Do you believe in horoscopes prediction?
According to the American Federation of Astrologers, 70 million Americans read their horoscope prediction before starting the day. Moreover, a social survey done in 2012 discovered that 34 percent of Americans consider astrology true and scientific.
They read horoscopes to get insight into how their day will go. They believe reading a horoscope provides guidance in uncertainty and helps them to have a better day.
That said, have you ever wondered how horoscope predictions are made by astrologers? Is it based on science? Can they really predict the future? Should you believe in it?
In this post, you’ll discover how astrologers make horoscope predictions by looking at a natal chart.
What is Horoscope?
To understand how the horoscopes are predicted, first, you need to know the basic stuff about them.
In astrology, it is believed that the position of the sun, moon, planets and constellation at the time of birth of a person influences his/her personality and overall life. Astrology is all about studying the position of planets and heavenly bodies at the time of birth and predicting its influence on the various aspect of one’s life.
Horoscope is the map of the position of planets at the exact date, place, and time of birth of a person. It is also called a natal chart, chart wheel, or birth chart.
Horoscope Chart or Natal Chart
For beginners, looking at a complete horoscope chart can be intimidating. But, don’t you worry. In the next few paragraphs, you’ll get acquainted with each and every element that makes up a horoscope chart. After that, you can create and interpret a simple horoscope chart without pulling your hair out.
For better comprehension of the horoscope chart, assume that the sun revolves around the earth in an elliptical pathway. In the horoscope chart, a circle represents this elliptical pathway. Then, the circle is divided into twelve sections of 30 degrees each. Each of these sections contains one of the zodiac signs and house.
Note: Zodiac signs are named after the name of constellations. Thousand years ago, the constellation and sign of the zodiac were in alignment, however, now this is no longer the case.
Sun sign: All the heavenly bodies including the sun change their position throughout the year. The zodiac sign at which the sun appears at the moment of your birth is your Sun sign. For instance, if you were born on August 12, your sun sign would be Leo as the sun was in that zodiac sign during this date.
Here is the list of dates during which the sun appears at a particular zodiac sign:
- Aries (March 20-April 18)
- Taurus (April 19- May 20)
- Gemini (May 21- June 20)
- Cancer (June 21- July 22)
- Leo (July 23- August 22)
- Virgo (August 23- September 22)
- Libra (September 23- October 22)
- Scorpio (October 23- November 21)
- Sagittarius (November 22- December 21)
- Capricorn (December 22- January 19)
- Aquarius (January 20- February 18)
- Pisces ( February 19- March 19)
House: As the zodiac sign, there are 12 houses in a horoscope chart. While the earth’s revolution around the sun defines the zodiac sign, the earth’s 24-hour rotation on its own axis represents houses.
Each house represents various aspects of life. Here are the different aspects of life that each house represents:
- 1st House- Appearance and surface personality
- 2nd House- Possessions, money, value
- 3rd House- Short journey, communication, brother and sister
- 4th House- Parents, roots, home, brother and sister
- 5th House- Creativity, romance, children
- 6th House- Work, health
- 7th House- Partnership, marriage
- 8th House- Other people’s money, sex, death, regeneration
- 9th House- Long journey, religion, philosophy, higher education
- 10th House- Status, reputation, career
- 11th House- Friends and aspiration
- 12th House- Enemies, secrets, seclusion
As you can see, each house has its own particular arena. Planets and zodiac signs presented in certain houses either promote or challenge their characteristics. That means the planet and sign present in the house at a certain moment will determine the positive or negative aspect of life represented by that house.
Ascendant or rising sign: The rising sign is the zodiac sign that was rising over the eastern horizon at the moment of your birth. It has a very crucial role while making predictions of your horoscope.
The rising signs represent the outer part of your personality. It determines what other people will see and feel about you first. Basically, it represents your appearance and behavior in the outer world.
Elements and Qualities: Fire, earth, water, air are not only related to material substance but also have spiritual essences. Each element represents and influences different aspects of the human mind.
- Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) – Intuition
- Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn)– Reason, sensation, and empirical observation
- Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius)– Thinking
- Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces)- Feeling
Each of these elements governs three signs. Signs which belong to the same elements are harmonious with each other and share a common personality and intellect.
The zodiac signs are further divided into three qualities. They are
- Cardinal (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn)
- Fixed (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius)
- Mutable (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces)
Planet: In astrology, the sun and moon are also considered planets. There are 10 planets each representing different personality traits.
