The astrological, or natal, chart is a method of mapping the space surrounding our Earth for a birth moment. A natal chart is simply a snapshot of the cosmos at the time of birth -- a cosmic portrait. We know that all things are in motion. Not only do the planets move slowly at different speeds in great elongated orbits around the Sun, but the Earth itself turns on its axis once in 24 hours. As the Earth turns during a day, each one of us is exposed to the entire 360 degrees of the zodiac. The natal chart is a diagram or picture that stops the cosmic clock and captures the universe as it exists at a particular moment.

A natal chart is your individual cosmic portrait or mandala. It is what the universe has to say about who you are and what you may become. The seeds of the future are always sown in the present, but can we read them? This is what the study of astrology is all about: reading the signs of the times and listening to what they have to say about ourselves, now and in the future. Your cosmic portrait is ready any time you are.

The Sun sign interpretations that we find in most newspapers are a far cry from the work of professional astrologers. For one, the sign the Sun was in on the day of your birth (for example Aries, Taurus, or Gemini) is only one of many factors that are looked at by professionals. In addition to the day and year of birth, most professionals use the time and place of birth as well. Birthdate, year, time and place are all needed to pinpoint your place in time and space. Given this information, an astrologer creates what is called a natal or birth chart (erroneously called a horoscope by some).

Each natal chart includes the exact position of the Sun, Moon, and the planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. These planets are then placed in a circular diagram called a chart wheel. This wheel is a miniature diagram of what the sky looked like at the moment of birth as seen from the birthplace.

The very top of the chart, or MC (Medium Coeli -- short for midheaven) is that part of the zodiac directly overhead, while the bottom of the chart, or IC (Imum Coeli, or lower heaven) is the part beneath your feet and on the other side of the Earth from you. At the extreme left-hand side of the wheel is the ascendant, or rising sign -- the part of the zodiac that is on the horizon or rising at the birth moment. Conversely, the descendant is on the right-hand side of the chart. This is the part of the zodiac that is setting. These four points, the ascendant, descendant, midheaven, and IC are very important to astrologers. They are sensitive points.

Back to Top | Get Your Complete Natal Chart

The 12 zodiac signs have different qualities. Certain groups of signs share similar qualities. The two most popular methods for sign grouping are elements and modalities. Astrologers like to see which of the groups their natal planets fall in and add them up to produce counts, or totals. It's fun to tally up your Sun, Moon, and planets and check out your elemental and modality balance. The basic thing to keep in mind while doing this is that we become what we want (or lack) and we do what we can (or have to do). Our highest totals, which show what we can or have to do, are often not held dear. Most people are obsessed by what they lack or want -- their lowest totals. They tend to study their wants, imitate, and even fake them. They become or turn towards what they want or lack.

Elements. A very popular grouping of the signs is that of the four elements -- fire, earth, air, and water.

Fire Signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius. People with lots of fire in their chart are very active and involved and "can do" all kinds of things. Those with little fire can't get started and may need someone to light a fire under them.

Earth Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn. People with lots of earth are very practical. They can see how to do and use things. Those with little earth can't be objective, aren't grounded or practical.

Air Signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius. People with lots of air are analytical; they are able to resolve and draw conclusions. Those with little air have trouble with abstractions and ideas -- getting the "big picture."

Water Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces. People with lots of water are very feeling and "sense"-ative. Those with little water can't get a feel for things; they run cool.

Modalities. Another popular way of grouping the zodiac signs is by cardinal, fixed, and mutable.

Cardinal Signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn. People with a heavy emphasis in cardinal signs are self-starters, doers. They initiate and get things moving. Folks with few planets in cardinal signs may have trouble getting the ball rolling.

Fixed Signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius. People with a heavy emphasis in fixed signs hang onto and preserve life. They are at the center of things and are hard to budge. Folks with few planets in fixed signs may have trouble persevering and lack stick-to-it-ive-ness.

Mutable Signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces. People with a heavy emphasis in mutable signs are on the move and transformative. They communicate and assist things to change. Folks with few planets in mutable signs may have trouble adapting or being flexible.

