What is Western astrology?
Origin: The West
What most people call their star sign is simply where the Sun was when they were born. But the Sun alone can't describe a whole person. A proper Western astrology reading looks at three things together: the Sun, the Moon and the rising sign.
The Sun is the direction you show outwardly. The Moon is your emotional default, and the rising sign is how you first come across to others. The rising sign is whatever was coming up over the eastern horizon at the moment you were born, so it takes your time and place of birth to work it out.
How is it calculated?
- 1
Find the Sun's position
We calculate where in the sky the Sun was on the day you were born. This is what people usually mean by their star sign.
- 2
Find the Moon's position
We find where the Moon was at the same moment. The Moon changes signs every two and a half days, so the date alone usually pins it down.
- 3
Find the rising sign
From your time and place of birth, we calculate what was rising over the eastern horizon. It moves fast enough to change signs in a little over two hours.
What it reads well
- It separates how you come across from how you feel inside. The Sun, Moon and rising sign each cover a different layer.
- It sorts temperament into four elements and three modes, reading both which way you lean and how you move.
What it can't see
- Without a time of birth, the rising sign drops out, and there's less to go on when it comes to how others see you.
- It doesn't speak to timing. The Sun, Moon and rising sign are a snapshot of the moment you were born, so saying when something will happen takes a different calculation. That's why Western astrology stays out of the timing areas at Crossfate.
- We calculate the Moon's position with an approximation, so if you were born near the edge of a sign, your result may wobble.
How Crossfate uses it
At Crossfate, Western astrology weighs in on the areas covering personality, money, relationships and work, and sits out the timing areas. We'd rather not give an answer where there's nothing to base it on.