What's the astronomy behind a natal chart?
Your natal chart is a snapshot of the position of the planets relative to Earth’s ecliptic at the moment of your birth. Earth’s ecliptic is the general orbit that planets follow “around” the Earth. For example, each day, it’s easy to notice that the Sun rises on Earth’s eastern-ish horizon and sets on the western-ish horizon. The moon and planets of the natal chart also follow this general east-to west line through Earth’s sky.
Zero degrees Aries is defined by the point where Earth’s ecliptic meets the equator on the spring equinox. (This point is one of two points where the Earth’s ecliptic and equator meet. The other point is the autumn equinox at zero degrees Libra). From this fixed zero point, the ecliptic is then divided into 30 degree segments of the 12 tropical zodiac signs. Unlike the sidereal (Eastern) calculations, which describe a planet in a sign based on its proximity to a constellation as visible in the sky, the Western (tropical) planet-in-a-sign calculations are based on planets’ position as relative to Earth’s ecliptic. Traditionally, the layout of the chart is based on what sign on Earth’s ecliptic was at the eastern horizon at the moment of your birth—your own personal sunrise onto earth (this is your ascendant AKA “rising sign”).
Western (Tropical) vs. Vedic (Siderial) Astrology?
Western astrology says that a planet is “in” a sign with the reference point of the Earth’s ecliptic, as opposed to Sidereal astrology, which uses the constellations as their reference point. In Western astrology, zero degrees Aries, the spring equinox, is a fixed point on Earth’s ecliptic, and from there, each sign is given 30 degrees.
What does it mean that “I am a_____ (Aries, Taurus, Gemeni, etc.)”. This means that your sun is “in” that sign, which means that the position of the sun, relative to planet earth at the moment of your birth would place the sun behind a 30-degree zone of the ecliptic that one of the twelve zodiac signs (360 degrees/12 signs = 30 degrees per sign) represents. This means that the solar aspect of you—your life story of themes you are developing, and the energy that all other planets in your chart revolve around—is expressed through the archetypical energy of that zodiac sign. Each of the planets is in a sign in this way, or in other words, each planet is influenced primarily by the energy of one of the twelve zodiac archetypes. Of course, no one planet exists in isolation, and this is why you are not defined by just your sun sign! Much the contrary, your chart shows the dynamic interplay of all of the zodiac energies!
I do not know my time of birth...
The natal chart is a rich, multidimensional representation of the energies at the moment of your birth. Without a birth time, a dimension of the chart will be missing, though there is still a tremendous amount of information available. Though it will be different from a full natal chart reading, if you feel called to receive a reading, we can focus on the depths and subtleties of parts of the chart that we can feel more certain about: the planets and aspects that move more slowly. Depending on whether you know the general time of day, and depending on how close certain fast-moving planetary bodies are to sign cusps, I may be able offer a more extensive reading. If I do not know you very well, I will not venture to make guesses about your placements, though there are astrologers available who specialize in making these deductions!
How did you become interested in astrology?
Twas deep into a frigid, high Hualapai Mountain winter when my friend and I happened upon Gahl Sasson’s “Cosmic Navigator.” I was in my early twenties at the time, hungry for some solid sense of direction, purpose, and validation. I had come out west (from New York) to pursue closeness to nature and the kind of self-understanding that comes from undoing conditioning. So I sat and knit a hat and my friend read about archetypes by which I could understand myself and others, and thus my astro-logic was first lit!
For years following, I continued to follow my bliss in the stars, mostly through watching astrologers on Youtube and examining their interpretations of the transits. Validation was the hook for me. As a Leo seventh house sun, I adored having someone else describe to me what it is that I was experiencing in a context that felt meaningful and purposeful. “How do they know so much about what is happening for me personally when they do these weekly readings for the collective?” Studying symbols and archetypes and a system that knew who I am more than I did, concept of “me” was strongly tickled!
Of course along the way I was asking everyone I met about their birth information, then exploring them and comparing their chart to mine. I came to understand the similarities and differences and complexities to the different expressions of each archetype.
After time and books and encouragement and deep looks into everyone I know’s chart, at last I arrived in Sedona in 2021, smack on my Uranus line! Uranus, the ruler of astrology and my personal chart (Aquarius ascendant), swept me up and lightening-struck stuck me onto the path of chart readings!
