If we look at the horoscope of Swami Vivekananda [to the right], a blast of symbols, lines will hit you that perhaps might indicate how complicated the horoscope is.

And you're right! Astrology, by now means, is simple but its elements can be understood over a period of time... with a little help from a teacher (and in my case, a blessing from the Universe).

But what I'm trying to establish is that astrology isn't just about your sunsign but is detailed account of your psychological profile and what lies in your future. And this is what the astrological horoscope tries to delineate once you get a reading with a professional astrologer.

Now, astrology is divided into schools of thoughts - one which is the more popular Western form as well as the Vedic form that focuses on different parts of the astrological chart, even though most details available on the chart is identical.

For now, let's look at the Western horoscope and its contents.

So, what does one need to build a horoscope?

1. Your Name

2. Date of Birth (Month, Date, Year)

3. Location of birth

4. Time of birth

Simple enough?

All you have to do is ask your mom is she remembers when you were born for the time, or refer to your birth certificate for that piece of crucial information. And I'll tell you why it's so crucial shortly!

Once you've given these details to a professional astrologer or have populated them on a website that creates free natal horoscopes, this is what you should obtain at first view of your personalized natal horoscope:

i. Signs

ii. Planets

iii. Houses

iv. Aspects

See... we're not simple creatures to take on the characteristics of one of twelve sunsigns on a planet of 2-3 billion people. If this was indeed the case, this could mean that we ONLY have 12 types of people... and how boring and stupid is that to accept?

So, for this piece, we'll focus on the 'signs' in your horoscope following which we will discuss the role of the planets in your natal horoscope.

As we all know from the sunsign horoscopes that we read (one sunsign), the signs are from Aries (the first sign) all the way down to Pisces (the 12th sign), in the order of the zodiac.

But there's more than meets the eye, really...

One thing you will notice when you read your personalized horoscope is that you will not only see your sun sign (which is the one that you're most familiar with as we speak) but also the moon sign, the ascendant and your karma sign (also known as the North Node). Each of these placements represent one particular area in your life.

Sun - your inner will, greatest strengths and the manner in which you process everything in your life.

Moon - your emotions, memory and your habits.

Ascendant - how you portray yourself to others (the mask that you wear).

North Node - describes the challenges that you will face for the first 30 years of your life, and will remain your learning in application for the remainder of this life.

NOTE: In more cases than not, these signs are different from each other!

For example, in my chart:

1. Sun sign :Capricorn

2. Moon sign: Libra

3. Ascendant: Aquarius

4. North Node (karma sign): Virgo

Each of these types of signs bring their own characteristics to a particular area of my life. For example, my strengths (Sun) lie in my (Aquarius) idealism and my ability to look into the future (not necessarily through astrology, of course).

Another example is my karma sign in Virgo, which represent my learning for this lifetime, which is taking care of my health, being the 'eternal student', being disciplined and order-oriented in maintaining routines and being industrious.

NOTE: I never really bought into the astrology thing until I studied the karma sign in detail... which are the lessons for my lifetime, represented by the Virgo sign. And I have never doubted it since, because the first 30 years of my life was fraught with challenges (as it was supposed to) that included discipline, orderliness, a lack of hygiene and health as well as a complete failure at academics. It is only after I turned 30, that I have started to recognize the importance of these areas in my life, and have spent time in improving these areas accordingly.

By now, if you haven't noticed... astrology is a study that is massive and complex that involves using the mind to analyze (not necessarily the emotions) like conventional religion expects you to.

So, in order to understand this subject well, I have taken up studies with a spiritual teacher at the Esoteric Arcanum. Her name is Nadiya Shah, and here's her website:

Nadiya Shah

You can request for a astrological reading or take basic classes with her. I've just completed one class with her, and I think she's done a smashing job!

Anyways, now you should have understood that there could more than one sign in your horoscope, but since we've only begun this journey... here's another link that will describe your sunsign in a simple manner:

Sunsign Keywords

I hope you've enjoyed understanding this writeup on the signs in your horoscope, and if you have questions... please feel free to get in touch with me!