Horoscope signs - Dates, Traits, Meanings, Compatibility & More

Why do people believe in horoscope?

Astrology is not a religion, but it gives us some kind of comfort, faith, and a deeper understanding of the world. With a horoscope we can learn a lot about ourselves and people under other signs - it describes our nature and life habits. Some people believe that nothing in life is a coincidence and everything that happens to us happens for some reason. Astrology can show us a way to resolve our issues and how to improve a relationship with our partner, friends, or relatives. A horoscope can provide us some good answers to the questions we have in our head. Astrology actually helps people to understand themselves and the world around them.

What is a horoscope?

A horoscope is an astrological diagram, which shows the position of the Sun, Moon, planets, stars, astrological elements, planetary aspects, and the sensitive angles at the time of an event. The most common form of the horoscope is the natal chart based on the moment of a person's birth. The interpretation of a horoscope in Western horoscopic astrology is governed by:

The position of the planets in the astrological zodiac signs,
The position of the planets in the houses of the horoscope,
The position of the primary angles of the horoscope,
The angles formed by the planets relative to each other and the primary angles, called aspects,
The position of deduced astronomical entities, such as the Lunar nodes.

The Zodiac

Zodiac is the the belt of constellations that the Sun, Moon, and planets move on their journey across the sky. Over time astrologers noted these constellations and gave them a particular significance. They developed the system of twelve signs of the zodiac, based on twelve of the constellations through which the sun passes throughout the year. The order of the horoscope signs is Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.

In modern Western astrology, it is believed that horoscope signs represent twelve basic personality types. Each of these signs has its own specific traits, desires, attitude towards life and people, strength, and weaknesses. Astrology can give us an insight into a person's basic characteristics, qualities, interests, flaws, and fears. The signs are divided into four elements: fire, earth, air, and water. Fire and air signs are masculine, while water and earth signs are feminine. The horoscope signs are also divided into cardinal ( Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), fixed ( Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius ), and mutable ( Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces ) qualities.

Fire signs are: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius

People born under these signs are passionate, dynamic, and temperamental. They get angry quickly, but they also forgive easily. They are adventurers and they are physically very strong. Horoscope Fire signs are a source of inspiration for others. They are intelligent, self-aware, creative, and idealistic people, always ready for action.

Earth signs are: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn

Earth signs are mostly conservative and realistic, they are the ones that “bring us down to earth”. They can also be very sensitive and emotional. People born under these signs are practical, loyal and they stay by their friends through hard times.

Air signs are: Gemini, Libra and Aquarius

Air signs are intelligent, rational, friendly, and communicative. These horoscope signs analyse, synthesise, love philosophical discussions, social gatherings, and good books. Their mentality helps them make decisions easily. They are easy-going and love giving advice. They can also be very superficial.

Water signs are: Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces

Water signs are intuitive, emotional, sensitive, and have deep feelings. They can be very mysterious. These horoscope signs love intimacy and profound conversations. They are always there to support the people they love.

Astrologers claim that any two signs are more or less compatible. Horoscope signs which have the same element are naturally compatible because they understand each other best. Air signs are highly compatible with Fire signs, and Water is highly compatible with Earth. Opposing signs have the strongest attraction, so their potential relationship is always great.

The Ascendant in astrology

From an astrological point of view, the most accurate horoscope is a personal horoscope. Thanks to the precise information of the date, time, and place of an individual’s birth, it is possible to determine his personality traits, strengths and weaknesses. It is even possible to make predictions of a person’s future and destiny by knowing his Zodiac and Ascendant sign.

What is ascendant?

The ascendant (also known as the "ascensum coeli”) is the sign of the zodiac that was rising in the east at the exact time of a person’s birth. In creating a horoscope, the ascendant is placed as the left-hand side point of the chart.

The vast majority of astrologers consider the ascendant, otherwise known as the rising sign, as the most important angle of a personalized horoscope. It signifies a person's awakening consciousness, like the Sun's appearance on the east, signifies the dawn of a new day. The ascendant signifies the individual environment and conditioning that a person receives during their upbringing, and also the circumstances of their childhood. The opposite point to the ascendant in the west is the descendant, which denotes how a person reacts in their relationships with others. It also shows the kind of person we are likely to be attracted to, and our ability to form romantic attachments.

Ascendant adds a new color to our astrological image, a prism through which the soul projects the qualities of the Sun. Self-expression can be controlled by psyche, emotion, and mental strength, but it can also exist as a combination of all three of these elements. The harmonized person is balanced on that basis. If the Sun sign is our soul and personality, and the Moon sign in the horoscope represents the heart and feelings, then the ascendant is the appearance, our body and face, the behavior, the demeanour, and the performance we would like others to see about us. The ascendant makes your first impression.

Knowing the ascendant is very important when we want to analyze why a person shows some traits that may not be typical for his main zodiac sign, why he looks or behaves in a certain way.

What’s my ascendant?

The Sun sign, or the Zodiac sign, is determined by your date of birth. In order to find out what is your ascendant, you need to know your date of birth, birth time, and place of your birth.

If you were born at the crack of dawn, your ascendant is the same as your zodiac sign. If you were born at a time when the sun was just setting, your ascendant is the opposite of the sign in which you were born because the Sun was in the west and the ascendant is the eastern point. The Ascendant sign changes approximately every two hours, but this is quite variable depending on how close the birth place is to the equator.

If you are unsure of your Ascendant, you can determine it by entering your data in Ascendant / Rising Sign Calculators, which you can find on many astrology sites. But those quick calculators may not be 100% accurate! You can get the most accurate result if you calculate your entire natal chart.

Horoscope dates and symbols

List of the horoscope signs, symbols and date ranges used in astrology.

Sign	Symbol	Dates
Aries	♈ Ram	March 21 - April 20
Taurus	♉ Bull	April 21 - May 21
Gemini	♊ Twins	May 22 - June 21
Cancer	♋ Crab	June 22 - July 22
Leo	♌ Lion	July 23 - August 22
Virgo	♍ Virgin	August 23 - September 23
Libra	♎ Balance	September 24 - October 23
Scorpio	♏ Scorpion	October 24 - November 22
Sagittarius	♐ Archer	November 23 - December 21
Capricorn	♑ Goat	December 22 - January 20
Aquarius	♒ Water Bearer	January 21 - February 19
Pisces	♓ Fish	February 20 - March 20