Spirituality Guide

I have been talking a lot about Western astrology, but that certainly isn’t the only astrology out there. You have already learned a little bit (or more if you have gone on to do your own research) about tropical astrology and sidereal astrology.

There is also Indian astrology or Hindu astrology. It has been and also is known by Vedic astrology (which is the term I will use here for simplicity’s sake).

Vedic astrology has three branches [source]:

• Siddhanta: Indian astronomy.
• Samhita: Mundane astrology, predicting important events based on analysis of astrological dynamics in a country’s horoscope or general transit events such as war, earth quakes, political events, financial positions, electional astrology; house and construction related matters (Vāstu Shāstra), animals, portents, omens etc.
• Hora: Predictive astrology based on analysis of natal horoscopes and the moment a query is made.

It is also divided up into signs, houses and planets like Western astrology. And just like Western astrology, it can get a lot more complicated with ascendants, aspects, planetary combinations.

Unlike in Western astrology, “Astrology remains an important facet in the lives of many Hindus. In Hindu culture, newborns are traditionally named based on their jyotish charts, and jyotish concepts are pervasive in the organization of the calendar and holidays as well as in many areas of life, such as in making decisions made about marriage, opening a new business, and moving into a new home.”

This is the absolute barest of an introduction, so I encourage you to do your own research and find out more. Here is a good place to start.

Chinese astrology is a third major form of astrology and one which I will be getting more into soon…

When I first started this section on astrology, I mentioned that there is a slight problem with today’s zodiac. Some people fit their sun sign while more and more others are drifting slightly away from their sign and identify more with other signs.

Why is that? The universe we live in is a moving thing. The moon moves around the earth, which moves around the sun, which effects the rotation of the other planets. Galaxies effect other galaxies, so on and so forth. Even though we don’t feel it, we on this planet are constantly in motion through space.

However, that certainly doesn’t mean that we stay on a steady course forever and ever. We have ‘blips’ on the radar and other things that change the relationships of positions.

As you can see from the picture (you can find a bigger version here) the star positions in the sky have shifted over the centuries. The precession of the equinoxes has sparked the debate between those tropical astrologers and sidereal astrologers.

The tropical zodiac is the zodiac most popularly used by astrologers today. They are the signs and sign dates you know and read about in magazines and newspapers.

The sidereal zodiac takes into account the precession of the equinoxes. Because of that, sidereal astrology might show that you really were following the wrong sign all along.

I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about sidereal astrology and found that I identified more with the sign I was born under according to sidereal astrology than I did with the sign I was born under. I then sent the sign descriptions of both signs (without the names of the signs) and asked the person who knows me best and he picked in favor of the sidereal sign.

Use the links in this post to do some research and find out if maybe you have been following the wrong sign…

Image source

Sagittarius (23 November-22 December) - Element: Fire, Quality: Mutable, Ruler: Jupiter

Freedom loving, direct in speech, optimistic, likes to help others out, gallant, faith in positive outcomes, aware of ethics, trusting, seeks adventures, can be Pollyanna.

Like their Leo sibling, Sagittarius is a bright, optimistic soul. Sagittarius like to go above and beyond ‘everyday life’ to make the world and living life an almost magical experience. ‘Life is an adventure’ is the motto of the Sagittarius and everything is going to turn out to be okay, no matter what the adventure.

Adventures come in many shapes and ways, be them through pursuit of further education or actual travel around the world. But that adventure comes with a price because those who seek such endless adventure often get bored and even look down on the beauty of daily life. This can be taken as snobbery or egotism by those around the Sagittarius who are proud of painting their house or finally cleaning the bathroom.

Ideally, the Sagittarius mate would be more than happy to send you off adventuring to the far reaches of the earth while s/he stays at home taking care of things there. That’s not likely to happen, though, so Sagittarius would be good to find a true love s/he enjoys coming home to. Someone s/he gets excited about sharing things with and someone who is excited to receive this information.

There is no need to be someone you aren’t, but there is also the need to put others before yourself occasionally to have a happy, successful home life.

Sources:
JanSpiller.com
Zodiac Signs
Wikipedia

Scorpio (24 October-22 November) - Element: Water, Quality: Fixed, Rulers: Mars Pluto

Investigative, aware of the needs and motives of others, sees the “underbelly” of life, aware of humankind’s negative emotions, loyal, strong, passionate, disciplined, seeks deep, bonded relationships, can be vindictive.

