Use a glyph table to locate your planets. Note that the sign at the 9:00 position is your
ascendant, also called the rising sign, and that the sign beside the Moon is your Moon sign.
Along with your Sun sign, these are your three most important sign influences. It is common
for people who know at least a little about astrology to describe themselves in terms of these
three signs; e.g., “I’m a Taurus with an Aries Moon and Sagittarius rising” (meaning this indi-
vidual has a Taurus Sun sign, an Aries Moon sign, and a Sagittarius rising sign). Individuals
can all be double signs or even triple signs if the Moon Sign and/or the Rising Sign is/are the
same as the Sun Sign.
Aspects can be represented by lines drawn between planets, by an aspect grid, or both.
In most chart-casting programs, the aspect symbols are drawn directly on the aspect lines. The
major aspects are conjunction, opposition, square, trine, and sextile. Some of the minor
aspects are semi-sextile, quincunx, and bi-quintile. (See pages xxxi–xxxi for glyph tables of
planets, signs, other points, asteroids, and imaginary planets.)
The balance of this appendix provides concise interpretations for every major compo-
nent of a natal chart. The reader will find that the interpretations of some positions will say
almost exactly the opposite of what other interpretations say. Although these oppositions
sometimes indicate conflicting tendencies within the personality, more often than not one
tendency will be stronger and win out over the other. The reader should also note that such
piecemeal delineations can provide only the building blocks of a chart interpretation. The
ability to meaningfully synthesize astrological information rather than simply listing interpre-
tations of individual components of a chart is the mark of an experienced astrologer.SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PLANETS AND
OTHER POINTS IN A NATAL CHART
The following was written by Michael Erlewine. For a personal reading, you can contact him
at: 315 Marion Avenue, Big Rapids, Michigan, 49307; [email protected].
At the time of our birth, the planets (through their configurations and relationships)
tell us something about how things were when we were born. Each planet points to special
qualities within us. Yet, of all the planets, the two most important to astrologers are the
“lights,” the Sun and the Moon. From where we stand here on Earth, the great shining Sun by
day and the reflecting Moon at night are our constant companions. They have much to tell us
as to where we have been and where we are headed.Sun: From the Sun comes light—that which draws all of us living on this Earth into life. The
Sun in the astrological chart represents the very heart of us, our deepest core essence. It is what
we shall become after we work through all of the changes life offers us. In other words, in
astrology the Sun represents our identity, or true self.Moon: The Moon provides information about the kind of environment we create around our-
selves, our particular life support system—what nourishes us. Endlessly circling the Earth, the
Moon is a kind of cosmic mother and has often been called the great provider. And, although
the Moon does have to do with the kind of situation we draw around ourselves, it also repre-THEASTROLOGYBOOK [755]Appendix A: Reading Your Own Astrology ChartAstrology BM.qxp 12/22/08 12:18 PM Page 755