I used to follow astrology a lot more closely than I do now, and used to do charts.
What most people look at in the newspaper and magazines is very general and leaves them to believe what they want to believe or not, in a sense.
It is called a star sign when it is actually your sun sign that is the one most people relate to with their date of birth, sun sign meaning what zodiacal constellation the sun was in at your time of birth.
For e.g. I was born on the 13th of December meaning my sun sign (my outer self, the face I show to the world) is Sagittarius.
My moon sign (my inner self) is also Sagittarius.
Your rising sign has a strong influence too. All the different planetary postions determine astrologically how you relate in love, communicate, compete, work, live, handle your emotions etc..
My chart is:
Sun: Sagittarius
Moon: Sagittarius
Rising: Aries
Mercury: Sagittarius
Venus: Sagittarius
Mars: Libra
Jupiter: Leo
Saturn: Pisces
Uranus: Virgo
Neptune: Scorpio
Pluto: Virgo
What I have listed above is still only a basic chart and even interpreting that would still only provide a basic understanding without doing a more indepth analysis.
Of course there is numerology, Chinese and Vedic Astrology and many other forms that are all pieces to the same puzzle designed to give an insight in to self.
The discovery of the new planet Sedna throws a giant spanner in the works though!
I was also born in the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse. Does anyone follow Chinese astrology as well?