Back to Top | Get Your Complete Natal Chart

Aspects are an important part of modern astrology. As the planets move in their elongated orbits around the Sun, they form various angular relationships with one another, using the Sun (or Earth) as the center. These are called aspects. The most popular aspects result from dividing the circle by numbers like 1, 2, 3, 4, resulting in aspects such as the conjunction (0 degrees), opposition (180 degrees), trine (120 degrees), square (90 degrees), and so forth. When two planets form an aspect with one another, their energies and natures are said to combine and work in harmony or discord. For example, when two planets are exactly on opposite sides of the Sun (Earth), they are in opposition.

The most popular aspects can be divided into three main categories:

The "emphatic" aspects: The emphatic aspects are those that emphasize or align two planetary energies with one another.

Conjunction (0 degrees) Two planets at the same point in the zodiac are said to be in conjunction. Their natures are fused or blended into one.

Opposition (180 degrees) Two planets at opposite sides of the zodiac. The energies are in alignment with each other. They can pull together or apart, depending upon the nature of the planets involved.

The "hard" aspects: square (90 degrees) and semi-square (45 degrees). These represent challenge, obstacles, and substance. They provide meat and potatoes in our life. Too many can block or obstruct the life flow, yet too few can cause life to be weak or thin.

The "soft" aspects: trine (120 degrees) and sextile (60 degrees) The soft aspects bring ease, clarity, and vision to our lives. We can see, grasp, and understand what is happening. Too few of the soft aspects means we don't know what we are doing or what is happening in our lives, while too many soft aspects make for a life that runs cool, is overly mental, and lacking in substance.

"Exact" aspects and aspect's "orbs" Aspects between planets gradually form, become exact, and separate. When an aspect is exact, it has its greatest impact. Yet, the effect of most aspects can be felt for some time before and after the moment when it is exact. The range within which an aspect is in operation is called its "orb of influence," or simply its orb. An orb of one or two degrees of arc on either side of the exact aspect is considered a close or tight orb, while an orb of 10 degrees is loose.

Also worthy of consideration when looking at aspects are the planets involved. Aspects to the Sun and Moon (the lights) are most important, followed by the planetary aspects involving Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. If your natal chart has an accurate birth time, then aspects to the chart angles (ascendant and midheaven) are also important. The particular combination can make a difference too. Aspects between planets such as Saturn and Mars (traditional malefics) are obviously more potentially explosive than the same aspect between Venus and Jupiter (traditional benefics).

Back to Top | Get Your Complete Natal Chart

In astrology, the larger life of our solar system as a whole tells us something about our own personal Earth life. The interplay and relationship of the planets with one another as they circle the Sun is carefully studied. Of particular interest to astrologers are the Sun, the Moon, and the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. These are the celestial bodies used most often by modern astrologers for natal interpretation. Each of these planets represents or refers to a part of our life and self. Here are some of the concepts and key words associated with each planet:

Sun. The heart and center of it all. The father, guru, teacher or figure of authority. Anyone older or living in an experience more disciplined than our own. That which we look up to and receive light from. That which we may become.

Moon. Our surroundings, the environment out of which we came. Our past and childhood. Our formative years and self. The background. That out of which we emerged.

Mercury. Communication at light speed. Linkage. Thought. Ideas. The light of the mind. Logos, direct voice.

Venus. How we respond, appreciate, cherish or value something. The way we love. Love, but not attraction. Compassion.

Mars. Energy. What drives or moves us. Our emotions. Urge to unify or become one, therefore yoga, union, or marriage.

Jupiter. The way through or on. Continuing, continuity, succession, success. The pathfinder or lamp through the trials of time. Luck.

Saturn. The giver of laws or rules. The prince of time and the material world. Satan. Laws. Sometimes obstacles, authority.

Uranus. Insight, invention, breakthrough. Good uses for Saturn. "To see eternity in a grain of sand."

Neptune. Cherish, solve, compassion. "The dewdrop slips into the shining sea". Unity, solution, one.

Pluto. Transformation. Sensitivity to the impermanence of life. Intimations of mortality.

Lunar north node. Vocation or application point. Right-of-way.

