In recent years, astrology has re-entered the cultural orbit. Maybe you’ve been told that your impulsive nature makes you such a Sagittarius, or that your organizational skills are giving off major Virgo vibes. You might be wondering though, what these words actually mean, and what it says about you that you’re frequently associated with them. It all stems from the sky under which you were born, which can be studied and analyzed through your own unique birth chart.
Your birth chart, also called a natal chart, is determined by the placement of the sun, moon, and planets at the time of your birth, according to The Cut. This is calculated based on your birthdate, time of birth, and birthplace, and there are many websites on the Internet that can do the math for you when it comes to determining your planetary positions. But even once you have your birth chart, with its unfamiliar symbols and seemingly random numbers, interpreting it can feel like trying to understand a foreign language.
If you’re looking to start your journey to understanding your birth chart, you’re in the right place. Read up on your zodiac signs, along with your planetary placements and their houses, and you might just find that your personality is written in the stars (and the planets).
Each planet’s position in the sky when you were born is representative of a different aspect of your life and ultimately work together to make you who you are today.
- Sun — the essence of you: your ego, sense of self, and overall personality
- Moon — how you process your deepest inner emotions
- Mercury — how you communicate and process new information
- Venus — how you perceive love, as well as your taste in arts and culture and aesthetics
- Mars — what motivates you and how you explore and express your passions
- Jupiter — how you view the world philosophically and perceive luck and wealth
- Saturn — what disciplines you and instills a sense of maturity and responsibility in you
- Neptune — how we connect to our imagination and spirituality
- Uranus — how you push boundaries and express your own uniqueness
- Pluto — how you respond to change and suppress your perceived flaws
Astrology divides Earth’s yearly orbit around the sun into twelve sections, known as the zodiac or star signs. Each zodiac sign is based on a group of different constellations that forms a wheel shape around Earth. As Earth orbits the sun, it moves into different sections of the wheel, meaning that the zodiac wheel doesn’t move, but the Earth moves through the zodiac wheel.
Each zodiac sign has different traits associated with it, and wherever the planets end up in the zodiac wheel at the time of your birth indicates how you approach those aspects of your life.
- Aries (March 21 to April 19) — competitive, ambitious, bold
- Taurus (April 20 to May 20) — relaxed, indulgent, patient
- Gemini (May 21 to June 20) — spontaneous, clever, communicative
- Cancer (June 21 to July 22) — intuitive, protective, emotionally intelligent
- Leo (July 23 to August 22) — confident, courageous, theatrical
- Virgo (August 23 to September 22) — pragmatic, logical, loyal
- Libra (September 23 to October 21) — diplomatic, romantic, sophisticated
- Scorpio (October 22 to November 21) — intense, independent, mysterious
- Sagittarius (November 22 to December 21) — philosophical, adventurous, curious
- Capricorn (December 22 to January 19) — driven, determined, responsible
- Aquarius (January 20 to February 18) — innovative, rebellious, eccentric
- Pisces (February 19 to March 20) — sensitive, empathetic, imaginative
Just as Earth rotates around the sun throughout the year, it also rotates on its own 24-hour axis. Your birth chart takes this into account through houses, which are Earth’s rotation divided up into twelve sections.
The houses start with the ascendant, also known as your rising sign. The ascendant is the sign that is literally ascending on the eastern horizon, which is represented by the leftmost side of your birth chart, at the time of your birth. Your rising sign reflects how people perceive you upon first meeting you. You might hear it included in something called “the big three”, which consist of your sun sign, moon sign, and rising sign. From there, the house wheel moves counterclockwise as Earth rotates on its axis.
The twelve houses line up with the zodiac wheel, but while the zodiac wheel stays stationary, the houses move as Earth spins on its 24-hour axis. Just like the zodiac signs, though, the houses represent different aspects of our lives and the zodiac sign they aligned with at the time of our birth can provide us with insight into how we approach them.
- First House — your general appearance and outlook on life
- Second House — finances and material possessions
- Third House — communication with others and travel
- Fourth House — home life and family relationships
- Fifth House — artistic expression and romance
- Sixth House — personal health and wellness routines
- Seventh House — relationships (romantic or platonic)
- Eighth House — death and rebirth
- Ninth House – philosophy and higher education
- Tenth House — public image and professional goals
- Eleventh House — friendships and technological innovation
- Twelfth House — emotions and spirituality