What Are the Big 3 in Astrology?

I have a game for you!

Think of your three favorite animals from first to last.

Take your time. No rush. And don’t read on past this sentence until you have your three favorite animals in your mind!

OK – got them?

Your answers will tell you a lot about your personality. Here’s what your answers mean:

Your first favorite animal is what people see you as.

Your second favorite animal is what you truly are on the inside.

Your third favorite animal is what you want to be.

Pretty cool game, right?

You may be wondering what this has to do with astrology, but the animal personality game is actually quite similar to the Big 3 in astrology which this article is about.

What Are the Big 3 in Astrology?

The Big 3 in astrology are the three most significant signs in your natal chart: Your Sun Sign, your Rising Sign, and your Moon Sign.

Of course, other signs in your chart are important too, like your Venus Sign and your Mars Sign, but there is often a lot of focus on the Big 3 in astrology because they represent the core, fundamental part of who we are and we can learn so much about ourselves by understanding them better.

The Big 3 are similar to the animal personality game in the sense that your Rising Sign is who people see you as, your Moon Sign is what you truly are on the inside, and your Sun Sign is what you want to be (or are learning to be!)

So what do they mean overall?

Understanding Your Rising Sign

Your Rising Sign is the image you give off to the world. It explains your appearance, how you interact with others, how you respond to people and situations, and how you view the world through a filter.

In Soul Astrology, the Rising Sign is the most important sign of all as it represents your Soul and the reason you came to Earth. Soul Astrology goes deeper than traditional astrology and the Rising Sign gives us more insight into our spiritual purpose.

Rising Signs can tell us a lot about ourselves in the sense that it helps us understand how we interact with others and why we react the way we do. If we are to dig deeper into Soul Astrology, it can also tell us why we came to Earth in the first place and what our purpose is.

Read this next: What is Soul Astrology?

Understanding Your Sun Sign

Your Sun Sign is the sign that almost everyone is the most familiar with. In popular astrology, it is the sign that everyone associates themselves with (the month that you were born). It is the sign that we read horoscopes about and the sign that, if you ask someone what their zodiac sign is, the one sign they will know for sure!

The Sun Sign is the essence of who we are. It is essentially the sign that we are learning to become.

Many people may feel that they don’t identify with their Sun Sign (unless this particular sign is prominent in their chart). It is quite common, especially before the age of 30, to feel that you don’t feel like your Sun Sign at all!

For example, your Sun Sign might be Leo. This is a powerful, regal sign that brims with confidence. Its ruling planet is the Sun itself and the light of Leo shines brightly – as with the Sun, everyone feels the heat and sees the shine of Leo!

But you may be a very quiet, shy kind of person who feels that no one notices you at all. As such, if you hear the description of Leo, you might think, “That’s not me!”

However, it is you – it’s just that you may have a Rising Sign that conflicts with Leo energy, or your own Leo energy may manifest in a different way.

So while you may not be outwardly brimming with confidence, you may possess an inner self-confidence that is hidden and which nobody sees.

Usually, around the age of 30, a person starts to ‘become’ more of their Sun Sign as the inner self starts to shine through more. Of course, this can also happen later or sooner.

Understanding Your Moon Sign

This is your core emotional self. It represents your deepest emotions and everything about your emotional nature is influenced by your Moon Sign.

In Soul Astrology, your Moon Sign represents your past lives and the sign that you have mastered in previous lives. It can also represent hindrance to your Sun Sign – obstacles that lie in your path in this life.

The Moon Sign is often hidden to the world and usually only those closest to you are aware of it. While the Rising Sign represents how others see us, including the immediate impression we give off, the Moon Sign is a sign that can take time to get to know.

That’s why a person who seems fierce and fearless on the outside may in fact be soft and gentle on the inside if they have a Moon Sign that is particularly gentle and dreamy!

Understanding our Moon Sign can help us understand our emotional nature at a deeper level. For a long time, the Yin energy of our society has been repressed. Yin energy is introspective and emotional in nature. Showing emotions has long been viewed as a sign of weakness. But times are changing, particularly as we move into the Age of Aquarius, and we are encouraged to show our emotions and embrace them. The more we understand our Moon Sign, the more we can understand our emotional nature and learn how to deal with our emotions in a way that is healthy and beneficial for ourselves and those around us.

Read this next: Sensitivity, Compassion & Growth

Closing Thoughts …

So that’s the Big 3. I hope it has provided you with greater insight into what your Sun, Rising and Moon Sign mean.

If you can’t remember your own Big 3, you can check out your natal chart here by inputting your time, date, and location of birth.

Naturally, as previously pointed out in the article, the other signs have a big impact on your too.

Your Venus Sign describes how you react in love and relationships, as well as your attitude towards the arts and creativity.

Your Mars Sign highlights how you dispense your energy and your sexual nature.

Your Mercury Sign is about how you communicate with others and how your thought process works.

And so forth.

Delve into your Big 3. Keep in mind the information in this article the next time you read about your Big 3. You may be surprised about the new things you discover about yourself. But that’s what astrology is – a never-ending wonderful puzzle where we endlessly discover new and exciting things about ourselves, others and the world at large.

Keeping a journal can also be extremely helpful. ‘The Big 3 Journal’ can be where you write down all you discover about your signs and how they are applicable to you today. It is wonderful to look back on for future reference, especially if you find yourself stuck with challenges and obstacles and are unsure what direction to turn in.

Trust in yourself – and trust in your signs! The universe brought you to this article for a reason … it’s time to delve into your own Big 3 and see what messages the universe wants you to know!

Related article: What is Your Dominant Sign & How Does it Affect You?