Do this: 001

This is a new start to show a method for learning to read a horoscope. No more guesswork, or keeping your fingers crossed.

We are all people, but we are not all the same; we cannot do everything but have to work with ourselves the way we are - if your hand-eye coordination is not good, you are never going to become an airline pilot or a brain surgeon. We accept these limitations. That said:

This is what a horoscope looks like.

We are going to discover that it shows how we are built, what our strengths and weaknesses are; what we can logically expect from our life and the people and conditions in it. This is valuable because we can then make changes that will last because or when they are in harmony with our nature, not in opposition to it.

There are 12 segments known as Houses. Each House “rules” or gives information about the different areas of life. If you want to know about the Self of the person, you find the answer via the Sign on the Ascendant (the 9 o’clock position), the planet or planets that rule that part of the zodiac, any planets in the 1st House and some other factors. If you want to know about the other people in your life, you look to the 7th House and it’s Sign, planets, and so on. You will find a list of basic House meanings at the end of this section.

Around the circumference is the zodiac with its 12 Signs in counter-clockwise direction. Since we have different experiences in similar areas of life - with children, travel, education, and more - the order of the Signs is the same, but we do not find the same Sign on the cusp (the front door, so to speak) of a particular House.

Over time, we will learn about the nature and characteristics of the Signs. We might read answers, but we still have to observe people and what they say and do to be able to apply the information correctly. It’s not enough to have “the answer” and see it in the person because we are complicated so it’s not a “one-size-fits-all” situation.

Take decanates, for instance. Each Sign has 30 degrees, and it can be divided into three 10-degree portions. These are like sub-influences that introduce changes so that the beginning of a Sign is not exactly like the end. The firsts 10 degrees of Aries is pure Aries - the child who is child-like or childish. From 10 to 20 degrees is the Leo decanate - the child who is a King. From 20 to 30 degrees is the Sagittarius decanate - the child who is a philosopher. The same logic (using Signs of the same Element for the decanates) is used for all Signs.

So when we are observing or learning about Aries people, they are all Aries, but we know they will be different according to the decanate so we expect differences in behavior.

There is more too because we can factor in the position of the ruler of the Sign. Aries, for example, is ruled by Mars. Two people can have the Sun in the same degree of Aries, but Mars in different Signs. One might have Mars in Taurus giving them stability; the other might have Mars in Libra so they may be enthusiastic but indecisive.

Just so you know, there is always going to be more, and this is why it takes a long time to learn astrology. It is easy, but there is a lot of it.

There are key ideas that sum up the motivation of the Signs. Sagittarius is I understand; Aries is I am; Virgo is I analyze; etc. We can begin to read a natal chart by combining the Sign with the meaning of the House. So with Virgo rising, we would say: I am in life to analyze the Self. With Aries on the 5th: I am my children. The marriage partner can have a different Sign on the 5th showing a different attitude to those same children, and this might help to explain disagreements about what is important when it comes to offspring.

With Sagittarius on the cusp of the 9th, we could say: I am in life to understand philosophy, and foreign countries. This arrangement of factors gives a good starting point for expecting the native to be interested in exploring why we are in life, as well as visiting different part of the world. When we find other indications of the same or similar things, the odds improve that this will actually happen.

This first Part tells you what to do.

It will be followed in 002 by an explanation of why and what it is good for, and where your actions lead.

So. Learn the meanings of the Houses of the horoscope. A basic list is given below.

Get familiar with the different areas of life and the kinds of information you get from each House.

Listen to people - your friends and relatives and anyone - as they speak about their life and the lives of others. You will later be relating what is said to what the natal chart shows. You learn more about people, which is useful in itself; as well as how to make sense of a horoscope.

Basic House Meanings

1st The Self

2nd Income and values

3rd Brothers and sisters; communication

4th The home; the father

5th Children

6th Sickness; service

7th Partners

8th Death and regeneration

9th Philosophy; long journeys

10th Career; the mother

11th Friends; hopes and aspirations

12th Karma

Do This: 002 coming soon