Your Zodiac Sign and You

Do you recall sometime in June/July of 2020 when there was a race about the newly found zodiac sign? Ophiuchus - yes, that one. Did you too catch the wave and frenzy of the new planet addition which was claimed to have affected the previous arrangement we were used to?

ICYMI, see the image below for the new list which was created.

Image from slate.com

Astrology is such an interesting topic and my journey into the field of astrology is much more interesting. Sometime in 2018, my life was shaken. Not like it had been all that stable but once again, I was hit when I least expected or rather prepared for it. In January, all the staff at the company where I worked were laid off without forewarning and exactly two months later, I was sent packing from where I lived. What a way to start a year! This incident found me crawling back to Ogun State where I began to gradually pick myself back up again, freelancing and offering home tutorship to students. It was during this period that I stumbled on Astrology. If you ask me, I'd say that I think it was more dramatic than a ‘stumble’.

Here is how it happened. As I have come to embrace, I would strangely hear a voice out of the blues urging me towards something and even when I shrug it off at times, it does not leave. This particular one was one of such times. One afternoon, as I prepared content for the company I wrote for, I heard a question in my head: “What is astrology?” You know, it is okay when you have heard of something before or seen it somewhere and then it comes back to mind. You would be able to easily explain that you simply remembered. However, the case was different here. I had never been in contact with astrology until that very moment and so, it was strange that I would be asked what astrology was.

Seeing the question continued to ring back in my mind, I decided to research it. First, I inquired from members of a Facebook group I belonged to. They barely gave me a satisfactory answer. So, I took a trip to Google. That was the turning point. I found information and it was profound to the point that it was surreal. A site offered me a free chart reading and it was accurate back to back. Then, the reading predicted the possibility of two career opportunities awaiting me later on in the year and it was important that I made the right choice. True to the prediction, the two opportunities came my way and thankfully, the Universe guided my choice. This move brought me closer to Astrology.

I am aware that some folks are averse to astrology because according to them, you should not read the stars or visit diviners or fortune tellers. Well, whilst I am not here to argue for or against, my surmise is that such a statement is borne out of ignorance. Ask yourself this: “If I could walk in a well lit room, why would I choose to walk in a dark room instead? If it was possible to get directions every step of my way, why would I tread the path with little or no guidelines at all, thus often missing my way?”

Astrology is the scientific study of planets and zodiac signs and how these operate to affect our lives. It is a broad field of study that is capable of telling you anything about anybody, ranging from their health to their relationships, career, finance, education, mental capacity, temperament, and sociability, etc. With astrology, you can tell someone's strengths and weaknesses and what they should expect at certain times in their lives. As crazy as it may sound, astrology has the potential to guide you on what you should be focusing on in this lifetime - areas of your life you need to develop and the ones you should be lax on; the skills you should learn or acquire to help you with your sojourn through the earth during this lifetime. And if you want to go further, you will get insight into your past lives. Interesting much, or not? I bet you, it is.

Have you ever wondered why you would read a snippet of your sign's characteristics and some or many of them do not feel like you. I mean, you say to yourself, “No, I don't do that.” “Nah, that's not me.” And yet, there are some that feel relatable nonetheless. Here is why: your zodiac sign is not enough to define and describe the entirety of your personality. Knowing that you fall under the Sagittarius sign because you were born on December 15 is not enough. There are other things to put into consideration.

A natal chart is a 360ᐤ circle equally divided into twelve pies of thirty degrees each. These pies are called Houses and they each have a Sign and Planet(s) that rule them. Also called a birth chart, a natal chart is plotted with your complete date of birth: day, month and year. For a more detailed and precise reading, provide your exact time of birth. Your time of birth will be used to derive your Ascendant (or, Rising Sun). Thence, whereas your Sun sign may be Capricorn ♑️, you may have a Pisces ♓ Ascendant. Your Ascendant which occupies the 1st House of Self - how you perceive and relate with yourself, and Personality - the first impression people get of you, reveals a lot about What You Are. Then, we would begin to consider how all the planets interact with each other in the Houses they are located in.

Sample natal chart (not to be reduplicated): created on alabe.com

As my mentor puts it, “A natal chart is the screenshot of the astral space taken at the time of birth.” That is the simplest way to understand the phenomenon. Call it the truest exposure on Why You Act The Way You Do. Although plotting a chart without knowing the place of birth is possible, that information is necessary to guide the astrologer in order to understand how the planets will behave in the individual’s life. This is so because our environment plays a big role in how our lives turn out. It is, however, important to bear in mind that the stars impel, they do not compel. As a Human Being, you were created with Will - the power to choose. Therefore, it is up to you to make the right choices with what is presented to you in your chart.

Do you know your Sun Sign and your Rising Sun? Will you like to know?