Twinkling, shimmering stars shine down as rays of guidance coming from the cosmos, giving a new definition to reaching for the stars. After all, it’s not rocket science. 

For some, Western astrology is just a pastime or entertaining hobby, but for seniors Bella Colunga and Amara Lopez, it is so much more. 

Colunga reflects on the moment she knew astrology would be a part of her life. 

“My godmother owns a crystal shop,” Colunga said. “For my 16th birthday, she gifted me a bunch of crystals with little papers that explained what each one meant and that sparked my interest in learning about the spirituality of astrology.”

According to Energy Muse, crystals have energetic properties that can amplify positive energy, correspond to a healthy balance, and increase self-connection. Astrology has many facets of spirituality, including tarot reading. 

“My friend gifted me this tarot deck and I started learning about it and understanding how it corresponds with zodiac signs,” Colunga said. “I have this medium, and she charges me for readings. Sometimes I get my cards read by her over text. She’s really good at what she does.”

Those interested in astrology but don’t know where to start may initially shy away from tarot readings at first. For Lopez, her interest in tarot sparked at 16 years old.

“I’ve had my cards read by my friends and one of them got me into it,” Lopez said. “I started doing my own tarot cards, but I’m still learning.”

 According to Cafe Astrology, a website dedicated to educating interests casually or intensely, people can look at birth charts to learn more about themselves and the signs that correspond to them. 

“It’s always been something that has been ingrained into my family, especially on my dad’s side,” Lopez said. “My Abuela made me a birth chart the second I was born.” 

By entering a birth date, place of birth and time, practitioners can find information about how they interact with their psyche and its impact on the world around them.

“I think that it’s just something that I like to look at to guide me,” Lopez said. “I feel like it’s not something that I rely on for every single thing, but when I do, I listen to it fully. It’s nice to have something to look out for to help me learn more about myself.”

In addition to reading birth charts, Lopez dives deep into her favorite part about the process, reading houses.

“I think that reading houses is most interesting for me because yes, we all have that sign everyone knows which is your sun sign but I think looking deeper into your chart like your Mercury, Venus, Mars and all that it tells you the most about how you deal with issues or how you look at areas of your life,” Lopez said. 

Catherine Gonzalez, a digital reporter, and long time astrology lover provides excellent insight to understanding how to read houses in your birth chart. Gonzalez began her journey with astrology the minute her kindergarten teacher grouped her students up by star sign. Since then, she has been involved with traditional archetypes of tropical western astrology.  

“When you look at your chart, notice that it is divided into 12 houses,” Gonzalez said. “You are the ‘x’ in the center of the ‘map.’ Each zodiac constellation sign is designated in a house. Each house can be described as a department of life. It’s like a big map of you based on the locations and influences of the planets and stars.” 

According to Gonzalez, she enjoys teaching people the “whole sign” system first because it is the oldest form of western astrology. 

“The system teaches us that life is a circle and time is non-linear,” Gonzalez said. “It’s the ‘mundane’ practice base of astrology. Houses are divided cleaner, each planetary body falls in a single house. The rising sign always falls in the first house. Each house picks up after the other.”

On the birth chart each house is laid out in a circle. Gonzalez explains why house placements are so influential in reading one’s chart. 

“Opposite houses are yin-yang, providing what the other lacks,” Gonzalez said. “For example, if the 3rd house represents early education, then the 9th house represents higher education. If the 1st house represents the self, then the 7th house represents our relationships with other people. Houses 1-6 are the personal houses. Houses 7-12 are the interpersonal houses. The 4th, 8th, and 12th houses are privacy houses.”

As part of a chart, the Midheaven (or the Medium Coeli) is the highest point the chart and is located in the 10th house. 

“Your mid-heaven determines your work ethic and how you will succeed in your career, not necessarily what you will be doing for your entire life,” Colunga said. “It has a big influence on the things that you work best with and what can make you more successful in your own career.” 

Each part of a birth chart is personalized. But, there are aspects of astrology that can impact the collective. 

“A lot of people hear about mercury being in retrograde but what it means is that there is a block in communication,” Colunga said. “‘Retrograde’ means that the planets are moving backward, which creates a lock in whatever planet it rules. Mercury rules communication and when it retrogrades it can affect your real life and how to communicate with those around you.”

Expanding a person’s horizon past the sun sign can further insight on their character. According to Lopez, she enjoys providing  a new form of thinking to personal identity. 

“We aren’t just one sign,” Gonzalez said. “We have personal inner planets (Sun, Moon, Venus, Mercury, and Mars) and the other  outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto). These planetary placements fall into the twelve houses. There are tons of asteroids and stars but this is the foundation.”

According to Colunga, Generation Z has a more substantial interest in astrology, mostly because it’s a large topic on popular social media apps like TikTok. 

“When people ask you what your sign is, you might automatically think and say your sun sign,” Gonzalez said. “But we have many different departments of life and ourselves. Humans are complex, multi-faceted, and multi-dimensional.”

Interest in western astrology is experiencing a renaissance fueled by Instagram accounts and TikToks that actively engage viewers. This introduces a generation of a diverse younger population to the language of the zodiac. 

“Personally, I think a wonderful thing about teens nowadays is your Pluto placement,” Gonzalez said. “Pluto marks our generations. Think about how far out there Pluto is. The U.S. is currently experiencing our first Pluto return. It is going to last until 2023-2024. Pluto will finally be leaving Capricorn and the last time Pluto moved like this was during the French and American Revolution.”

According to Gonzalez, Gen Z is filled with adventurous, free-thinkers who are interested in world affairs and philosophy. In this day and age, ideas are spread all over the world faster than ever with technology, catering to Gen Z’s charisma. 

“If millennial’s brought an idea to change the world, Gen Z, who has Pluto in Sagittarius, would take that idea, draw its bow and arrow and shoot it all over the world,” Gonzalez said. “With your generation, Pluto transforms religions, philosophy, world affairs, higher education.”

As a young enthusiast, Lopez illustrates how she plays into the aspects of her friends’ lives through reading their charts. Bringing light to those who may not believe in astrology to the same extent as her. 

“I’ve had certain people doubt astrology, and I like showing people when they are open to it that it’s not something that is very broad and can apply to everyone but it’s really like honing in on certain aspects of people’s lives and helping them figure things out,” Lopez said. “I like enlightening them on ideas they have about friendships and relationships that might lead them to look at things in a new perspective.” 

Many people use astrology as a  sort of compass to guide how they should live their daily lives. Each part of a chart describes a facet of life. One of those parts is your north node. As reported by EliteDaily, the north node represents the moon’s orbit at the time you were born. The zodiac associated with a north node shows how someone will grow throughout life. 

“Lead your life through your north node,’’ Gonzalez said. “A lot of people say that your rising sign is what ‘people see you as’ or ‘the mask you wear,’ but it’s much more than that. It’s your true essence, our body’s ego, the costume we wear in society. Arguably as important as our sun sign it reveals our natural, defense, and coping mechanisms. Our essence. Also, our projections, attitudes, and impressions of the world. Embrace it.”