Because the Sun is a life-giving element, astrologers believe it is the heavens' most powerful predictor of character. The placement of the sun, stars and planets in the zodiac at the time of your birth determines your sun sign - your range of emotions and traits. Your sun sign is ruled by either the Sun, the Moon or a planet. It is also affected by the elements of Nature; fire, earth, air and water. The zodiac is divided into houses or arenas of a life such as philosophy, ambition, creativity, service to others, home life, career, etc. As the universe revolves, an astrologer plots the travels of your sun sign as it interacts with the houses, elements and planets discerning the onset of events and relationships and their most likely outcome.

Aquarius - Jan 20 - Feb 18       Pisces - Feb 19 - Mar 20        Aries - Mar 21-Apr 20
Taurus - Apr 21 - May 20       Gemini - May 21 - Jun 21       Cancer - Jun 22 - Jul 22
Leo - Jul 23 - Aug 22       Virgo - Aug 23 - Sept 22       Libra - Sept 23 - Oct 22
Scorpio - Oct 23 - Nov 21       Sagittarius - Nov 22 - Dec 20       Capricorn - Dec 21 - Jan 19
 

Aquarius - Jan 20 - Feb 18
Birthstone: Amethyst (Sincerity)
Flowers: Violet, Primrose
Colors: Blue Violets
House: 11th - Creativity in social situations, homes, dreams, political dreams
Planet: Saturn/Uranus - Ruled by mind, materiality, impulsiveness
Element:  Air - communication, reflection and possibilities     
Aquarians are the most out-going of the zodiac signs. Their dream is to merge with the cosmos. They are mystics, idealists, reformers, humanitarians, innovators and inventors and communicators. Usually, when balanced, they are strongly dedicated to the cause of human fellowship, live on a spiritual plane, but are still rational. This leads to great creativity, mostly filmmakers, artists, photographers. They have fast flowing energy with new ideas and are very social, public people - natural politicians. When unbalanced they are extremely over sensitive, over indulging, foolish, destructive, disloyal and are opportunists.
They feel thinking an idea makes it a project completed. When balanced they will move from the abstract to the concrete, beginning with imagination and create reality.
Famous Aquarians: Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln,, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson, Ronald Reagan, D.W.Griffith and Sergei Eisenstein, Amadeus Mozart, Charles Darwin, Charles Lindbergh, Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf.

Pisces - Feb 19 - Mar 20 
Birthstone: Bloodstone or Aquamarine (Courage))  
Flower: Jonquil and Daffodils  
Colors: Purples & Violets
Planet: Jupiter/Neptune - Mind's triumph over matter/deep knowledge with spirituality
House: 12th - Service to others, self-sacrifice, secretive/private
Element: Water- Sensitive, imaginative, compassionate
Sensitive and vulnerable Pisces swim in the medium of dreams. Two fish hooked together traveling in the opposite direction, one swimming wide while the other swims deep. When swimming in rhythm, the fish reunite, share their discoveries and then set out on their separate ways again. When out of rhythm, the one voyager wanders aimlessly and the other is an unhappy introvert in a deep abyss. Pisces are ultra-sensitive to the thoughts of others, intellectual and artistic. The Fish are a sign of wholeness, seeing the cosmos on a grand scale.
They are visionaries and spiritual. When unbalanced they can be childish, fear responsibility, feel victimized and discontent and have trouble relating to those not as dream oriented or spiritual. They are the closing sign of the zodiac cycle that runs from birth to reunification with God or the cosmos.
Famous Pisces: Copernicus, Galileo, Albert Einstein, psychic Edgar Cayce, Nat King Cole, Maurice Ravel.

Aries - Mar 21-Apr 20
Birthstone: Diamond (Innocence)
Flower: Sweet Pea and Daisy
Colors: Reds
Planet: Mars/Pluto - Universal sign for male - Quest for achievement-self improvement
House: 1st - Temperament, disposition, self-awareness of appearance
Element: Fire - enthusiastic, spirited, impulsive
The zodiac wheel begins the vernal equinox, first day of spring, with Aries. A time of emergence, shedding of restraint and impulses toward life, Arians are vital, instinctual and considered the perpetual children of the zodiac search of their identity. Energy is their great gift with little subtlety and they are the warriors of the zodiac. They care deeply for individual rights and relationships and prize independence. They savor competition want to win at all costs. It is the way of the Ram to butt it's way forward, scornful of obstacles, careless of consequences when out of balance. Their challenge is to channel their energy into education and self control in order to bring their energy into finished projects that tend to start out with a bang and end in boredom, this includes relationships. In balance they are joyful and passionate with a love of life.
Famous Arians: Vincent Van Gogh, Thomas Jefferson.
            

