The Top 5 Myths About Astrology

Myth 1. Astrology readings are psychic readings

Astrology readings and psychic readings are two different things.

An astrology reading is centered around your birth chart, which is a map of where the planets were when you were born. It’s built from your date, time, and place of birth. From there, an astrologer looks at where the planets are now and where they’re headed.

Astrology readings involve an in-depth analysis of your birth chart, the current planetary transits in relation to it, and a number of more advanced techniques on top of that. Astrological predictive work is not based on “psychic hits” or premonitions. It is based on the movement of the Sun, Moon, and planets, objects that we objectively know exist in our solar system and that move in predictable patterns.

A psychic reading works from the reader’s intuition, or what are often called the “clair” gifts, like clairvoyance or clairsentience. It doesn’t require a chart. Tarot is another skill altogether. A tarot reader draws tarot cards and reads the symbols that come up. Some psychics and tarot readers bring a little astrology into their sessions, and some astrologers bring tarot into their sessions. But, each of them is still its own craft with its own training.

One thing I will add here is that astrology and tarot have some fascinating connections in their symbolism. If you want to learn more about that, let me know in the comments and I will write about it.

Myth 2. You are your Sun sign

Your Sun sign is one placement in your birth chart, along with many others. You are your whole chart. That includes your Rising sign (a calculated point in the chart), your Moon, and every other planet in your birth chart.

There’s no doubt your Sun sign is a core part of who you are. Your Moon sign and your Rising sign carry just as much weight, though. When you grow to understand your Moon sign and your Rising sign in combination with your Sun sign, everything that didn’t make sense will start to click. Trust me.

People are complicated. We’re layered, multidimensional, and full of contradictions. So it makes sense that one zodiac sign alone could never describe any of us in entirety.

Myth 3. Certain signs can’t have a successful relationship

When someone says two people are incompatible, they’re usually only looking at the two people’s Sun signs. I’ve seen all sorts of combinations of signs have successful, long-lasting relationships, including the ones traditionally considered incompatible.

My sister is a Cancer Sun and her husband is an Aquarius Sun, a pairing many sources call incompatible. They’ve been together since they were 18, they’re now in their 50s, they raised two children, and they’re still going stronger than ever. That’s just one example of many that come to mind.

To flip it the other way around, my partner and I have the same birthday, so we share the same Sun sign. And no, that doesn’t mean our relationship is a breeze!

A proper relationship reading goes much deeper than comparing Sun signs. Even if two Sun signs have to work a little harder sometimes to understand each other, the Moon signs might sit in complementary positions, or other placements might point to a fruitful connection.

That deeper comparison is called synastry. It means comparing one person’s entire chart to the other person’s entire chart. A good synastry reading shows where two people click easily, how they can help one another grow, where they struggle to get on the same page, and where they’ll have to put in extra effort to get through certain challenges. There’s real gold in it.

If you’re interested in a synastry reading, the easiest way to reach out is through my contact page.

Myth 4. One house system is right and the rest are wrong

The house system is how an astrologer divides your chart into twelve areas of life. There are several ways to do the dividing. Whole Sign, Placidus, Koch, and Equal are some of the most commonly used house systems. Astrologers might argue about which one is correct, and you may find people online who insist theirs is the only one that really works.

I use Whole Sign houses because the system fits with some of the traditional predictive techniques I often use, and it has produced the best outcomes when reading for clients overall.

I also think every house system has validity.

Changing the house system does change some of what you see in the birth chart. A planet sitting late in a sign can land in one house in one system and in the next house using another system, which can change some of the focus of a reading.

Regardless, most of the renowned professional astrologers I follow, such as Suzanne Gerber and Rick Levine, have said that each astrologer is right to practice within the house system that works best for them.

If you’re looking for an astrologer, my advice is not to shut one out just because they use a house system you haven’t heard of before.

Myth 5. Astrology guarantees an outcome

A chart shows timing, probabilities, and possibilities. It doesn’t hand you a guaranteed result you can bank on.

In my experience, the timing itself is most definitely real. Some stretches of time open wonderful doors for us, and others have us facing specific types of hardships. But, as I always say, astrology provides the opportunity, and free will decides the outcome.

The planets don’t do the hard things for you. They won’t say yes to an opportunity, push through the fear, or carve out the time to prioritize a passion. Let’s say your chart shows a very fortuitous time for growing your income. That astrological transit alone won’t raise your rates for you, send the proposal, or apply for the promotion. You have to take action. And that is your own free will interacting with the astrological energy of the moment.

If you have a question about where you’re headed as 2026 wraps up and the new year begins, book a session.

Which of these myths have you heard most often, and did any of them surprise you? Tell me in the comments.

First published in Cristina Dolores Astrology, my newsletter for entrepreneurs.