ASTROLOGY TRIBE FAQs

What's On This Page?

QUESTION: Can someone please tell me about my chart?
QUESTION: What do these positions in my chart mean?

ANSWER: There is an excellent website where you can have your chart calculated, and get a good basic interpretation, and the site is free: www.astro.com
Plug in your birth data, and then you can look at any of the free reports. The best one to learn about your chart is called ASTRO CLICK REPORT. Here, you can click on any part of your chart (Sun, Moon, planet, etc.) and get an explanation.

QUESTION: I've been to astro.com and read about my chart, and now would like to learn more. What do I do now?
What additional websites can you recommend?

ANSWER:Most learn astrology by reading books and by examining charts -- lots of charts. Exploring your own natal chart is an excellent place to start. You may want to keep a journal so you can look up the astrological factors operating at the time of key events in your life. Gathering birth information from your friends and family members is another great way to put your astrological studies into practice. The more charts you explore, the more sophisticated your astrological understanding will become.

Here are some suggested websites to advance your astrological knowledge:

QUESTION: I'd like to have a consultation with a professional astrologer. Any recommendations?

ANSWER: The astrology tribes have several astrologers who will be happy to work with you:

QUESTION: What astrology books do you recommend for someone just starting out in astrology?

ANSWER: Here is a list of recommended books. While you are welcome to purchase them anywhere, almost all of them can be purchased from the Astrology Center of America, so I have included a link to that site for each one the ACA carries:

QUESTION: Are there any astrology books online I can read for free, or download for free?

ANSWER:

QUESTION: Is there any free astrology software so I can calculate charts myself without going online?

ANSWER:

QUESTION:What is a good astrological program to purchase?
QUESTION:Can I buy a good program to use on my Mac?
QUESTION:I would like a Jyotish (Vedic) astrology program. Are there any?

ANSWER:There are a number of excellent astrological programs available for sale.

QUESTION:What is the book called that lists the planet's positions on specific dates?
QUESTION:What are the names of some good ephemerides?
QUESTION:Can I find any ephemerides online?

ANSWER:An ephemeris (plural: ephemerides) is a set of tables showing the planetary positions for each date. Normally, the published editions cover intervals of 10 years, 20, 50 years, or 100 years, although there are exceptions. Most ephemerides have the positions of the Sun and planets calculated for either Noon or Midnight Universal Time (which is basically the same as GMT), so you would need to adjust the positions for your local time if you are born anywhere else in the world than near the Greenwich Meridian (which is longitude zero.) So for example, if you were born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, you use Eastern Standard Time, which is 5 hours earlier than GMT. So a Noon ephemeris would show the positions at 7 am Philadelphia, while a midnight ephemeris would show them at 7 pm Philadelphia.)
The Moon, however, travels so fast that most ephemerides list its position for BOTH Noon and Midnight Universal Time.

QUESTION: How does a Gemini get along with a Cancer?
QUESTION: I've heard that Leo is not supposed to get along with Scorpio, is that true?
QUESTION: Do me and my significant other stand a chance? He was born under the sign ........... and my sign is ..............

ANSWER: Pop astrology is very misleading. You can't tell how well two people will get along by comparing their Sun Signs. I have seen Sun Signs that are not supposed to get along have happy marriages because the rest of the charts fit so well. And I have seen Sun Signs that are supposedly ideal have terrible relationships, because the charts clash so much. What is more important is one person's Sun to the other person's Moon; one's Venus to the other's Mars; aspects that affect the 7th house in each chart; how one person's Mercury is being aspected by planets in the other chart...in other words, comparing the whole charts. If you are truly serious about the relationship, you should have your complete chart compared with the other person's complete chart.

QUESTION: What are astrological aspects?
QUESTION: What is a square (or trine, or conjunction)?

ANSWER: An aspect is an angular distance between two planets, or other astrological points, that links the two planets together in a special relationship. The angular relationship can be exact, or within a few degrees from exact. (If the aspect is not exact, the difference between the exact angle between the two planets, and the following angles, is called 'orb. The orbs listed next to each aspect are a suggestion for planets in a natal chart, not mandatory. The Sun and Moon always have larger orbs in aspects.) There are many different aspects, but the ones that are most often considered are termed 'Major Aspects'. These show the most pronounced, most easily discernible influences.

