Reading one's horoscope is extremely popular. Approximately 70% of people read their horoscope every day.
You may be one of those people who wakes up in the morning, pours a hot cup of coffee, opens the newspaper and reads your daily horoscope to see what the future holds for you that day.
People read their horoscope for a wide variety of reasons whether it's because they're sure that astrology can predict their future or just because they think it's fun. Whatever reason they have for looking at their horoscope, 90% of them are reading it incorrectly. Here's why...
The typical horoscope reader looks up their Sun Sign based on their birthdate. So, they open their newspaper or magazine and look for what is written about their sign. "Well...I'm a SCORPIO...let see what my horoscope says is happening in my life today."
Wrong!
You are not reading about you. Instead, you're actually reading about someone else's life, and the future events that will be happening to them. Yet, nine out of 10 people each day read their horoscope in this wrong way.
If this seems a bit surprising, let me explain why this is true. When you read about your Sun Sign in the daily horoscope, you're reading about your basic identity and perhaps, getting some valuable information about the general themes happening for you and all those who share your identical Sun Sign. This is both the "beauty and limitation" of the Sun Sign astrology used to create the daily Horoscope in newspapers, magazine and on-line.
After all, how can millions of people be having the exact same experience as you on a given day, or in a week, month or year? Clearly that is not possible and no professional astrologer would suggest that is the case. The Sun sign forecast you read is, by its very nature, very limited in scope and depth, which is why they are far from 100% accurate.
The Correct Way to Read Your Horoscope
Keep in mind that the horoscope you're reading is based on your Sun Sign, which is based only on your birth date. That's pretty general. However, you can get a far more accurate description reading your horoscope, if you know your Rising Sign, which is calculated by using your exact time of birth, day-month-year, and city, state, country of birth. That's extremely specific. So, if you want to read about "you" - you need to know your Rising Sign. (Note: At the end of this article, if you know your exact time of birth, I'll show you how you can find out what your Rising Sign is, for free.)
After all, if you're a Scorpio Sun and your Rising Sun is ARIES, you would actually get a more accurate horoscope interpretation for that day, by looking under the horoscope analysis for ARIES (not Scorpio).
Before, I explain how to read your personal horoscope more accurately, let me be very clear: if you truly want to understand yourself and the future events likely to happen in your life, nothing can ever replace the accuracy of a personal consultation with a professional astrologer. During a private horoscope reading, a qualified astrologer can interpret your chart and give you an accurate forecast of the major changes that will be going on in your life over the years.
How Sun Sign Horoscopes Are Created
There is some value in reading about your Sun Sign in a horoscope. For example, you may learn about some general theme for people who are of your Sign. The problem is that the information contained in your Sun Sign description is likely to be very inaccurate to you personally.
Let me show you how Sun Sign horoscopes are created. I'll try not to get too "jargony" with lots of astro-speak, but some explanation is necessary to understand why you should use your Rising Sign (instead of your Sun Sign) when looking at your horoscope. The horoscope is broken down into four components.
• Signs
• Planets
• Houses
• Planetary Aspects
Keep in mind, there are 12 Houses in a horoscope chart. Each House has a sign that rules that House. In order to establish which sign begins the 1st House of a chart, an exact birth time is necessary.
However, in Sun-Sign astrology interpretation (used in horoscope columns written for the masses) an exact time is not used. Instead, the astrologer automatically puts the Sun Sign at the start of the chart (i.e. the 1st House) to render an interpretation.
So, when you read a horoscope for your Sun Sign (e.g. Scorpio), it is assumed the sign ruling your 1st House is also SCORPIO (and then next sign follows which would be Sagittarius on the 2nd House and then, Capricorn on the 3rd House, etc).
However, what if - according to your exact birth time, you are really an ARIES Rising? In other words, the 1st House of your horoscope begins with ARIES. That would mean that by reading about Scorpios, you are reading about the wrong person. Therefore: If you want a more accurate description that fits you - you should be reading the horoscope description for ARIES. Why?
Answer: Because, your Rising Sign is based on your exact birth information (i.e. time of birth, day-month-year-city-state-country). When your birth chart is calculated in this accurate way, it correctly shows the signs that rule each House of your horoscope, and the specific planetary placements that existed when you were born.
If you use your Rising Sign when you read your horoscope, the events described are more likely to fit you, instead of a general Sun Sign horoscope written to fit the 200 million people in the universe who are all Scorpios born between Oct. 23 to Nov. 21. That's why, if you want greater accuracy, you need to know what your Rising sign is when you consult the horoscope in your daily newspaper.
To illustrate this point, imagine you are a Scorpio Sun with ARIES Rising. Now take a look at this horoscope description for each respective sign at www.Astrology.com. You can see that there is a major difference in how each sign is described.
Daily Horoscope: Scorpio (for November 20, 2015)
Things are already going great in your day-to-day life -- but they are about to get even better! If you're in school today, you can expect to have a killer day of answering questions correctly and making instructors smile. If you're at work, you will soon notice that the boss is in a really great mood. He or she will finally find the words to tell you what a great job you've been doing! You ego is going to go to bed feeling happier, healthier, and bigger!
Daily Horoscope: Aries (November 20, 2015)
Someone thinks something about you that just isn't true, and as soon as you find out about it today you need to help them see the truth. Your reputation is something you have worked very hard to build and it should be your top concern today. Chances are, just making the effort to talk to this person and answer their questions should be enough to clarify any confusion they had about who you are or what you are about. Being responsive is all it really takes to gain their confidence.
These two horoscopes illustrate how different the Sun Sign description is from your Rising Sign description, especially if you want to get a more accurate description of what's likely to happen in your day.
Summary: So, when you look at your horoscope enjoy reading about your Sun Sign (e.g. Scorpio). But if you want a forecast that's likely to be more accurate, using your Rising Sign (e.g. Aries), read the Horoscope description under that Sun Sign (i.e. Aries) instead.
To learn your RISING SIGN, use this Free Transit Calculator and enter your birth date. It will compute your personal transits for 2015-16 and the planets in your birth chart. Then...make sure to scroll down to the end of the page, where you'll see your RISING SIGN and the other planets in your birth chart.
And, if you're curious to learn more about your personal Horoscope and what it says about your love relationships, career, investments and health in: Order your customized Report: Your Horoscope & Future in 2015-16. Or, a report on - Your Love Compatibility.
Larry Schwimmer is an astrologer in private practice. For private consultations, contact him at: Larry@astrodecision.com or go to www.AstroDecision.com
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Larry Schwimmer is president of Astrodecision.com, a San Francisco-based consulting company. The firm uses planetary cycles analysis to counsel individual and corporate clients on picking the "best dates" to make successful decisions of all types: personal, marketing, financial, and political. Schwimmer is an internationally known business consultant, life coach and astrologer (with a Fortune 500 M&A background). Visit his website: AstroDecision.com