There are always so many different places to start when it comes to learning Astrology. There are also many different flavors of Astrology. I'll be focusing on the more traditional Western style of Astrology using the Tropical Placidus calculations. Right off the bat, I've introduced a phrase that you probably have never heard of.
So that we don't get too far off the learning track, I'll use a "nutshell" description of Tropical and Placidus. The basic concept of the Tropical Zodiac is that we use Aries as the beginning point of the series of the astrological signs by attaching Aries the "moving target" of the spring equinox (fall equinox for the southern hemisphere). The date and time of the beginning of spring becomes the Aries Point, or 0 degrees of Aries. The Tropical Zodiac can also be referred to as the Hipparchus Zodiac or Modern Zodiac using the beginning point and the ending point of the Equinox and Solstice for each season to calculate the degrees and minutes of each Zodiac Sign . Another popular zodiac calculation is the Sidereal Zodiac frequently used in Vedic Astrology. Tropical Zodiac and Sidereal Zodiac use different methods of computation. Placidus is a house system that is popular with some astrologists using the Tropical Zodiac or Western Astrology. Another popular house system is Koch and Equal. Each House system has its set of fans for a variety of reasons, but we won't go down that path just yet.
Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed yet? Shake it off. For now, we really only need to be looking at the twelve signs of the zodiac. Then we'll add in the planets. After that, we'll move to the Houses. From there, we'll investigate Chart Patterns and Aspects. To stay on task, I'm going to be using Joann Hampar's book, "Astrology for beginners." This book will take us through the first four levels of learning about Astrology and learning how to read your (and others') charts. Just remember that we will be focusing on using the Tropical Zodiac and the Placidus House System.
Below is a table of the most basic and elementary information about each sign. The characteristics of the signs will be included on the lesson plan within the chartroom.
| Zodiac Signs | Glyph / Icon | Solar Sign Dates*(Apprx.) | Element | Quality | Key Phrase | Ruler |
| Aries | image-aries | 3/21 – 4/19 | Fire | Cardinal | I am | Mars |
| Taurus | image-taurus | 4/20 – 5/20 | Earth | Fixed | I have | Venus |
| Gemini | image-gemini | 5/21 – 6/21 | Air | Mutable | I think | Mercury |
| Cancer | image-cancer | 6/22 – 7/22 | Water | Cardinal | I feel | Moon |
| Leo | image-leo | 7/23 – 8/22 | Fire | Fixed | I will | Sun |
| Virgo | image-virgo | 8/23 – 9/22 | Earth | Mutable | I analyze | Mercury |
| Libra | image-libra | 9/23 – 10/23 | Air | Cardinal | I balance | Venus |
| Scorpio | image-scorpio | 10/24 – 11/22 | Water | Fixed | I desire | Mars/Pluto |
| Sagittarius | image-sagittarius | 11/23 – 12/21 | Fire | Mutable | I understand | Jupiter |
| Capricorn | image-capricorn | 12/22 – 1/20 | Earth | Cardinal | I utilize | Saturn |
| Aquarius | image-aquarius | 1/21 – 2/18 | Air | Fixed | I know | Uranus |
| Pisces | image-pisces | 2/19 – 3/20 | Water | Mutable | I believe | Jupiter |
* NOTE: The beginning and ending dates of the solar signs are approximate. The time and date are defined by the beginning/ending of the equinoxes and the solstices.
