So, whether you believe in astrology or it can definitely reveal a lot about who someone is. Before you dismiss it as bogus, it’s important to understand it. Many people who doubt astrology read a Cosmo article with generic horoscopes, or saw a Tiktok of a girl making generalizations about a whole sign based on her ex’s sun sign. As people we are a whole chart, and astrology is a lot deeper then sun signs and horoscopes.
For starters, to understand astrology best it is important to understand the birth chart. The birth chart is comprised of eleven planetary signs, twelves houses, different aspects, degrees, and more. This article will break down everything you need to know about understanding astrology and your birth charts.
Natal/Birth chart: a natal chart is a complete reading of the way the sky looked when you were born. Astrodienst offers a free birth chart that is the most accurate and detailed one I’ve found. You need to know your birthday, birth time and birth location. This can tell you about your planetary signs, houses, aspects and more. To understand it best have someone who’s at least familar with astrology there to help you. ‘
Before we get into the details, some quick things to know:
Understanding the elements: There are four elements in astrology. Fire, air, earth and water. Each sign has an element associated with it. These elements can predict general temperement and romantic compatability depending on the placement. All of these elements will be in a balanced chart.
- Fire Signs: Aries, Leo & Saggitarius. A sign who’s element is fire. These signs are attributed with being intense and excitable. They’re fun. They tend to be good leaders.
- Air Signs: Gemini, Libra & Aquarius. A sign who’s element is air. Air signs are known to be social and intellectual. They can come off as flighty or detached.
- Earth Signs: Virgo, Capricorn & Taurus. A sign whose element is earth. They are known to be reliable, and practical. They have a strong sense of self. They are very steady people.
- Water Signs: Pisces, Scorpio & Cancer. Water signs are known to be intuitive and sensitive. They are very in touch with their emotions and have a heightened creativity.
Understanding the qualities: Every sign has quality. There are three different qualities: mutable, fixed and cardinal. These qualities describe a person’s attitude in life. They are very indicative on how someone responds to their enviornment, and depending on their placement they can indicate which planets are more influential in the chart.
- Cardinal: Aries, Cancer, Libra & Capricorn. The Cardinal Signs are known as the initiators of the Zodiac. They are natural leaders and trendsetters. They have a strong need to control what is happening around them.
Cancer controls emotions, home, and family; Aries look for leadership and control in many areas; Libra likes to control the social atmosphere and their partnerships; Capricorn uses and controls the material environment.
- Fixed: Leo, Taurus, Aquarius & Scorpio. These signs are happy to concentrate on personal matters, but don’t feel the need to change or control their enviornment. They tend to hang on to the past, which is their biggest weakness, but they are strong in their stability. Super goal oriented, and love a good to do list.
Taurus is the more mainstream of the bunch; Leo has a hard time adapting behavior to different circumstances; Aquarius can become stuck in a negative self-image; Scorpio has a tendency to get mired in emotional mud. However, all of the Fixed signs are able to stick things through.
- Mutable: Virgo, Pisces, Sagittarius & Gemini. This group is the most exposed to environmental influences. It’s easy for these people to let go, but they do tend to look for security to anchor their own instabilities on. They are most influenced by other placements and aspects in the chart. For example, someone with a virgo sun might identify more with the fixed or cardinal signs in their chart.
Virgo is very much dominated by his or her environment; Gemini tends to change ideas and directions often; Sagittarius goes through life with a continually adaptive view of things; from the outside, Pisces appear to adapt to their environment.
Understanding Aspects: An aspect is the angle between two planets. It is often calculated using a chart depicting the postion of the “heavenly bodies” in the sky. There are five major aspects: opposition, trine, square, conjunction, and sextile. These aspects further personalize our birthcharts.
- Opposition: at 180 degrees, this angle causes awarness and pressure. It’s not necessarily bad, it depends on what planets are in question.
- Trine: The most positive aspect. 120 degrees. It’s almost too perfect.
- Square: An angle of 90 degrees, this aspect is thought to be negative and stressful, putting the two planets at odds with each other.
- Conjunction: This aspect occurs when two planets are at the same degree, and can be a harmonious or discordant aspect depending on which planets are in conjunction.
