Growing up, I read my horoscope prediction in the newspaper or magazines from time to time – I can even remember my grandmother cutting out the “If you were born today” special birthday horoscopes then putting them on the refrigerator to see if the year would bear out these predictions. It's fun and sometimes they would even come true.  I have since come to find out that this feeling of accuracy has some basis. While this type of sun sign only astrology is very simplistic and a tiny fraction of what astrology encompasses, there is evidence showing that some types of illnesses are more common in people born in certain months, ie.; asthma seems to be more common in people with September, October and November February birth dates.  (intraspec.ca/month_disease.php ) Your sun sign can also influence your career choices. Studies suggest that more scientists, for instance, have been born in October/November more than in any other month.

But this kind of horoscope prediction is not what the complex science of astrology is about. Astrology is the study of how the movement of the planets and constellations affects your emotions, behavior, spiritual growth and what kind of benefits and luck might accrue throughout your life.

Astrology is both an art and science. From a scientific standpoint, the influence of comets, our star, the moon, etc., are proven to affect events on earth such as the effect of the moon on the tides or the emergency room.  Certainly, it is commonly accepted that the sun affects the lengths of our days and our nights, hence affecting our sleep cycles and moods.  Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or the “winter blues” is a clear result of this influence.  The art of astrology comes into play by how the astrologer reads and interprets the symbolism and influence of these planetary phases.

So, while reading your sun sign predictions can be entertaining, in order to truly benefit from astrology you first have to have your astrological or natal chart done.