What Are Zodiac Signs?
This guide lists the 12 zodiac signs, their usual date ranges, and the basic images used in Hoshiyomi Chaya's sun-sign reading.
Common zodiac readings use the sun sign: the sign where the Sun appeared at birth. The Sun is read as the direction a person grows toward, the style of self-expression that comes forward, and the way willpower is used. People born near the border between signs should remember that the exact change time varies by year.
Sun, Moon, and Rising Sign
Sun signThe sign used in most magazine and web horoscopes. It describes core direction and life theme.
Moon signUses birth time and place. It describes emotional habits and what feels safe.
Rising signThe sign on the eastern horizon at birth. It describes first impressions and the entrance into action.
Dualities, Modalities, and Elements
The 12 signs are easier to understand through classification. Duality shows whether energy goes outward or inward. Modality shows how energy begins, holds, or adapts. Element shows what the sign uses as fuel.
FireAries, Leo, Sagittarius. Passion, action, intuition.
EarthTaurus, Virgo, Capricorn. Stability, practicality, continuation.
AirGemini, Libra, Aquarius. Thought, exchange, ideas.
WaterCancer, Scorpio, Pisces. Emotion, empathy, deep connection.
CardinalAries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn. Starts a season and initiates movement.
FixedTaurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius. Holds and deepens what has begun.
MutableGemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces. Adjusts as a season changes.
The 12 Signs
AriesMarch 21-April 19. A starting sign with courage, speed, and the power to try first.
TaurusApril 20-May 20. A sign of comfort, value, patience, and the senses.
GeminiMay 21-June 20. A sign of words, information, curiosity, and light movement.
CancerJune 21-July 22. A sign that protects people and places that matter.
LeoJuly 23-August 22. A sign of expression, warmth, pride, and visible joy.
VirgoAugust 23-September 22. A sign of analysis, care, detail, and improvement.
LibraSeptember 23-October 22. A sign of balance, taste, negotiation, and relationship.
ScorpioOctober 23-November 21. A sign of depth, focus, truth, and emotional intensity.
SagittariusNovember 22-December 21. A sign of exploration, study, travel, and wider vision.
CapricornDecember 22-January 19. A sign of responsibility, planning, and long-term achievement.
AquariusJanuary 20-February 18. A sign of individuality, future thinking, and social ideas.
PiscesFebruary 19-March 20. A sign of empathy, imagination, and soft boundaries.
Cusp Birthdays
Date ranges are general guides. The Sun does not move signs at the exact same clock time every year, so people born on the border may need a precise birth chart to confirm their sign.
Difference From a Full Horoscope
A sun-sign reading is an entrance. A full horoscope also combines the Moon, planets, houses, aspects, birth place, and birth time. That is why two people with the same sun sign can still feel very different.
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