What’s Your Big Three?
Astrology has so much to say. The planets we share the solar system with radiate energy that affects us on Earth, however subtle it may be. Interpreting this energy is the essence of astrology. There are many layers to uncover within this spiritual study of the stars, and we can go as in depth as we want. Knowing all that, where do we even begin to learn about astrology?
Most of us understand that we all have a “sign.” This is a vague way of referring to your sun sign, which represents the position of the Sun within the zodiac wheel at the time you were born. You also have a Moon sign, a Rising sign, and a sign for all the celestial bodies in our immediate space vicinity.
Your “Big Three” is your Sun and Moon and Rising sign. Together, they tell a more complete story of your personality, your Soul Purpose, your worldview, and your life lessons. And of course a lot more!
Have you ever felt like your sun sign didn’t really resonate with you? Perhaps it would make more sense in the context of these other two important signs within your own personal natal chart. That’s the topic of today’s podcast episode!
Before we dive into today’s topic, I wanted to read another beautiful comment I received from a fantastic listener out there. I’ve been receiving more and more incredibly kind and supportive messages recently and I just want to say thank you! So, the listener says:
“Literally obsessed with your podcast and never miss an episode! I binge listened last year during my spiritual awakening and it was so helpful, also loved all your book recommendations! I missed the weekly astrology forecasts and hope you decide to bring it back, but totally understand if you don’t as you have told us where to find it in the Energy Almanac. Thanks for being awesome!”
And thank YOU for being awesome too! I’m happy to say that I have officially brought back weekly energy forecasts inside of our free group, which you can join by going to spirituallyinspired.co/freegroup.
Sun Sign Meaning
Every year, the Sun moves in and out of the signs of the zodiac wheel in a predictable pattern. About every four weeks the Sun shifts signs. So anyone born within those last four weeks all share the same Sun sign.
This is also true with Moon signs. It’s not uncommon for Sun sign twins to also share Moon signs. In fact, it’s more common than it is uncommon. The other celestial bodies are more diverse in their zodiac placements because of their relative orbit speeds.
Your Sun sign represents your outward personality. This illustrates how you interact with the outside world, and how you form meaningful relationships. This is where your social engagements come in, along with your ambition and drive for goal achieving.
It’s the most influential astrological body in our solar system because of its sheer size and mass. The Sun is 860,000 miles (1.4 million kilometers) wide, and it accounts for 99.8% of the solar system’s mass.* Which is about 333,000 times the mass of the Earth.* THE SUN IS A BEAST. To say the least.
So the next time you’re feeling the Sun’s warmth on your skin, remember just how colossal the Sun is, and think about how magical it is that its energy still reaches us on Earth 93 million miles away.
Every time the Sun enters the sign of Aries, we get to celebrate the new year, again! The astrological new year doesn’t align with the traditional calendar year, so when we list the zodiacs “in order” we usually list them in astrological order. Rather than January-December.
Zodiac In Order
- Aries: March 21 – April 19
- Taurus: April 20 – May 20
- Gemini: May 21 – June 20
- Cancer: June 21 – July 22
- Leo: July 23 – August 22
- Virgo: August 23 – September 22
- Libra: September 23 – October 22
- Scorpio: October 23 – November 21
- Sagittarius: November 22 – December 21
- Capricorn: December 22 – January 19
- Aquarius: January 20 – February 18
- Pisces: February 19 – March 20
These zodiac “seasons” happen when the Sun moves through the corresponding constellation. From our vantage point on Earth, the Sun appears to pass right in front of stars making up the constellation. The succession of constellations is always constant.
During the Sun’s passage over a constellation, their energies mix together as they make their way to us on Earth, where we sense them on an intuitive level.
And this is true for all the celestial bodies in our solar system. They too pass over the stars, through the twelve constellations, intermingling with the energies. Some move faster, some move slower. This is why every day is astrologically unique, and also why certain alignments, retrogrades, and/or combinations of aspects are rare.
We covered the meanings of each zodiac sign and celestial body individually in the last podcast episode, and we’ll go over it again in our astrology masterclass in more depth. In this episode, I want to talk about how your Big Three is like your astrological birth mark.
