What Is the Difference between Signs and Houses?

Theoretically, the difference between signs and houses is easy. If you've been studying astrology at all, I'm sure you've heard that the planets are the what; the signs are the how, and the houses are the where. But when I go to try to interpret a birth chart, I get caught up in interpreting the signs and houses in the same way, like interpreting Moon in the 4th House as the same as Moon in Cancer. They may share some similarities, and you might get some insight by looking at it that way, but it is not quite accurate to interpret that way.

It wasn't until this weekend that I had an epiphany by observing my very Sagittarius friend. I have two 9th House planets (Sun and Mars in Cancer); she has none in the 9th House (Sagittarius's house). I have only outer planets (Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune) in Sagittarius, while she has all those planets plus the Sun in Sagittarius. So, since she has a personal planet there, and I don't, I came to realize that she acts like a Sagittarius, and I don't. I act much more like the Libra/Virgo/Cancer/Leo/Scorpio mix that I am. However, I'm extremely interested in and put lots of energy into 9th House/Sagittarius-like things. I constantly read and study 9th House topics, especially metaphysics, religion, belief systems, ethics, philosophy, astrology (obviously), cosmology, and not so much the mundane and mainstream science stuff of the 3rd House. I want to be a lifelong student. I would go to college the rest of my life if I could make a career out of it. I follow an ethical belief system that I've arrived at on my own. I put a lot of energy into truth seeking and teaching most people in my life. So, even though I don't embody Sagittarius traits - happy-go-lucky, jovial, extroverted, blunt with speech - I am deeply connected to all the things that Jupiter represents. On the other hand, my friend has no planets in the 9th House and invests almost no time and energy into 9th House things. She seems (acts) interested in them, as a Sagittarius, but she does not put her energy into them. She has a stellium in both the 3rd and 5th Houses, so most of her energy goes into talking to friends, information collecting, having fun, performing and creating, being entertained, laughing, and partying. I have no planets in these houses and spend almost no energy on these things.

Another example from my own chart is that I have 2 planets in Cancer and no planets in the 4th House. So, I act like a Cancer - moody, food-loving, animal-loving, sensitive, introverted, quiet (for the most part) - but I don't invest a ton of energy into 4th House things - cleaning/decorating my home, mothering (I strongly dislike most kids and have always hated the idea of being a mother. I do feel extremely maternal to the animals I've had in my life, but I don't even want another animal for a long time because I'm just not so focused on developing a family and home base. I've even gotten tired of cooking.)

Also, I have 4 planets in the 2nd House, but I do not feel like I act like Taurus at all. I am very focused on Taurus things though. I love accumulating money and possessions (mostly just books, which corresponds with my 9th House planets!). I have several collections of small items. I love eating. I love singing. I love stimulating all 5 senses. I am pretty attached to my childhood. I need a lot of physical contact and am very focused on material security (and emotional with all the water in my chart).

I hope that makes sense. Let me know if you have any other insight!

Vegan Astrology: Sun Signs Least Likely to Most Likely to Go Vegan

This is just for fun and is not based on in-depth research. These are solely from my opinions and observations over the 7 years or so I've been vegan. These are based on Sun signs only. Of course, there are so many more parts of a chart that would determine if someone would go vegan or not; maybe I will write about these another time, but for now, most of my knowledge is just based on the vegans and nonvegans I know and their birth date, not always with a year, so the only info I've had to make these observations is Sun signs. The Sun is a huge part of the personality, so it can be a pretty good indicator of behavior sometimes, especially when someone has many of the personal planets (Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) in the same sign as the Sun as well. People who don't seem to fit their Sun sign typically have no other personal planets in the same sign as the Sun and/or have aspects from other planets that affect the Sun.

Here are the Sun signs in order of least likely to most likely to go vegan. There are still examples of vegans in every sign, so if a sign is at the top of the list, it does not mean that a person of this sign can never go vegan; it's just not as likely as another sign farther down.

Taurus | The Anti-Vegan - very stubborn and extremely slow to change, super conservative with the values they were brought up with, love pleasure and might see a vegan diet interfering with that. If they do go vegan, it is going to be a transition over a period of many years. One dedicated vegan I know was vegetarian for 15 years or so and would resist giving up cheese. She finally did it. Once vegan though, they will not go back, as they will be very set in their new ways. Well-known Taurus vegans: Coretta Scott King, Charlotte Wessels (not vegan yet but claims she's making her way toward it!)

