'Big 6' in Astrology: Here's How Celestial Bodies Affect Us

Whether we take our astrology seriously or with a pinch of salt, we have to admit that the stars and the planets and their influence on human affairs have fascinated people for millennia. The stars spangling our skies may or may not shape our destiny, but the possibility is fascinating.

For those interested in delving a little deeper, the Big Six of astrology may help to understand exactly how the gigantic astrological clock that ticks away our days in the heavens responds to the movements of the planets, the Sun, and the Moon.

The star sign under which we are born gives us a broad idea of our personality traits, character, temperament, and maybe even a hint of the future -- but alone, it is, at best, a crude indicator.

The twelve signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Still, the Big Six must come into play for a more accurate and intricate reading. The Big Six are your Ascendant Sign, the Sun, the Moon, the planets Mercury, Venus, and Mars.

Their movement through the Houses maps your chart and influences different aspects of your life. The first six Houses are as follows: the 1st House of the self, the 2nd House of material possessions, the 3rd House of communication, the 4th House of home and family, the 5th House of love and creativity, and the 6th House of health.

The last six Houses are the 7th House of partnerships, the 8th House of transformation, the 9th House of higher learning and altruism, the 10th House of social status, the 11th House of friendship, and the 12th House of the unconscious and self-knowledge.

Your Rising Sign (Ascendant)

The Ascendant or the Rising Sign is the sign that was rising in the East at the time of your birth. The Ascendant changes every two hours, so to know your rising sign, you need to know the hour at which you were born.

The Ascendant has a powerful effect on the personality and how it expresses itself. You may know someone born in Cancer and so expect them to be timid; instead, they are bold and extravagant. Their Ascendant is in Leo, and those are the outward characteristics they are displaying.

Mercury is all about communication and connecting with others, getting that message through quickly and accurately.

Of course, inwardly, your friend really is a typical shy, moody, and reclusive Cancerian, but the social mask they present to the world is a pure boisterous, domineering, charming Leo.

Your Sun Sign

Your Sun Sign is your birth sign -- Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, or Pisces -- and gives you the broad strokes of your character and your primary motivations, what pushes your buttons.

If you are a Libra, that means that the Sun was in the 7th House when you were born, and that is the house of partnerships, collaboration, and marriages, the house of compromise and balance.

If you are a Capricorn, that means the Sun was in the 10th House at the time of your birth. The 10th House is the house of social status and popularity. How you are seen is the most important thing, it's all about success.

The Sun in each house determines the basic character. The nuances come from the Ascendant, the Moon, and the influence of the planets Mercury, Venus, and Mars and where they fall on your chart at the time of your birth.

Your Moon Sign

The Sun moves from House to House every month, the Ascendant every two hours, and the Moon every 2.5 days. If the Sun is the basis, the underpinning of the personality, the Moon is the hidden, vulnerable side, the tender feminine soul.

As with the Ascendant, it is essential to know the exact time of your birth to determine your Moon sign. The Moon's influence tempers and softens the Sun sign, adding emotional depth and a capacity for commitment depending on the House in which it falls.

If, for example, you are a Capricorn with the Moon in your 9th House, you would find your typical social ambition tempered by a need to care for others, to achieve knowledge that would benefit humanity, and not only yourself.

Mercury's Influence

In classical mythology, Mercury was the messenger of the gods -- energetic, volatile, and changeable -- and that is what this planet brings to your chart. Mercury is all about communication and connecting with others, getting that message through quickly and accurately.

Where Mercury falls on the 12 Houses at the time of your birth will determine your capacity -- or lack thereof -- in different facets of your life. Mercury in the 3rd House would make you a dynamite communicator; in the 5th House, you'll be sweet-talking your way into romance.

Unless you are born with Mercury retrograde. That's a whole different story because Mercury retrograde is all about chaos and miscommunications, lost letters, and opportunities. That's the risk with the changeable messenger of the gods!

Venus' Influence

Where Venus falls on your birth chart can help you understand your own romantic history better, but it also influences your love of art, music, and everything beautiful. Venus in the 3rd House can lead you to a career as an artist, or a musician, joining the drive to communicate with the need to create beauty.

But as with all things, care must be taken because Venus' influence can also lead to self-indulgence, flirtation, and all sorts of excess. Keep an eye on that chart, and know your weaknesses.

Mars' Influence

Like Venus, Mars was named after a god: the god of war. The Red Planet is aptly named, and we associate the color red with anger, aggression, and blood. But Mars' influence isn't necessarily negative.

Mars is all about energy, ambition, and yes, aggression, Aggression in the right dose and in the right place can be very positive. It can push a timid Cancerian to show their boss the brilliant idea they came up with and get that raise or that promotion they so richly deserve.

In the 5th House, Mars can give you the courage to talk to that special person you've been longing for and add sexy heat to the kind of romance that most people can only dream about.