Today

Looking into the sunrise, you might notice that the exact place where the Sun rises is different each day. It seems to us that the Sun tracks North to South along the Eastern horizon as we move through our seasons, Winter to Summer and back again. Today, it has been a year since the Sun was at this exact place.

On Earth, if we measure time by the Sun, our year compromises one whole cycle of the Sun moving from one exact location in the sky (called a degree) back to that same degree.

The day you were born, the Sun was at an exact degree somewhere in the sky. When the Sun “returns” to that degree, you celebrate your birthday. We know this “motion of the Sun” is actually due to the Earth moving around the Sun. But, from the perspective of standing on the Earth, it seems like the Sun is moving rather than the Earth. Astrology works from the perspective of looking out into the Universe from our daily perspective of living on Earth.

Astrologers divide the vast sky into 12 sections compromising the Zodiac. There are 12 signs of the zodiac – Aires through Pisces. If the Sun happened to “be in Leo” when you were born, then you are called a “Leo.” Each zodiac sign compromises 30 degrees. 30 degrees times 12 signs equals 360 degrees – the number of degrees in a circle. From the Earth perspective, the sky looks like a large dome. As we spin each day, and make our yearly journey around the Sun, we can measure where we are, or where the planets and stars are, against this back drop of these 360 degrees.

The reason it seems that Sun moves to a different place each morning at sunrise is actually because we moved with the Earth on its way around the Sun. Measuring from Earth, we can say that each day, the Sun is at a different degree – one of 360 degrees of what looks like the circle of the sky to us.

This morning, at 7:01 EST, the Sun and the Moon were at the same degree of 25 Sagittarius (the degree has been rounded up). This event is called the New Moon.

One method of astrology is to interpret what any exact degree might mean. There are many compilations of symbols for each degree of the Zodiac. This symbolic language “speaks” to our symbolic, non-linear mind.

I like to explore the symbols of a certain degree, letting them wander through my mind for the day and notice how they may be reflected in my interactions, thoughts and imagination. Today is a New Moon, meaning the Sun and the Moon are on the exact same degree in Sagittarius. Below are 3 different symbolic interpretations of how 25 degrees Sagittarius might reflect in our lives:

“A chubby boy on a hobby horse.” (1)

“A small boat with no one in it. It is gradually drifting out to sea.” (2)

“ A little boy on a rocking horse imagines himself flying to a multicolored candyland.’” (3)

Today, you might let yourself wonder about these symbols, noticing any synchronicity of events that may reflect these symbols. Paying attention with our non-linear minds is one way to feel our connection to the greater Universe. Have fun!

1. Jones, Marc Edmund, The Sabian Symbols in Astrology. Aurora Press, Santa Fe, 1993.

2. Lonsdale, Ellias, Inside Degrees. North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, 1997.

3. Goldsmith, Martin, The Zodia by Degrees. Weiser Books, Boston, 2004.