Secrets of the Signs

Copyright

Copyright © 2000 by Stacey Wolf

All rights reserved.

Warner Books, Inc.

Hachette Book Group

237 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com

First eBook Edition: January 2010

ISBN: 978-0-7595-2600-6

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INTRODUCTION

Look around. The world is changing. More earthquakes and hurricanes. Compromise and peace where we never thought the fighting would end. It's no coincidence that this is all happening now. As we move deeper into the new millennium, we move deeper into the Age of Aquarius.

For the past 2,000 years, we've rumbled through the Piscean Age, which gave us organized religion, holy wars, and the industrial age. Ugh. The Aquarian Age will bring us "harmony and understanding, sympathy and trust abounding." Okay, that's from a song from the first whiff of this flower-power age, but it's really true. There will be more global unity. We will reach out a hand to help others. More people will discover their individuality, start their own companies, and live by their soul. The Internet and the stockholding millionaire next door are products of the Aquarian Age.

You are the first generation to come of age in Aquarius. In astrological terms you are very special and unique. You were born with an innate understanding of the world. You care about what happens to people and know you can make a difference. Because of this, astrology is second nature to you—you just might not know it yet.

Secrets of the Signs is your key, your handbook to the future. This book will help you learn about yourself, your motivations, and the way you operate in the world. You will find out about your Sun sign and the other vital aspects of your astrological makeup: your Moon sign and the placement of Venus and Mars in your chart.

Astrology enables us to better understand the dynamics of our interactions, it leads us to discover the deeper meaning within our relationships, and it helps us find the love we are meant to have. Secrets of the Signs will be your guide in picking supportive friends, finding that perfect sweetheart, and getting along with your parents. And it will help you to avoid potentially negative relationships, to get what you want more often—and to have more fun in the process. By the time you finish turning these pages, you will be able to figure out your compatibility with anyone you know—friends, teachers, siblings, even celebrities!

What does your Sun sign tell you about yourself? What sign is your Venus? Where was the Moon at the time of your birth? Check out the stars!

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CHAPTER 1

Astrology 101

A REALLY BRIEF HISTORY

People have been calculating the movements of the Sun and the Moon for at least 7,000 years. The ancient Hindus divided the heavens into 28 equal parts, representing the 28-day cycle of the Moon. The ancient Chinese also divided the sky into 28 equal parts they called Mansions of the Moon. Western astrology is based on a different principle, calculating the movements of the Sun.

The foundation of today's system can be found in ancient Babylon. About 4000 B.C., the Sumerians began recording the cycles of the Sun, the Moon, and the harvest. As their culture got more sophisticated, they built observation towers called ziggurats. From 300 feet up, they observed the movements of the Sun, Venus, and Mars. As new planets were discovered, they were given specific characteristics and a mythical god to rule over them. The heavens were divided into twelve sections, each governing a specific influence of daily life. Many of these sections, or houses, still keep the same names today.

For much of our recent past, we were only aware of the Sun and six celestial moving bodies: the Moon, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. Modern astrology began with the discovery of three new planets: Uranus in 1781, Neptune in 1846, and Pluto in 1930. With each new discovery, we enter into a new astrological understanding. Each planet has its own set of characteristics that influence our lives. As each planet was discovered, astrologers determined its accurate place in the astrological world and assigned it to rule over specific houses and signs. The twelve astrological houses and their corresponding signs share ruling planets, since there aren't enough to go around.

TWELVE HOUSES, TWELVE SIGNS

The key to mastering astrology is understanding the twelve houses and the twelve signs. To understand the way the ancient Babylonians divided the sky into twelve houses, think of the solar system as a big pizza cut into twelve slices. The Earth is in the center of the pie—not because it is the center of the universe, but because we live on it! Each of the houses, or slices of the pie, represents another aspect of life: our personality, our home life, our careers, our creativity, and so on.

Each of the twelve slices of the pie has a different topping—and you enjoy them all for different reasons. Those are the twelve signs (see chart on p. 4). Each of the twelve signs has different characteristics—good and bad—but no one is more or less interesting or fulfilling than another.

The houses are named after the constellations in each of them, and in turn, those constellations are the names of the twelve signs of the zodiac: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. The sign of Aries rules the first house, Taurus rules the second, and so on. The next time you're at a party and someone asks you, "What's your sign?" you'll know that it literally is the place in the stars where the Sun was at the time of your birth.

Because each sign is at home in a specific house, the descriptions of the twelve different areas of our lives correspond to the basic Sun sign personalities. For example, the first house corresponds to Aries; it rules

over the personality. People born under the sign of Aries are energetic, headstrong people. The second house, the house of money and possessions, corresponds to the second sign, Taurus. Taureans like to collect nice things and are possessive about them. The third house is the communications house, corresponding to Gemini, the zodiac's great communicator. All the houses and their Sun signs are related this way.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE NINE PLANETS

Okay, you all know that the Sun isn't the only body that moves around in the sky above us. In Western astrology the Sun is the single most important factor in determining your personality, but it is not the only one. The Moon along with the other planets in the solar system (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) also affect your daily life. (You don't really count Earth because you're on it.)

Each planet's place in the universe influences us in its own unique way, and because they move around at different speeds—this is where it gets complicated—they end up in different houses and different signs at different times. Depending upon where they show up in your chart, and how strong your Sun sign is, they will influence your personality and your future in various ways.

Although a professional horoscope includes all of these aspects of astrology—the twelve houses, the twelve signs, the Sun, the Moon, and the eight planets—this book is focused on the signs of your Sun, Moon, Venus, and Mars. The Moon's position, the second most important factor in our personal astrology makeup, tells you about your emotions and your unconscious. The planet Venus shows what you're like in the love category, and Mars shows your personality at play. Together, the relationship between Mars and Venus reveals a lot about the kinds of love we attract and the perfect partners for us. There's more about that in chapter 5, "Beyond the Basics."

THE FOUR ELEMENTS

Before you are let loose in the Sun sign section, you need to know one more thing about basic astrology. The twelve signs are divided into a few subgroups. The most important of these is the group of four natural elements. The members of these four groups have similar personality traits even though they have different signs.

The four elements of nature are: fire, earth, air, and water. Each element has three signs in its group:

Fire:	Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Earth:	Taurus, Capricorn, Virgo
Air:	Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Water:	Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Your element will give you a good idea of your personality even before you read about your own Sun sign.

Fire:	Natural leaders, aggressive, fearless
Earth:	Methodical, tender, practical
Air:	Intelligent, quick thinking, social
Water:	Intuitive, compassionate, emotional

If you know someone else's element, you can get a basic idea of whether you are going to get along with them.

Fire + Fire: Fire and fire make more fire. Whoa!

This can get out of control!

Fire + Earth: Fire scorches earth. Fire signs are too dominant, and earth signs are too determined. Not a great match.

Fire + Air: Air fans the fire. This combination is supportive to the core.

Fire + Water: Water puts out fire. Fire signs lose their power when they bend to watery sensitivities.

Earth + Earth: Earth and earth: Mmmm—more dirt! Earth signs understand each other and dig each other, but their similarity can be a turnoff.

Earth + Air: Earth and air, both just there. If you think about it, the land and atmosphere don't really do much for each other; the same is true in astrology.

Earth + Water: Water makes earth grow. Water signs' intuition brings out the best in earth signs.

Air + Air: More air to breathe! Social air signs can't get enough of each other.

Air + Water: Water and air just sit there—another two elements that have very little to do with each other.

Water + Water: More to drink, more to drown in. Two water signs together can bring out the best and the worst in each other—to the extreme.

 

Now that you've got the basics—the planets, houses, signs, and elements—you can move on to the different Sun signs and find out what makes them unique.

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CHAPTER 2

You Are Who You Are:
Understanding Your Sun Sign

The Sun sign is the most important astrological aspect. The placement of the Sun at the time of your birth determines your personality and your operating style. This chapter describes each sign, beginning with the traditional first sign, Aries, and moving through to the last sign, Pisces.

The dates listed for the Sun signs vary slightly year to year. These dates are the most accurate, but since we constructed our clocks around the movements of the Sun and not vice versa, the exact moment the Sun moves from one sign into another varies slightly every year. For example, you may be both born on March 20th and an Aries—occasionally that happens.

If you are born within a day or two of the dates listed, you are born on the cusp of two signs. That means your main influence is the sign you are born under, but you can expect to be highly influenced by the sign standing next to your own. Read the descriptions of both signs to see how they influence you in different ways.

To discover what makes you tick and find a focus for your future, read on!

Ruling Planet: Mars

Lucky Day: Tuesday

Famous Aries: Warren Beatty, Lucy Lawless, Mariah Carey

Best Traits: You have a dynamic and energetic presence, tackling every experience with a bit of moxie.

