How Can I Find Out What My Astrological Sign Is?

Astrology has experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent years. In large part, this renewed interest has been driven by those in the millennial generation. It has led many people to explore what is their astrological sign. How is it determined?

A single definitive astrological sign for each person does not exist. Your zodiac sign will be different depending on which system of Astrology you use. The two prevalent ones today are Vedic (Hindu) Astrology and Western Astrology. However, there are many others, such as Chinese, Celtic (Druid), Egyptian, and Mayan.

For example, a person born on September 23, 1991, would be a Libra in Western Astrology, might be a Sagittarius in Vedic (Hindu) Astrology (depending on where and what time they were born), a goat sign in Chinese Astrology, a balancing moon sign in Celtic Astrology, a Bastet sign in Egyptian Astrology or a Ajpu sign in Mayan Astrology.

Keep reading to learn more about how your astrological sign is determined.

Astrology in the Western and Eastern Hemispheres

If you stop someone on the street anywhere in the Western Hemisphere and ask them what is their astrological sign, they most likely will tell you their Sun sign. This represents the zodiac sign where the Sun was positioned at the time of your birth. You would get this answer because the Western Hemisphere is dominated by an astrological tradition appropriately called Western Astrology.

If you ask the same question anywhere in the Eastern Hemisphere, the answer you get will be more varied. This is because Vedic (Hindu) Astrology uses the Ascendant sign (discussed later in this article) instead of the Sun sign, Chinese Astrology has different signs altogether for their zodiac, Western Astrology is present but does not predominate, and there are other, lesser-known, astrological systems in use in the East.

Every major civilization (and some minor ones) since the dawn of recorded history has either developed its own system of astrology or adopted ones from other cultures. Because they represent the major astrological traditions in use today, the remainder of this article will focus on the Vedic and Western systems.

Key Concepts of the Zodiac

The zodiac consists of 360⁰ and is based upon one revolution of the Earth around the Sun. It is divided equally into twelve signs of 30⁰, which, in turn, are assigned to twelve corresponding houses. As you can see from the graph below, which is a representation of the natural zodiac, Aries occupies the first house (yellow) and the other houses follow in the order of a clockwise direction until you reach Pisces, the twelfth.

There has been a centuries-long debate among astrologers that continues to this day over how to define the 0⁰ point for Aries in the first house of the natural zodiac. This is important because the positions of the other signs are all defined relative to this 0⁰ starting point.

The debate centers on how to define a year. One school of thought uses the sidereal year. This measures the orbit of the Earth against the distant stars. Another school of thought uses the tropical (synodic) year. This measures the orbit of the Earth according to the passing of the four seasons. For a more detailed explanation of these two methods, I recommend our article: What is the relationship between Astrology and Astronomy?

It turns out that each method has its own strengths and weaknesses. Both are in use today. Although there are some notable exceptions, Western Astrology predominantly uses the tropical year and Vedic Astrology mostly uses the sidereal year. The key thing to remember is that once the choice is made between tropical and sidereal, all other measurements must be made according to that paradigm in order to give an accurate result.

What Is My Sun Sign?

The Sun sign is at the heart of the Western Astrology system. It forms the axis around which your natal or birth chart is constructed and analyzed. The Sun sign represents your deepest self, your ego, your core identity. You can determine what it is by referencing your birthdate to the chart below. For example, a person born on March 3rd would be of the Pisces Sun sign; a person born on October 27 would be of the Scorpio Sun sign.

Western Astrology Changes its Focus

Astrology and Astronomy historically were considered the same discipline of study in the Western Hemisphere until they separated completely at the beginning of the 18th century CE. Consequently, interest in Astrology in the West languished until the last decade of the 19th century, when it experienced a rebirth in popularity, particularly among the upper classes. Alan Leo, a British theosophist, is credited for this change and is referred to as the father of modern [Western] Astrology.

Alan Leo noticed two social trends that were occurring at the time. The first was an increased interest in the occult, especially in communicating with the dead through seances and other similar means. Leo did not like the fact that Astrology, which up to that point had been focused on the prediction of life events, was lumped in with the sensational other-worldly aspects of various occult practices. One of the problems was that there were unscrupulous opportunists calling themselves astrologers that were making wild predictions of events that did not come true. This damaged the reputation of Astrology. He felt that Astrology had no future if it remained linked to the occult.

The second trend was the emergence of psychoanalysis under Sigmund Freud, which focused on a dialogue between a patient and their psychiatrist to probe deeply into their psyche and past. This greatly appealed to Leo. The tone of Astrology, up to this point, had been moralistic and fatalistic. It gave the impression of a predetermined unchangeable destiny. Alan Leo worried that this tended to scare people away from Astrology. Psychoanalysis, on the other hand, focused on the individual instead of events, was subjective in its approach, and therefore was more compatible with theosophic principles. In his mind, this was the future of Astrology.

