These days it is very easy to go online and generate your own free natal chart (you will find a free astrology birth chart generator at the bottom of this page). All you basically need is the date, time and location of your birth and you can have a chart created in seconds. So why is it so expensive to order a natal chart from a professional astrologer?
It isn’t the chart that costs the money. Like everyone else, astrologers these days can and do use software to generate charts. But, the interpretation of any astrology chart is where all the skill and talent is required. Astrologers know what all those funny little symbols, (called glyphs) mean and they know how to bring it all together into an accurate, comprehensive reading. Being a skilled astrologer is rare combination of knowledge and what can only be described as psychic art. It is not impossible for you to learn how to read the glyphs and interpret their meaning in your own chart. It just requires practice and tapping into your own intuitive nature.
The most common astrological chat is the natal chart or birth chart. Once you have created one you will be looking at a chart shaped like a wheel, and divided into 12 sectors. These are the 12 ‘houses’ of the natal chart – Aries, Taurus, Scorpio and so forth. These 12 houses begin at the horizontal axis across the center of the wheel. To the left of the axis is the first house, with subsequent houses counted counter-clockwise from that point. The lines that divide the houses are called ‘cusps’, and you should take note of the astrological signs placed there.
The cusp of the first house (or ascendant) is the place to start. The sign on this cusp describes the personality you present to the world. Down from this in a counter-clockwise direction is the second house, followed by the third, fourth and so on, going in the same direction. Check the astrological sign on the first cusp. Whichever sign it is, the rest will follow in their correct order. So if the sign on the first cusp is Aries, the next will be Taurus. If the first sign is Taurus, the next will be Gemini, and so on.
This is the correct order of the 12 signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Each sign will be marked on the chart by its own symbol. Just in case you are unfamiliar with the symbols of the various signs (or houses), below is a brief description of each sign:
The symbol for Aries the Ram looks like a ram’s horns, a straight vertical line curving out into two branches.
The symbol for Taurus the bull is a circle topped by small curving horns.
The symbol for Gemini the Twins is two straight vertical lines joined by straight horizontal lines top and bottom.
The Symbol for Cancer the Crab is a six and a nine lying horizontally. (Make of that what you will).
The symbol for Leo the Lion is a curving mane like an upside down U.
The symbol for Virgo the Virgin is an M with a cross piece at the side.
The symbol for Libra the Scales is a balanced set of scales.
The symbol for Scorpio is an M with a forked tail.
The symbol for Sagittarius is an arrow.
The symbol for Capricorn is a V for the goat’s horns, with a curly tail at the side.
The symbol for Aquarius is two vertical wavy lines.
The symbol for Pisces is two vertical curved lines (like a back to front parenthesis) with a horizontal line joining them in the middle.
You should be easily able to locate several of these signs at once on the cusps of your chart, and the correct order will help you identify the rest.
Within some of the 12 sectors of the chart will be other symbols. These are the planets. Not every house or sign will have a planet, but those sectors that have no planets will be influenced by the planet that rules the sign on the cusp. This can be a little complicated. Let’s break it down:
Aries is ruled by Mars. Taurus is ruled by Venus. Gemini is ruled by Mercury. Cancer is ruled by the Moon. Leo is ruled by the Sun. Virgo is ruled by Mercury. Libra is ruled by Venus. Scorpio is ruled by Pluto. Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn. Aquarius is ruled by Uranus. Pisces is ruled by Neptune. As you can see, Mercury and Venus rule two signs each.
This means that while Venus may be in, say, the sign of Leo in the natal chart, the sectors ruled by Taurus and Libra will be influenced by Venus as well. This is how the natal chart ‘ties together’ all the aspects of the natal chart in the art of interpretation.
The symbols you are looking for are the Sun, which is a circle with a dot in the middle; the Moon, shaped like a crescent moon; Mercury, a vertical line topped by a circle topped by curved horns; Venus, a circle with a cross at the bottom; Mars, a circle with an arrow pointing top right; Jupiter, a number 2 with a vertical line on the lower bar; Saturn, shaped like a lower case h; Uranus, shaped like a capital H; and Neptune, shaped like a trident. Pluto is no longer regarded as a planet, but it is still the ruler of Scorpio, and it is shaped like a capitol P.
To interpret the natal chart, you look for the symbols of the planets in their sectors, and the sign on the cusp. To decide which planet inhabits which sign, you follow the counter-clockwise rule. Look at the sign on the cusp, and then at the sector directly below going down the left side of the chart, or above going up the right side of the chart.
To interpret the meaning of a planet in a sign you need keywords. These are the keywords for the planets: The Sun is public life, career and aspirations; The Moon is emotion, family and memories; Mercury is mind, short distance travel and communication; Venus is love, beauty and romance; Mars is energy, drive and combat; Jupiter is expansion, luck and fortune; Saturn is age, responsibility and patience; Uranus is the unexpected, the unusual and the revolutionary; Neptune is art, dreams and visions; and Pluto is obsession, passion and psychology.
The keywords for the signs are: Aries, first, headstrong, speed, adventurous; Taurus, steady, slow, possessive, materialistic; Gemini, intellect, communication, restless, multi-tasker; Cancer, nurturing, caring, emotional, home loving; Leo, proud, warm, generous, natural ruler; Virgo, neat, health conscious, practical, analytical; Libra, romance, relationships, beauty conscious, diplomatic; Scorpio, sex, death, jealousy, secrets, desires; Sagittarius, freedom, goals, travel, exploration, commitment shy; Capricorn, hard working, ambitious, property, investments, responsible; Aquarius, eccentric, freewheeling, unpredictable, humanitarian, revolutionary; Pisces, dreams, fantasies, art, empathy, psychic.
By combining the keywords of the planets and the signs, you can see how interpretation is formed. Venus, which is concerned with love and beauty, is very different in Sagittarius than it is in its own sign Libra. The Sagittarian Venus is attracted to beautiful people and places, but finds it difficult to commit. In Libra, the full expression of loving, romantic Venus seeking a soul mate can be experienced.
Mars, in the sign of Virgo, is constrained by the Virgoan need to be safe, healthy and precise, whereas in Aries and Sagittarius it can be more adventurous and take risks. Uranus, wherever it is found, will turn that sign upside down and revolutionize its precepts. In Leo, it will challenge the traditions that Leo espouses, while in Libra, it will challenge accepted ideas about relationships.
Want help understanding your love life, maybe what the future holds? Give Astrologer and Psychic Kristine a call at: 1-866-407-7164
Experiment with the combinations of keywords in your natal chart, and look up more keywords for the planets and signs on the Internet. Soon you will start to get an instinct for the way the planets behave in the different signs. If you apply yourself only a little bit, before long, you will find you discover a great deal about people around you by just a basic reading of their astrological chart. Want to learn more about astrology? Visit Learn Astrology.
Want to chat with a professional astrologer? Give Astrologer Psychic Kristine a call at 1-866-407-7164 (toll free USA and Canada). Kristine is not only a skilled astrologer, but also a born clairvoyant.
