The Astrology Book

A natal chart is a symbolic picture of the heavens with respect to the Earth at the

moment of birth. The center of the chart is the location of the Earth as if one were in outer

space looking down at the north pole. The 9:00 position is the eastern horizon, the 3:00 posi-

tion is the western horizon, the 12:00 position is directly overhead, and the 6:00 position is

underneath your feet on the other side of the Earth. Look for a symbol in one of the pie pieces

that is a circle with a dot in it. This is the glyph (symbol) of the Sun. If you were born at sun-

rise, the Sun glyph should be around the 9:00 position; if you were born around noon, the Sun

will be at the 12:00 position; around sunset, at 3:00; and at midnight, 6:00.

Astrological influences manifest themselves primarily through the planets (for astrolog-

ical purposes, the Sun and Moon are both regarded as planets). A glyph for each of the planets

is present in the chart. To take some examples, the crescent Moon represents the Moon; the

male symbol (circle with an arrow sticking out of it) is the Mars glyph; the female symbol is

the Venus glyph, etc. These basic influences are modified according to:

1. The signs of the zodiac (the familiar 12 astrological signs—Aries, Taurus,
   Gemini , etc.) in which the planets are placed. The glyphs for the signs are
   present around the perimeter of the chart. Usually the signs are also located
   close to each planet symbol, between two numbers. These numbers locate the
   exact position of the planet in terms of degrees and minutes of a circle.


2. The houses in which they are placed. Starting at the 9:00 position (which cor-
   responds with the eastern horizon) and moving counterclockwise, the houses
   are numbered 1 to 12. Thus, the first house begins at the 9:00 position and
   ends at the 8:00 position; the second house begins at 8:00 and ends at 7:00,
   and so forth. In many charts, one will see the numbers of the houses around
   the center of the chart.


3. The aspects (geometric angles) between them. These can be represented by lines
   drawn between the planets in the middle of the chart or by a grid. A symbol
   identifying each angle is drawn along the aspect line or in the grid (this sounds
   confusing, but it will be clear when you examine your chart). Planets located
   within seven or eight degrees of one another are conjunct. Conjunctions are
   typically not represented by aspect lines.
   An oversimplified but nonetheless useful rule of thumb is that planetary sign positions
   indicate personality tendencies, aspects between planets reflect how various components of
   one’s personality interact with one another, and house positions show how the personality
   manifests in the world.

Visually in an astrological chart, the houses are the 12 pie pieces that together form the

basic framework of the horoscope. Sign divisions (where signs begin and end) are notrepre-

sented in a conventional chart. If they were, one would have to draw in another 12 lines, mak-

ing a total of 24 (which would result in a cluttered appearance). The numbers and symbols

that appear around the outside of the wheel indicate where houses begin and end with respect

to the signs of the zodiac.

Appendix A: Reading Your Own Astrology Chart

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