I think it's safe to say that we all have heard of astrology—you probably know your zodiac sign and maybe read horoscopes at times. However, that one sign isn't the only thing that astrologers use as a guide to your personality, love life and future. Here is a list of the most important astrological bodies.
The sun represents your outward expression and overall identity. This is the sign you likely respond with when someone asks you "What is your zodiac sign?". The sun sign changes approximately once a month, around the 20th to 23rd of each month.
For future reference, when you say that you are, for example, a Virgo Sun, or whatever other sign and astrological body combination, it means that the celestial body was in the region of that constellation when you were born.
The moon is a reflection of your inward emotions and mood. Under which sign the moon was in when you were born affects your sensitivity and feelings in relationships and with oneself. The signs of the moon changes every two to three days.
Your rising, or ascendant, sign is how you act in social situations. This can determine whether you tend to be more introverted, extroverted or ambiverted, as well as your outlook on life. One's ascendant sign is whichever constellation was on the eastern horizon at the time of birth, and it changes approximately every two hours. For this reason, it's important to know your time of birth when you are finding out your rising sign.
Mercury is the planet that dictates your reason. This shows how you communicate with others and how agreeable you are. Additionally, this can show how you process information and your preferred style of learning. The sign Mercury is under changes about once every three weeks.
Venus is the ruler of love and attraction. This can help tell you what kind of lover you are and what you need to be satisfied in relationships. The sign Venus is under changes just under once a month.
Mars demonstrates your passion and drive. What you're passionate about, how you take action and your natural competitiveness. Mars's sign changes about every six to seven weeks.
Jupiter symbolizes your optimistic views. Your feelings of hope and probabilities of finding luck in a certain aspect of luck are reflected in this planet. Jupiter transitions signs about once a year, so it's likely that many of your peers in your year are similar to you in these ways.
Saturn rules over the realistic side of life. It can show where you can struggle and how you can overcome them. Saturn also can show where you feel your overall responsibilities lie. Because it changes sign once every two to three years, those around your age tend to have similar senses of responsibility towards a certain aspect of life.
Uranus is the ruler of changes, especially sudden changes. Its sign may indicate where changes in your life will occur and how you will respond to them. This planet transitions signs every seven years.
Neptune is the dreamy intuition planet. It can highlight your creativity in a certain field, show how you dream and imagine, and where your intuition is strongest. Neptune's sign changes about once every decade to 12 years, guiding an entire group of elementary through high school students.
Pluto is the planet of power. Its sign can show how those born under it will handle having power and how they will deal with difficult things like death and the transformations they will go through. Pluto's sign changes about every 15 years, so entire generations are defined by the sign under which Pluto lies.
