A birth chart (also known as a natal chart) is a circular diagram that shows where the planets were placed at the moment of your birth.
It's an essential tool for understanding yourself astrologically. Once you know how to read your chart, it can be a powerful guide to your personality and life path.
Sun Sign
A chart is a representation of the stars, planets, and signs in the sky at the time of a person’s birth. Astrology uses this information to help interpret a person’s nature and make predictions about their future.
The first step is to find out which sign you’re in (your sun sign). There are 12 Zodiac signs and they all represent different personality traits.
You can find out your Zodiac sign by using the outer rim of your birth chart and locating the section in which your date of birth falls. Once you have identified your sign, you can then learn about the planets that fall within it and how they influence your life.
To read a chart you need to understand how houses, zodiac signs, and planets interact with each other. Each house represents a certain area of your life, while each planet (and its placement in a particular sign) relates to a specific aspect of your personality and life path.
There are many different ways to interpret a chart, but there is one basic formula that can be used to decipher it: planet + sign + house. For instance, being born with Mars in Taurus indicates that you’re a capable, practical person who prefers to work things out slowly and cautiously.
Similarly, being born with Mercury in Gemini means that you’re a communicator who’s often self-aware and sensitive to others’ needs. Lastly, being born with Venus in Leo suggests that you’re the kind of person who can be affectionate and romantic while also showing great strength and commitment in your relationships.
Moon Sign
The moon is one of the main astrological chart rulers. It shows what you need to feel safe and nurtured, as well as your most private and emotionally intense side. It can also reveal your instincts and intuition, and how you relate to the main maternal influences in your life.
When you think of an astrology chart, you might envision a circle with a sun-like symbol and a moon-like symbol in the center. But your natal chart (birth chart) is much more than that. It’s a snapshot of how the cosmos looked at your birth moment, and it contains all 12 zodiac signs and their associated planets.
Your natal chart is also divided up into 12 pie slices, called houses, that represent different aspects of your life. Each house is ruled by a specific planet and sign, and its position in the chart helps you understand how that planet affects your life.
For example, if your sun is in mutable water sign Pisces and you have a Scorpio moon, that might mean that you’re very emotional and impulsive. It could also mean that you’re very passionate about your interests and hobbies.
If you have a Leo moon, on the other hand, that might mean that you’re very sensual and powerful. It might also mean that you’re a perfectionist and very self-critical.
All of these placements (each planet and sign combination) in your natal chart shape how you experience the world and come off to others. That’s why it’s so important to understand what each of these placements means.
Rising Sign
The rising sign (also called the ascendant) is the zodiac sign that was on the horizon at your time of birth. It's important to know your rising sign because it dictates how you present yourself in the world. It's also your first impression!
Your astrology chart is made up of 12 houses filled with zodiac symbols. Each house represents a certain area of life, such as your identity, career, love or relationships.
Each of the houses is ruled by a planet and a zodiac sign, although they don't match up in your chart. The house rules describe how each of these planets manifests in your life and why things happen to you the way they do.
For example, if you have Mars and Aries in your first house, it means that Mars' energy will affect your personal drive and identity. On the other hand, if you have Gemini and Pisces in your first house, it means that their energy will affect how you express yourself and interact with others.
Likewise, if you have Taurus and Cancer in your first house, it means that their energies will affect how you treat yourself and your environment. This is because Taurus is an earth sign and Cancer is a water sign.
If you have a fixed air sign in your rising, it means that you are deep and curious, and you want to make a difference in the world. In other words, you are one-of-a-kind and incredibly unique. For these people, life is one adventure after another. They are often passionate, and they are able to leave a lasting impact on the world.
Houses
Astrology charts are divided into 12 pie slices, called houses. These represent the facets of our lives, and as you move from left to right across the chart, they transition from more personal to more interpersonal.
The houses are arranged in a clockwise direction, meaning that they correspond to the day's rising sign and the daily motion of the planets around the zodiac circle. Although the Sun and planets only appear to make a circle around the earth every day, they actually rotate on their axis and face each of the successive areas of the zodiac in a counterclockwise direction.
As an example, the first house governs individuality, including your own personal growth and development. Any planetary placements here inform how you approach your identity, and the ruling sign can reveal whether or not you are prone to self-criticism.
Another important house is the seventh, which rules relationships. Venus, the planet of love, is associated with this house, and any planetary placements here tell how you interact with people in your life.
The sixth house, ruled by mutable Earth sign Virgo and information-gathering Mercury, is the house of service and health. Any planetary placements here inform how much attention you give to your own physical and emotional well-being. It is also the house of family, and any planetary placements here inform how you connect with your own children.
Planets
Astrology charts are a great way to understand your inner self and how you interact with the world around you. They help astrologers interpret the planetary positions at your birth and make predictions about your future.
The planets in your chart are important because they symbolize different aspects of your personality. For instance, if you have guarded Scorpio Sun signs, but your Mercury sign is in freewheeling Sagittarius, that might indicate that you prefer to communicate without too much aggression.
There are several ways to read your astrology chart, including hemisphere analysis and pattern analysis. Both methods are easy to learn and provide a good basis for understanding your chart.
Hemisphereanalysis: This method focuses on the placement of planets in the left and right hemispheres of your chart, and determines how they interact with each other. For example, Serena Williams’s planets are all on the right side of her horoscope, which suggests that she adapts quickly and effectively to changes in her life.
Beyonce’s hemisphere is entirely on the left, which makes her a strong-willed, independent person who doesn’t let anything get in the way of her dreams.
Patternanalysis: This method, developed by astrologer Marc Edmund Jones, involves looking at the way your planets strewn around the wheel of your horoscope, and interpreting the patterns that occur within your chart. In particular, you might look for the splash or splay patterns, which involve two clumps of planets that are no less than sixty degrees or two signs apart.
Aspects
The aspects in an astrology chart tell the story of how planets and signs interact with each other. The hard aspects – conjunction, opposition, and square – show tension between two placements; easy or soft aspects – sextile and trine – indicate that there is a positive flow of energy between the planets involved.
Aspects can be very powerful in a chart and can reveal more about your life than the individual planets alone. They indicate what challenges you will face, how you will deal with them, and how you will feel about them.
You'll also notice that the planets move around each other based on the aspects they make in your chart. Some are a lot more dynamic than others, but all of them have their own unique impact on your life.
One of the most important aspects to pay attention to is your Sun Sign. The Sun is the star of your natal chart, which represents your essential self. It symbolizes your vitality and creativity as well as how you shine your light in the world.
Another aspect is your Rising Sign or Ascendant. The Ascendant shows what you do best in the world, how you appear to the outside world, and how you approach life in general.
In addition, you'll want to consider the planetary aspects that are in Conjunction with your Ascendant, Midheaven, and Descendant as well as those in Conjunction or adjacent to your Immum Coeli (IC). These features can have an important influence on your personal and professional life.