Biggest Problems: You have a tendency to project your thoughts and desires on others, which can make you seem kind of selfish. Sometimes you just don't understand why people don't want the same things you do.

Trademark: "I'm a legend in my own mind."

Best Job: Athlete, environmental activist.

Worst Job: Buddhist monk.

What You Love: Rabble-rousing with a group of your best friends. You're definitely the loudest.

What You Hate: Taking orders. Playing Follow the Leader.

Best Way to Make a Million Bucks: Setting goals, then corralling others to complete the project.

Best Way to Spend a Million Bucks: Creating an elaborate stage production—starring yourself!

Your Secret Desire: To conquer the world.

Best Gifts to Give You: CDs that you can turn up real loud, so you can dance and sing your heart out!

Aries are fireballs. You're driven, passionate, and impulsive, fiercely loyal friends and active crusaders. Rams love to set goals and achieve them in your headstrong way. The only problem is that after you start a project your energy fizzles, and then you lose interest. Aries are great at rousing others into action, so let them finish your project for you!

You're bursting with energy, and because of that you speak without thinking. What you say can be a bit bruising and tactless, but you mean no harm. With all that energy it's sometimes hard to think first and speak second. Yes, you can have a short fuse at times, but your dynamic and talkative nature far outweighs any impulsiveness people may see.

You hate taking care of the small details of life and disdain domestic chores—you're just too important to be cleaning a bathroom, even if it's your own. You're much better at living in the moment than at seeing things through. Patience isn't one of the Rams' virtues. You can't imagine sitting through something you dislike for more than a minute.

You are independent to the max, fun-loving, and always open to a new experience. You're always in great demand. Whatever you want is yours, child of Aries. If you don't earn it, you'll get it by sheer force.

Ruling Planet: Venus

Lucky Day: Friday

Famous Taureans: Cher, Jerry Seinfeld, Michelle Pfeiffer

Best Traits: You have a steady and relentless ambition, yet you're gentle and loving to the core. You create peace and stability wherever you go.

Biggest Problems: You're the most stubborn of all in the zodiac—and it takes a lot of stubbornness to win this prize. Your possessive streak gets you in trouble with romantic partners. It's okay to let them out of your sight!

Trademark: "I'm not obstinate. I just know what's best, that's all."

Best Job: Working with high-rolling bankers; stabilizing the risk brings you huge rewards.

Worst Job: Bus driver, speedboat captain.

What You Love: Long-lasting friendships and relationships.

What You Hate: People who are satisfied with less than perfection.

Best Way to Make a Million Bucks: The hard work, fun, and excitement of seeing your work efforts turn to gold.

Best Way to Spend a Million Bucks: Collecting property and possessions. You love owning nice things—the more the better.

Your Secret Desire: To hole up at home with the perfect mate, have a great meal, and snuggle by the fire till dawn.

Best Gifts to Give You: Expensive collectibles.

Those born under the sign of Taurus are detail-oriented and persistent, headstrong and artistic. Your need for stability often leads to a job in finance, but being ruled by Venus makes you a great designer and artist. With your keen eye for making money and your innate understanding of value, you are great at picking stocks, buying fine art, and accumulating wealth.

Bulls hate change—it goes against your methodical nature. You like to create permanence in your life—from your job to your friends to your relationship. You hesitate to go for something if you know it's not going to last. You love the safety and stability of routine, so moving on requires much contemplation before you will take action. A Bull won't be rushed.

You're happiest at home, surrounded by lots of grass and trees, expensive things, and your partner. Not the most gregarious of signs, Bulls socialize with the few friends you keep for many years.

You can be extremely generous, and you enjoy pleasing others. At your best you are independent, patient, dependable, and instinctive. At your worst you can also be intolerant, suspicious, and secretive—but thanks to your easygoing nature we don't see that side of you very often.

Ruling Planet: Mercury

Lucky Day: Wednesday

Famous Geminis: Paula Abdul, Donald Trump, Venus Williams

Best Traits: You're so clever, energetic, and funny that you can talk yourself out of any sticky situation.

Biggest Problems: You find it hard to focus on one thing at a time. You get bored quickly.

Trademark: "I just wanna have fun!"

Best Job: Stand-up comedian, gossip columnist. Worst Job: Brain surgeon.

