What Exactly is a Horoscope?

You’ve seen the "horoscope" section of the newspaper, where there is a little blurb about how your day will be going. You’ve heard people ask "What’s your sign?" at bars and parties. This is also joked about being a "pick-up" line for single people looking for dates. All this refers to the astrologic chart, the zodiac and the time you were born along with the position of the planets to the sun.

The reason that "What’s your sign" has been used as a pick-up at bars is because it is believed that certain astrological signs mesh together better than others. Some people will only date others if they are of a certain astrological sign, thus the question: What’s your sign".

A horoscope is an interpretation made by an astrologer that takes a look at the astrological chart at the time of an important event such as a birth, etc. The term horoscope actually means "a look at the hours". The astrological chart is actually the positions of the planets and other celestial bodies that occur at the event (time of birth, etc.)

Another way of looking at this is to compare it to a photograph taken to record a moment in time – yet the horoscope photographs the time and state and position of the planets and sun and other heavenly celestial bodies in space. This is also known as the zodiac, which is an imaginary belt that extends eight degrees on either side of the sun.

The position of the zodiac (the planets and sun) in the sky determines what "time" of the year it is. The date of birth determines what "sign" you are. The cycle goes as follows:

Aries – March 21 – April 19 (the ram)

Taurus – April 20 – May 20 (the bull)

Gemini – May 21 – June 20 (the twins)

Cancer – June 21 – July 22 (the crab)

Leo - July 23 – August 22 (the lion)

Virgo – August 23 – September 22 (the virgin)

Libra – September 23 – October 22 (the scales)

Scorpio – October 23 – November 21 (the scorpion)

Sagittarius – November 22- December 21 (the centaur)

Capricorn – December 22 – January 19 (the goat)

Aquarius – January 20 – February 18 (the water carrier)

Pisces – February 19 – March 20 (the fish)

Each of these "sign of times" or just "signs" represents images of animals/people/objects (as noted by the dates) as determined by their position in the sky. The date in question is determined by these factors and can even be drilled down to the hour, as the planets move around the sun and through the zodiac belt.

So each sign is determined at birth. If you are born the first of September you are considered a Virgo. The horoscope is derived from all these signs, positions of the heavenly bodies (stars, sun, planets, etc) and time.

It is believed that the date and hour you were born determines certain traits and characteristics due to the position of the zodiac at that time. This position sets you up for a lifetime of these traits and an astrologist reading the "signs" and determining the horoscope takes all this into account when giving a "forecast" for a specific future or present date.