Have you heard the term birth chart or birth chart thrown around lately? What is your first reaction to this word?
Maybe you whisper… “Birth card! What the hell is that?”
or
Maybe you are an astrology professional who is super excited to read this article because you know precisely How to read a birth chart.
Whoever you are, wherever you are, with your knowledge of astrology, today we are here to decipher this astrological jargon so that it will no longer seem like a mystery to you.
Who is ready to look at themselves with fresh eyes?
Consider this an invitation from heaven to take a deep dive into understanding both astrology and yourself.
Let’s get started.
What is an astrological birth chart?
Your birth chart or birth chart is a snapshot of the sky at the exact moment you were born. To generate one, you need the information about your date, time and place of birth as accurate as possible.
Visually, the sky in a birth chart is represented as a circle with 360 degrees. This circle is divided into 12 constellations, each divided into 30 degrees. Degrees are used as x, y and z coordinates to map the precise planetary location within each zodiac constellation.
Together, these elements form the meat of a birth chart:
- 12 zodiac signs
- Your rising sign is also called your Ascendant sign
- Astrological houses
- Accurate planetary placements
- Planetary aspects with each other
Is this all starting to make more sense? Hurrah! if you said yes!
Why is reading your birth chart useful?
How can knowing and understanding your birth chart apply to everyday life? Reading your birth chart can help you:
- Become a fortune teller
- Transform your life
- Helps you better connect with your higher self and with others
- Helps you find or maintain a romantic connection
- Gain a deeper insight into yourself
- Reveals hidden ways of thinking that you never knew existed
- Reveals your soul purpose – “What are you here to do in this life?”
How to read a birth chart
Starting with the basics, your Primal Triad consists of your Sun Sign, Rising Sign, and Moon Sign. These three, sometimes called the ‘Big Three’, are the most crucial elements in your diagram.
Do you need to catch up? Check out: Your Ultimate Guide to Understanding “The Big 3” in Astrology
Sun sign
In astrology, the sun represents vitality, the ego, healing energy and self-identity. Learning more about your sun sign will give you a taste of this aspect of your personality.
Rising sign
The Ascendant or The rising sign shows how others relate to us. It is the point where the first astrological house in a birth chart begins. It refers to where the horizon was at the time of your birth.
Moon sign
The moon represents our inner world, our deepest emotions, instincts and maternal nurturing. Your moon sign paints a picture of how introspective you are and how peaceful/turbulent your inner world is.
Venus sign
Your Venus placement in the birth chart tells a story about your relationships. How satisfied are you in your relationships? How do you value money and power?
And how do your values in turn shape your relationships? How well you relate and connect with others is all reflected in your Venus sign?
Saturn sign
Saturn, the strict taskmaster of the zodiac, and its sign placement show us our soul lessons. What area of our lives needs discipline?
Other placements
Pluto placements show us the area that requires the deepest transformation in our lives. Understanding Pluto in our chart allows us to see how profound transformation can impact other areas of life.
The placement of Uranus shows in which area of life you think outside the box and question the status quo of society.
The placement of Neptune in your horoscope shows where your creativity and imagination are stored.
Mercury in your horoscope shows your communication skills. Can you express your opinion effectively? Or are you holding back?
Mars points to your aggression and willpower to pursue your goals.
Chiron shows your wounds and areas of healing that your soul needs to evolve in this life.
Planetary aspects
Here’s the thing! In a birth chart, planets are not stand-alone entities. They communicate with each other, which makes our life stories interesting and unique.
Planetary aspects (sextiles, trines, conjunction, opposition, squares) are how planets talk to each other. If we understand these, we can decipher their language.
Would you like to know more about planetary aspects? Check out: Why You Need to Know About Sextiles, Trines, and Squares
Your 10-step guide to reading a birth chart
- Identify your Ascendant or Rising sign in your chart.
- Write down personality traits represented by your rising sign.
- Repeat steps 1 and 2 for your sun and moon sign.
- Repeat steps 1 and 2 for all other planets in your chart.
- Keep the qualities of each planet in mind and overlay this with the zodiac sign and astrological house they are present in.
- Write down what your Chiron placement has to say about your core wounds.
- Determine in which house your Rahu (North Node) and Ketu (South Node) are located.
- What does your Rahu-Ketu axis say about your soul purpose?
- Planetary aspects – Identify trines, sextiles, oppositions, squares and conjunctions between planets.
- Tying everything together: What information have you deciphered about your:
- Relationships?
- Family values?
- Finances?
- Career?
- Soul lessons
- Soul purpose?
- Path of your soul
Example:
Jupiter is placed in Cancer for a Cancer Ascendant in the 1st house and is in opposition to Saturn in Capricorn. This person’s North Node, Rahu, is in the third house of Virgo, and the South Node is in the ninth house of Pisces.
So let’s talk about this person’s personality. What is their soul purpose? How will they fulfill it?
Using the steps above, let’s write down the attributes for the placements in this diagram:
- Jupiter – Teacher, guru, happiness, abundance, spirituality, higher education, philosophy
- 1st house – Physical body, energy, vitality, ego
- Cancer – Motherly, emotional, nurturing, homebound and fiercely protective
- Rising sign – How you relate to others and your external style
- Jupiter opposition Saturn – Saturn’s disciplinary effect introduces obstacles to the flow of Jupitarian happiness, abundance and teachings
- North junction – Soul expansion, the area without expertise or experience, fear, soul purpose
- 3rd house – social media, digital marketing, writing, communications, siblings and neighbors
- Virgin – methodical, organized, service-oriented, planning and execution, writing, detail-oriented
- South junction – expertise from past lives transferred into this life, inherent talents that remain dormant until they are worked out, talents from childhood, comfort zone, the area we fall back on during a crisis
- 9th house – higher education, philosophy and adventure
- Pisces – creativity, spirituality, higher consciousness, psychic
Now let’s put it all together:
This birth chart shows a person who is deeply spiritual and possesses immense psychic ability, coupled with a strong ability to nurture and tap into people’s emotions.
All spiritual and metaphysical things come naturally to them because of their actions in past lives. In this life, this person is meant to share their spiritual message with the world in a nourishing creative way using digital marketing and social media.
Their path will be challenging and filled with obstacles until they learn to introduce structure and discipline into their creative endeavors.
Have you started mastering natal chart analysis?
Understand yourself through your birth chart
To conclude, we have now seen the most important components of a birth chart. Hopefully reading a birth chart doesn’t seem so scary now! While this article won’t make you a professional astrologer, these basic principles will take you a long way on your astrological journey, wherever it may lead you.
At the very least, reading your birth chart will help you deepen your understanding of yourself!
Write to us and share what your birth chart has revealed about you that has surprised you!
Related article: The Ultimate Guide to Birth Charts