QUESTION:What are the other aspects, and why are they called �Minor Aspects?�
QUESTION:How do I know when to pay attention to the Minor Aspects, or even if I should?

ANSWER:While the Major Aspects, listed in the previous question, are the most noticeable, the minor aspects still add color to the picture, flesh out the story. They are only �minor� in comparison, because each one will give additional details about the chart you are studying.
So use them if you want to delve deeper into a chart, or want to add some background information. Use them if you have the time to explore many different levels about your subject. Don�t use them if you are trying to get a basic, clear image of your subject in as short a time as possible.
And if you do use them, study the Major Aspects first, and then move on to the others. Otherwise, you will risk muddying up the story and be unable to truly see the whole because of so many parts.

NOTE: The following section on Minor Aspects is under construction. Descriptions will be added.

QUESTION: What is a transit?
QUESTION: What does this transit mean?
QUESTION: What is the difference between a transit and a progression?

ANSWER:

A transit is the actual passage of the Sun, Moon, planet, node or minor planet through the zodiac, and how it relates to the bodies and houses in a particular chart. Each planet or other point moves through the zodiac at its own rate of motion, and as it does so it forms special relationships to the planets and points in the individual chart, as well as focusing its energy on the house of the chart it moves through.
For example, let us assume that the Sun in a person's chart is 25 degrees Gemini. When you look at the current positions of the the planets, you see that Saturn is at 25 Gemini, so you can say that Saturn is transiting conjunct that person's Sun. If I know that the person's Sun is in the 3rd house, then I will also know that Saturn is transiting through the 3rd house of that chart.
Another example: supposing I have my Ascendant (Rising Sign, First House Cusp) at 27 degrees of Libra, and my Second House starts at 27 degrees of Scorpio, but I have no planets in the first house of my chart. I look at the current positions of the planets, and see that Jupiter is 12 degrees of Scorpio. Since 12 Jupiter is later than 27 Libra but earlier than 27 Scorpio, I know that Jupiter is currently transiting through my First House.

A transit is much different than a progression (see the next question for information on progressions), but it is possible for a transit to be the activating force bringing a progression into action.

Here are some interpretations of major planets, from two different authors, to help you get started:

QUESTION: What is a progression?
QUESTION: Are there different kinds of progressions?

ANSWER:While a transit (described above) is based on the actual movement of the Sun, Moon and other bodies at any given time, progressions are totally symbolic, and are more of an abstract concept than transits. There are different types of progressions. These show the symbolic unfolding of one's life.

Probably the progression that is most paid attention to is that of the Moon, since it moves so quickly compared to other planets in the chart. Here are two sites that may be of assistance:

QUESTION: What does it mean if a planet is listed as Retrograde?
QUESTION: What does it mean if a planet is stationary?
QUESTION: What happens during a retrograde period?

ANSWER: The R next to a planet is short for Retrograde. A planet is described as retrograde when it appears to be moving backwards through the zodiac. Of course, it doesn't actually move backwards, but seems to be because of relation of the two orbits.
Imagine you are in a train moving at 100 miles per hour, and you catch up and overtake a train moving the same direction at 90 miles per hour. When you come along side the train, and look out the window, it will appear, briefly, not to be moving at all...it appears to be Stationary. Then, as you move ahead of the train, it will actually appear to be moving backwards....it appears to be in Retrograde motion. Now instead of trains, imagine the Earth and the planet in question.
A very general rule is that retrograde planets describe a time when things seem to happen out of our control. They may seem fated, they may seem as if they were inevitable. In any event, they bring a series of events over which we seem to have little or no control. What these events are, and where, relates to the sign the planet is in, and the house it is transiting through.
But note the first two letters of the word REtrograde. We often have a lot of control during retrograde times of things that begin with re-, such as REsearch, REexamine, REdefine, REtry. And in fact, this period is when we can best tap our REsources in the area ruled by the specific planet.
Some planets are retrograde much more frequently than others.
Mercury goes into retrograde three or four times a year, believe it or not. But at least it's retrograde periods are the shortest of any planet, only about 20-28 days each time.
Jupter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto all have a retrograde period once per year. The average length of each of these is:
Jupiter: 120 days
Saturn: 140 days
Uranus: 150 days
Neptune: 160 days
Pluto: 160 days
Venus is gracious. It has a retrograde period approximately every 18 months, giving us more time to get over each one...and the average length of her retrogrades is 42 days.
And Mars is almost 2 full years between retrogrades. I think that's very sporting of the planet, since one can only take so much intense Mars. The average Mars retrograde lasts about 80 days.