Back to Top | Get Your Complete Natal Chart

The Sun and Moon (or lights, as they are called) are the two most important bodies. It is sometimes easier to understand what they represent in astrology if we consider how they interrelate with the Earth.

A good analogy is the following. Each of us is on Earth. The bright and shining Sun represents someone older, someone we look up to -- whether that be a teacher or guru. The Moon represents someone younger, especially the groups that we used to belong to. That is the analogy. Here is how we might think about it:

We can't live either on the Sun or Moon. We have grown out of and beyond the younger generation (Moon). Out of it we once came or were born. This is why the Moon is said to be a mystery. It is both our parent and our child. Regardless, we no longer are alive to what moves the younger generation. The same kind of reasoning is true of those older than us, who have taken more degrees of experience. We are still too young... not yet ready to live in the solar environment. We receive light from the Sun, and it makes life grow.

We each have both a Sun and a Moon. In the course of a month, these two bodies take up various positions in relation to where we are on Earth. At the Full Moon, the Moon is beyond the orbit of the Earth (farther out) and reflecting sunlight back on us. At the New Moon, the Moon is within the Earth's orbit and lost in the Sun. Tradition suggests that we start (or may receive) an impulse at the New Moon, build and develop it for two weeks until the Full Moon, and then gradually understand or draw some conclusions from the experience during the two weeks after the moon is full.

Back to Top | Get Your Complete Natal Chart

The key to the planets, or the chakras: Here is a planetary key to personal natal chart interpretation that any beginning astrological student can use with confidence. The natural ordering of the planets that can be seen easily with the naked eye can serve as a key to their interpretation. As we know, the planetary order out from the Sun is Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. These are the naked-eye planets. Beyond Saturn are the planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

We will start with Saturn and work our way in towards the Sun. The key thought necessary in order to use these planets in your own horoscope is this: the inner planet is always the key to the outer. In every case, in order to reveal, open, and use the outer, we go within. In other words, each inner planet is the meaning and key to the planet beyond its orbit. For example, we live on Earth. The next planet inside the orbit of the Earth is Venus. Therefore, Venus will be the key to the Earth experience. If we stop and think about it, Venus (or love) has been held up as the key to life on this Earth throughout the ages. If we have obstacles and problems in our life (Saturn), then studying one's Jupiter will give us the key to the planet Saturn in our natal chart... Mars will be the key to Jupiter, and so on. Let's begin.

Saturn, or law:

Almost every astrologer wants to know where Saturn is in the chart because here we are sure to gain insight into some of the major obstacles and challenges of life. Saturn, or Satan (as it is sometimes called), is the prince of time and of the material world. We don't break nature's laws, they break us. The laws of Saturn are much feared, for it is here that we are bound to learn. The laws of Saturn are often seen as standing between us and an easy life. But Saturn also provides the walls that make homes possible. Gravity is an example -- the law that holds things in place. We come across the influence of Saturn every time we break nature's law. We are subjected and tested by these laws until such time as we learn to use them. Saturn is so important in the chart because it shows us where we must be disciplined and where we are bound to learn something; therefore, everyone always wants to know how to come to grips with Saturn in the natal chart. The key to the realm of Saturn in our chart can be found by studying our natal Jupiter.

Jupiter, or life path:

If Saturn is our life's test, then Jupiter is the key, guide, and light that sees us through the darkness of time (or Saturn). It is the straight and narrow path by which we pass through Saturn's test. Jupiter is the particular way we go or continue in life -- continuity. It is our "luck" or solution to time's test. In astrology, Jupiter is the great benefic as it shows us how to find our way through Saturn and the tests of time -- how to use Saturn. Jupiter is our key to succession through time, to success. It is the way through or on. Jupiter is the key, or antidote, to Saturn; therefore, Jupiter has to do with how we are to be successful in life in our particular battle against the forces of time (Saturn). Jupiter often describes our vocation or the way we must go through life, since that through which we have to pass (Saturn) dictates the way we must go through life (our vocation). We have mastered our Jupiter when we are a physical success.

Once we have learned to master our Saturn, to be successful, our mind is free to explore our situation. The freedom of Jupiter is eternal vigilance toward the law or rules of Saturn. We go from victory to victory over time, or Saturn, which translates into day-to-day success. We make a living.

