Vital Astrology Terms Everyone Should Know

Astrology goes wayyyyy deeper than just knowing the zodiac sign associated with your birthday. (Aka your sun sign, but more on that below!)

As it turns out, you actually have an entire birth chart that explains the blueprint of who you are, who you’ve been, and where you might be headed. If you’re thinking, “Uh, WTF is a birth chart?” you’ve come to the right place.

Here are the basic phrases you need to know when you’re first starting to delve into astrology.

Astrology

Put simply, astrology is the study of the movement of celestial bodies and observing how these entities influence human affairs and life on earth. Celestial bodies include the stars, Sun, Moon, and planets.

Astrologers

People who practice astrology are referred to as astrologers. There are various types of astrologers, all who approach astrology differently.

Birth Chart

A birth chart, also known as a natal chart, is a map of the sky at the moment you were born. A birth chart looks into the positioning of the Sun, Moon, and planets, as well as the astrological aspects and angles at the time of someone’s birth.

A birth chart is used to hep you gain a deeper understanding of who you are, who you’ve been, and who you could become in the future. To get your birth chart, you will need your date of birth as well as the exact time and location.

Get your free birth chart reading here!

Sun Sign

Your sun sign refers to the zodiac sign associated with the month you were born. It’s the birth chart placement you most likely knew first! Your sun sign represents your ego and place in the world.

Rising Sign

Your rising sign, also referred to as your ascendent sign, is a birth chart placement that is decided by the exact time you were born. Your rising sign is the vibe you put out to the world and how you are perceived by others.

Moon Sign

Your moon sign is another placement on your birth chart that is dictated by your birth day. In astrology, the moon sign represents your innermost world and your emotional self.

Houses

The houses in astrology refer to the 12 evenly-spaced components of the zodiac wheel. Every house on the zodiac wheel looks like a pie piece and each one represents a specific life area. The life area is dictated by the planetary and zodiac rulers of that house. For example, the first house is ruled by Mars and Aries.

Learn more about the houses in astrology.

Big Three Placements

Your big three placements refer to what your moon, sun, and rising signs. These are thought to make up the main components of your personality and place in the world.

Transits

Astrologically-speaking, transits refer to the movement of the planets as seen from earth.

When a planet travels through an area on your birth chart, such as a house or a sign, it creates an “aspect” with the planets already present in that area of your birth chart.

Speaking of aspects…

Aspects

Essentially, an aspect is the angle (measured in degrees) that forms between any two planets or zodiac signs. When it comes to a birth chart, aspects can tell a lot more about the person and give greater detail about everything from the way someone approaches love to work to everything in between.

Horoscope

A horoscope is a tool used in astrology, using the placements of celestial bodies at a specific time to predict how the celestial bodies’ positioning can impact the zodiac signs.

For example, astrologers can look at a specific day (a daily horoscope) and give a broad overview of what they think could happen for each zodiac sign.