Astrology is such a flexible tool, with many different uses, whether you want a personal guide to your year ahead, the assessment of a troubling situation, a glimpse into the mechanics of a relationship, to reach an understanding of your own psychological make-up, or to select the optimum time for an important event, to name but a few potentials.

Your personal horoscope is a reflection of the heavens at the time of your birth, within which is embodied an energy map that describes you and your potential in life. The essential ingredients of your chart are the Sun, Moon, and all of the planets (including Pluto, despite its declassification as a planet). Each of these celestial bodies forms angular relationships to each other, playing significant roles. Astrology is so much more than just your sun sign, moon sign, and ascendant sign: it is also about the relationships of celestial bodies which are played out in your horoscope, both at your time of birth and in the future.

Although it is helpful to know your time of birth for a reading, it is not essential to a good reading because your astrology chart can be set to a sunrise chart, known as a solar chart, for excellent results. The richness of a chart is enhanced when you know your time of birth, allowing the astrologer to also calculate the exact position of your Moon, ascendant and mid-heaven, and various other points.

Although astrological rectification methods are available in the quest for an unknown birth time, it is far better to opt for a solar chart as even a few minutes of inaccuracy on an estimated birth time can throw the timing of events off significantly when examining ascendant and mid-heaven positions, altering the complexion of the reading.

There are also many different levels to which you can take an astrological assessment, with the depth explored dependant upon both time and money. However, for most people, more than enough information can be gleaned from a twelve month forecast to provide a pretty good guide to the year ahead, at an affordable price.