Now that we are free within time, or Saturn, our mind begins to wonder what it all means. What's the purpose of all this? We begin to penetrate into the next chakra, that of Mars. The key to our success (Jupiter) will be the planet Mars -- how we feel about our life.

Mars, or the marriage:

Mars is the energy that moves us, the way we feel -- our emotions. It is what drives us and the way we are driven. And it is the kind of energy or drive that we have which determines our personal atmosphere or aura: the kind of room or space in which we have to live -- our living room. The kind of room we have determines how we feel about our life, comfortable or cramped. After Jupiter fades to an easy repetition, our mind turns to thoughts of unity, oneness -- marriage.

We are driven to marriage, or yoga, of one kind or another. It is the way the two become one. Everyone chooses a form of yoga, union, or marriage... some way to join or yoke the two opposing parts of ourselves together and to perceive them as one life -- ours.

We master each planet or chakra, maintain it, and move on or penetrate into the next, inner one. The Jupiter chakra is a tremendous war between us and them. Dichotomy. When we seek to understand the secret of "us" and "them," we penetrate into the Mars chakra -- what it all means. Meaning drives us across the Earth until we can see the end of all difference, that it is all one.

We are free at last from the bonds of Saturn (Satan). We have learned what we must do to survive or to succeed in life. Yet the world we live in is not a unity. It is us against them. And still this somehow does not feel right.

Our life becomes a process of gathering meanings and hints of a possible unity between the opposing parties. This is the yoga, union, or marriage that each must negotiate. The entire Mars chakra has to do with dealing with all the motion, emotion, and meanings of life. Following them out, understanding them. Mars, therefore, is the sphere of all things meaningful, everything that moves us: music, poetry, drama, movies -- the works. Anything that gets a rise out of us. We are working with our Mars as long as we have not completed our yoga, or marriage, as long as the two have not become one. As long as we are intrigued and drawn hither and yon, we are working on our Mars. This mysterious person beckons, that piece of music or poem captures our attention, moves us.

Mars is our marriage or union. It is the systematic making friends with everything that is foreign (other than us). At some point in this journey, we get the message. We cease to be blown hither and yon by every passing emotion. We discover that life is its own meaning. We have penetrated to the Earth, or heart chakra.

Earth, or the heart:

We ourselves are the meaning. "I AM THAT I AM," and for no other reason. We take refuge in life itself with no referrals. This is it!

"I am in it to the end, and that's all, And the 'ever' it's coming to be. And in me is out, the shadow of doubt, And the 'in' that is 'out', Well, that's me!"

Earth/Sun represent the end of meaning, the heart of it all. The two are one. The marriage is consummated, the child is born. The Earth is us as we are in our oneness. The Sun is the essence of what it all means.

The planets inside the orbit of the Earth, Venus and Mercury, are very misunderstood in modern astrology. Both are beyond any physical depiction.

Inside Earth. Compassion. Infinite response and attention. Cherishing. How we respond to life. How we find ourselves in response to life. Love, in the sense of responding or attending to.

Messenger truth. First out from the Sun. The light of knowing or seeing in our eyes. Communication itself. Essence of communication.

The Sun is not a planet. The description for the Earth given above is the traditional meaning for the Sun. The true Sun is the whole solar system.

Back to Top | Get Your Complete Natal Chart

Aries. The Ram. Spring. The pioneer, adventurer. Courage, daring, boldness. The fountainhead or source. The word of Logos. Impulse, energetic, start, beginning, manifestation.

Taurus. The Bull. The universe's response, reaction to the new impulse at Aries. Aries draws forth in Taurus a body or environment to match the impulse. Every new thought or impulse draws forth a response from the universe. Taurus is the body that comes forth. It is all kinds of having, fielding, response. The field. The ear. Taurus is the steady, deliberate, determined response of life to new ideas, impulses, and so on -- possessing them, embodying them.

Gemini: The Twins. The endless search for experience, substance, and limits. Always in motion, communicating, inquiring, investigating, exploring. "Getting to know you, getting to know all about you." Nervous, versatile, inventive, curious, linking, reasoning, making connections.

