The general Western population is familiar with the concept of the sun sign in astrology. Most amateur astrology enthusiasts even know about their "big three" (sun, moon and rising sign) and how that combination plays out in one’s personality profile. To add an additional layer of intrigue, we may also consider cusps. For people like me whose birthday falls on a cusp (proud Gemini/Cancer-cuspian here!), there are two significant energies at play, one more prominent than the other depending on your birthdate.

All of this (and much more) has contributed to the confusion some feel toward astrology as a viable way of understanding our personalities; to these naysayers, I would point out that astrology isn’t an exact science! It is as nebulous a concept as any spiritual practice, therefore it should be taken with a grain of salt. As such, I would like to complicate this discussion by adding what I think of as another significant layer of meaning in our birth charts: the chart ruler.

Without going too far down the astro rabbit hole, I will briefly explain the signs, planets, and houses so that we may understand what the chart ruler is and how it functions.

Signs

In astrology, there are 12 signs, or archetypes. Each sign corresponds to one of the four elements: fire, earth, air, and water. Within those elements lies three different modes or energies: cardinal, fixed, and mutable. Each element has three corresponding signs attributed to it, which express a different energy in reference to that element. For example, Virgo is a mutable earth sign. This means that, more than the other two earth signs (Taurus and Capricorn), Virgos have a natural tendency towards flexibility and are more likely (and willing) to change their minds. Not so with a Taurus or Capricorn! As a fixed earth sign, Taurus is easily one of the most stubborn in the zodiac. Capricorn, the cardinal earth sign, works indefatigably toward any goals they set for themselves. Perhaps it is unsurprising, then, that Virgos often set their personal bar so high that they often cannot reach it, indicating a need to shift strategies. As a (primarily) Gemini sun, I totally understand this sentiment!

Planets

Each of the 12 signs is ruled by a particular planet. We might think of the energies between a sign and its ruling planet as interchangeable (ie, the Sun is Leo’s ruling "planet," giving Leos a sunny disposition in life.) When a sign and its planetary ruler correspond in a person’s birth chart — for instance, Venus in Taurus or Libra (both ruled by Venus) — that person’s energy in relation to said combination will be especially strong. Leo Suns, by their very nature, are one of the most strong-willed, easily identifiable signs for this very reason.

Houses

The signs and the planets all fall into one of twelve houses, which correspond to archetypes associated with the 12 signs. For instance, the fifth house, corresponding to the energy of Leo as the fifth sign in the zodiac, deals with creativity and pleasure. The planet and the sign in which these concepts distribute themselves varies from person to person, however, based on the time and place in which a person was born. For example, if someone’s Neptune was in Pisces in the twelfth house, this person would tend to daydream quite a bit, capable of ignoring their surroundings in favor of the dreamscape they have created in their minds.

Chart Ruler

Now that I have demonstrated how complex astrology can be, I would like to explain the chart ruler and why it is important to our overall personality profiles. The chart ruler indicates a central theme in our lives and differs from person to person. Once we determine our rising sign and its planet, we look to the house that planet occupies, as well as the sign it is in, and voila! We have found our chart ruler.

My rising sign is Taurus, which is ruled by Venus. My Venus is in Leo in the fourth house, the house of family and security. With the aesthetic sensibilities of Taurus/ Venus in concert with Leo’s love of drama and displays of joy, I interpret this to mean that a beautiful, creative home is essential to my happiness and feelings of security. In another light, it might mean I feel most secure and “at home” with artistic, expressive people.

What does your chart ruler say about you?