QUESTION:What is Mercury Retrograde?
QUESTION:Why is Mercury Retrograde different than other Retrograde planets?
QUESTION:Why do bad things seem to happen during Mercury Retrograde?
QUESTION:Is there anything good about Mercury Retrograde?
QUESTION:It seems like Mercury is always going Retrograde! Why is that?

ANSWER:The general description of retrograde planets (previous question) also applies to Mercury Retrograde, but since Mercury Retrograde gets more press than any other retrograding body, it deserves a special section of its own.
All other planets retrograde once a year or even less, for months at a time. Mercury, however, goes retrograde three, sometimes even four, times a year. While it only stays retrograde for about three-four weeks at a time, it seems like we are just getting back to normal before we hear that another Mercury Retrograde is approaching.
To best understand what it means when it is retrograde, you must first understand what Mercury itself represents. Mercury represents our mental and communicative life processes. It governs communication in all its forms, whether spoken word or written, whether paper document or internet data transmission. It represents the reasoning mind, the analytical mind, the ability to perceive relationships and connections between things, and the gathering and sorting of all facts and figures. It oversees trade and commerce, and it represents short journeys of all kinds.
When Mercury goes retrograde, it is a good time to turn our attentions towards unfinished business. The energy is right to look inwards to our inner perceptions, and reconnect with the source of our thoughts. This introversion can give us new insights that we might never get during the normal Mercury direct period.
These are good times for completing projects, connecting with old friends, and settling accounts. It's a great time for most RE words, especially REst and RElaxation. REcheck your figures, REassess previous plans, REview what we are doing, and do REsearch for future plans. Alternate ideas present themselves for consideration, and some of these can be quite amazing. REconsider things you had taken for granted.
If you have had trouble communicating with someone for awhile, Mercury Retrograde is an excellent time to REopen communication, or to try a new method of communicating with them. It's amazing how often you can discover a missing key to communicating with someone during this time period of time.
Old friends sometimes reconnect during this time, and old relationships can be rekindled.
It's OK to have a job interview during this period. If you are needed, this usually leads to them calling you back for a second interview.
But this is also a time when normal Mercury processes can act up, so it is good to know what you may expect.

QUESTION: What exactly is a Saturn Return?

ANSWER: Saturn has an orbit of almost 30 years, so between 29-30, and again around age 59-60, Saturn returns to where it was at their birth. This is a major one of life's passages, intimately connected with becoming more mature. Saturn is the symbol of structure, form, and therefore limitation and responsibility. It symbolically defines us personally and socially. It is time to take responsibility for your life and realize you can no longer blame others or circumstances for things that don't go right. It is a time of major self-examination.....asking yourself "why did I listen to this person�s advice?", "why didn't I listen?" The first Saturn Return is a time of passage from youth to adulthood, although society calls us adults at a much younger age. The second Saturn Return is a time to enter sagehood, although not everyone reaps wisdom from age.
There is an excellent description of the Saturn Return by Skye Alexander at
www.newage-directory.com/saturn.html

QUESTION: Where can I find out what the current phase of the Moon is?

ANSWER: There is a good Lunar Phase Calculator at: www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/astronomical-applications/data-services/phases-moon

QUESTION:What is Chiron, and where can I find out more about it?
QUESTION:What are the Centaurs?
QUESTION:What's this about putting asteroids in my chart?
QUESTION:What are Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta, and do I need them?