Cancer: The Crab. The experience, vehicle, or body itself. The house and home -- The Chariot. The experience as in feeling, living, and sensing life. Protective, domestic, sympathetic.

Leo: The Lion. Self-awareness, ownership, pride. Discovery. Emotion (emote: to move out from, migrate), expression. Acting, creative, children, sports. Fullness, power, pride of ownership. I have lived, I live! Regal.

Virgo: The Virgin. Concern, care for. Conservation of life. Salvage, harvesting, repair, maintenance. The drive to conserve and maintain life -- salvage, salvation. Attention to details, repair, craftsmanship. Busy, concerned, careful. Worrying. Practical, analytical, discriminating.

Libra. The Scale. Marriage and union. (Yoga: to join, or yoke.) Marriage is the most common form of yoga. Unconditional acceptance or response. Diplomatic. Compassionate, attentive.

Scorpio. The Scorpion. Purgatory, the furnace, phoenix. The adjustments of marriage or union. Responsibility. Removing excess, purification. Reduction of personality to essentials. Intense, penetrating, elimination, metamorphosis, genuine.

Sagittarius. The Archer. What remains after the furnace of Scorpio. The remains, relics, embers. That which cannot be further reduced. Thus the truth, religion, philosophy. Enthusiastic, profound, generous, frank. Projection.

Capricorn: The Goat. The purified essence bursts into light. Clairvoyance, clear-seeing. Practical vision. Unemotional. Sober, orderly, control, manipulating, power.

Aquarius: The Water Bearer. Carrying the spiritual light of Capricorn into actuality. "For spirit must be made to matter." The resolve to implement our clearest vision. The will to do it. Impersonal, willing to work with anyone and any vehicle, thus, group or team work. Aspiring, unconventional, humane associations.

Pisces. The Fishes. Intuitive. Accepting, understanding, willing to sacrifice. Accepting what is for the sake of what could be made of it.

Back to Top | Get Your Complete Natal Chart

The astrological wheel, or mandala, is a map of the space surrounding us at the time of our birth. The wheel is divided into twelve sections called houses -- six houses in the sky above, six beneath the Earth below. These houses are numbered counterclockwise, starting with the 1st house and the direction east, on the left-hand side of the wheel. Planets in the heavens are placed on the chart wheel in the houses that correspond to where they actually are in the sky. Of the 12 houses, astrologers find the four most important are the one directly above our heads (10th), the one under our feet (4th), the one on the left and to the east (1st), and the one on the right and to the west (7th). These four are called angular, because they mark the corners of the chart: south, north, east, and west.

Life continues after the birth moment. Astrologers watch the planets (as they continue on in the sky after a birth) move through the houses of the natal chart. Their movement is counterclockwise as they go from the upper hemisphere (houses 7-12), across the ascendant, (1st house cusp) into the lower hemisphere (houses 1-6), and on around.

In the chart wheel, the planets are placed in their zodiac positions. The zodiac stretches in a circle through all 360 degrees of the surrounding sky, and this circle is divided into sections of 30 degrees -- the familiar 12 signs. Planet positions are measured within signs by degrees, minutes, and seconds of circular arc. Each degree contains 60 minutes of arc and each minute of arc contains 60 seconds of arc. For example, I might tell you that my Moon (Moon at birth) is in the sign Taurus (2nd sign). More exactly it is in the 23rd degree of Taurus. It is actually at 23 degrees and 28 minutes of the sign Taurus.

The chart wheel is usually divided into 12 sections called houses. The houses are numbered (counterclockwise) from 1 to 12. The pie-like lines that divide one house from the next are called house cusps. For example, the cusp of the 1st house is the horizontal line on the left-hand (east) side of the wheel.

Keep in mind that our Earth makes a complete turn on its axis once in 24 hours. The chart wheel represents the space surrounding where we were born. It is as if we were standing outside with the sky above us (upper part of chart) and the Earth beneath our feet (lower hemisphere). As the Earth turns, it brings each of the 360 degrees of the zodiac overhead (or to any part of the wheel) once in 24 hours -- a new degree of the zodiac every four minutes.