Our Sun sign influences our expressive self. How we communicate, our love language, and what first impressions we make on the world. Think of this as the representation of your ego mind in space form.
Moon Sign Meaning
And if the Sun sign is the ego manifested, then the Moon sign is the soul manifested. The Moon’s energy resonates with us on an emotional and subconscious level. It runs deep, like a river current that appears subtle but is actually quite strong.
The Sun’s energetic influence on us comes from its mass and size. The Moon’s energetic influence on us comes from its proximity. Besides the Sun, the Moon is the most astrologically prominent celestial body in our solar neighborhood.
The Moon is about a quarter of the size of Earth in width, while being 238,900 miles away from Earth. The Sun is bigger in diameter than the distance between the Moon and the Earth. Mind blowing.*
The Moon’s circumference is 6783 miles.* To help put this in perspective, the distance from the US west to east coast is about 3,000 miles. Earth weighs 81 times more than the Moon, yet the Moon has such a dramatic impact on our natural cycles (energetically and physically).
The Moon’s energy is very fluid, emotional, watery, and cyclical. This is the subconscious, soul level energy. It’s not as extraverted as the Sun’s energy. There’s a muted quality to the Moon, something sacred and personal that isn’t always meant for other people to understand.
While there are other planets that represent the “darker” sides of ourselves, the Moon represents how those darker sides of ourselves manifest in our minds (which in turn manifests our reality). This is what makes the Moon part of your Big Three, rather than just another aspect of your natal chart.
The Moon is famous for its monthly cycles. It’s never not moving through its eight phases. Adaptability, cyclical rhythms, while maintaining imagination and mystery, all fall under the rule of the Moon.
Along with the energetic flavor provided by the zodiac signs, each moon phase has its own spiritual meaning. Learn more about the spiritual meaning of the moon phases in this free ebook!
The zodiac sign your Moon is in will act as an emotional filter. How you process emotions, which emotions are prominent, and what triggers emotions all come from your Moon sign. While your Sun sign illustrates your outward personality, your Moon sign illustrates your inward landscape on which your outward personality is built upon. In this way, your Sun and Moon signs feel a little more tangible than your Rising sign might feel.
Rising Signs Meaning
Your Rising sign, also known as your Ascendant sign, is a perfect compliment to your Sun sign. If you look at your natal chart, you’ll see a symbol that is reminiscent of an “A.” This is the constellation that was rising over the eastern horizon at the moment you were born–your Ascendant sign.
Similar to your Sun sign, your Rising sign also represents your outward personality. This is how the world sees you, without you needing to speak a word. Your Rising sign is obvious to astrological mystics because it speaks for itself.
Your Sun sign is slower to emerge as people get to know you. Your Rising sign is immediately revealing. They blend together to form all the aspects of your personality that others have the honor of witnessing.
Your Rising sign also represents what physical comfort means in your life. Being comfortable and confident in your own skin, your body’s health, and what makes you feel at home. Your Rising zodiac shines through in your personality as well as your living space.
Many people find that they resonate a lot more with their Rising sign over their Sun sign. That’s mostly because they didn’t realize that their Sun sign wasn’t intended to be interpreted solo.
Sometimes people have duplicate zodiacs in their Big Three. Like me! My Big Three are Libra, Pisces, Pisces. My Sun is in Libra, both my Moon and Rising are in Pisces. Together, these three energies paint a portrait of myself in this lifetime.
Sometimes people have zodiac signs that are seemingly complete opposites in their Big Three. Or sometimes a certain element dominates their Big Three. By looking at the signs of our natal Sun, Moon, and Ascendant, we gain incredible amounts of spiritual insight and self awareness.
Knowing this information can help you be more mindful about how you present yourself to others. And how you process your emotions. And how you can cultivate meaningful relationships. Think about how much more intentional you can be with your daily decisions and habits when armed with this magical knowledge!
Thank you so much for listening. And as you go on your way today, know that I’m sending you an abundance of love, light, and inspiration. Blessed be!
