Turning Signs Into Signatures
Astrology for the Aquarian Age. August 02, 2019
The dirty little secret amongst professional Astrologers is that we all cringe a bit when we hear someone begin to reference their horoscope. Our first instinct is to remind that person that there is so much more to Astrology than being one of only twelve signs of the Zodiac. Yes, Twelve. Not thirteen signs. For now suffice to say, that telling the world there is such a thing as a thirteenth sign, is like someone who has never been a mechanic, asking me to pass him the seventy/ninths inch crescent wrench. Close, but no cigar.
We cringe when we hear the media begin to reference horoscopes, because we know that Sun sign only horoscopes perpetually project an extremely simplistic stereotype of Astrology to the world. There is the bundling of all people into just a few “categories”; the “twitter” size word bites that act as forecasts; and the underlying implication of the loss or lessening of a person’s individuality. We cringe, yet we bear it and even support it. You see, as Astrologers, we want to encourage people to stop for a moment and think about who they are, and how they “fit” into the world. We know that Sun signs are only the tip of the iceberg, the first baby step of comprehension. We know how complex and intricate and individualistic a birth chart can be.
And yet we continue to perpetuate the Sun Sign forecast. Because we also know that we have people’s attention. We see that literally hundreds of millions of people peek at their forecast for the day. Millions have learned some of the attributes and attitudes of their sign. Millions more think they do. Nothing, other than the sky itself, is as powerful a promotional tool for us. And as students and professionals we need to not just encourage horoscope columns and blogs and books on the subject, we need to embrace them. And transform them. Give them, and Astrology, an image boost.
We must transform the simple sun sign into something more. Something that educates more and perpetuates less. Something that opens more doors and more windows to the self, and closes more stereotypes. We need to step up the level of astrological awareness as we step up into the Aquarian Age.
I propose we do this by adding the moon and rising sign to the mix. “What’s your sign?” must evolve into “What’s your signature? “ and I believe a concerted effort by the Astrological community to step up “signs to signatures” is one way to do this.
It would be a simple process. A small paragraph at the beginning or end of any sun sign column reminding readers they can also look up their moon sign for say “their nurturing needs for the day” and their rising sign forecast for “how others see them” (the actual wording can be decided upon through AFAN and other such astrology organizations). This should be coupled with a campaign to actually get everyone their Sun, Moon, and Rising sign information easily and accurately.
Think about this. It can be promoted as some of the “hidden wisdom in the horoscope” and as further unlocking or uncovering the complexity and thereby inherent individuality and uniqueness available to those who know their “signature”. Anyone who has access to any sun sign column, can go deeper and explore what we as Astrologers see every day. And they can do so with literally little extra effort on our parts.
And the message of further individuation and self awareness is what we strive to do anyway, right? Remember, there are seventeen hundred and twenty eight different signatures. And there is only approximate 5 hours in any one year wherein someone could be born with the same signature. Think of how this will change the perception of our profession. Think about how this could raise the level of awareness in the public eye. Signs becoming signatures. It’s not just simple Sun signs anymore. In one easy swoop.
And of course, with the current confusion about our Zodiacal constituents lately this would be a way to raise the message given by the media to a higher level. 1728 different signatures???? And someone could get a forecast for their own, even more unique signature, right out of their regular horoscope column? If they knew what to look for….which will be up to us. We need to make available to the public this ability to easily learn their Signatures. And we can do this in a number of ways. By encouraging the use of charts calculations available through the web. By writing op-ed pieces and making ourselves available to the public for just such a service. Do the calculations and send the information. Set up booths and give out the data. No strings attached. Write those articles on the hidden wisdom in the horoscope. Educate the public on the holy trinity of the Astrological world. One’s astrological signature. And tell them that with this knowledge they can make a better mark on the world. This will bring many who wouldn’t make the leap to a full fledged reading even closer to understanding.
We are the Johnny Apple seeds of the Aquarian Age my friends. Now go plant some more seeds.