What You Love: Going to parties, setting fashion trends.

What You Hate: Finishing projects you've started. Best Way to Make a Million Bucks: Selling anything to anyone at any time for any price.

Best Way to Spend a Million Bucks: Buying shoes, clothing, and accessories.

Your Secret Desire: To date two celebrities at once.

Best Gift to Give You: A cell phone.

Gemini, you're the great communicator of the zodiac. You're a natural writer and public speaker—and you don't need a special occasion to be chatty. You're intelligent and quick-witted, and your curiosity keeps you constantly doing new things, learning new skills. Knowing so much about so many different things makes you great fun at parties, but can make you appear a bit light and superficial. Which is, by the way, exactly the way you like it!

Ruled by the symbol of the Twins, you have a dual nature. You're good at juggling at least two things at once. Adaptable Gemini is willing to try anything. The problem is that you end up doing everything, scattering your energy and accomplishing less than you'd like. You may dread focusing on one task at a time, but the key to your success is to find the perfect pace for yourself—that way you'll get to do everything you want. Better to be a little bored than to be left without anything to show for your efforts.

You're a bundle of energy, and so much fun to be around that you have tons of friends and can win many favors from high places. Fickle with food, you like to eat little meals throughout the day rather than eating three big meals at prearranged times. You have a fabulous flair for fad and fashion, and you instinctively know what's hot before everyone else does—and then you coolly drop it for the next new trend, wearing everything with style and grace.

Gemini, you thrive on change, live life in the moment, and love to find shortcuts. Best of all, you're well aware of your strengths, and use them to your advantage. Whatever you want to do, go for it, Gemini.

Ruling Planet: The Moon

Lucky Day: Monday

Famous Cancers: Tom Cruise; Courtney Love; Diana, Princess of Wales

Best Traits: Your sympathetic and intuitive nature touches everyone you meet. You're at your best creating a loving home and family environment.

Biggest Problems: You can sulk and brood for days when you feel slighted. Sometimes you can be too sensitive and insecure for your own good.

Trademark: "I feel your pain."

Best Job: Psychologist, author.

Worst Job: Race car driver, fighter pilot.

What You Love: Keeping in touch with classmates, friends, and sweethearts from the past others would've dropped these people long ago.

What You Hate: Flamboyant, shallow, self-righteous people.

Best Way to Make a Million Bucks: Understanding the thoughts and feelings of others.

Best Way to Spend a Million Bucks: Buying gifts for down-and-out friends.

Your Secret Desire: To stay close to home, helping every stray dog, cat, and human you meet in the neighborhood.

Best Gifts to Give You: Beautiful plush pillows for your house, a soft sensual bathrobe for yourself.

Cancers are sensitive and intuitive, but also insecure and withdrawn. Due to the Moon's influence, your moods and emotions flow like the tide. You're happy one day, gloomy the next. Everything happens under the surface with the Crab, far below the defenses of your tough shell. Some signs like to tell it like it is. With Cancers it's what you're not saying that's important. People who know you need some intuition of their own to understand what's happening with you on the inside.

You're a sympathetic listener, and people—from friends to clients, co-workers to strangers—flock to you with their problems. Cancers exude intuitive understanding from the depths of their soul. Caught on a bad day, though, you can be restless, indifferent, and filled with self-pity.

You are a romantic and dreamy partner who loves to create a safe living environment. You are the universe's nurturer. Nothing is better than showering your mate with love and affection. All that attention is wonderful, but your mate may find it stifling at times.

Cancers are enlightened souls who experience life by feeling everything deeply. You reach out to others, which can become too overwhelming. So you can get a little crabby, not because you enjoy being moody but because the feelings well up, and you're stuck trying to deal with them!

Ruling Planet: The Sun

Lucky Day: Sunday

Famous Leos: Robert De Niro, Napoleon, Madonna

Best Traits: You have so much enthusiasm and confidence that people are drawn to you. No matter what you do, somehow you always come out a winner.

Biggest Problems: Your larger-than-life personality can make you a tad bossy at times. If you are in a lazy mood, you try to get others to do things for you.

Trademark: "Who said the Sun was the center of the universe?"

Best Job: President.

Worst Job: Anything behind the scenes.

What You Love: Expensive meals, top-of-the-line pampering.

What You Hate: Disloyal friends and followers.

Best Way to Make a Million Bucks: Being a movie star.

Best Way to Spend a Million Bucks: