Sun sign astrology gets a bad rep, kind of the way many writers who take themselves seriously will poo-poo commercial or genre fiction. And I get it. I do. Anyone who works with natal chart construction and then starts to dabble in sun sign astrology will inevitably arrive at the thought, “Sun sign horoscopes is nonsensical.”

Well, it is and it isn’t. It’s not entirely nonsensical.

First, sun sign astrology assumes (as does most astrological practices) that the Sign the sun is in (whether it’s per your natal chart, in horary astrology, or electional astrology) will give us some insights into the Self, your identity, the external character you project, and very general pointers on who you are.

The correspondences of that Sign (your sun sign) will likely have a recurring impact on your day to day life. In sun sign astrology, astrologers will look at the positioning of celestial bodies, and their transits and aspects for a given period (i.e., your monthly forecast, for example; note that daily forecasts are going to be more focused on the moon). Thus, at least in metaphysical theory, significant transits, aspects, and planetary influences around your Sign at any given point in time can have an impact on your life. The ongoings of your Sign’s ruling planet, too, for example, will affect your Sign more than it might affect others.

Mercury changes Signs every 7 to 8-ish days and Venus 18-19-ish days, so these planets are going to influence you on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. Thus, they’re worth looking at in sun sign astrology. Their transits to the other planets are also relevant. Vesta, one of the larger asteroids in our solar system, changes Signs every 2-ish months, so its movement is also going to have short-term impacts. Ceres, considered a dwarf planet or large asteroid, depending on who you’re talking to, is in a Sign for 3 to 4-ish months.

These factors are all considered in writing sun sign horoscopes. So per my view, it’s not entirely a crock of bull, but it is overbroad. For entertainment purposes, sun sign astrology is loads of fun. Well-written sun sign horoscopes can inspire us with ideas and motivate us to make plans. And since I do believe planets and their transits have an impact on our day to day lives, sun sign horoscopes can inform a greater breadth of audience of those planetary influences. “Mercury in retrograde,” for example, and its implications are pretty much mainstream knowledge now thanks in great part to sun sign astrologers.

Sun Sign Horoscopes Step-by-Step Checklist (PDF)

This document is more advanced in the sense that I don’t explain anything. I’m sharing my personal checklist that I use when writing sun sign horoscopes. This gives you a sense of the behind-the-scenes process for writing sun sign horoscopes.

My Approach to Sun Sign Astrology

My approach to sun sign astrology, specifically as to monthly forecasts, is as follows:

I analyze an event chart under a solar sign house system. I run a transits animation for the duration of that month in question, by day progressions, and note the Houses of each Sign, their correspondences, and the planetary movements within each House for the duration of the month.

Aspects major to the planets/celestial bodies within each Sign’s House are also noted. Specifically, I pay attention to the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Ceres, and Vesta for horoscopes writing. I also look at the transits for Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Chiron, and Lilith.

(Note: For women’s or fashion magazines, I might devote greater emphasis to studying the influence of Venus, Ceres, Lilith, and Vesta. For an arts and culture publication, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, Neptune, and Chiron. For publications targeted at young professionals, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.)

A common approach to sun sign astrology is to construct 12 separate charts, one for each of the Signs, placing the Sign in question in the first house of the chart. Then a basic house-and-sign interpretive method is applied (i.e., what is going on in the second house for that Sign will be indicative of money matters and what is going on in the seventh will be indicative of love). I do so for each of the Signs, but do not rely on that approach for the substance of my interpretations. I use the common approach more as a method of cross-referencing and confirmation.

In my analysis I also note all significant transits between the Signs. For each specific Sign, I note the planetary rulership and its correspondences for that Sign. I create additional event charts to gain greater insights into specific Signs. I will create an event chart with Mars in the first House, for example, to examine Aries and Scorpio (the Signs ruled by Mars), and another with Venus in the first House for Taurus and Libra, then Mercury in the first House for Gemini and Virgo, etc. Then I apply House and Sign analysis per the traditional Whole Sign Houses method for each of the 12 Signs.

Finally, but perhaps most importantly, I study the moon phases and the moon’s trajectory through the Signs to determine optimal and troublesome days for each Sign.

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Past Life Astrology