Random Astrology

Not everyone cares to study astrology beyond Sun signs. Some people are only interested in their own zodiac sign and some are satisfied with being able to paint people with broad brush strokes.

If you’re reading this, then you are not one of these people.

So here are the basics that you need to know to get the most from reading this blog specifically and understanding astrology in general.

Let’s start with the Natal Chart (also called a Birth Chart). (See a natal chart teaching wheel here.)

The birth chart is the basis for a person’s “horoscope”. It’s a description of a person’s entire personality and “life map”. The events, people and experiences you’re likely to encounter in your life can be seen in your natal chart. However, it’s what you do in response to these things that determine your life. So the natal chart has some destiny embedded in it, but you can always make choices (although these choices are influenced by your psychological make-up, which is influenced by your natal chart so…doh!). Overall, the natal chart is a handy guide to explaining life according to that person’s point of view.

There are 12 Zodiac Signs. These zodiac signs represent 12 different types of expression (think of them like personality types, psychological functions or energies).

Below is each sign and some keywords usually associated with the sign. Starting at the 9:00 position on the zodiac “clock” above, it goes:

Aries (self-starting actions)

Taurus (personal values, possessions)

Gemini (fact-sharing, thoughts, speech, writing)

Cancer (home, family, mother, emotional security)

Leo (ego, personal, creativity, recreation)

Virgo (fact-gathering, details, refinement, discrimination, service)

Libra (interpersonal relationships, balancing, reciprocity, justice)

Scorpio (life or death matters; i.e. sex, money, power)

Sagittarius (knowledge, spirituality)

Capricorn (aspirations, long-term planning, social norms)

Aquarius (social groups, change, freedom, genius)

Pisces (imagination, intuition)

You might have heard someone say “I’m an Earth sign”. Or Fire. Or Water. Or Air. Each Zodiac Sign belongs to an element group:

Fire signs are Aries, Leo, Sagittarius. These are the optimistic, creative-oriented, feeling signs. They want/need action or inspiration.

Earth signs are Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn. These are the practical, material-oriented, stable signs. They want/need security.

Air signs are Gemini, Libra, Aquarius. These are the logical, people-oriented, adaptable signs. They want/need to exchange ideas.

Water signs are Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces. These are the emotional, self-oriented, intuitive signs. They want/need emotional nurturing.

Ok, back to natal charts…

Here is an example of a fancy one.

Don’t be nervous if it looks strange to you. You’re still learning…

*Every single person’s natal chart contains all 12 Zodiac Signs.

*The position of the 12 Zodiac Signs in your own natal chart could be different from Ann Somebody’s chart (in the linked example^).

*The positions of the Signs in your chart go according to your Ascendant (or Rising sign). But more on that later…

Planets describe the activity that is going on in a person’s personality. Everyone’s full horoscope & natal chart contains 10 planets. Below are the 10 major planets, the zodiac signs they are associated with, and what function the planet describes in the horoscope. (There’s more to it than this but this is just the basics.)

Sun (Leo) - character, ego, values, etc.

The “Sun” is what people are referring to when they ask “what’s your sign?” They are asking you to share 1/10th of your horoscope. By understanding what fulfills a person’s ego or knowing a person’s core values, we can assume a lot about them, right? Yes and no. In general, I’d say a person’s Sun sign will describe 30-50% of them, while the rest of the planets serve to fill in the details and explain the nuances. The strength of how much they identify with their Sun sign depends on what day of the month they were born on. So when people feel like their Sun sign only describes portions of them and write off astrology in its entirety, it’s because they are missing the rest of the horoscope pie. People within a Sun sign group differ, in part, because their horoscopes contain a unique configuration of the planets below:

Moon (Cancer) - emotions, instincts, family background, etc.

Mercury (Gemini) - communication style, learning style, ideas, etc.

Venus (Taurus, Libra) - love style, socializing style, what the person likes to do with free time, buying/spending style, etc.