ANSWER:Some astrologers began to put the "Big Four" asteroids (Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta) in charts in 1974, and many now use them for supplementary information. Asteroids are also called Minor Planets. Chiron, discovered in 1977, is a unique body that spends most of its orbit between Saturn and Uranus, and is being used by an increasing number of astrologers, even many who do not use any asteroids. And in the 1990's, several new bodies have been discovered and placed in a totally new classification, Centaurs. Astrologers are only just beginning to explore these, so not a lot is known yet.
Here are some sites to learn more about each of these:

QUESTION: I heard there are new planets past Pluto. Is this true?
QUESTION: Did they find a 10th planet?
QUESTION: What is this planet Xena I keep hearing about?

ANSWER: Astronomers have, within the past few years, discovered several large bodies past Pluto, but most of them are too small to be called planets. One of them, however, is very large, and many astronomers think it should be called the 10th planet. It is not officially named yet, but astronomers have jokingly called it Xena. Here is some information on "Xena", and some of the other bodies out past Pluto: www.geocities.com/adamlink/Trans-pluto.htm

QUESTION: Are the signs now wrong because the stars have moved?
QUESTION: What is the Precession of the Equinoxes?
QUESTION: What is the difference between Tropical and Sidereal Astrology?
QUESTION: When is the Age of Aquarius? And what is it?

ANSWER: As Earth spins on its axis, its axis wobbles (precesses) very slowly over a period of about 26,000 years. As this occurs, the pole of the Earth gradually moves around, and this movement is called the precessional arc.

Because Earth's axis is tilted at about 23� in its orbit around the sun, Earth's equatorial plane is tilted with respect to the ecliptic plane, the plane created by Earth's orbit around the Sun. These two intersecting planes create an intersecting line called the vernal axis. One point of this axis is where the Sun is on the first day of Spring, where days and nights are equal, and this is called the Vernal Equinox. The other end of the axis is also a point of equal days and nights, and (since it is where the Sun is at the beginning of Autumn) is termed the Autumnal Equinox.

As Earth's pole precesses, Earth's equatorial plane wobbles in the plane of the ecliptic. This causes the equinox points to move around the ecliptic at a rate of about 1� every 72 years, making one complete cycle in Earth's precessional Great Year, approximately 25,920 years. The precessional movement of the vernal points is called the "precession of the equinoxes."

The vernal point (the Spring Equinox point) is also the starting point of the Tropical zodiac, defined as 0� Aries. Because the vernal point moves in the ecliptic, the entire set of signs comprising the Tropical zodiac also moves with respect to the stars (and the Sidereal zodiac), which remain fixed in their location in the heavens.

The Sidereal zodiac is a set of signs that are aligned with their corresponding constellations. In the Sidereal zodiac, the Sun enters the Aries when it reaches the beginning of the constellation Aries. Unlike the Tropical zodiac, the Sidereal signs are based on fixed constellations.

The Tropical zodiac aligned with the fixed Sidereal Zodiac around 200 A.D. At that time, the first day of Spring coincided with the Sun entering the constellation Aries. However, due to the precession of the equinoxes, the two zodiacs have drifted apart. And here is the cause of arguments among the two types of astrologers....and also between astrologers and astronomers.

The exact location of the Sidereal cusps in the ecliptic is a topic of debate amongst scholars. The exact distance in arc degrees between 0� Tropical Aries and 0� Sidereal Aries is therefore also a topic of debate. This distance is called the "ayanamsa" (a Hindu word), and there are disagreements about exactly how large this ayanamsa is, as well as how to calculate it. (Thus, there are several different ayanamsas used today. The most common is the Fagan-Bradley Ayanamsa. It is reckoned to the star Spica in sidereal Virgo. The Fagan-Bradley Ayanamsa is 24� 49' 12" @ 2006 A.D. This means that on Jan 1, 2006, 00:00:00: GMT, the Tropical zodiac has drifted backward from the fixed Sidereal zodiac by 24� 49' 12" based upon the Fagan-Bradley Ayanamsa. This places the vernal point (0� tropical Aries) at 5� 10' 48" in sidereal Pisces. But some authorities use a different ayanamsa all together.)

