Why Your Sun Sign May Be Wrong, And Other Astrological Mysteries

Astrology is enjoying a moment right now.

You can read about the current astrological trend in established newspapers like the New York Times (may be paywalled), while simultaneously scrolling through an initiation into astrology’s secrets on TikTok or Twitter. All the information you need to become proficient in astrological knowledge is probably online and freely available.

But what happens when you hear from one source that Mars rules Scorpio, and from another it’s Pluto? Surely they can’t both be right. Some sources suggest linking House-Sign-Planet (think: 3rd House-Gemini-Mercury). Is this technique a genius learning aid or a recipe for muddled thinking? And what about those articles that say your Sun Sign (and entire horoscope) is likely wrong!? If you don’t know what I am referring to just do an internet search for “why your sun sign may be wrong”. Spoiler alert: Your horoscope is not wrong. Those articles are usually just written by someone so scientifically clever that they misunderstand the symbolic nature of modern western astrology, which is more metaphysical than merely physical.

On the other hand, perhaps you have studied astrology since before personal computers became first ubiquitous and then made obsolete by the cellphone. If so, the names Linda Goodman and Sydney Omarr may spring to mind as first guides on your journey, even before Liz Greene. Perhaps you started with modern astrology and have begun to dabble in Hellenistic or Medieval astrology. You’ve associated Gemini and Mercury with the 3rd house forever, and now you read that the Moon (!!) finds her joy in the 3rd, not Mercury, who delights instead in the 1st house. Which is correct? Can both be correct?

Astrology is not a static “thing,” even though it has defined methods and agreed-upon meanings. At the same time astrology is not a free-for-all where anyone can randomly assigned rulerships willy nilly (well, maybe on social media). Astrology is an open-ended system. It continues to evolve and develop out of and within a system that is thousands of years old.

If feelings of confusion or boredom enter your astrological studies, remind yourself of the open-ended quality of astrology. If you’re confused, ask what makes sense based on your observations. If you’re uninspired, ask where, when, or how the magic has left your practice. Remember that you too, as a microcosm of the cosmos, are open-ended.