Mars (Aries, Scorpio) - how the person goes after what they want, fights, has sex, etc.

Jupiter (Sagittarius) - how the person feels lucky, safe and secure, the types of gifts the person gives.

Saturn (Capricorn) - where the person feels he/she isn’t good enough, what they work to overcome.

Uranus (Aquarius) - how this person deals with friends and other peer groups, what they dream about/wish for/long-term goals.

Neptune (Pisces) - how this person fantasizes, what they fantasize about, their ideals.

Pluto (Scorpio) - how they use their inner power, what they want to change around them.

*The Sun and Moon are often called planets but they are considered to be “lights”, not really planets.

BONUS: Ascendant/Rising sign - your world view, how others see you on first impression, how you tend to act in new situations.

Your Ascendant/Rising will be the sign at the 9:00pm position on your “clock” in your natal chart. It’s also the sign on the cusp (at the beginning) of your First House…

What’s a House? Well, the natal chart looks like a pizza pie. Each house would be a “slice” of that pie.

There are 12 houses that match the 12 zodiac signs.

Houses symbolize the areas in a person’s life. When a planet is in a house, it means that the area of that person’s life (house) is being affected by that planet (activity/function) in a certain way (described by the zodiac sign the planet is in). Because each house is associated with each zodiac sign, the qualities of the signs are also associated with the house (just like with the planets).

House 1 - Aries (self-identity, appearance, new experiences, first impressions)

House 2 - Taurus (personal values, possessions)

House 3 - Gemini (communications, ideas, short-distance travel)

House 4 - Cancer (home, family, emotions)

House 5 - Leo (creativity, pleasure, romance, children)

House 6 - Virgo (communication, work, daily routines, service)

House 7 - Libra (interpersonal relationships, balancing, projections)

House 8 - Scorpio (shared resources, sex, power, death)

House 9 - Sagittarius (knowledge, spirituality, long-distance travel, exploration)

House 10 - Capricorn (career, aspirations, authority)

House 11 - Aquarius (social groups, wishes, hopes, revolutions)

House 12 - Pisces (subconscious, intuition, psychological limitations)

Here’s a handy House chart cheat sheet.

Now it’s time to blend and interpret.

So for example: When someone says her Mars is in Aries in the 6th house, what that means in plain English is “She habitually goes after what she wants quickly and directly, especially at work or in her daily routines. She easily initiates projects and feels most comfortable when in charge but may leave the detailed work to co-workers. She expects quick service from others and may become annoyed with people who like to deliberate before taking action. Fights with slow or equally assertive co-workers is possible.”

Aspects describe the relationship between 2 (or more) planets in the natal chart (or some other chart).

The relationship between the planets can be:

a.) harmonious - usually trine, sextile, or conjunction (depends on the 2 planets involved)

b.) stressful - usually square, opposition, or conjunction (depends on the 2 planets involved)

*There are more types of aspects, but these are the major ones, and the ones that astrologers refer to the most.

Compatibility Yes, astrology can estimate compatibility between 2 people by using:

1. Synastry - comparing planets in one person’s chart to planets in another person’s chart. This will tell you how the 2 people are likely to interact with each other.

2. Composite - a blended chart that is calculated by taking the midpoints between the same planets in each person’s natal chart. This becomes the relationship chart, which is a completely separate chart from each person. It’s like the natal chart for the relationship. And it can be analyzed just like a natal chart to describe the “personality” of the relationship.

Astrologers also use these methods to analyze past events and predict future events.

NOW YOU’RE READY TO START CHARGING PEOPLE FOR CONSULTATIONS! j/k :)

There’s lots more to it than this but hopefully the basics make more sense now.

Related Resources:

• How to UnConfuse People About Astrology
• Get Your Free Birth Chart or Personology Report
• How to Read Your Birth Chart
• Astrological Cheat Sheets
• Ask Me a Question (with a tumblr account)
• Ask Me A Question (without a tumblr account)
• Astrology Lessons From Bob Marks