Which Zodiac Reading Should I Watch? Sun, Moon and Rising Explained

You often hear tarot readers talk about the sun, moon and rising signs. I actually came to understand the zodiac through tarot. When I first started, I thought the sun was the only one, so I was quite surprised to find other readers using something else. It took me a while to figure it out. I listened to a few of them and tried to match it up, and finally it all made sense. Here is how it fits together.

The zodiac in one picture

The zodiac splits the sky into 12 slices, a bit like a pizza cut 12 ways. Three things matter for a reading:

• The sun. This is your birth sign. When someone says “my sign is Cancer”, this is what they mean.
• The moon. The slice the moon was in when you were born.
• The rising sign. The sign that was showing up on the eastern horizon at the moment and place you were born.

Your sun sign

This is where the sun was in the sky on your birthday. Even if you were born at night, when the sun is on the other side of the Earth, we are capturing where it sat in the zodiac. It takes about a month to move through each sign.

This is the sign people know you by: your core identity, how you show up in the world and what drives you.

Your moon sign

The idea is the same. The moon travels through the same 12 slices, only much faster, spending about two and a half days in each sign. Wherever it landed when you were born is your moon sign, and it stays with you for life, even though the moon itself keeps moving.

The moon is linked to your emotions, how you feel in the world and what makes you feel safe. In my readings, when I talk about what is happening on the inside, this is where the moon normally lives.

Your rising sign

The rising sign is probably the most confusing of the three. Why do I have another sign? It is the sign coming up over the eastern horizon at the moment and place you were born, which is why the exact date, time and place matter.

The rising sign changes roughly every two hours, so two people born on the same day can have different rising signs. It is linked to how you show up in the world: first impressions, how others see you and how you deal with new situations.

Can my sun, moon and rising be the same sign?

Yes, absolutely. If you were born around sunrise, the sun was on the eastern horizon, so your sun and rising signs match. If you were born at moonrise, your moon and rising signs match. And if you were born at a new moon around sunrise, all three can be the same. That’s a fun one.

Most people have three different signs, which is also why it is worth watching more than one reading.

Where is the moon reading?

There isn’t a separate one. If your moon is in Pisces, watch the Pisces reading. Every reading covers the inner world too, so your moon sign can speak to you there.

In my readings I use two spreads, the Celtic Cross and the Tableau. This may change as my readings evolve. In the Celtic Cross, the inner world shows up in a few places:

• What’s underneath (card 3). What sits below the surface.
• Your hopes and fears (card 9). What you are quietly wishing for or worried about.
• What’s on your mind (the top card). Where your attention is right now.

For how you show up in the world, I would look at the people around you and the near future. Your action card is there as well, so a lot of the inner world is covered in every reading. In the Tableau, I talk about the inner world specifically, and that is another place to link your moon sign.

How do I find my moon and rising sign?

You need your birth date, birth time and birth place. I was born overseas, so I had to calculate mine for my birthplace, not where I live now. Always use where you were born.

There are plenty of free birth chart calculators online, and it takes a moment. I don’t have one I recommend yet, so a quick search will do.

Where do I find my birth time?

Your birth certificate will usually have it. A hospital record is another place, or you can ask your mum and dad. Probably your mum, because that is how I found out mine.

I was born before electronic records, and back in the day they wrote it on a little tag and put it on the baby’s foot. I still have a photo of mine. Very cute. If you ask around, whoever was there will often remember. You only need to be within about two hours to get a rough idea, but ideally you want it to the minute, because the rising sign can change.

What if I was born on the edge of a sign?

Signs don’t start at midnight. The sun moves from one sign into the next around the 20th to the 23rd of each month, and the exact day and time shifts slightly from year to year. So if your birthday falls on one of those days, your sun sign can depend on the year, the time and the place you were born.

For example, someone born on 22 or 23 July could be a Cancer or a Leo. The quickest way to be sure is a birth chart calculator with your exact birth time and place. It will tell you which side of the line you were on.

Frequently asked questions

Is my sun sign enough? Yes, it is enough. You can go by the main one. A lot of your inner world is covered too, through the cards I mentioned and your action card.

Do I need to watch all three? No, not if you want to save time. But if a reading isn’t resonating, it could be because you are focused on your inner world right now, or on how you show up in the world. That is when it helps to watch your other signs. You can always find them on this website or on my channel, grouped in a tile or in the playlist.

What about Venus and Mars? They are important too, but it is a lot to take in at once, so I keep to the big three. What I do pay attention to is retrogrades, when a planet appears to move backwards in the sky. When one is on, I mention it at the beginning of the reading.

Can a reading change if it’s my moon, not my sun? It can, because if your focus shifts to your inner world, things may appear a little different. How we feel and what we decide is based on perception, and perception isn’t always accurate. That is one reason to check your moon sign’s reading as well.

What if two readings seem to disagree? That is fine. Different readings can speak to different parts of you: your inner world, or how people see you. It also helps to watch the other signs, though it is not essential.

What if I don’t know my birth time? An approximate time still gives you an idea. If you don’t know it at all, that is completely fine. Go by your sun sign, which gives you most of what you need.

Watch this week’s readings

Pick your sign on the readings by sign page, or open this week’s readings for all 12 signs.

General guidance for reflection and entertainment. Not financial, legal, medical or any other professional advice; please seek that separately from a qualified professional.