When one decides to explore the many aspects of oneself, the journey can take on many forms. It is a process that only you can prescribe to yourself. From my experiences it is a journey that can have times of great momentum and times when everything feels like it is at a standstill. One area of study that I have found that has provided me great insight into why I am the way I am is by analyzing my natal (birth) chart. While I am not an Astrologer, I do find this field of study fascinating and enjoy learning the many facets of it.
Most people are aware of their Sun sign which is based on the day on which they were born. In Western Astrology there are 12 signs with 3 signs in each of the 4 elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth. The Air signs are Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra. The Fire signs are Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. The Water signs are Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio. The Earth signs are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn.
Our Sun sign (based on the day we were born) is who we are, our identity. It represents our driving force that propels us to express our true selves, our individuality. But as we know, this is just one aspect of who we are. The next area of your natal chart to find out is your Moon sign. The Moon sign represents our inner being, our subconscious. Our Moon sign drives our emotions. For years, I would only read my horoscopes for my Sun sign of Virgo until I discovered that my Moon sign was Scorpio. It was a like having someone turn on the light in a dark room. Finally, I could take information from each of the horoscopes and get a clearer picture of what was happening in my life. It began to make much more sense to me.
The Moon changes signs every two days so you may be able to discover your Moon sign based on the day you were born but sometimes the signs change throughout a particular day. If this occurs, you will need to know the exact time of your birth. With the added knowledge of your exact time of birth and your place of birth you can determine your rising sign or Ascendant. The Rising sign represents the face or mask we wear externally to the outside world. By looking at these 3 aspects we can learn about our essence, our subconscious or inner world and the external side.
This is actually just the beginning to the wealth of knowledge portrayed in your natal chart for each planet and many asteroids have influence over our being as well. An example is the planet Venus which governs love and relationships. What sign was Venus travelling through in that moment of time when you were born? Knowing this could provide more detail on the ways you navigate relationships regardless if they are romantic or not.
Astrology is an extensive study that can provide an objective understanding of who we are. There are many sites that offer free natal charts. I have used Free Astrology Birth Chart Report (cafeastrology.com) with great success. If you are on a journey of self discovery, I recommend a stop at your natal chart. While some may believe that this is a road less travelled, it just may offer significant actualizations of self.