So using the above ayanamsa, the Vernal point is now close to 5� of Sidereal Pisces, showing we are still in the Age of Pisces. When it first shifted from Aries to Pisces, we entered what many called the Age of Pisces. It is slowly moving towards the constellation of Aquarius, and when it reaches that point, we will enter the Age of Aquarius. When will this occur? It depends upon the ayanamsa that is used. Using the above Fagan-Bradley version, we have over 370 years yet before the Aquarian age actually begins.

Some astrologers only use the Tropical Zodiac. They see the zodical signs as deriving their nature from the Sun/Earth relationship, and believe the first day of Spring is always the first day of the sign Aries. They know that the constellations are no longer lined up with the signs, and believe that the coinciding of the signs with the constellations at one time was to bring the nature of the signs to humanity's conscious awareness. They do not use the constellations, although some Tropical Astrologers DO add the positions of some of the stars in their charts for added information. Most Tropical Astrologers feel that Sidereal Astrology is not valid because the actual signs come from the Sun/Earth relationship.

Some astrologers only use the Sidereal Zodiac. They see the zodiac signs as deriing their nature from the stars, or the sections of the sky where the constellations are located, and believe the first day of Aries is always when the Sun enters the constellation Aries. They do use the Vernal Equinox point, but as a sensitive point in the chart, not as the start of a zodiac sign. Most Sidereal Astrologers feel that Tropical Astrology is not valid because the astrologers are no longer using the actual constellations.

And then there are some astrologers who utilize both zodiacs. They believe that each one refers to a different realm of consciousness, or a different dimension of human experience, and that the relationship of the Tropical Zodiac to the Sidereal Zodiac reveals much about the unfolding of human history, and about the evolutionary unfoldment of human consciousness.

QUESTION: What astrology-related tribes are there, in addition to this one?

ANSWER: Here is a list containing most of the astrology-related tribes you might wish to explore. If I have missed any, let me know and I will add them:

Astrology
Classical Astrology
Zodiac Tribe
Erotic Astrology
Feminist Stargazers
Sextile This!
Astrology/Numerology
Jyotish - Vedic Astrology
Sabian Symbols Astrology Cabal
EastWest Astrology DatingRelationships
Chinese Astrology
Year Of The Rabbit
12th House
Ophiuchus
Pluto Moon
venus and mars
Saturn Return
Air Sign Homos
Water Sign Homos
Triple Fire - Aries/Leo/Sagittarius
Fiery Water Signs
Gemini & Scorpio's Online Dating Guide
Aries
Aries Moon
Venus in Aries
Taurus
Moon In Taurus
Taurus Rising
Venus in Taurus
Mars in Taurus
Geminis
The Twins - Gemini
Hot Geminis
Gemini Monkeys
Gemini Moon
Venus in Gemini
Gemini Rising
Mars In Gemini
Just Say No To Geminis
Cancers
Cancer Connect
Moon Maiden Tribe
Cancer Rising
Saturn in Cancer
Leo's Den
Leo Moon
Venus in Leo
Leo Rising
Crazλ ♥VirgΦs♥
Virgo Society
V is for Virgo
Virgo Moon
Virgo Rising
Libra
Libra Moon
Libra Ascendant
Pluto in Libra
Scorpio
Scorpio Singles
Scorpios Rule!!!
Scorpio Moon
Scorpio Rising
Scorpio Stellium
Venus in Scorpio
Mars in Scorpio
Uranus in Scorpio
Sagittarius
Sun in Sagittarius
Sagittarius: We Know We're The Best
Moon in Sagittarius
Sagittarius Rising
Neptune in Sagittarius
Capricorn
Capricorncopia!
Capricorn Love
Capricorn Moon
Capricorn Rising
Aquarius
Aquarius Moon
Aquarius Rising
Venus in Aquarius
Pisces
Pisces Singles
Venus in Pisces
Venus Pluto People
Jupiter in Pisces