Astrology Lesson: The Big 3 in Your Birth Chart
Astrology is trending right now, and I predict that this newly acquired interest will only accelerate in the years to come.
So, you if you can’t tune into even a simple conversation about the main trends in the cosmic weather, you’re an outsider to this growing club.
It’s great to see so many people jumping onto the Astrology bandwagon, because Astrology is one of the most powerful self-discovery tools ever.
Forget about future predictions and the ‘fortune-telling’ aspect of it. It’s all about understanding your psyche and unlocking your true potential. Astrology is an art, not a religion or modern science.
Astrology is the language of the stars. It uses plenty of astronomical data to make certain assumptions and calculations, but it’s much more objective and figurative in its essence.
Astronomy is the science in the traditional sense. It studies the Cosmos, and Astrology’s main objective is to interpret the sky and the language it speaks.
It is a unique blend of spirituality, creative expression, and psychology. Whichever combination works best for you will determine how you incorporate Astrology into your life.
The Big 3: the Sun, the Moon, and the Ascendant / Rising sign
These three placements are the key points in your Chart that determine your physical demeanour (Ascendant/ Rising sign), emotional well-being (the Moon), and your ultimate life purpose (the Sun).
That’s why you often hear that Sun-sign horoscopes simply don’t work.
They do to a certain extent, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg. You need to consider your Rising sign and the Moon to get the full picture.
The Sun
KEYWORDS: Identity, Ego, Vitality, Life Purpose
Definitely the easiest component to uncover. We all know our date of birth and can easily check which Sun sign it falls into.
For example, if you were born on August 16, your Sun sign is Leo. Most people are aware of their Sun signs.
Some people totally identify with their Sun sign, whereas others think it makes no sense at all.
While your chart is made up of a variety of placements your Sun sign unlocks what your heart wants in this lifetime, what is your ultimate destiny (along with the North Node of the Moon, but that’s a whole other story….).
For instance, I know couple of Leo Suns that are very timid and shy. One of their souls’ goals in this lifetime is to come out of their shell (one of them is a Cancer Rising, so this applies almost literally) and shine their bright light.
Your Sun sign represents your inner force that drives you to seek the highest manifestation of your true self.
It is your core, your superpower.
Your Sun sign’s element can help understand the best way to recharge. For instance, if your Sun is in Gemini, you probably feel a lot better after you have a chat with a friend or a loved one. Even a small talk at the supermarket can be super refreshing.
The Moon
KEYWORDS: Soul, Emotions, Feelings, Psyche, Subconscious, Inner World
The position of the Moon in your horoscope is one of the most important placements when it comes to understanding your psyche, emotions, instincts, and subconscious.
Our Sun sign represents our conscious mind. The Moon represents our subconscious.
Understanding your Moon placement can help you understand what drives you in life.
The Sun sign represents our will and indicates the trajectory of who we are evolving into as we grow.
Our Moon sign, on the other hand, represents our instinctive reactions, our essence, and who we are at the core behind closed doors.
A deep understanding of your Moon placement and influences is key to accomplishing your soul’s mission in this lifetime.
The Moon placement takes the centre stage if you want to unlock intuitive, hidden meaning of the chart. It requires extra time and attention to analyse.
Difference between Your Sun and Your Moon Placements
The difference between the Sun and the Moon archetypes in astrology can be more precisely understood through Sigmund Freud’s id, ego, and super-ego theory.
According to this famous theory, certain aspects of one’s personality are more primal and instinct-based and pressure us to act upon subconscious urges. Other parts of our personality are more rooted in reality and strive to control our primal urges to ensure we behave in socially acceptable ways.
According to Freud, the id is the psyche, the unconscious, the only component of personality that is present from birth.
The ego is heavily influenced by the id and develops later in life to ensure that our primal impulses are expressed in accordance with socially acceptable norms.
In Astrology, the ego is represented by the Sun and the id by the Moon. Very often, you keep your Moon personality hidden from the world.
This instinctive behaviour, these primal urges, are usually called primitive, animalistic, even barbaric.
The Rising Sign/ Ascendant
KEYWORDS: Mask, Personality, Physical Body, First Impression
To accurately calculate your Rising sign, it’s crucial to have your EXACT time of birth (on top of the place, date, and year) because it reveals which Zodiac sign was rising on the Eastern horizon at the time you were born.
This is the moment in time you took your first breath.
In esoteric teachings, it is believed to be the sacred moment when your soul entered your physical body.
Think of your Rising sign as the mask you wear when you interact with others. It often gives insight into your physical appearance, style, and how you interact with the world.
If, for some reason, your Sun sign doesn’t describe your personality as well as you’d expect, it’s likely your Rising sign is shining through.
That’s why I always encourage you to read both the Sun sign and the Rising sign in all horoscopes!
The Power of The Big 3
A Brief Analysis of Marilyn Monroe’s Birth Chart
Marilyn Monroe had her Sun in Gemini conjunct Mercury.
She certainly had a gift for comedy and a great sense of humour. Some of her most famous film roles were in comedies including Some Like It Hot, The Seven Year Itch, and How To Marry A Millionaire.
As we can see in the actress’s birth Chart, the Ascendant is in Leo, which signifies desire to be in the spotlight, to be the centre of attention.
It’s all about glamour, beauty, regal poise, and artistic self-expression.
Neptune — the planet of illusions, cinema, addictions, and outwardly beauty — is not far from the Ascendant in the first house.
The planet that seats next to the Rising sign will have one of the biggest impacts on the whole chart. It becomes one of the most important planets to analyse because its influence will be felt in all areas of native’s life.
The Moon in the seventh House indicates someone who is very dependent on relationships, marriages, and public’s opinion of them.
The Moon in Aquarius, which is the sign that regards personal freedom above all in life, in the 7th house of relationships with others, definitely indicates the presence of inner conflict and turmoil.
It longs to be coupled, but circumstances and emotional instability constantly cause breakups.
The Moon is also forming a challenging opposition to Neptune, which indicates mental and emotional instability caused by ups and downs in relationships. This configuration can also indicate mental health problems and a deep need to escape mundane reality through unhealthy avenues such as drugs and alcohol.
It is widely known that Marylin was addicted to sleeping pills and alcohol. She was also visiting a psychoanalyst almost daily in a bid to improve her psychological well-being.
This is just a glimpse of a Birth Chart reading based only on a snap analysis of the Big 3.
Of course, it’s crucial to consider other planets and Nodes of the Moon to paint the full picture, but even a brief look at these 3 placements can provide major insights into the main influences that will dominate the chart.
