In The Stars

“Hey Baby, what’s your sign?!”

One of the more common pick-up tropes of the latter twentieth century. Simple enough question … unless of course, you’re asking ME.

Because how do I answer that? My Sun sign is Libra (which is most likely what you’re asking for) but my Moon is Aquarius and my Ascendent is Sagittarius. And I believe I’m TRULY a little bit of all 3. Oh sure, when I read the horoscopes in the Newspaper—if anyone remembers what THAT archaic thing is—I’m headed for Libra: after all, the Sun sign is the “Self” sign. It’s how the world sees you, in this play that we call life. And everyone does see me as the relationship-mediator, always seeking justice & making sure everything & everyone is “fair”.

But what about my Moon in Aquarius; is this “Heart” sign, not just as important as the “Self”? The Moon represents the mysterious, the hidden – the part of myself that only I see, as opposed to the Sun part that everyone ELSE sees. And being in Aquarius, my Moon makes me idealistic & independent, sometimes unpredictable and fixed in my opinions … why, in some ways that almost contradicts my Libra Sun?!

Ahh, but the Ascendent (or “Rising”) sign – there’s still THAT in play, too! And this, after all, is the “Mask” sign; it’s the first impression we give to others, how we portray ourselves without even realizing it. Since this sign expresses how we interact with others & cope with new situations, how could I possibly ignore my Rising Sagittarius? It’s where my need for independence & freedom comes from!

My husband calls me a hippie. But he’s a Taurus in all 3 houses, so I take that with a grain of salt (and—albeit, misguided) affection.

I never knew about anything other than the Sun sign, as I imagine most people don’t. But my mother & one of my sisters were also Sun Libras – so why then were we SO … different?! We shared the same quirks & personality traits, in many aspects: we’re wonderful listeners, can NEVER be counted on to make a decision (even as simple as going out to dinner, “where do you want to eat?!” – don’t even bother asking us) but my sister is SUCH a “mother hen” and our mom was so scatter-brained & disorganized; those aren’t LIBRA traits?!

In my early twenties I developed an interest in the Tarot & began a path of self-teaching & spiritual exploration. I’d offer to give readings to my friends, all in the name of fun, I had to remind them – I wasn’t going to give them winning lottery numbers nor was I going to predict the manner nor time of their death. I find reading Tarot to be more of an awaking; you interpret the cards meanings by letting your subconscious out of its little cage. And with learning the Tarot, I quickly learned there was a whole world of astrology that I never even knew existed! Suddenly, my “mother hen” sister made sense: that was her Cancer Moon coming through. And our mom’s disorganization? We had her Rising Pisces to thank for that!

Asking the famous “What’s your sign?!” question took on a WHOLE new meaning for me after that. Meeting new people, I’d try to guess their [Sun] sign; but the more I got to know them, I’d try to guess their Moon and Rising signs. And oddly enough, I’d end up being right more often than I wasn’t.

Now ask me if I believe in horoscopes … go ahead …

… << shrugs shoulders >> MEH.

It’s not that I *don’t* believe what I’ve spent so much time investing to learn about. I just believe that there’s always more to it—more to the SOUL—than just planetary alignments. I was brought up under a strictly religious household; mom was a Christian and dad was a Catholic. Two horns on the same stubborn goat, but no room for any hocus-pocus, mumbo-jumbo, witchcraft-wielding astrology on that goat! But ever the Aquarius Moon, I had a quest for knowledge that HAD to be satiated; the unanswerable, the unusual, I just couldn’t ignore the call for it, no matter how hard I tried.

I love getting into healthy debates with people; both giving my opinions & hearing others. The Libra in me loves ALL sides of conversation! And my Libra will never discredit anyone’s belief; you believe in Buddha? Tell me about him. Krishna? I’m all ears. I’ve already heard all about Jesus, Mary & the like (all Roman Catholics are Christian, but not all Christians are Roman Catholic). Are you an Atheist? I think I love talking with this group the most because they’re beholden to NO god or gods and I feel theirs being a path of “just walking”—as opposed to following—is often fascinating! Darwinism … they’re the nerds of “religion” (& I say that with true affection, because I love me some NERDS!).

One thing I’ve noticed most religions (& non-religions) seem to agree on though, is that astrology is nothing more than pure hokum. Unless you’re a practicing Wiccan—or a Rising Sagittarius like me, who loves researching EVERYTHING, ad nauseum—you’ve no use for any of it.

So how then, do I answer that wonderful ice-breaker “What’s your sign”?

… well tell me – what’s YOURS?