Sun. Moon. Rising

You might say Astrology is like a disorganized religion. There is no weekly service, no baptism necessary and no deity to worship; however, there is a faith in the unseen and God is the universe.

I started following astrology in the early 2000s- when the new world wide web allowed us to subscribe to an astrologer’s take on the planetary alignments and how it would affect each sign. The older I got, the less I tuned in to the daily forecasts. I began relying on them to tell me what kind of day I was going to have, and it did not take long before I realized it wasn’t serving me, but rather hurting me.

In 2011 I attended a meditation program in San Francisco at a place called Psychic Horizons. There, I learned how to use meditation and imagery to cleanse energy, move energy, protect energy and draw energy from the earth and the cosmos. This program reopened my eyes to the universe in a whole new way.

As it pertains to Astrology, learning to manipulate energy coming from the cosmos means that the planets in our galaxy all work cohesively.

So, what does Science say?

I’m sure you’ve heard that more women go into Labor on a full moon. The evidence on this is purely anecdotal, so all we have are the experiences of our friends and family in the Labor and Delivery unit; However, Harry Shipman, professor at Delaware University states that “Tides are higher when the moon is full because at that time the gravity from the moon and sun are pulling together on the earth”.

It is believed that the full moon’s effect on the tide is the precise phenomenon that produces an influx of women going into labor during said full moon.

More science!

Do you remember learning about the water cycle? The sun evaporates water into clouds so it can rain on the trees and plants that provide earth’s oxygen as well as grow food to feed the earthlings. That is the flex of the sun! Need I say more?

And finally, before we get to the good stuff; Let us not forget that we humans are 70% water.

So, considering how much the Moon and Sun effect planet earth in these incredible ways, imagine their effect on us. It is a biological fact that we are different when we lack nutrition or are dehydrated. Imagine what our bodies and therefor our psyche goes through with the waxing and waning of the moon’s cycle.

ASTROLOGY

So now that we’ve covered the majesty we see and survive on, let’s get to some astrology!

Fundamentally, our zodiac sign is based on the day we emerged from our mother’s womb and into an oxygen breathing atmosphere. According to astrology, the atmosphere has a “vibe” that is curated based on the position of the moon, the sun and the rising planet (Can be Venus, Mercury, Pluto, Mars etc). It is believed that this “vibe” that we were born into will shape our personality for the rest of your earth dwelling lives.

So how do you know your Sun, Rising and Moon sign? And what do they mean?

In order to know your Sun sign, you only need to know what day you were born. Our sun sign represents our fundamental selves. The core of our personality.

Our Rising sign is a little more complicated to know. In order to calculate your rising sign, you have to know exactly where you were born, what day, year, and the exact time. This is because depending on where you were in the world and what time you entered earth’s oxygen breathing atmosphere, the rising planet, which is moving, will have a different effect on you than someone born the same day across the world. Your rising sign represents the personality you present to others. It is your innate vision of the ideal personality.

Your Moon sign is also calculated based on the exact place and time you were born and is a roadmap for your emotional self. Think of it as a personified way in which you feel, love and process anger or any other emotion you feel. If your Moon sign is a hard head by nature, watch out.

Some of you reading this may not have ever heard of a Sun, Rising and Moon sign and only know your Sun sign as your “Zodiac Sign”. Many astrologers claim that your Rising and Moon are equally as influential if not more because it is based on precise birth data. If you know your birth data, I suggest using a calculator online to determine your Rising and Moon sign. Many people say their Sun sign does not describe them at all and it could be because their Rising and Moon sign are double dipped in one zodiac sign or element of the zodiac and in some instances, this can cancel out the influence of your Sun sign.

In my case; I’m a Sun-Cancer, Rising-Pisces and Moon-Scorpio.

These are all water signs.

Being made up of all water signs can be challenging.

I fall in love easy because my emotions are ever flowing. I can go from being the happiest woman on earth to sobbing uncontrollably from a headline I read on Instagram. I can predict the outcome of most situations if my emotions aren’t getting in the way, and I can write a character and create a story from empathy.

I get along with most people. My empathy makes me an ally and I have a lot of faith in my intuition.

With my Sun sign being Cancer, I am fundamentally a loner. I enjoy being alone, I have a good time alone and if I’m crossed, I will hide in my shell. It also means I am fundamentally creative. I grew up having natural creative talents; Like writing, drawing, painting and choreographing. I became a professional Dancer/Choreographer in the NBA and a Professional Makeup Artist and educator. In recent years, I have completely dedicated my creativity to writing and filmmaking. Fundamentally, I am a Cancer.

My Moon sign is where things get tricky; and I believe it’s because I’m an emotional Scorpio who’s fundamentally a Cancer. Scorpios are known for being mystery solvers and find it impossible to trust people if they’ve ever uttered a lie in their presence and this is all true in my case. If my intuition tells me something is off, I stop at nothing until I have a full understanding of the situation. Scorpios are a mystery themselves and this is also true to form. My well runs very deep and I peel like an onion. Once I know I can trust someone, I am a passionate advocate who would do anything for that person; Friend, stranger, family or lover.

And the one the world meets? The Pisces.

I am a Rising Pisces. This is my favorite water sign because it is the romancer, the artist, the lively adaptable free loving woman in me that the earthlings get to meet when they cross my path. I would say it is the Pisces in me that travelled to Nepal alone and met lifelong friends along the way. The music lover who writes her heart. The Pisces in me who sees the good in everyone first. The Pisces is the part of me that takes chances. She’s adventurous and Intuitive. Psychic and Compassionate. She is me.

One of my favorite things about astrology is that is makes you feel like you’re part of a club even though there’s no group meetings, membership fee or dues to pay. You gravitate toward your tribe of elements. You fall in love with your compatible counterpart and you realize the shitty friend or partner you had was the most incompatible sign you could attach yourself to.

Astrology gives us a road map to a deeper understanding of energy. It gives us a manual on how to optimize the vibe we were born into.

So, the next time someone asks, “What’s your sign?” They are really asking, “What’s your vibe?”