Is astrology deterministic? What about free will?
To my understanding, your natal chart is like your footprint or a photo of your face. It is a snapshot of the energy at the moment that you were birthed. Your birth is inextricable from the energy of that moment! It's not that something external from you caused you to be a certain way, nor that your natal chart prescribes who you are, but rather it is an articulation of energy in motion at the inextricably symphonic moment of your incarnation. There is no separation between you and the universe whose energy fluctuations you embody. There is nothing external causing you to be a certain way, rather, the natal chart merely is a written description of energy patterns that you identify with.
I see the natal chart as a depiction of" karma," or, "habit patterns" that you have come into this incarnation with from past incarnations. "Habit patterns" are strong tendencies that we have practiced repeatedly, that have left deep traces in us that are likely to be repeated again. For example, if someone rejects you and you react with insecurity and a craving for acceptance, then your reaction to the situation has left a trace on you, so that the next time that someone rejects you, you are more likely to react with insecurity and a craving for acceptance. You may adopt a habit pattern of doing all sorts of things that you think will gain others' approval. In this way you are "practicing" this habitual tendency of repeatedly perceiving, believing, and feeling like you need others' acceptance and approval.
And so, we might see this somewhere in the chart, possibly as an afflicted Leo planet, since Leo describes the energy archetype of knowing and loving one's unique identity. In this case, one feels insecure in their unique identity ever since experiencing rejection, and so that may come through as a challenged Leo planet.
All that said, can we change? Of course we can change! The chart shows tendencies, habits, cultivated gifts and enjoyments, and challenges., but all that it shows is a culmination of our repeated reactions, perceptions, feelings, and efforts in the past! Ultimately, all phenomena rises from the mind, and when we can become aware of the lens thru which we see, we are more able to see how we can change!
To return to the example of the one with the habit pattern of seeking external acceptance, once one has the awareness that this is a tendency within their own mind, they can work towards cultivating self-acceptance, self-love, and inner authority, instead of doing all they can to try to win others favor. It may take a lifetime of practice, trial and error, and experimentation because these are well-trodded neural networks that are rewiring, though I see the function of astrology is to bring the gifts of awareness and discernment that are the first steps to self-transformation.
all
Your natal chart is a snapshot of the position of the planets relative to Earth’s ecliptic at the moment of your birth. Earth’s ecliptic is the general orbit that planets follow “around” the Earth. For example, each day, it’s easy to notice that the Sun rises on Earth’s eastern-ish horizon and sets on the western-ish horizon. The moon and planets of the natal chart also follow this general east-to west line through Earth’s sky.
Zero degrees Aries is defined by the point where Earth’s ecliptic meets the equator on the spring equinox. (This point is one of two points where the Earth’s ecliptic and equator meet. The other point is the autumn equinox at zero degrees Libra). From this fixed zero point, the ecliptic is then divided into 30 degree segments of the 12 tropical zodiac signs. Unlike the sidereal (Eastern) calculations, which describe a planet in a sign based on its proximity to a constellation as visible in the sky, the Western (tropical) planet-in-a-sign calculations are based on planets’ position as relative to Earth’s ecliptic. Traditionally, the layout of the chart is based on what sign on Earth’s ecliptic was at the eastern horizon at the moment of your birth—your own personal sunrise onto earth (this is your ascendant AKA “rising sign”).
Western (Tropical) vs. Vedic (Siderial) Astrology?
Western astrology says that a planet is “in” a sign with the reference point of the Earth’s ecliptic, as opposed to Sidereal astrology, which uses the constellations as their reference point. In Western astrology, zero degrees Aries, the spring equinox, is a fixed point on Earth’s ecliptic, and from there, each sign is given 30 degrees.
What does it mean that “I am a_____ (Aries, Taurus, Gemeni, etc.)”. This means that your sun is “in” that sign, which means that the position of the sun, relative to planet earth at the moment of your birth would place the sun behind a 30-degree zone of the ecliptic that one of the twelve zodiac signs (360 degrees/12 signs = 30 degrees per sign) represents. This means that the solar aspect of you—your life story of themes you are developing, and the energy that all other planets in your chart revolve around—is expressed through the archetypical energy of that zodiac sign. Each of the planets is in a sign in this way, or in other words, each planet is influenced primarily by the energy of one of the twelve zodiac archetypes. Of course, no one planet exists in isolation, and this is why you are not defined by just your sun sign! Much the contrary, your chart shows the dynamic interplay of all of the zodiac energies!