Need a comic book hero? Start looking at your Scorpio friends. Ever looking past all the fake, shiny, illusions of so-called ‘reality’ to the real grit of what’s going on, Scorpios know about the negatives of life. You’ll be hard pressed to find a Scorpio involved in the superficial pursuits of this world. No, the Scorpio seeks in-depth, emotional, involving groups and places.

For all the insight into negative aspects of humanity, Scorpio can be a victim of them as well. Scorpio can be possessive and jealous and will find him/herself lonely if s/he keeps giving into these feelings. Also, the ability to see the faults and lacks of others doesn’t stop at the general humanity level.

Scorpios need to, for lack of a better phrase, use their powers for good, not evil. Being able to see the faults in humanity and in others can be a gift if you use it to encourage people to be all they can be instead of beating them down for their faults. Besides, you have faults, too. How would you feel?

The Scorpio lover should feel passionately about things just like Scorpio does. However, the Scorpio lover will be better off if s/he lets Scorpio be in charge and uses his/her abilities to help their Scorpio partner relax and enjoy life at least a little.

Sources:
JanSpiller.com
Zodiac Signs
Wikipedia

Libra (24 September-23 October) - Element: Air, Quality: Cardinal, Ruler: Venus

Fair, impartial, likes to see both sides, relationship-oriented, diplomatic, seeks balance and harmony, naive, loving, willing to compromise, can be indecisive.

Dear Libras are lovers, not fighters, and that’s evident in most of the things they do. Being very fittingly represented by a pair of scales, Libras love harmony, balance, compromise and even compassion. And what better balance than two people in a loving relationship? (Which is what many Libras strongly desire from life.)

Libras are often conflicted by their desire to take action and do something and their being unable to decide just quite what to do. The desire to be diplomatic and not cause conflict can lead to a lot of frustration, however, because Libras can be annoyingly indecisive, weighing all the options to try to get the best outcome out of everything.

Libras need to find a balance in their own life between carefully considering the options and finally taking action/risk. While considering options is definitely a good thing and what some other signs lack, Libras need to realize that you can’t make everyone happy all of the time. It’s just plain not going to happen.

In love, Libras need energy, ideas, and creativity without the clinging, insecure nature of people who are less confident. Partners that are more assertive than you can definitely help out on the inability to decide area, but that same partner might find your indecisiveness a bit annoying.

Sources:
JanSpiller.com
Zodiac Signs
Wikipedia

Virgo (24 August-23 September) - Element: Earth, Quality: Mutable, Ruler: Mercury

Practical, analytical, ability for synthesis, mental, focused, likes work and projects, seeks to be of service, purity, order, cleanliness, creates order out of chaos, can be hurtfully critical.

Like their sensible Capricorn siblings, Virgos are intelligent and are definitely team members you want when getting a project done. While others may get bored with all the little details of getting things done, Virgos are comfortable with and even like the little details of projects. Details mean organization, and organization is definitely a talent of our resident Virgos.

Also like Capricorn, Virgos can hurt others with their criticism if they aren’t careful. It’s the gentleness of the delivery that’s important, but because Virgos don’t mind boring you with details and tries to control chaos, it’s information and not feelings that are most often more important.

Virgos need to concentrate on the human aspect of life so they can learn to give good criticism that will be received well. They also need to put themselves in messes they can’t organize or fix to remind themselves that chaotic situations don’t always have to be as scary as they seem. The world isn’t perfectly organized for very good reasons..

The Virgo lover doesn’t mind (and even better, embraces) the organizational skills of the Virgo. The Virgo lover should also be useful, because Virgos do so love useful things and people. The ideal mate, depending on how you look at it, might be one of the more fiery signs so they can balance each other out.

Sources:
JanSpiller.com
Zodiac Signs
Wikipedia

Leo (24 July-23 August) - Element: Fire, Quality: Fixed, Ruler: the Sun

Theatrical, dramatic, “bigger than life”, determined, loyal, gregarious, self-confident, seeks creative self-expression, generous, enthusiastic, benevolent, center stage, can be bossy or prideful.