Taurus - Apr 21 - May 20 
Birthstone: Emerald (Love, success)
Flowers: Lily of the Valley & Hawthorn
Colors: Earth tones
Planet: Venus - Sign of the female - Spirit over matter
House: 2nd - Moral values, what is of value to a person and how it is acquired
Element: Earth - Practical, logical, dependable and wary
Taurians arrive with the settling of spring. Prudent, tenacious and orderly they peacefully tend and nurture projects bringing forth harmony from chaos. They are the sign of Mother Earth and are the zodiac's sensualists. They revel in tastes, textures, colors, aromas and sounds. Beauty delights them and they are in close attunement with nature itself. They are the wise steward of its maternal benefits. They  learn from and care for the physical world, making them the ultimate materialists. When in balance they are down-to-earth and practical with great stamina and endurance pursuing the closure of each project. When out of balance they can misconstrue stewardship with ownership and be possessive, controlling and over concerned with security, creature comforts and greed. They can treat partners like possessions. In balance they are harmonious with oneness in nature, think things through and their ideas are conceived carefully, planted, tended and harvested like crops. They are musicians and artists.
Famous Taurians: Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Lionel Barrymore, Orson Welles.

Gemini - May 21 - Jun 21
Birthstone: Pearl, Moonstone (Longevity &Health)
Flowers: Rose & Honeysuckle
Colors: Oranges & Golds
Planet: Mercury - Intellectualism, perception, causes change
House: 3rd - Communication, curiosity, speech and writing
Element: Air - communication, reflection and possibilities
Geminis soar with abstraction, ideas and words. The zodiac twins are the lovers of words, poets and verbal magicians. They coordinate information and pass it on. They crave experience, variety, mobility, change, banter and intellectual play. The fear stagnation, commitment and they are generalists. Mentally quick but often lack deep understanding and focus. They see many sides to all questions and are quick to express opinions. In balance they learn to discern what is important from what is idly charming, they struggle to learn perseverance and to cultivate depth. They are the zodiacs adolescents and politicians. Out of balance they are arrogant, lonely, all talk and no action, master of everything unfinished. Famous Geminis: John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland and Thomas Mann.

Cancer - Jun 22 - Jul 22 
Birthstone: Ruby (Contentment)
Flowers: Larkspur, Water Lily
Colors: Ochre
Planet: The Moon - Fertility, family, soul and memory
House:  4th - home life both childhood and adult, security, domesticity 
Element: Water- Sensitive, imaginative, compassionate 
The sign of the Crab symbolizes the sea, the cradle of all life. They are nurturing, protective and tradition bound. Security is a major goal. They are restless like the shifting tides with the special gift of memory. They love all things old, make fine historians and caretakers of the past. With a hard outer shell, they protect their soft interior and approach the world sideways. They are wary and have great perception, good resource people, making them excellent business people. In balance Cancerians are loving, intuitive, quick to grasp the emotional needs of others, nurture their homes, pets, children, ideas, and projects. Out of balance their pinchers come into play and they nip at the vulnerabilities they sense in others, they can be very needy, emotionally clinging or withdraw their love to test a partner.
Famous Cancerians: John D. Rockerfeller, John Wanamaker, King Henry VIII
           
Leo - Jul 23 - Aug 22    
Birthstone: Sardonyx, Peridot (Married Happiness)
Flowers: Poppy, Gladiolus
Colors: Yellow
Planet:  The Sun - Wholeness, ambition, pride and creativity
House: 5th - Creativity and pleasures
Element: Fire - enthusiastic, spirited, impulsive
Leo's live to perform and create on a grand scale. Young Leo's want to experience everything or at least pretend they have. They need constant attention and admiration. As they mature they learn not to squander their creativity and to direct their acting ability into productive roles. They are quick to challenge authority but seek refuge with authority figures when upset. Leos want a monument, material testament to their greatness and are the ego and performers of the zodiac. They are confident, have plenty of free advice to give and want to lead. In balance they are great hearted, passionate, generous, loyal and sincere. When not in balance they have a dark side and are demanding, domineering, insensitive and destructive. They can drown in egocentricity and materialism and can be totally without spiritualism. Their challenge is to avoid the exaggeration that debases their many gifts.
Famous Leos: Napoleon Bonaparte, Lawrence of Arabia, Fidel Castro, Benito Mussolini, Henry Ford, George Bernard Shaw, Alduos Huxley, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Stanley Kubrick, Mick Jagger, Cecil B. DeMille, Alfred Hitchcock

                
Virgo - Aug 23 - Sept 22         
Birthstone: Sapphire (Clear thinking)
Flowers: Aster, Morning Glory
Colors: Greens
Planet: Mercury - Intellectualism, perception, causes change
House: 6th - Work, health, service to community and attitudes towards subordinated
Element: Earth - Practical, logical, dependable and wary
Virgoans are the zodiacs critics, analysts and purists. They seek larger meanings about causes and purposes in life and look for worthy goals to pursue. They are the stewards and perfecters of culture. They seek full realization of the mind, and are logical, practical and methodical but have a love of the moment. They are perfectionists, controlling and want their environments and lives to be tidy, they plan, sort, classify and store. They are usually serious, tireless workers, with a strict sense of duty and need to serve and be useful. When out of balance they are worriers with mood swings. The can be pessimistic, destructive and their creative drives can be curtailed by their need to control and be perfect. They second guess themselves to the point where they never join the mainstream of live. In balance they will temper intellect with reverence, make great teachers, have good insight, and are often healers.
Famous Virgos: Lauren Bacall, Greta Barbo, Ingrid Bergman, Sophia Lauren, Samuel Johnson
       