Leo | The Ex-Vegan -  too selfish, will not do anything to compromise the fun and pleasure they might have out with their friends and at any and all parties and celebrations. They do usually have a big heart and might feel a little bad about the animals and lament the fact that they’re just too selfish to become vegan. Leos also seem to like meat more than a lot of other signs. If they do go vegan, it might be for a health kick to perfect their body to satisfy their vanity. They may also be in it for fame and attention or at least use it as a platform to get themselves into the spotlight. If they do adopt veganism as an ethical system, watch out, as they are uncompromising to the extreme (and this is coming from someone who is fairly uncompromising in their view of veganism). Well-known Leo vegans: Alissa White-Gluz, Durianrider, Gary Yourovsky, Wayne Pacelle, Robin Quivers (vegan only for health), Bill Clinton (ex-vegan who was vegan only for health)

Gemini | The Vegan Skeptic - too fickle, very logical, constantly changing their minds, don’t like to adopt a solid belief system, not very in tune with their emotions so may not really empathize with animals very well, mostly care about what is right in front of them. However, Geminis are so youthful and somewhat child-like that they may be able to really identify with animals; it's possible that these particular Geminis have one or more personal planets in next-door Cancer, which is a sign VERY likely to go vegan. Well-known Gemini vegans: Ginny Messina, RD (She is a compassionate and lovely person, as well as super smart and objective.), Ingrid Newkirk, Sam Simon, Prince

Capricorn | Nonprofit CEO/Vegan Business Owner - will go vegan only if it furthers their goals or career, kind of a cold sign, reluctant to restructure their life since they’ve put so much hard work into it. Being vegan is likely to interfere with the workplace, which is the most important thing for them. They're really serious, and they might be afraid to not be taken seriously as a vegan. They really take authority to heart, and not many authorities promote veganism nowadays. Although, they are very strong, and once they become an authority themselves, they may be able to make a stand and present a very strong and respectable public image for veganism. Well-known Capricorn vegans: Mac Danzig (successful MMA fighter), Dr. T. Colin Campbell (nutrition authority), Matt Ball (co-founder of nonprofit Vegan Outreach), Rob Zombie

Virgo | The Pure/Health Vegan - victim mentality, thinking that going vegan won’t do much good, also very worried about criticism from others. They like to keep things modest and blend in. They may be more likely than Capricorn to go vegan because Virgos typically love their animals very much and take great care of them. They also care very much about health in some way, and the idea of cleaning up or purifying their diet would appeal to them. Well-known Virgo vegans: Fiona Apple, Moby, Howard Lyman (former cattle rancher), Shaun Monson (creator of Earthlings), Donald Watson (founder of the Vegan Society and coiner of the word "vegan"), Freelee (She indeed cares about animals, but puts way too much focus on mixing up weight loss, health, and veganism. For a while, she had a super strict and pure vegan diet.)

Scorpio | The Scary/Misanthropic Vegan - usually a fierce animal lover but strangely rarely vegan. This is someone who will kill someone for hurting an animal, but for some reason they don’t examine their own actions. They may be super picky and utilitarian about food and may think there would be nothing for them to eat as a vegan. They also might be so caught up in their own and others’ emotional crises to make major life changes. Well-known Scorpio vegans: Joaquin Phoenix, Scott Jurek, Weird Al, Tarah from 40BelowFruity (She is a crusader for sea animals on the ship Sea Shepherd; very fitting as Scorpio is a water sign. I believe she said she loves animals more than humans.)

Libra | The Peaceful Vegan - loves justice, freedom, peace, and fairness, so veganism appeals to them. They will go vegan immediately if their significant other wants to. I think it's mostly just the males though. Libra females seem way too concerned with people pleasing and fashion. Well-known Libra vegans: Peter Max (artist), Emily Deschanel, Alicia Silverstone, Chloe Coscarelli, Jane Velez-Mitchell, Thích Nhất Hạnh (Buddhist monk), Dennis Kucinich - all in line with the beauty of Libra: either beautiful themselves and/or giving beauty to the world in the form of art or peace!

Sagittarius | The Self-Righteous Vegan - tends to be very dogmatic, loves to preach their beliefs to others, usually loves animals. They come to veganism from a philosophical perspective; they really love adhering to a belief system. They are a mutable sign, so their beliefs aren’t always fixed, making it easy for them to adopt veganism. Will they stick with it though? Well-known Sagittarius vegans: Mayim Bialik, Michael Dorn, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Paul Watson (Sea Shepherd captain)

Aries | The Angry Vegan - don’t care whatsoever what people think of them, so it’s easy for them to do what they want with their life. They are also pioneers and like to lead the way. They're very childlike, and this probably helps them maintain a close connection with animals for most of their life, since most children love animals. They are also warriors and like to fight for what is right, so many Aries vegans will be some kind of activist. They have an easy time switching their diet because they are health conscious and usually not heavy eaters. A lot of Aries also are likely to have some personal planets in Pisces, a very compassionate sign, which is probably why Aries appears this far down on the list. If I hadn't already made any observations about how many vegans are Aries, I would guess this would be one of the least likely signs to go vegan, as Aries is the ultimate selfish sign in the zodiac. If someone has almost all the personal planets in Aries and/or Taurus, they are unlikely to go vegan, as they cannot see outside of themselves. So if you meet any sweet Aries, they probably have some Pisces planets! Or if you happen to meet any childish, rude Pisces, they probably have a lot of Aries planets. Well-known Aries vegans: Matthew Scully (speech writer for George W. Bush), Benjamin Zephaniah (poet), David Pearce (philosopher), Shirley Wilkes-Johnson (host of a vegan radio show in Texas, was a pioneer for veganism way ahead of her time in Texas of all places), Nathan Runkle (founder of activist organization Mercy for Animals)