I do not know my time of birth...
The natal chart is a rich, multidimensional representation of the energies at the moment of your birth. Without a birth time, a dimension of the chart will be missing, though there is still a tremendous amount of information available. Though it will be different from a full natal chart reading, if you feel called to receive a reading, we can focus on the depths and subtleties of parts of the chart that we can feel more certain about: the planets and aspects that move more slowly. Depending on whether you know the general time of day, and depending on how close certain fast-moving planetary bodies are to sign cusps, I may be able offer a more extensive reading. If I do not know you very well, I will not venture to make guesses about your placements, though there are astrologers available who specialize in making these deductions!
How did you become interested in astrology?
Twas deep into a frigid, high Hualapai Mountain winter when my friend and I happened upon Gahl Sasson’s “Cosmic Navigator.” I was in my early twenties at the time, hungry for some solid sense of direction, purpose, and validation. I had come out west (from New York) to pursue closeness to nature and the kind of self-understanding that comes from undoing conditioning. So I sat and knit a hat and my friend read about archetypes by which I could understand myself and others, and thus my astro-logic was first lit!
For years following, I continued to follow my bliss in the stars, mostly through watching astrologers on Youtube and examining their interpretations of the transits. Validation was the hook for me. As a Leo seventh house sun, I adored having someone else describe to me what it is that I was experiencing in a context that felt meaningful and purposeful. “How do they know so much about what is happening for me personally when they do these weekly readings for the collective?” Studying symbols and archetypes and a system that knew who I am more than I did, concept of “me” was strongly tickled!
Of course along the way I was asking everyone I met about their birth information, then exploring them and comparing their chart to mine. I came to understand the similarities and differences and complexities to the different expressions of each archetype.
After time and books and encouragement and deep looks into everyone I know’s chart, at last I arrived in Sedona in 2021, smack on my Uranus line! Uranus, the ruler of astrology and my personal chart (Aquarius ascendant), swept me up and lightening-struck stuck me onto the path of chart readings!
Is astrology deterministic? What about free will?
To my understanding, your natal chart is like your footprint or a photo of your face. It is a snapshot of the energy at the moment that you were birthed. Your birth is inextricable from the energy of that moment! It's not that something external from you caused you to be a certain way, nor that your natal chart prescribes who you are, but rather it is an articulation of energy in motion at the inextricably symphonic moment of your incarnation. There is no separation between you and the universe whose energy fluctuations you embody. There is nothing external causing you to be a certain way, rather, the natal chart merely is a written description of energy patterns that you identify with.
I see the natal chart as a depiction of" karma," or, "habit patterns" that you have come into this incarnation with from past incarnations. "Habit patterns" are strong tendencies that we have practiced repeatedly, that have left deep traces in us that are likely to be repeated again. For example, if someone rejects you and you react with insecurity and a craving for acceptance, then your reaction to the situation has left a trace on you, so that the next time that someone rejects you, you are more likely to react with insecurity and a craving for acceptance. You may adopt a habit pattern of doing all sorts of things that you think will gain others' approval. In this way you are "practicing" this habitual tendency of repeatedly perceiving, believing, and feeling like you need others' acceptance and approval.
And so, we might see this somewhere in the chart, possibly as an afflicted Leo planet, since Leo describes the energy archetype of knowing and loving one's unique identity. In this case, one feels insecure in their unique identity ever since experiencing rejection, and so that may come through as a challenged Leo planet.
All that said, can we change? Of course we can change! The chart shows tendencies, habits, cultivated gifts and enjoyments, and challenges., but all that it shows is a culmination of our repeated reactions, perceptions, feelings, and efforts in the past! Ultimately, all phenomena rises from the mind, and when we can become aware of the lens thru which we see, we are more able to see how we can change!
To return to the example of the one with the habit pattern of seeking external acceptance, once one has the awareness that this is a tendency within their own mind, they can work towards cultivating self-acceptance, self-love, and inner authority, instead of doing all they can to try to win others favor. It may take a lifetime of practice, trial and error, and experimentation because these are well-trodded neural networks that are rewiring, though I see the function of astrology is to bring the gifts of awareness and discernment that are the first steps to self-transformation.
all