- Sextile: this angle is 60 degrees. This is generally thought of as a positive postioning allowing the two planets to work harmoniously.
Other things to know:
- Stellium: In your natal chart, a cluster of planets in one sign – for example having your moon, venus, mercury, and mars in Pisces. Some say three planets constitutes a stellium, others say four.
- Dominant: An energy that colors or controls your natal chart – usually a sign. For example, if you have a lot of Virgo placements you’d be a virgo dominant.
- Chiron: a comet with a slow and unique orbit – chiron represents the healing of wounds. It’s named after chiron of greek mythology – a healer and a teacher who could not heal himself.
Planetary signs: Each planet in your chart is ruled by a sign. All of these together shape who you are. Each of these signs in your birth chart is where the planet was at the time of your birth. How these planets affect us depend on the sign in them, the degree and the aspects.
- Sun Sign: This is probably the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about astrology. This is where the sun is was at the time of your birth. This is the core of your identity and who you are.
- Moon Sign: This sign where the moon was at your time of birth. This sign we relate to often more than our sun sign. It influences your moods, feelings and emotions. It rules memory, the past, habits and conditioning. This sign is responsible for all day to day actions that do not require concious thought.
- Ascendent (Rising) Sign: Your rising sign indicates how you interact with the world around you and how you’re percieved by others. Think first impressions.
- Mercury Sign: This sign rules communication. It also influences thinking and logic. It indicates speaking styles and language too. It also indicates intelligences and what type of intelligence you’d have.
- Venus Sign: This sign rules relationships (both romantic and platonic), attraction, our values, what we relate to, and habits. Igt informs the way you show love and affection.
- Mars Sign: This sign rules agression and action. It indicates how we go after what we want, how we defend ourselves and flight or fight instincts. It indicates how we deal with conflict. It also rules your sex life.
- Jupiter Sign: This sign is linked to your progress and growth. It also indicates morals and ethics. It indicates humor and desire to travel.
- Saturn Sign: This sign is associated with your boundaries and fears, and the way you self-discipline.
- Uranus, Neptune & Pluto Sign: Because these planets have such wide orbits they tend to represent generational characteristics. Everyone close to your age will have the same ones.
- Uranus represents innovation and rebellion.
- Neptune represents dreams and the unconcious.
- Pluto signals power and transformation.
Houses: The sky is divided into twelve houses. Each house represents a different aspect of life. Here are the houses and a brief/general description of what they mean:
- The First House: This is the house of self. This house represents first impressions, new begginings and leadership. Your rising sign is always in your first house. Any placements in this house will play a big role in who you are.
- The Second House: The Second House is commonly referred to as the House of Possessions. While this refers to that we own, it’s not limited simply to tangible things. It also rules emotions and self-esteem.
- The Third House: The Third House is commonly referred to as the House of Communication. It rules communications and community. It also indicates intelligences.
- The Fourth House: The Fourth House is commonly referred to as the House of Home. It deals with the home, security and parents.
- The Fifth House: The Fifth House is commonly referred to as the House of Pleasure. It rules self expression, creativity and romance.
- The Sixth House: The Sixth House is commonly referred to as the House of Health. It covers health, organization and helping others.
- The Seventh House: The Seventh House is commonly referred to as the House of Partnership. I refer to this as the soulmate house. It represents relationships and partnerships – in work and in life.
- The Eighth House: The Eighth House is commonly referred to as the House of Sex. It rules birth, death and sex. Very intense.
- The Ninth House: The Ninth House is commonly referred to as the House of Philosophy. This house deals with learning, inspiration, religion, luck and philosophy.
- The Tenth House: The Tenth House is commonly referred to as the House of Social Status. This house represents public image, fame and achievment.
- The Eleventh House: The Eleventh House is commonly referred to as the House ofFriends.
- The Twelfth House: The Twelfth House is commonly referred to as the House of the Unconscious. This house deals with the imagination, the subconcious mind and hidden agendas.
Even if you don’t believe in astrology, at least now your educated beyond horoscopes and the sun signs. Remember these are just the basics and there is so much more that goes into it. Keep learning and educating yourself on all things astrology.