Libra - Sept 23 - Oct 22
Birthstone: Opal, Tourmaline (Hope)
Flowers: Calendula, Cosmos
Colors: Dark Greens
Planet: Venus - Sign of the female - Spirit over matter
House: 7th - Partnerships and relationships
Element: Air - communication, reflection and possibilities
The sign of justice and harmony, Lebrans are gifted with tact and delicacy and invite confidence and trust. It is the only inanimate zodiac sign and can be distant, objective and detached even though they center on connections. They love beauty, get-togethers, and are very social. They value social justice and peace, solitude and are contemplative, judicious and intelligent. When out of balance or very young they can be judgmental, gossipy, meddling, and tell others how to behave. They can be very uncertain of their own paths. They can vacillate--they want to be alone--they want to be with people; they are active--fighting innate indolence; this results in chronic indecision and the tendency to rely on the opinions of others too much. Librans are easily hurt and can feel martyred and fall into abusive relationships easily, rather than being alone. They elicit the best out of others and will fight mightily for the right thing.
Famous Librans: Oscar Wilde, Truman Capote, Gore Vidal, Mahatma Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt

Scorpio - Oct 23 - Nov 21  
Birthstone: Topaz (Fidelity)
Flowers: Chrysanthemum
Colors:  Turquoise
Planet:  Mars/Pluto - Universal sign for male - Quest for achievement- self improvement
House: 8th - Reincarnation, magic, occult, traditions, life to death cycle
Element: Water- Sensitive, imaginative, compassionate  
A very complex sign, Scorpios are powerful, sting, destroy and then recreate. Very perceptive but with violent urges they are overwhelmed at times and can become bitter and depressed. Multifaceted and complicated their sexuality is expressed as eroticism and even aggression and they can suffer from guilt and anxiety. They are fiery and possessive and not well suited to marriage. They sting without meaning too and turn their venom on themselves in remorse. They have great courage and strength of will and seek new things, turning their back on tradition. Great thinkers that see what others miss and survivors. They have a capacity for high spiritual development but it is a hard path for them. Eroticism can reach beyond passion to love and selfish impulse to purified desire and their great power can, with maturity become constructive.
Famous Scorpios: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Dylan Thomas, Albert Camus, Evelyn Waugh, Kurt Vonnegut, Pablo Picasso, Marie Curie and Jonas Salk      

Sagittarius - Nov 22 - Dec 20     
Birthstone: Turquoise, Zircon (Prosperity)
Flowers: Narcissus, Holly
Colors: Blue
Planet: Jupiter - Mind's triumph over matter
House: 9th - Religion, philosophy, journeys of mind, spirit and body
Element: Fire - enthusiastic, spirited, impulsive
Sagittarians are the zodiac's explorers, teachers and advocates of preserving culture. Half man-half horse symbolizes the unifying of animal and the spirituality of man bringing them together into harmony. They are curious, fascinated by ideas and information, adventurers and hate routine. They crave variety and are seldom satisfied. It is the voyage for them, not the destination. They are true philosophers and delight in differences in culture. They can be work-aholics, and work at their own rhythm and hours. learning is their passion, teaching their gift. They are great storytellers and artists. When unbalanced they lack energy and force. They are innovative but not revolutionary. Evolved Sagittarians are serious but jovial, honest, reliable and exuberant but not compulsive. Their greatest fault is intolerance and when that is overcome, they have incredible potential for harmony and balance.
Famous Sagittarians: Emily Dickinson, Jane Austen, Louise May Alcott, Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad, Jonathan Swift, William Blake, 

Capricorn - Dec 21 - Jan 19 
Birthstone: Garnet (Constancy)
Flowers: Carnation, Snowdrop
Colors: Dark Royal Blue
House: 10th - Ambition, father and his work, standing in the community
Planet: Saturn - Authority, self-control, brings tangibles down to earth
Element:  Earth - Practical, logical, dependable and wary  
Capricorns have a dual nature, one the chained, domestic goat and the other free roaming-climb any heights, mountain goat. If they find the right mountain to climb (balanced) they are feisty with humor and have strength to do anything they want. If they go down the wrong (imbalanced) path, they are gloomy and dour. They may find, after reaching a goal, it is not what they wanted and they will cheerfully start again. Reaching the top is lonely for them. They want to build empires, create political states and have durable power and lasting monuments. They have intense concentration and matchless determination and are indifferent to obstacles and are never swayed by the feelings of others. They are cool, rational and and self-sufficient. Once they are at the top, they inspire others with their vision.
Famous Capricorns: Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Mao Tse-Tung, Joseph Stalin, Richard Nixon, J. Edgar Hoover, Edgar Allen Poe. Joan of Arc, Martin Luther King, Jr.