As you can see, the symbols for the planets have been placed in the part of the sky (the house) in which they were at the time of your birth. For example, if you were born in the daytime, then the symbol for the Sun will be somewhere in the upper half of the wheel. If you were born at noon, the sun would be almost right overhead or at the top of the chart, while if you were born at midnight it would be at the bottom (4th house) of the chart.

The wheel is also seen as two hemispheres -- a top and a bottom. The upper part of the chart (houses 7-12) represents that part of the sky that was overhead and above the horizon at the time of our birth. It has to do with the world of thoughts, ideas, ideals, and planning. The lower hemisphere (houses 1-6) marks that part of the heavens that we have under us -- and cannot see -- below the horizon and on the other side of the Earth from us. It has to do with experiences, embodiments, incarnation, and so forth. In other word, the sky above and the Earth below.

Back to Top | Get Your Complete Natal Chart

The chart wheel or mandala of 12 houses can be seen as a circle, or cycle, with each house leading to the next house, and so on, in a counterclockwise direction. Let's start at the very top of the wheel, the MC and the cusp of the 10th house.

10th House. The 10th house at the peak of the chart, represents the most ideal or out-of-the-body part of the wheel. It is directly overhead, up-there, and to the south. It is the house of clear, practical vision (clairvoyance). Ideas can take their start here as planets pass through the 10th house. In the natal chart, the 10th house represents where we have our head above water and can see what to do -- clear practical vision. It is therefore associated with career, vocation, and the like. The tenth house holds a clear idea about something -- what is often called an out-of-the-body vision or experience, a time when we really get an insight in its totality.

11th House. The 11th house is a movement away from the 10th and down towards the lower hemisphere of the chart. The 11th house takes the clear idea seen in the 10th and resolves to put it to work, to keep it in mind or make it "matter." We make a commitment to carry the idea into our daily life; that is, carry it across the ascendant (1st house cusp) and into the lower part of the chart, our personal life. The 11th house has to do with plans for action, group goals, cooperation.

12th House. The 12th house is even closer to the ascendant and the sphere of action. The bright idea that we had in the 10th, and the resolve to do something about it that we made in the 11th, is coming up against the status quo of the ascendant in the 12th -- our day-to-day reality. In the 12th house we are faced with a choice. We are about to cross over from the more impersonal realm of ideas and planning into our actual day-to-day circumstances. In the 12th, we begin to face the difference between our idea and our reality. We can either forget the whole thing and let the idea go, or we can care enough about making the idea matter in our life to buckle down and accept the way things are (status quo) and try to overcome them... to bring our new idea through and get it across the ascendant.

Back to Top | Get Your Complete Natal Chart

The 1st house marks the division between the upper and lower houses, between the mind and the body. If the upper houses show what is going on in our minds, the lower houses refer to our bodies -- the experience of life.

1st House. The 1st house shows the result of what we managed to bring across from the world of ideas, plans, and commitments. It's what remains when our new idea and impulse meet our reality. It is what overflows the status quo. It is a direct indication of how much we are able to accept.

2nd House. The 2nd house is the reaction of our life and environment to whatever was new in the 1st. It has to do with how our life changes because of, or in response to, this new energy. It has to do with how we adapt to, possess, or have something.

3rd House. The 3rd house continues the drama set forth in the 1st and 2nd. The 1st is the new start, the 2nd is the new body or what is drawn forth in response to the 1st, and the 3rd is how the situation develops to its fullness. It has to do with the working out and exploring of all the details and ramifications of what is forming.

4th House. The 4th house marks the extent to which this body develops its limits. It is also one of the angular houses and starts a new series of three. The 4th house has to do with fullness of experience -- the body or meat of it. Development has reached its physical peak and can go no further. Instead, we can feel or move within the experience.

5th House. The 5th house signals the end of the simple feeling of the experience and the beginning of consciousness of what it is that we have experienced. We are pouring forth or leaving the body. Emote, emotions. Offspring, self-consciousness, pride, and the like.

6th House. The 6th house signals the end of the vitality of the body and marks attempts to prolong, conserve, and take care of the experience or body. The experience or "party" is over.