“Walking on Sunshine” is definitely the song for the Leo-born. That is, if everything is going the way Leo would like it to go. Like the Sun that rules it, Leos shine with confidence and an overall optimistic view on life. Leos have a generally happy, loyal, friendly nature that somehow sparks and helps bring out the best in other people.

Yet, while the sun sign encourages happiness, optimism, and growth, it does that for a lot of people and doesn’t always have the time – or the thought – to appreciate others on an individual behavior. Too much of this and Leo can grow egotistical. Don’t be fooled, though; the egotism (or apparent egotism) can just be a cover up if Leo doesn’t actually feel as confident or worthy on the inside as s/he pretends to be on the outside.

Leos don’t like admitting their faults, even though everyone has them, but they need to do so and embrace them as well if they want to be a well-rounded person. They need to treat themselves with the same love, loyalty and compassion they often show others. If they do that, they will find slipping to the ego side of the spectrum much less a challenge.

Leos in love are definitely a force of the zodiac to deal with. Often with the appetites of a Taurus and enthusiasm of an Aries, sex is definitely part of the relationship picture. Even so, Leos also love in others what they love about themselves – adoration, loyalty, love that is never too much. Leos would do well, however, to find a partner who keeps the ego in check, doesn’t let Leo pout too long (ever), and applies some practical thinking to the relationship.

Sources:
JanSpiller.com
Zodiac Signs
Wikipedia

Gemini (22 May-22 June) - Element: Air, Quality: Mutable, Ruler: Mercury

Intellectual, always in motion (mentally or physically), seeks mental stimulation, curious, communicative, social, interested in considering the “options”, easily bored, can be superficial.

Like Aries, Gemini can be easily bored with things. However, unlike Aries, it is the mental stimulation Gemini is after. A happy Gemini is a Gemini with a book of logic puzzles and a new, self-motivated research project going. If you need someone who can think fast, then Gemini should be one of your first choices.

Being such an intellectual makes some aspects of life a bit more difficult to deal with – namely emotions. While they are a fascinating subject to learn about, dealing with them personally isn’t always the most fun thing to do despite the engagement of head and heart both being best in most situations.

Geminis will likely try to make emotions logical and/or avoid feeling them altogether. As long as Gemini accepts feelings as his/her own, things can only get better because of that ability to step back from the situation and look at it from the outside. Emotions can be good things, we promise! They can even lead to bigger and better ideas…

Gemini will fall in love most likely with someone of similar intellectual ability, if not similar intellectual pursuits. However, the truth is we are sometimes attracted to what is good for us, so Geminis might find love with emotional people who frustrate them moreso than people who are always compatible with them intellectually.

Sources:
JanSpiller.com
Zodiac Signs
Wikipedia

Gemini (22 May-22 June) - Element: Air, Quality: Mutable, Ruler: Mercury

Intellectual, always in motion (mentally or physically), seeks mental stimulation, curious, communicative, social, interested in considering the “options”, easily bored, can be superficial.

Like Aries, Gemini can be easily bored with things. However, unlike Aries, it is the mental stimulation Gemini is after. A happy Gemini is a Gemini with a book of logic puzzles and a new, self-motivated research project going. If you need someone who can think fast, then Gemini should be one of your first choices.

Being such an intellectual makes some aspects of life a bit more difficult to deal with – namely emotions. While they are a fascinating subject to learn about, dealing with them personally isn’t always the most fun thing to do despite the engagement of head and heart both being best in most situations.

Geminis will likely try to make emotions logical and/or avoid feeling them altogether. As long as Gemini accepts feelings as his/her own, things can only get better because of that ability to step back from the situation and look at it from the outside. Emotions can be good things, we promise! They can even lead to bigger and better ideas…

Gemini will fall in love most likely with someone of similar intellectual ability, if not similar intellectual pursuits. However, the truth is we are sometimes attracted to what is good for us, so Geminis might find love with emotional people who frustrate them moreso than people who are always compatible with them intellectually.

Sources:
JanSpiller.com
Zodiac Signs
Wikipedia

Taurus (21 April-21 May) - Element: Earth, Quality: Fixed, Ruler: Venus

Solid, dependable, loyal, slow moving, relies on own efforts, sensual, builds lasting results “step by step”, seeks to create comfortable environments, strong values, can be stubborn.

