If you have a keen interest in the art of astrology, then creating your own chart is something that will definitely be up your street. They can be referred to as a birth chart or natal chart, depending on who you talk to or which sites you visit. You may have seen an astrological chart before, and they do look a little technical, but there are sites which offer free astrology chart creation. All you need is your date of birth, time of birth and place of birth.
Where can I create my astrology birth chart?
Go to Horoscope in the main navigation and a list will drop down, and under Drawings & Calculations select Natal Chart, Ascendant. Fill in your details and you will create your chart!
Fill in the details on the page linked above and click submit. You will be emailed with your chart!
Something I would love to have, is a hand drawn chart which has been mapped out with precision to give the best possible representation. Maybe one day I will create this myself as I develop my knowledge and abilities. There are many astrologers which offer this chart creation service, so have a look around at your local ones and see how much it would be.
Interpreting Your Chart
Once you have your chart, you can start interpreting what all of it means. You will see a circular chart split into twelve sections, which are numbered 1-12, with an open space in the centre of the circle. Each segment is associated with a zodiac sign and the chart will have planetary glyphs spread across these segments. Your chart may also be accompanied by a square table featuring the symbols found in the centre of the chart.
As mentioned in the video above, Bob Marks provides some great information on how to interpret your chart. Check out the Astrology Lessons section which has links to a lot of information; you’ll be able to interpret your chart in no time.
What does it all mean?
The sections numbered 1 to 12 are symbolic of the houses; 1st to 12th. These houses can vary quite dramatically in size, to take up more or less of a chart.
The signs in each section are symbolic of each of the zodiac signs. They mean different things depending on which house they appear in. The signs always take up 30° of the chart each.
The planetary glyphs show the positioning of the planets at the place,time and date of your birth. Again, these will mean something different depending upon the house and sign they fall into.
You will see symbols and lines in the open centre of the circle, which symbolise…
The Basic Representations
Each area of the chart and every symbol and glyph represents an aspect of life or personality.
The Planets
These are symbolic of what you do in life, and who you are/aspects of your life:
| Sun | Self Expression | Your ego, who you really are |
| Moon | Emotion | Your needs, your emotional life |
| Mercury | Perception | How you communicate |
| Venus | Attraction | The way you love, your attitude to abundance |
| Earth | Contribution | Life path, contribution, service |
| Mars | Assertion | How you fight, your sex life, personal drive, will, courage |
| Jupiter | Expansion | The areas in which you are lucky, expansion, generosity |
| Saturn | Limitation | The lessons you have to learn, authority, structure, responsibility |
| Uranus | Individualism | Your personal scope for radical and essential changes, rebellion, innovation |
| Neptune | Compassion | Where you dream or are confused, spirituality, illusion, transcendence |
| Pluto | Compulsion | The possibilities of transformation and change, power, regeneration |
The Signs
These are symbolic of how things are done and characteristic traits:
| Aries | I am | Speedy, impulsive, courageous, enthusiastic and brash |
| Taurus | I have | Slow, practical, persistant, stubborn and pleasure-seeking |
| Gemini | I think | Witty, intelligent, communicative, indecisive and clever |
| Cancer | I feel | Homey, caring, empathetic, fearful and dynamic |
| Leo | I will | Confident, creative, playful and magnanimous |
| Virgo | I examine | Finicky, analytical, neurotic, helpful and reliable |
| Libra | I complement | Harmonious, gracious, charming, manipulative and diplomatic |
| Scorpio | I desire | Deep, intense, passionate and mysterious |
| Sagittarius | I seek | Adventurous, honest, optimistic and gregarious |
| Capricorn | I use | Ambitious, ruthless, serious and ordered |
| Aquarius | I know | Independent, inflexible, detached and humanitarian |
| Pisces | I believe | Soulful, imaginative, unfocused, compassionate and gentle |
The Houses
These relate to areas in your life, specific to various aspects:
| First | Your appearance and image |
| Second | Cash, property and possessions, values |
| Third | Communication, siblings, neighbours |
| Fourth | Home and family, all things domestic |
| Fifth | Love, creativity, kids, pursuit of pleasure |
| Sixth | Daily routines, including your work, your health, duty |
| Seventh | Your lovers, spouse and ex, enemies, any sort of partner, cooperation and competition |
| Eighth | Joint finances, debts, sex, anything you consider taboo, inheritance, transformation |
| Ninth | Study, travel, the Great Cosmic Quest, higher learning, religion, spirituality, dreams |
| Tenth | Your career, ambitions, how you make your mark on the world, your reputation |
| Eleventh | Friends, networks, social circles, hopes and wishes |
| Twelfth | The deepest, darkest, most sensitive part. Fears, self undoing, withdrawal, secret dreams, secret enemies |
The Aspects
These are notable angles between the planets:
| Conjunction | about 0º | Can be challenging or harmonious dependent upon energies involved |
| Semi-sextile | about 30º | Can be a little uneasy as energies need to be intergrated |
| Semi-square | about 45º | Another tense aspect which will need effort to be resolved |
| Sextile | about 60º | A harmonious aspect in which energies work well together |
| Square | about 90º | Tension is created, but can be positive and inspire change or negative and be challenging |
| Trine | about 120º | This aspect is harmonious and the energies involved make for easy relationships |
| Sesquisquadrat | about 135º | Again, a tense aspect which will need effort to resolve tension |
| Quincunx | about 150º | The energies in this aspect will have tension as they are blind to one another |
| Opposition | about 180º | Energies go between the opposing points creating tension |
Angles & Points
| AC - Ascendent (Rising Sign) | The zodiac sign rising at the time of your birth | Persona |
| MC - Midheaven (Medium Coelli) | The highest point between the meridian and the ecliptic | Image |
| Lunar North Node | Where the moon's path crosses the ecliptic from the southern to northern hemisphere | Growth |
| Lunar South Node | Where the moon's path crosses the ecliptic from the northern to southern hemisphere | Experience |
| Vertex | On the ecliptic, at the westernmost point, where the prime vertical is intersected | |
| Retrograde Motion | When planets appear to move backwards in their orbit |
Other Terminology
There are a few other things that will help you to understand your natal chart more, so here are a couple of them. To delve in deeper, definitely check out the links above, especially Bob Marks’ Astrology Lessons.
Stellium
This is when 4 or more planets fall in the same house. With all of those energies in one house, this can create problems and obsessive energy. That house becomes too much of a focus in the person’s life and take’s up a lot of physical, emotional and mental energy.
To assist with any problems, looking to the opposite house on the chart could hold answers or resolutions.
For more in depth information regarding stellium, check our Lynn Koiner’s page all about them.
Interception
When no houses start in a certain sign, it is known as an intercepted sign. Because of the varying sizes the houses can be, sometimes the beginning and end of a house will have no sign beginning in it. This is a negative thing as it can repress that part of the chart. Whatever the house represents, is the area of life this person may struggle with.
Duplication
When more than one house starts in a sign, it is known as a duplicated sign. Again, due to varying house sizes, some houses will have more than one house starting in it. If your chart features any intercepted signs, it will feature duplicated signs. This is a positive thing as it means the person will have natural strengths in these areas of life. In certain cases, you may be able to use these natural strengths to combat any shortcomings from interceptions.
There is so much to learn when it comes to interpreting an astrological birth chart, as well as astrology in general. I can’t wait to develop my knowledge and begin to delve deeper into this subject.