7th House. The 7th house, another angular house, marks the beginning of a new series of three houses. Here we cross over from the personal houses to the impersonal houses. The personal experience of the first 6 houses is finished. It falls away from us and we see it as a complete stage in our development or whole. We leave the body and start into the mind. A turning away from the attempt for personal salvation toward a concern for others. Marriage.

8th House. The 8th house results from our fully grasping the nature of the completed personal experience in the first six houses... what was right about it and what was wrong. Here we strip away and can do without what was wrong. The extra baggage is unloaded.

9th House. The 9th house has to do with what remains when all extra is stripped away. It is what remains or is enduring from the entire episode. The seed essence. It becomes the light for a new idea in the 10th, where the whole cycle repeats itself.

Back to Top | Get Your Complete Natal Chart

Here are some brief descriptions of the 12 houses and what they mean to astrologers. We will start with the 10th house -- the house of clear, practical vision.

Tenth house. Career. Practical talents. Ideals. Where you see most clearly, clairvoyance. Thus your particular management, practical vision, and supervisory skills. Where you can see to do.

Eleventh house. Larger goals. Putting ideas to work. Impersonal drive to realize your ideals. Working with others in groups, organization, friends. Planning. Humanitarian, community to improve.

Twelfth house. Limits, confines, hidden faults. Therefore confinement, prisons, dues, karma. Attitude, psychology, acceptance, sacrifice, forbearance.

First house. News, impulse, start. Live action, what's "happening" or fresh. The way you come across, thus appearance, persona, head, identity.

Second house. Possessions, money. How you receive, have, value, or embody things.

Third house. Searches, investigations, inquiries, explorations. Communications -- thinking, writing, letters, gossip, media.

Fourth house. Home and property. Environment, sensate body, experience, heart of the matter. Prime of life or center of an experience -- body, incarnation. Finding.

Fifth house. Awareness, pride, self-discovery. Self-expression, emotions, stepping-out. Offspring, creations, teaching, acting, playing. Sports.

Sixth house. Maintenance, salvage, conservation, purity, harvesting, service, repair. Working for others. Analytical skills. Health and sickness. Detailed work, crafts.

Seventh house. Your marriage, partner, union, and yoga. Compassion, response. Spirit of cooperation.

Eighth house. Obligations, debts and assets, excess, death. Initiation, purification, purgatory. Dross, furnace.

Ninth house. Seed essence, bare facts, relics, religion, philosophy. Enduring thoughts, ideas. Long thoughts, long journeys.

What is a Chart Wheel

A chart wheel is a visual representation of the position of planets in the sky at the time of your birth. Your chart wheel is divided into twelve sections, which are referred to as "houses". The planets reflect types of energies and how they express themselves and the houses represent the areas of life or the circumstances in which those energies express.

Back to Top | Get Your Complete Natal Chart (Sample Chart Wheel )


What is a "Sun Sign?"

     Your Sun Sign is a key part of an astrological chart, and represents your general temperament. It is determined simply by the day and month of your birth and provides the answer to the common question "What sign are you?"
     Your Sun Sign represents your basic individuality, who you are when you are alone. This is a very important piece of your astrological profile to be sure, but it is a small part -- there are hundreds of other variables to take into account. It is a mistake to think that knowing about your Sun Sign is going to deliver information about how you process things, interact with the world or deal with emotions and relationships. These and other aspects of your being are reflected by other heavenly bodies and how they all are "aspected" to each other.
     Think of it this way: imagine you are looking down a long hallway and see someone at a distance. You're asked to describe the person, but all you can see is they're wearing a red sweatshirt. As you walk closer, you're able to discern that they"ve got blonde hair. Walk closer still and you can see that it's a woman. Closer still and you see freckles on her face.
     Astrology operates in much the same way. Knowing the month and day of your birth is to see the most obvious element of an astrological profile -- the Sun Sign. But take a step closer, or add other information that's vital to an astrologer, such as the person's year of birth, exact time of birth and location of birth, and a story unfolds, layer by marvelous layer, detail by detail.
     It's worth mentioning that daily horoscopes, the most commonly recognized form of astrology in the world, often appear to offer only a vague reflection of a person's Sun Sign. As you can see, there are many working parts to your astrological makeup, and writing any forecast without benefit of specific birth data is much like being asked to describe someone in great detail from a distance.
     That being said, horoscopes can be a wonderful tool for getting the general astrological "lay of the land," and a good daily astrologer is expert at keeping us apprised of general conditions. We're extremely proud to feature professional astrologer Rick Levine and his daily horoscopes on the Tarot.com site, and we hope they'll inspire you to learn more about astrology and your own astrological makeup.
     A full astrological report will not only interpret your Sun Sign, but will also tell you how it affects and is affected by your particular Rising Sign, Moon Sign and the other elements of your birth chart.

