A birth chart is a unique picture of the sky at the exact time and place where you were born. You can think of it as a cosmic blueprint or a map of your identity and potential. Due to the fact that the Sun, the Moon, and the planets are always moving, each person’s birth chart is also unique. Charts will be a little different for people who were born minutes apart in different places.
A natal chart tool helps you make a birth chart. This tool takes your exact birth date (month, day, year), birth time (to the minute!), and birth place (city, state, or country) to find out exactly where the Sun, the Moon, and all the planets were in relation to Earth at that exact moment. The birth chart report then shows all of this precise information.
Let’s look at what a birth chart is made of and how its different parts work together to help you understand your birth chart.
How a Birth Chart is Generated
A birth chart tool needs three main pieces of information to make a birth chart:
Date of Birth: The exact day, month, and year you were born.
Time of Birth: The exact time and date of birth. This is very important because the places of the planets and stars change quickly during the day, especially the Ascendant (Rising Sign) and the houses.
Place of Birth: The exact city, state, and country. This has to be done to take into account time zones and physical coordinates.
This information is used by the birth chart tool to make a birth chart report. This report usually has a circle diagram that is broken up into parts, and the symbols on the diagram stand for different astrological elements.
Core Components of a Birth Chart
For any birth chart study or reading, it is important to know what the basic parts of a birth chart are. Each part stands for a different part of your nature or life experience:
The Zodiac Signs
What they are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces are the 12 signs of the zodiac. Each sign stands for a different set of traits, abilities, and ways of expressing energy.
How they work: In your birth chart, if a planet is in a certain zodiac sign, it means that the planet’s basic energy will show up in the ways that are typical for that sign. As an example, if Mars, which represents drive and action, is in the sign of Aries, which represents impulsivity and directness, it means that the person is very direct and acts on their instincts.
The Planets (including the Sun and Moon)
“Planets” in astrology mean the Sun, the Moon, and the “traditional” planets, which are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Each planet stands for a basic psychological need, drive, or area of life.
The Sun: This is our core personality, ego, vitality, and reason for living. It’s what makes us who we are and how we shine our light in the world. The Sun sign is the zodiac sign the Sun was in when you were born. This is also known as your “star sign.”
The Moon represents our feelings, instincts, inner world, wants, and the way we care for ourselves and look for comfort. It shows the patterns we follow in our minds, how we relate to our mother or main caregiver, and how we feel. Our inner feelings are shown by our Moon sign.
Mercury controls how we talk to each other, how smart we are, how we learn, how we think, and how we process and share knowledge. The way we talk, write, and think about other people is affected by it.
Venus stands for love, beauty, harmony, relationships, morals, good taste, and things that make us happy. It shows how we connect to others romantically, what kinds of art we like, and what we’re drawn to.
Mars is in charge of action, drive, ambition, courage, boldness, and how we go after what we want. It shows how strong we are, how much energy we have, and how willing we are to fight.
Jupiter is linked to growth, plenty, luck, wisdom, philosophy, higher education, our sense of hope and chance, and the planet itself. It shows where we want to grow and find value in our lives.
Saturn stands for rules, limits, authority, discipline, maturity, structure, and the things we need to learn. It shows us areas where we might have problems, but also areas where we can master them with hard work and persistence.
Uranus stands for creativity, rebellion, sudden changes, big steps forward, and our need for freedom and privacy. It often brings about surprises and makes us want to break the rules.
Neptune is in charge of faith, intuition, dreams, imagination, compassion, delusion, and going beyond yourself. It can mean idealism or artistic motivation, but it can also mean confusion or running away.
Pluto stands for change, power, rebirth and death, the mind, and deep psychological processes. It stands for big changes, the getting rid of the old and the beginning of something new.
The Houses
There are 12 parts, or “houses,” in the birth chart circle. Each house represents a different area or “domain” of life. In contrast to zodiac signs, the houses are based on the exact time and place of your birth because they are set in relation to the Earth’s rotation.
Ascendant in the first house rules the self, personality, physical appearance, first impressions, and how we see the world.
The 2nd House is about money, possessions, self-worth, values, and material means.
3rd House: Talking to people, learning, kids, short trips, the neighborhood, starting school young.
Imum Coeli rules the 4th House, which is about home, family, roots, private life, emotional grounds, and ancestry.
The 5th House is about creativity, expressing yourself, love, children, fun, hobbies, and guesswork.
6th House: Service, work, health, daily habits, pets, skills, and research.
7th House: Partnerships (marriage, business), close friendships, how we talk to people one-on-one, and open foes.
The 8th House is about change, closeness, sexuality, inheritance, the occult, and sharing resources.
The 9th House is about higher education, philosophy, travel, faith, the law, morals, beliefs, and long trips.
Career, public image, character, ambition, authority figures, life goals, and social standing are all part of the 10th House (Midheaven).
Friendships, groups, social networks, goals, hopes, wishes, and helping others are all part of the 11th House.
The subconscious mind, dreams, hidden enemies, faith, institutions, undoing oneself, karma are all things that are in the 12th House.
The themes of a house are what a planet’s energy is focused on when it is in that house. As an example:
When Mars is in the 10th House, you are driven and want to do well in your career and in public. This person may be very driven to do well at work and may take direct steps to move up the job ladder.
Venus in the 4th House: Venus makes us want love and peace, and this has something to do with our home and family. This person may put a lot of value on making their home look nice and be peaceful, and they may enjoy spending time with their family.
The Aspects
It is the angle (measured in degrees) between two or more planets in a birth chart that is called an aspect. How the energies of those planets affect each other can be seen in these positions.
Conjunction (0°): When two planets close to each other in the same sign, they boost each other’s powers and create a strong focus. Depending on which planets are involved, the result can be good or bad.
Sextile (60°): This sign stands for ease, peace, and chance. It shows places where skills and talents can be easily used and where good links can be made.
Square (90°): This shape shows stress, problems, and possible disagreement. It shows places where work and change are needed to bring together forces that are at odds with each other. Squares can be very active and can help things grow by making people fight with each other.
Trine (120°): This sign stands for natural ability, ease, and flow. That means there are places where energies naturally flow together and help each other.
Opposition (180°): This angle shows that you are aware of duality, your ability to project, and the need for balance between forces that are at odds with each other. It can make people tense, but it can also make them very aware of other points of view.
Small aspects like the semi-sextile (30°), quintile (72°), and quincunx (150°) make interpreting the chart even more difficult and nuanced by showing more subtle links and areas that need to be adjusted.
In short, aspects show how the different planetary energies affect your personality, whether in a way that is harmonious, tense, or full of chances.
How a Birth Chart Reading Works
When someone gets a birth chart reading, an astrologer puts all of these parts together. They don’t just look at one piece at a time. They instead try to figure out how the planets (what) are expressing themselves through the zodiac signs (how) in certain areas of life (where), as well as how these forces connect with each other (aspects).
By going through this process, you can get a deep understanding of a person’s natural traits, potential strengths to grow, challenges to overcome, and the main themes that may run through their life. People see their birth charts as a way to learn more about themselves because they help them understand their personality traits and how to handle the things that happen in their lives.