Basics of Chart Interpretation

Theres a big sky-full of stars out there along with a handful of planets. Where to
begin? To what should we give the most credence? As a starting point, lets examine
the basic components of an astrological chart. From these building blocks, we can
form more complex pictures.

First of all, most of astrology looks particularly at just the swath of the sky where
the planets appear to circle us. This is the path of the earth around the sun and from
our viewpoint, the apparent path of the sun around the earth, called the ecliptic. Its
basically a belt about the width of your hand when you extend your arm fully. Along
this belt are the constellations of the ram, the bull, the twins, etc., which form the
zodiac (from the Latin word for zoo, since theyre mostly animals in the zodiac
constellations). All the planets travel on this track.

An astrological chart is a map of the heavens at a moment in time, freezing the
positions of the planets, which are continually in motion. The chart is viewed from a
particular spot on earth and is oriented toward that place, lined up with the directions
from there. The directions on a sky chart are the opposite of those on an earth map
since were looking up at the heavens instead of down at earth. East is on the left,
west is on the right, north is at the bottom and south is at the top.

Since astrology is like a language (a foreign one to many!), an analogy from language
class will help:

Planets are like verbs. They express drives that humans have in common, or they show
energy in action.

Signs are like adverbs. They modify the expression of the planets influences, showing
how they are being expressed.

Houses are another form of adverb, showing where planets energies operate. Houses
are a segment of the sky relating to a certain direction. There are twelve houses and
each represents different departments in our lives.

There are two key connections between houses and planets. First, a planet influences
the matters of the house in which the planet is located. Second, by virtue of
rulership, a planet has an impact on any house that begins with a sign that the planet
rules (see the table below).

The final type of adverb is an aspect. This is an interaction of energies between two
planets, showing whether they harmonize or clash. Aspects are divisions of the zodiac
circle into various fractions. Oftentimes, when you see a chart wheel, there is a
pattern of interlocking lines drawn between the planets these represent the
aspects. I usually say this is like your own printed circuit board and shows how youre
wired.

Where is the subject? you might well ask. The subject is the person, entity or event
that the chart is describing. A chart can apply to anything with a beginning moment in
time, whether thats a person, animal, company or event. Now you know why beginning
moments are so important: because any entity takes on the energy present at the time
it begins. With that in mind, carefully choose the times you begin actions. When an
astrologer searches for a good beginning time, thats called electing the moment (or
an electional chart). My Janets Plan-its calendars are a tool to help you elect good
moments for your most important activities.

There is some correspondence between the planets and signs associated with the
houses in what is called the natural zodiac. In her book, Finding the Person in the
Horoscope, astrologer Zipporah Pottenger Dobyns referred to these as the 12-letter
alphabet of astrology. You can almost think of them interchangeably (but with the
nuance of the distinctions listed above).

The Natural Zodiac
Direction House Sign Ruling Planet of Sign
East 1 Aries Mars
Northeast 2 Taurus Venus
N. Northeast 3 Gemini Mercury
North 4 Cancer Moon
N. Northwest 5 Leo Sun
Northwest 6 Virgo Mercury
West 7 Libra Venus
Southwest 8 Scorpio Pluto (modern), Mars (ancient)
S. Southwest 9 Sagittarius Jupiter
South 10 Capricorn Saturn
S. Southeast 11 Aquarius Uranus (modern), Saturn (ancient)
Southeast 12 Pisces Neptune (modern), Jupiter (ancient)

To illustrate one of these letters, day begins with the sunrise in the east, at the
first house, which represents the self, aligned with Aries, a sign that acts
independently, ruled by Mars, the planet of self-preservation and survival.

Using the 12-letter alphabet, look for potentials that are said more than once in a
chart (repetition between planet/sign/house themes). These are the most
emphasized traits in a person. An example might be a person who has the Sun (no
matter what the sign) in the 7th House (which rules relationships), and the Moon in
Libra (natural sign of relationships), along with Venus (ruling planet of love) conjunct
(meaning teamed up with) Jupiter (a beneficial influence of increase). This person
loves easily, perhaps too easily!

If you dont already have your birth chart, do your best to find out your exact time of
birth (the Hall of Records at your birthplace usually has that information), and then
calculate your chart for free here: www.alabe.com.

Here is a good plan of attack for reading a chart:

First look at the Sun and Moon to understand their signs and houses, as well as the
lunar phase during which you were born (discussed in my article Overview of
Astrology). Theres a good discussion of the lunar phases at
http://groups.msn.com/HOROSCOPESCHAT/lunarcycles.msnw.

Next peruse the Ascendant or rising sign (the sign that starts the first house). It
shows the lenses through which you look at life and the personality you show the
world.

Then check how many of your planets are in each of the elements and qualities (also
called modes). Do you have a lot of planets in one or two of the elements? Are you
missing an element altogether? You probably have a strong modus operandi (this is a
favorite term in detective work, meaning a way of operating) according to which of
the modes you have the most planets in.

Next, examine the inner planets (Mercury, Venus and Mars), the signs and houses
theyre in and the houses they affect by rulership. These describe your most personal
experiences.

Dont miss the lessons that your Nodes want to teach you!

Then consider Jupiter and Saturn, the generational planets. Their signs and houses
have to do with your socialization and the role you play in your age group.

The outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto), called the transpersonal or
transcendental planets, have more to do with big changes and slow long-term
developments, both in society and in our personal lives (mostly according to the houses
they occupy and rule, since they remain in a sign for many years). Along with them, you
will probably also want to check out Chiron, an asteroid with almost planetary
importance that acts as a bridge between the everyday world and the spiritual realm.
Now that Ceres has been promoted to a dwarf planet (formerly it was called an
asteroid), youll want to see what she can tell you about where and how you want to get
things to grow and what you can harvest in your life.

The aspects in your chart show how all the pieces fit together (or which pieces are
left out). I usually look at these last after I have an understanding of all the
components, but there might be some aspects you just cant ignore while examining
the planets, signs and houses.

After you have a good understanding of your birth chart, you will know what parts of
your life are affected and which of your potentials are activated as the moving
planets (transits) make aspects to your chart. Thats when the fun really starts
because thats the major component of forecasting on a personal level. But thats a
topic for another time.
2001-2011 Janet Booth for JanetsPlan-Its.com and AstrologyBooth.com