Familiarise yourself with the basic terminology for your next horoscope reading
So you finally downloaded that horoscope app, but don’t know what any of it means—you’ve come to the right place. From your big three to the twelve houses and a few other key elements that affect your horoscope, here’s a brief explainer of the basic astrology terms you need to know:
See also: Tatler’s Monthly Horoscope: April 2022
Your Zodiac Sign
Determined by the position of the sun at the moment you were born, your zodiac sign can be one of twelve possible identities: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, or Pisces. These twelve signs are based on the constellations that rule different parts of the sky, each typified by distinct character traits, worldviews, talents, etc. In essence, your zodiac sign represents your primary identity.
Each zodiac sign is also categorised under the four elements (fire, earth, water, air) and three modalities (cardinal, fixed, and mutable), which help highlight the similarities between different signs. For example, air signs like Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius are said to be “intellectual, communicative and spontaneous,” and as a mutable sign, Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces are supposedly adaptable and whimsical.
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