in Virgo – attracted to mind body awareness, shy, reserved, strong physical body, prone to worry and anxiety, detail oriented, sensitive, observant, need to be of service in society, methodical, sharp mind

Free natal chart 💙
https://astro.cafeastrology.com/natal.php