With the determination to get things done – no matter how long it takes – Taurus enjoys the world for with it is. Able to look around and enjoy without having to do something with it, that definitely doesn’t mean that Taurus doesn’t get involved in projects.

In fact, Taurus always has a project going – often a project that s/he has been working on ‘slowly but surely’ for a long time. In the rare times Taurus doesn’t have a project, you can be s/he is simply taking time to think about what the next project should be.

While this patient determination is good in many aspects, it’s not so great for others. Taurus is earthy through and through and doesn’t find much interest in contemplating the afterlife or debating philosophy. The world is here, I am living, I have stuff to do and I’m going to enjoy it to the fullest whether you like it or not.

While Taurus prides in his/her step by step project directions and goals, s/he should be aware that looking outside the box isn’t always a bad thing. One mind can’t hold all the possibilities, so as much as you might dislike it, listening to others might help you become more productive.

The Taurus mate should have enough patience for the Taurus, but then again, it might be good for the Taurus to have a bit of a shake up from one of the more energetic and impatient signs. Either way, sensuality and sexuality is a must, no matter if they need to spout philosophy every once in a while or not.

Sources:
JanSpiller.com
Zodiac Signs
Wikipedia

Aries (21 March-20 April) - Element: Fire, Quality: Cardinal, Ruler: Mars

Excited, bold, daring, independent, energetic, seeks to discover self through experiences, competitive, confronts, quick temper, innocent, feisty, amorous, eager, can be selfish.

Exciting! Bold! Daring! That’s our Aries, alright. With a slightly Piscean sense of self and the world, Aries wants to take action and go forward. Discovery and conquest (and not to mention romance) are definitely on the agenda.

With the Aries person, all is possible and life is just another situation to conquer through. Battle can be everywhere you so choose. After all, life is all about love and war, isn’t it? And both lovers and wars can be won if you have the right strategy.

While all this enthusiasm is a wonderful thing, it can also get the Aries in trouble in that thinking without acting is often a problem. With so many battles going on right now, who can waste so much time thinking about the future?

That’s not to say that our Aries-born friends don’t think about the future, but the heat of battle is a strong call, and the future doesn’t always have a strategic reason to think about it.

Inspiration is a strong suit of the Aries, but follow-through…not so much. It’s okay to get bored with things as long as you don’t just quit and know who to hand things over to.

As you can imagine, Aries-born have hot, fiery relationships most of the time, and if someone can’t handle the heat… Even so, it might take someone a bit more calm and reserved to keep the Aries energy and attentions in check. As long as that person doesn’t desire to be known as the ‘in charge’ one in the relationship.

Sources:
JanSpiller.com
Zodiac Signs
Wikipedia

Pisces (20 February-20 March) - Element: Water, Quality: Mutable, Rulers: Jupiter Neptune

Loving, accepting, gentle, healing, sensitive to invisible forces, subtle, psychic, dreamy, romantic, impressionable, comfortable with chaos, seeks unconditional love, non-combative, can be misleading.

Pisces. Our empaths, sensitives, psychics and all-around ‘there is more to this life’ believers. To Pisces, this ordinary routine we call daily life can often seem boring and unfulfilling. Like a master storyteller, Pisces can make this world seem magical and much more than it is by thoughts, words and philosophies of life.

And yet, it’s because of that dreamy, philosophical view that Pisces can sometimes get in trouble. With the Piscean aversion to most conflict, a Pisces can give in too easily to the demands of others. Alternatively, a Pisces might turn too demanding when it comes to attention and getting it.

Pisces need to check into their own lives often enough to make sure they aren’t on the extreme ends of the spectrum – attention users or sacrifice-driven abused. As long as they are doing things that make themselves happy and doesn’t harm others, everything is good.

Pisces in love can be a beautiful thing to see if they find the right mate. With a lot of devotion to give and empathy to what is happening in the relationship, Pisces can be your ideal mate if you want someone to instinctually be in tune with you and your feelings.

The danger for the Pisces lovers is finding lovers who soak up all that attention like a sponge, leaving you feeling dry and tired. The key is to find someone who likes the attention but is okay without it. Cooling and warming periods are to be expected – and more importantly, respected – especially in a relationship where at least one partner is so sensitive.