Planet rulership and dignities: Planets have strong influencing power when it is present in certain zodiac signs. The Zodiac signs at which planet characteristics become powerful are said to be ruled by it. Here are the planets and the sign that they rule:
- Sun- Leo
- Moon- Cancer
- Mercury- Gemini and Virgo
- Venus- Taurus and Libra
- Mars- Aries
- Jupiter- Sagittarius
- Saturn- Capricorn
- Uranus- Aquarius
- Neptune- Pisces
- Pluto- Scorpio
Cusp: The cusp marks the beginning of a house in the horoscope chart. It is the name of the lines at which a house begins.
When someone is born on the cusp, it means they are born at the end of one sign and the beginning of another. Generally, such people possess qualities belonging to both signs.
Other things that you should know while reading a horoscope chart is major aspect. It is the relationship between the planets in the chart whether their energy is blending or opposing each other.
There are four major aspects of the horoscope chart.
- Conjunction- planets are in the same sign
- Sextiles- angular relationship between planet is 60 degrees; they are two signs apart with each other
- Squares- the angular relationship of 90 degrees between two planets
- Trines- planets have the angular relationship of 12o degrees
- Opposition- when planets are opposite to each other; they make the angular relationship of 180 degree
Note: Astrologer find the exact position of heavenly bodies at the time of your birth by looking at an ephemeris. It is almanac containing the list of position of sun, moon, and planets of every day and every year. You can find both past and future position of planent in an ephemeris.
By now, you must have become familiar with the basic stuff of a horoscope chart and its different aspects needed to predict the future of someone. Next, you’ll learn how astrologer uses horoscope char and astrological knowledge to make horoscope prediction.
How are Horoscopes predicted?
To predict the future using astrology, you need to create a horoscope or natal chart first. For that you need:
- Month, day, and year of birth
- Place of your birth
- Exact birth time
For finding the right rising sign, sun sign, moon sign, and house placement, you need to have an accurate birth time. However, if you don’t know the exact time of your birth like most people, you need to seek the help of a professional astrologer to rectify your chart.
With the information about your birth, you can either see a professional astrologer or use software to generate a natal chart. We recommend visiting an astrologer in person to create a natal chart. It will help you have a more personalized and accurate natal chart.
Read also: Best website and app for horosocope and Astrology
Once you have your horoscope chart created, your astrologer will look at your rising sign, sun sign, and placement of planets in different houses. They will look at the relationship of planet and house in your chart.
By analyzing the position of heavenly bodies at the time of your birth, the astrologer will predict your personality and your future. Each planet holds a unique personality and acts in a different way according to its placement in a different house.
Basically, an astrologer looks at the house in your horoscope chart that represents the various aspect of life as mentioned above. Then, they look at the planets presented at each house. With knowledge about the characteristics of the planet, its effect in a different house, and zodiac sign, astrologers give predictions of the future.
How accurate are horoscopes?
Though astrology and horoscope are considered pseudoscience, most people find the horoscope accurate and use it every day.
Reading horoscopes and consulting astrologers is not only done by common people. Famous people such as Angelina Jolie, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and many others believe in astrology and consult astrologers to make difficult decisions and predict the future.
Your horoscope does tell about your past life. It can also predict the future based on the position of the heavenly bodies at the time of your birth.
However, for accurate horoscope reading, you need to have correct information about your birth and consult a professional astrologer to read your horoscope chart for you.
Should you believe in a horoscope?
We believe knowing the influence of heavenly bodies on a person’s life will help to live a better life. It tells the weakness and strengths of a person. It gives the insight to solve different life problems and help to make better decisions.
That said, you don’t need to believe what we tell you. Don’t listen to other people’s opinions either. To know whether the horoscope predictions are correct or not, try it for yourself.
Find a professional astrologer or legit astrology website. Give them your exact birth information and tell them to create a natal chart and give predictions about your future and personality. Then, see whether the prediction matches your personality or not. Do this experiment for a while to judge the legitimacy of astrological prediction.
Conclusion
Horoscope predictions are made by studying the position of the planet and its influence on different zodiac signs and houses. In addition to that, the astrologer will study your rising sign, elements and qualities of the planet, the relationship between the planets to give a better prediction.
For greater accuracy of prediction, we recommend consulting a professional astrologer to create a horoscope chart and make predictions. That’s because such predictions are more personalized and accurate.