Since the planets move at a relatively slow pace throughout the day, it is the precise time and place of birth which distinguishes you from someone born on the same day at the other end of the globe. When your horoscope, or picture of the sky at the moment of birth, is translated into a two-dimensional diagram, it is constructed as a circle divided into twelve sectors representing the zodiacal signs. In order to personalize the chart, a line is drawn across the circle representing the horizon where the sky and sea meet. The zodiacal sign appearing on the eastern horizon at the precise moment of birth is called the rising sign, or ascendant. The easternmost point, which signifies the exact time of sunrise, is called the rising, or ascending degree.

If you were born on June 3 at 5:30 A.M. in New York City, Gemini, which the Sun passes through between May 21 and June 20, would be your rising sign as well as your Sun sign since the Sun would just be appearing on the horizon.

On the other hand, if you were born on the same day around midday, your Gemini Sun would be directly overhead, situated at the most elevated point in the diagram. This point is known as the midheaven, or MC. With Gemini in this position, the sign in the east would be Virgo. Thus, Gemini would be the Sun sign and Virgo the rising sign.

When the Gemini Sun is about to set, it would lie on the descendant, the point diametrically opposed to the ascendant, which would be Sagittarius, the sign 180 degrees from Gemini and the place of sunrise.

And at some time between midnight and 1:00 A.M. (on this particular day it is 0:58 A.M.), the Gemini Sun would be at the lowest point in the sky (known as the nadir), and the ascendant, or sign appearing on the horizon, would be Aquarius.

Following the above rules, if you know your birth time, it is easy to approximate in which area of the chart your Sun would be placed. If you were born at 10:00 A.M., for example, your Sun would lie in between the ascendant (position of sunrise) and the midheaven (the position of midday).You may even be able to guess your ascending sign.

After the ascendant is calculated, the planets are placed in their proper zodiacal signs around the chart presenting a two-demensional view of how the sky appeared at the precise moment of birth as seen from the earth. All the planets will fall either above or below the horizon line. The horoscope is then divided into twelve houses, or arbitrary sectors, with the ascending degree commencing the first house. Some systems employ twelve equilateral houses of 30 degrees measured from the ascendant, while other house systems are unequal in length based on certain astronomical factors. Like the planets, each house represents a different area of life and, by placing the luminaries in their appropriate sectors, the horoscope, or picture of the heavens, becomes a personalized representation of not merely the day but the time and place where you were born.

The Signs of the Zodiac: Twelve Keys to Health and Happiness

Discovering more information about each zodiacal sign allows us to fully understand all facets of ourselves. Especially significant as health indicators are the Sun and rising signs, which describe body type, vulnerable parts of your body, ailments to which you are prone, and remedies which may prevent, improve, or reverse the situation.

Each sign of the zodiac is categorized according to its element-fire, earth, air, or water-and its modality, or temperament-cardinal, fixed, or mutable-and derives its attributes, in part, from these categories. The element describes the sign's essence and how it operates. The modality focuses on one's temperament and mode of expression. Viewing your Sun sign or rising sign in terms of its element and modality will enable you to assess your mental and physical health. These qualities (the elements and modalities) will impart important information regarding each sign's susceptibility to certain ailments as well as its recuperative and healing abilities.

Because the zodiac is divided into four groups of three elements, these divisions are known as the triplicities as follows: fire signs-Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius; earth signs-Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn; air signs Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius; and water signs-Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.

The quadruplicities consist of three groups of four modalities as follows: cardinal signs-Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn; fixed signs-Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius; mutable signs-Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces.