What Is An Astrology Chart? The Birth Chart Explained

They say human beings don’t come with an instruction manual. We beg to differ! Your astrology chart holds the key to your personality and path.

An astrology birth chart — also called an astrology natal chart — is a map of where all the planets were in their journey around the Sun (from our vantage point on earth) at the exact moment you were born. An astrology chart reading can reveal your strengths and weaknesses, your opportunities for soul growth, the best timing for your most important moves.

To calculate your astrology birth chart, you’ll need your time, date and place of birth. Even if you don't know the exact birth time, you are still able to read a lot in your horoscope (just without knowing the exact position of astrological points in the 12 houses).

What can an astrologer see in your chart?

Astrology charts can turn up surprising insight about your patterns and preferences. They’re an excellent way of understanding your own “blind spots” and using that knowledge for personal growth and self-improvement. You can learn which talents to develop and where you may have weak spots to develop.

Typically, an astrologer looks for a few key things in the birth chart:

• What zodiac sign and which of the 12 houses each planet in the chart is in
• Venus, Mars and the moon’s zodiac sign and house for love
• Saturn for where you may need to work harder, Jupiter for where you have a field for expansion and luck
• The “aspects” or connections formed between any two planets
• If there’s a “stellium” (3 or more planets in one sign), which creates a heavy concentration of one specific energy for the person
• The balance of elements (planets in fire, earth, air and water signs) in the chart
• The balance of qualities in the chart (planets in cardinal, mutable or fixed signs)
• The pattern formed by the planets (there are 7 classical chart “shapes”)

An astrologer will add up the elements and qualities and “score” the chart. If there’s a lack of one trait or a predominance of another, they’ll advise the client on how to practically bring more equilibrium into their lives. We call this Astro-Ayurveda because it’s the art of balancing your chart! It’s a subtle art of bringing more awareness and balance into your life.

Start your year (birthday) with your astrology chart — the power of transits:

There are two times when it’s especially fruitful to look over your astrology chart: at the beginning of every year and on your birthday.

For the new year, I’d suggest doing what’s called a transit chart (also called a “natal plus transits” chart). In this case, you start with your own natal (birth) chart, and compare it to the transiting (moving) planets, i.e., the current positions of the planets in the sky.

In the example below, the inner wheel (with blue planetary symbols) is our birth chart — which is a fixed map that never changes. The orange planetary symbols in the outer wheel represent the transiting (moving) planets on January 1, 2019. A trained astrologer would compare and contrast the two charts. When a transiting (orange) planet makes contact with one of the natal (blue) planets, it activates specific energy, one that can be either opportune or challenging. Knowing this allows you to plan ahead.

In this example at what would be 9:00 pm on a clock, a professional astrologer would see that transiting Saturn (which rules leadership and authority) was making contact with the natal chart’s ascendant/rising sign, something that only occurs every 29 years. Advice would be given accordingly — in this case, to get very serious about personal goals, since Saturn is moving through the chart’s first house of self. (Like I said — this can take years of practice or a trained astrological eye to interpret, but the foresight can be a game-changer!)

Transit charts aren’t only for New Year’s Day, though. You can plug in any date, past or future, and run a transit chart that compares the planets in motion your birth chart. Transit charts are super helpful for planning. If you’re picking a wedding date, booking travel or scheduling an important career move, check out the transit chart to see if the skies are clear.

Transit charts are also great for historical perspective: You can look back at important moments in your life — new love, relocations, deaths, breakups, career coups, job losses. Do a chart (or an estimated one) to see what was happening in the stars then.

What other kinds of astrology charts are there?

Solar Return Charts: Also known as your “birthday chart,” the solar return chart gives you a one-year chart that lasts from your current birthday until your next one. These charts will vary depending on location.

Compatibility Astrology Charts: In addition to the astrology birth chart, you can do an astrology compatibility chart to see how you’ll get along with other people. You can cast two types of compatibility charts. A synastry chart compares and contrasts the planets in your chart and the other person’s. A composite chart averages out your two charts using a “midpoint method.” It creates a single, blended chart that reveals the essence of your relationship. A composite chart treats your relationship as if it was its own entity or a third “person” (which in many ways is true!).

Astrology Charts for Planning Events: You can do charts for people and also for events. Just put in the time, date and location of the event in question and you can cast an astrology chart for it. For example, if you’re planning a party or a big pitch meeting, you can enter the time, date and location to see how the stars align. Want to know what’s happening right now?

How long have these types of astrology charts been around?

At Astrostyle, we work with the Western astrology system, which dates back thousands of years. Humans have tracked the movement of the heavens since civilization dawned. As far back as 6000 B.C., the Sumerians noted the journeys of planets and stars. Around 3300 B.C. the Babylonians (also known as the Chaldeans) began expanding upon what the Sumerians started, developing the first astrological system over thousands of years. They created the zodiac wheel that we use today (with planets and houses) around 700 B.C. The oldest known horoscope chart is believed to date to 409 B.C.

Want to know more about your individual horoscope?

Email me: oksanahyryak@gmail.com

With Love,

Oksana

Astro-healing