Pisces | The Compassionate Vegan - the most compassionate sign in the zodiac, so they just can’t handle doing any harm to animals. They can feel the pain of the animals. They are not the most likely of all signs to go vegan though because it is easy for them to delude themselves and live in their imagination and pretend there is nothing wrong. Well-known Pisces vegans: Carrie Underwood, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (who speaks and writes often of compassion), Brendan Brazier (vegan athlete), Robert Cheeke (vegan bodybuilder), Biz Stone (co-founder of Twitter),
Lindsay Schoolcraft (Cradle of Filth keyboardist), Sarah Jezebel Deva (former Cradle of Filth singer)

Aquarius | The Vegan Event Organizer - the humanitarian sign of the zodiac who is always 50 years ahead of their time. They care so much about bettering the world, and they can see that veganism is the future - the best thing for people, planet, and animals. They are unlikely to waver from veganism once they become vegan, since Aquarius is a fixed air (fixed ideas) sign. They are pretty smart and logical, so it is easy for them to make the decision to be vegan. They also are born to be different and to rebel, so they have no problem doing something outside of the norm. They love social networks and organizations, so having a large group of friends just by going vegan is very appealing. They are the universal friend.  Well-known Aquarius vegans: Marla Rose (founder and organizer of the annual festival Chicago Vegan Mania, co-founder of creative activism website Vegan Street, prolific and clever vegan blogger), Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Ellen, Portia de RossI, Sara Gilbert (actress), Brian Greene (theoretical physicist), Bryant Terry (vegan soul food cookbook author)

Cancer | The Emotional Vegan - my own sign! But I really have seen so many Cancerian vegans. Cancers are the mothers of the zodiac. They love to mother animals too. It is very distressing for a Cancer to see an animal being harmed. They are an action-taking sign, like Aries, so they will do whatever they can right away to try to solve the problem of animals being hurt. They are also huge food lovers and can usually cook really well, so they take a huge liking to learning how to cook delicious vegan food and how to veganize all their classic comfort food favorites. And they love to feed others, so they are definitely the best candidates for culinary activism. They lead with their heart and not their head, so it is an easy decision to go vegan. They know it’s the right thing, and they won’t talk themselves out of it. They are really sensitive and have a hard time with criticism from others, but they are really courageous when it comes to protecting their “children.” Well-known Cancer vegans: Robin Robertson (hugely prolific vegan cookbook author), Ricard Moreira (MMA figher), Tess Challis (vegan cookbook author), Carl Lewis, Geezer Butler, Paul Shapiro (vice president of farm animal protection at HSUS)

Tips on How to Go Vegan

I decided to start this blog off with a useful post and one that's not just preaching to the choir. The process of going vegan is going to be different for everyone, but I just wanted to offer my advice for people who might be similar to me.

Do your research. Going vegan is a big step away from the mainstream (but maybe it won't be very soon since veganism really seems to be exploding, just in the 7 years I've been vegan). It's important for you to establish a firm foundation, so you won't get thrown off by common objections like, "you're not going to get enough protein or calcium." Or "why can't you just eat humane animal products?" Or "animal cruelty cases are isolated and not regularly occurring." Or "animals are killed in the fields where vegetables are harvested." Read up on nutrition and ethics. There is so much vegan content on the internet now that a quick Google will give you eloquent responses to most of these questions. As a new or potential vegan, you will find yourself easily getting concerned and worried and doubtful when these kinds of points are raised if you're not confident in the basis of veganism. Before and during going vegan, I went on a massive reading binge.

Make a list of ten easy vegan meals that you can make regularly at home. Again, Google is your friend. It was kind of a joke when I went vegan seven years ago that if you're a vegan, you have a blog, so there were tons of blogs back then, and that number has just exploded ever since. You should have no problems finding meal ideas. YouTube and Instagram are also great places to check for this. So many people do what I eat in a day videos on YouTube or keep food diaries on Instagram. If you like to cook, check out some vegan cookbooks from the library or invest in some highly rated ones. Also, research vegan options at national chains. You'd be surprised how much is out there. veganeatingout.com is a great site for this, and happycow.net will tell you about places that aren't necessarily chains where you can get vegan food anywhere in the world.

Go easy on yourself. I find that the most enjoyable way to make a major diet change is to find all the foods and products you love and eventually crowd out all the stuff that doesn't belong in your life anymore. This is much more painless than just going cold turkey, though there is nothing wrong with that approach if that's what you really want to do! When I went vegan, I gave away most of my nonvegan food items to a friend, and eventually I donated my wool sweaters to GoodWill. A few nonvegan items remained in my fridge and closets for a while, but eventually they all got replaced with cruelty free items.

Find a supportive vegan community either in person or on the internet. It feels terrible to be the lonely vegan. You will find no shortage of vegans who want to be your friend on Facebook. Check out the #vegan hashtags on Twitter, Instagram, or tsu.co

Hello World...

And welcome to The Vegan Crab! I'm not too sure what direction I'm going with this blog. As a vegan of 7 years, I just felt the need to finally start writing and putting some content out. Obviously, I'll have mostly vegan related posts, but I do want to be authentically me, so I might share some other aspects about myself as well.