Sources:
JanSpiller.com
Zodiac Signs
Wikipedia

Aquarius (20 January-19 February) - Element: Air, Quality: Fixed, Rulers: Saturn Uranus

Friendly, open, objective, communicative, interested in others, seeks equality, likes to be different, future-oriented, humanitarian, friends are important, can be opinionated.

Aquarians. Great friends to talk to and always encouraging of people getting what they deserve, they can be just the ego boost you need in your life to take things into your own hands and go for it. Like Capricorns, their opinions often come from a good place, even if they can get occasionally annoying to others.

Aquarians need to be a bit careful when it comes to doing it all for the team. It’s easy to get sucked into team spirit when you don’t have a lot of spirit and enthusiasm for yourself or your ideas. It’s okay to say no and it’s good to pursue your own goals, dreams, and ideas.

They also need to be careful in that aspect when it comes to beliefs. Words may sound pretty, but words without action can be unsatisfying and easily trapping. While communication is a strong suit for our Aquarian friend, opinions can get too strong and puts people away. Do what you want to do; put your actions behind your words and ideas.

When it comes to the Aquarian love scene, it’s not that they can’t show love, they just sometimes don’t. The Aquarian inclination is to sometimes keep a distance even with lovers who listen and don’t mind the distance so much.

Even so, if the Aquarian sign opens up a little, takes a few chances, and indulges in the love that might be scarily strong (at first), s/he might find feelings of self-worth and confidence soar.

Sources:
JanSpiller.com
Zodiac Signs
Wikipedia

Capricorn (23 December-19 January) – Element: Earth / Quality: Cardinal / Ruler: Saturn

Realistic, goal-oriented, sensible, ambitious, accepts responsibility, socially aware, values reputation and integrity, seeks successful outcomes, can be opportunistic.

Ah, Capricorns. They are some of our leaders, bankers, and quiet planners who usually seem to know the right things to do and exactly where problems lie in society. While they may seem a bit harsh around the edges sometimes, their feelings usually come from a truly good and meaningful place.

However, those feelings of duty and wanting to put the world in a better place can sometimes get our responsible Capricorns in a bit of trouble with some of the more prickly or sensitive signs. Capricorns need to be careful to present their views in gentle ways.

You also need to make sure to have fun. It’s all to easy for Capricorns to take on more work than they can handle and stop having the fun that helps them bond with friends, family, and lovers. Taking out time for the pleasures in life is something the Capricorns don’t always find easy and child Capricorns often become more like adults faster than other children.

While it might not always be the obvious type, Capricorns do like romance and the feelings of loyalty associated with such relationships. The Capricorn likes an open mate who will like the Capricorn’s dependability. Fiery partners may find themselves attracted to the loyalty, but these relationships usually either work out well or don’t work at all. There isn’t a lot of grey area.

Sources:
JanSpiller.com
Zodiac Signs
Wikipedia

When it comes to Western astrology, things can get a bit complicated when you talk about charting down to the precise degree, what planets are in what houses, what ascendants are, what your lunar sign is… There are quite a lot of components to learn about.

For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to give you some terms and definitions you should know. Call them astrology basics (even though I will probably miss something that another astrologer considers basic but absolutely necessary to know).

Your Chart: Your personal chart is a circle mapping out the position of the planets (plus the sun and moon) in particular houses at the time of your birth. The 360 degree circle is split into twelve 30 degree houses…

Houses: Each 30 degree ‘slice’ of your chart is a house, and each house has its own meaning. Houses are what lie behind our urges in life. In astrology there are ten planets and twelve houses, so the houses with no planets are the areas of life you aren’t particularly interested in. The more planets you have in one house, the more focused on that area of life you are going to be.

Signs: The signs are probably what you already know about. There are twelve signs, including Capricorn, Aries, Saggitarius, etc, and each of these signs, like the houses, have their own meanings and basic personality traits.

Aspects: Aspects are the relationships between planets. There are different categories planetary relationships fall into. For example, if you imagine your chart as a clock and have one planet at 9.00 and one planet at 3.00, these planets are in opposition. As you can imagine, the urges associated with the planets in opposition ‘battle it out’ in our personalities.

Of course, things definitely get more complicated than that, but I’m just here to point out the basics. If you want to learn more, that’s up to you.