Back to Top | Get Your Complete Natal Chart

What is a "Moon Sign?"

Every 2 and 1/3 days, the Moon moves from one sign to the next, taking a total of 28 days to do a complete trip around the zodiac, stopping for a visit in one of each of the twelve signs of the zodiac before starting the same journey all over again.
If your Rising Sign represents your "external" self, it can be said that your Moon Sign represents your "inner" or "emotional" self, or the way you handle your emotions and the way you truly feel, whether you reveal it or not. To most astrologers, the moon is also about your intuition, your inner vulnerabilities, your fears as well as the things that can stir your heart. As is the case with the Ascendant, your Moon Sign may be entirely different from your Sun Sign, and reading your daily horoscope for your Moon Sign can also provide yet more insight into your personal astrological makeup.
A full astrological report will not only interpret your Moon Sign, but will also tell you how it affects and is affected by your particular Sun Sign, Rising Sign and the other elements of your birth chart.

Back to Top | Get Your Complete Natal Chart

What is a "Rising Sign?"

Your Rising Sign or "Ascendant" reflects that 1/12th slice of the sky that was ascending on the Eastern horizon the moment you were born, and is located on the cusp of the First House of your astrological chart. Knowing your birth time is a necessary piece of information to determine your Rising Sign.
Your Rising Sign is an important part of your astrological chart, because it represents the way you project yourself outward, the way you're seen and perceived by the rest of the world and the general "impression" that you make on others. It is frequently the case that a person will have a Rising Sign that is entirely different from their Sun Sign, and learning about your Rising Sign, and even reading your daily horoscope for that sign, can provide greater insight into your personal astrological makeup.
A full astrological report will not only interpret your Rising Sign, but will also tell you how it affects and is affected by your particular Sun Sign, Moon Sign, and the other elements of your birth chart.

Back to Top | Get Your Complete Natal Chart

Why is the birth time important?

Birth Times are important because the planetary and cosmic forces that govern astrology are in constant motion. Depending upon the specifics of your unique situation, the difference of even an hour can affect the accuracy of your Astrology Report. Critical factors like your Moon sign and your Rising sign (the Ascendant) change location in the zodiac or rotate significantly throughout the course of the day. Astrologers use the exact placement of these items and other key indicators as a basis for the most detailed and specific interpretations.
Good sources of birth time information are your birth certificate, your mom or dad, a baby book, or the hospital records where you were born (usually the most accurate source). If you can't locate the exact moment of birth, try to get as close as you can. (Lots of moms remember the approximate time their children were born, if not the exact minute.)

What can astrology do for you?

In one way or another, astrology is useful to nearly everyone. The Astrology.Tarot.com site offers several kinds of interpretive reports, all of which can help you to see the pattern of a person's life, the inner drive and meaning behind their behavior, their compatibility, and their ability to get along with others.
The basic premise of Astrology supports a respect for diversity. Once you come to understand that people aren't defined by their Sun sign ("I'm a Leo"), you'll begin to understand that every individual is a unique mix of all 12 signs, just in different proportions. So, if we don't understand someone else's behavior, we can more easily cut them some slack ("Hmmm ... I wonder how the world appears to a triple Scorpio!"), learn something new about the human condition, and get along better as a result. Astrology helps us to better appreciate and respect -- not just intellectually understand -- the wondrous variability among human beings in a way that is difficult to achieve with other tools.
People use astrology in many different ways -- from investing in the stock market, to making business decisions, to analyzing political situations and social movements. The applications of astrology are almost endless.

Back to Top | Get Your Complete Natal Chart