This past year, I got increasingly into astrology. You may call it quarantine boredom, but I call it a renewed sense of self-awareness. According to the website How Stuff Works, astrology is the study of influence that distant cosmic objects, usually stars and planets, have on human lives. It is said that the position of the sun, stars, moon, and planets at the time of people's birth can shape their personality, affect their romantic relationships, and predict their economic fortunes, among other things. Your signs are backed by the elements, that is, there are fire, earth, air, and water signs. Each sign has a representative creature; for instance, Gemini are celestial twins, Aries is a ram, and Scorpios are a scorpion.

Up until last year, I thought astrology was total BS. Having a late December birthday, I've been told since I was born that I am a Capricorn, and after doing some diving into what that means exactly, I simply did not resonate with being a Capricorn. I'm not money-hungry; if anything, I'm the opposite; money is not a driving factor in my life. I'm not a pessimist; I'd honestly say I'm too much of an optimist sometimes, and I'm far from a realist. What I learned, though, is that there's far more to astrology than simply the sun sign you were born under, for there is so much more to astrology (and you) than one single sign could ever fully represent. According to astrological science, our three signs, sun, rising, and moon, together make up who we are.

The sun sign is the most popular and well-known portion of a person's birth chart; your mainstream sign. Most people only know their sun sign. Your sun sign is supposed to represent you at your core, your vital life force, spirit, intellect, and identity. It relates to your life path, and your truest self. The moon sign relates to the more private, emotional, and beneath-the-surface parts of who you are. It rules over your intimate side, and represents your desires, emotions, and memories. Think of it as the side of you that you only let those closest to you see. The rising sign, or your "ascendant", represents your outer self. Your rising sign emulates upon first meeting someone, and how you adapt yourself around new people. This sign touches on how you appear to others, and how you relate to people socially.

Now, back to what I said about astrology being BS. My moon sign is Sagittarius, which I resonate deeply with on an innermost-self level. I'm easygoing and happy, but I desire my personal freedom and space. I like to be alone, but I also have a continuous need for activity. My rising sign is Scorpio, which I feel represents how I present myself to others quite well. I can be quiet or loud around people, depending on my mood, and I would say I demand a lot of presence (which can be a good and a bad thing, LOL). As far as compatibility goes, it is said that the signs that contain the same astrological element as you are the people you vibe best with. I can't say I completely believe in sign compatibility, but thinking about who the closest people in my life are, I can't help believe it at least a little. I mean, a few of my best friends are Tauruses or Virgos, my first best friend in college was a Scorpio, and my mom and one of my closets friends are also Capricorns. In addition, one of my ex-boyfriends was a Cancer, which is said to be one of the most incompatible signs with Capricorn. Coincidence? Maybe not.

I encourage you to dive deeper into astrology and into your birth chart, and from there, formulate your own true opinion on astrology. All you need is your full birth date, year, and the exact time/time zone in which you were born. There are dozens of online calculators that can help you do so! Studying your full astrology profile is a great form of self-reflection, and an opportunity to potentially learn a bit more about yourself. All in all, whether you believe in the power of the solar system or not, it's out there, it's real, and it impacts our planet and our beings more than you can imagine.