Alan Leo set out to move Astrology from the occult to the psychological realm. He took advantage of the extensive international connections of the Theosophical Society to publish and disseminate articles that advocated for Astrology to focus on the traits and characteristics of the individual personality and non-specific descriptions of possible areas of psychological harmony or stress. Other prominent figures, such as Charles Carter, John Addey, Margaret Hone, and Charles Harvey in the U.K., and Grant Lewi and Isabel Hickey in the U.S. took up this mantle and helped to promote the new psychologically oriented Astrology. Pivotal in this transformation was the work of Swiss psychologist Carl G. Jung and humanistic astrologer Dane Rudhyar.

As Western Astrology evolved in the 20th century to embrace a psychological orientation, it soon became apparent that the Sun sign, while still of paramount importance, was inadequate to fully explain the complexity of the human experience. The Moon and Ascendant signs took on greater importance in Western Astrology in an effort to fill the gaps.

Astrology Remained the Same in the Eastern Hemisphere

The divorce between Astrology and Astronomy did not occur in the Eastern Hemisphere the way it did in the Western Hemisphere. While it is true that colonization by Western powers eventually imposed their cultural mores on the East, assimilation to Western values never was complete. Astrology is both respected and widely used to this day in India, China, and other countries of Southeast Asia.

The shift from event-based predictions to psychological Astrology also did not occur in the Eastern Hemisphere. Such a shift was unnecessary in Vedic Astrology, for example, because it always has maintained a balance between its predictive aspects and those related to personality. The Vedic system basically has remained unchanged in its focus for millennia.

What Is My Ascendant Sign?

In Vedic Astrology, the Ascendant or Lagna (Sanskrit लग्न) is the initial moment of contact between the soul and its new life on earth. It is represented by the sign rising over the eastern horizon at the time of your birth. For this reason, it also is referred to as the Rising Sign.

Due to the rotation of the Earth, the Ascendant sign changes approximately every two hours and cycles through all twelve houses of the zodiac in a 24-hour period. In Western Astrology, a person born on September 23rd would be a Libra Sun sign. However, from a Vedic Astrology perspective, that same person could be any of the twelve zodiac signs depending upon the exact time of their birth during the 24-hour day.

To determine your Ascendant sign, it is necessary to know your date of birth, the precise time of your birth, and the location of your birth. (Knowing the location of your birth is important because the curvature of the Earth has an impact on the calculation.) A professional astrologer can ascertain your Ascendant sign for you or you can consult an online calculator. If you use an online resource, it is important to know if they use the Tropical or Sidereal zodiac.

Why?

There is approximately 23⁰ difference between the Tropical zodiac, used most frequently by Western Astrology, and the Sidereal zodiac, used predominantly by Vedic Astrology. This means that your Ascendant sign will be different if determined by a Vedic or Western astrologer. For example, a person with a Sagittarius Ascendant sign in Vedic Astrology would be a Capricorn Ascendant sign in Western Astrology.

Whereas the Sun sign is the axis for Western Astrological analysis, the Ascendant sign is at the center of Vedic Astrological analysis. Your Ascendant sign represents the first house in Vedic Astrology, the most important one in your natal chart. It forms the axis of the chart because all other houses are linked to it. The Ascendant in Vedic Astrology provides essential information about your mind, appearance, personality, thinking style, and health, along with other important spheres of life.

Western Astrology has a narrower definition of the rising sign, viewing it as representing one of three dimensions that comprise a person’s psychological foundation. The Sun sign represents the ego or inner self; the rising sign denotes social personality or outer self.

What Is My Moon Sign?

The Moon has its greatest importance in Celtic (Druid) Astrology. Its zodiac is based on 13 lunar cycles (months) with a unique sacred tree assigned to each cycle. The Moon also has significant importance in Chinese and Vedic Astrology. For example, in Chinese Astrology the four phases of the Moon (new, first quarter, full, and last quarter) play a key role in how the system functions. Each phase has a different interpretation. For example, the New Moon phase denotes a favorable time for new beginnings, situations, and facts.

As noted previously both the Moon and Ascendant signs assumed more prominent roles in Western Astrology after its shift toward a psychologically oriented system. This is because the Sun sign alone was determined to be inadequate to account for the psychological complexity of individuals. The Moon represents the third arm of the tri-dimensional Western system. The Sun sign represents the ego or inner self; the Ascendant sign denotes social personality or outer self; the Moon signifies the emotional dimension.

The Moon sign also plays a pivotal role in Vedic Astrology. Not only does it represent your emotions, feelings, intuition, and memories, it also guides your interactions with the main maternal influences in your life, as well as how you nurture and care for others.

Your Moon sign can be determined by a professional astrologer, who will need to know the date, time, and location of your birth. They will then consult a table called an Ephemeris to ascertain your Moon sign. There are online resources to do this. However, it is important to know if they use the Tropical or Sidereal zodiac.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, determining your astrological sign is not as straightforward as it first might have seemed. There are many different systems of Astrology throughout the world. They all have similarities in that they focus on the stars, but that is about as far as it goes. The same stellar phenomena are interpreted differently or at least with alternative degrees of significance depending on which system is used. This is perhaps most evident by the fact that your astrological sign will be different depending on the system that you use.

Acknowledgements

Headline photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash