How To Read Your Horoscope The Right Way (Because You Keep Making These 3 Mistakes)
01. Look beyond your Sun sign
Whether or not you are an astrology enthusiast, you’ll notice most people are familiar with their Sun sign (or what you may know as your star sign). Your Sun sign is determined by the zodiacal season in which you were born and is the archetypal energy you probably resonate with the most; the Sun, after all, the cosmic ruler of ego and identity. The Sun is a significant astrological luminary, however, it illuminates who you are at the surface level and how you present yourself outwardly. It may feel natural to interpret your horoscope through the lens of your solar energy but it does not compare to the accuracy of reading according to your rising sign.
Your rising sign is determined by the zodiac sign that rose over the eastern horizon at the time of your birth. This sign changes approximately every two hours, meaning its interpretation is more personal and less specific to the traits you share with people born during your solar season. Your rising sign always resides at the beginning of your cosmic chart – within your 1st house of initiation, fate, and alignment – laying the framework for your entire soul map and life path. It mirrors your approach in all matters and the wider nature of your personality.
To create insightful horoscopes that are meaningful on a collective scale, astrologers forecast the movement of future planetary alignments through your birth chart. In other words, we do not need to know what is in your chart (where the planets are placed) but how your chart is structured (where the houses reside) to create accurate horoscopes. This can only be determined through the rising sign.
02. It’s all relative
Planetary alignments don't affect us equally. General astrology readings can offer an informative overview of cosmic shifts and how we will experience them globally; however, if you yearn to get more personal and down to specifics, a thorough understanding of your unique cosmic chart is required. Without real knowledge of the alignment of the planets at the time of your birth, astrologers cannot accurately predict your unique experience with planetary shifts.
For example, during a Gemini new moon – a generally energizing, positive, and mentally stimulating reset – a person born with a Gemini rising will thrive, often getting experimental with their decisions and appearance to explore a new version of themselves. However, this might not be true for everyone. A person born with a Taurus rising may experience heightened anxiety and restlessness during this cosmic alignment as they explore the depths of their subconscious mind and weigh up decisions that prevent them from moving forward.
Deeply personal horoscopes or a professional astrology reading can offer a thorough analysis of your relationship with planetary alignments and how their movements correlate with changing cycles in your life. However, if you're inspired to explore your birth chart on your own, click here to dive deeper.
03. Be open-minded and self-aware
Astrology is a validating tool for self-empowerment. It affirms the divine meaning and purpose of your being and how you operate in this vast world. The premise of cosmic philosophy requires you to turn the mirror on yourself and face the darkest corners of your conscious and subconscious self and mind. To acknowledge your gifts and unique beauty, but also your flaws, fears, and inner wounds that quietly run the show when you operate on auto-pilot. When astrology is not met with high levels of self-awareness, integrity, and an open mind – like many tools – it can be misused and wielded to affirm one's idealized version of reality.
There is a sacred duality to cosmic energy, of ease and challenge, which is often misinterpreted as good or bad energy. Astrological awareness teaches us that light cannot exist without darkness, and thus, we must take both equally, without praising one while dismissing the other. If you are reading your horoscope to gather positive messages about yourself and reject that which is uncomfortable to hear, if you are unwilling to face the challenging expressions of your own energy and the energy manifesting in the world around you, then it may be time to consider whether you are approaching cosmic philosophy with the right intentions.
