top of page

Astrology 101: Understand Yourself & Your Life Path



What Is a Birth Chart?

The birth chart shows where the planets were at the time of your birth. Theoretically, the placement of the planets and their relationship to each other can predict events in your life and aspects of your personality. I say theoretically because I encourage you to practice, learn, and collect data of your own to come to your own conclusions.

Today, I’m going to introduce you to some of the preliminary concepts of reading your own chart—but please know this will be akin to dipping your toe into the ocean. There’s so much more to learn.


The 12 Houses

The birth chart is split into twelve different parts that indicate different people and areas of your life. These are called the twelve houses. Each house governs a specific domain of life—like relationships, career, or home.

The planets in the houses can tell you key things about how those areas of your life will go.Example: Venus—the planet of harmony and relationships—in the seventh house signifies a happy marriage, unless aspected by a malefic like Saturn or Mars.





Step 1: Find Your Ascendant (Rising Sign)

To pull up your birth chart:

  1. Go to astro-seek.com

  2. Enter your birth info (make sure your birth time is accurate)

  3. Click “Extended Settings”

  4. Select Whole Sign Houses

Now look for the line on the left side of the circle labeled ASC—this is your Ascendant or Rising Sign. It marks the beginning of the 1st house and is the sign that was rising on the eastern horizon when you were born.


What Does the Rising Sign Represent?

The rising sign is the helm of the ship—where the chart is steered from. It represents:

  • Your physical body and appearance

  • Your character and identity

  • How you move through the world

  • Your unconscious tendencies

  • Your natural gifts

Examples:

  • Gemini Rising: Communication, curiosity, speed, adaptability

  • Scorpio Rising: Depth, intensity, emotional transformation

  • Taurus Rising: Beauty, stability, nature, comfort

Your rising sign reveals your life’s core themes.


How Your Rising Sign Affects Appearance

The sign on the ascendant, and any planets in the 1st house, can influence your body and physical appearance.

Examples:

  • Saturn-ruled (Capricorn, Aquarius): Thin, tall, serious demeanor

  • Venus-ruled (Taurus, Libra): Attractive, symmetrical features, soft body

  • Jupiter-ruled (Sagittarius, Pisces): Larger frame, warm presence

  • Moon-ruled (Cancer): Round face, expressive eyes, prominent chest

  • Scorpio Rising: Intense gaze, magnetic aura


Step 2: Find the Planet That Rules Your Rising Sign

Each sign is ruled by a planet. That planet is called the chart ruler and gives clues about your life direction.

Traditional Rulerships:

  • Aries, Scorpio → Mars

  • Taurus, Libra → Venus

  • Gemini, Virgo → Mercury

  • Cancer → Moon

  • Leo → Sun

  • Sagittarius, Pisces → Jupiter

  • Capricorn, Aquarius → Saturn


Step 3: Locate Your Chart Ruler in the Birth Chart

Find the planet that rules your rising sign and look at:

  1. Which sign it’s in

  2. Which house it’s in

The house and sign of your chart ruler reveal key themes in your life.

Examples:

  • Chart ruler in the 4th house: Home, family, privacy are core themes

  • In the 5th house: Creativity, children, self-expression are central

  • In the 9th house: Travel, philosophy, higher learning define you

  • In the 11th house: Friends, networks, collective goals shape your purpose

Famous examples:

  • Kylie Jenner: Saturn in the 4th = privacy, family legacy

  • Beyoncé: Mars in the 5th = creativity, performance, power


Step 4: Determine Your Chart Sect (Day or Night Birth)

The sect of your chart affects which planets support or challenge you the most.

How to find it:

  • If the Sun is above the horizon (houses 7–12), you were born during the day.

  • If the Sun is below the horizon (houses 1–6), you were born at night.


Day Chart vs. Night Chart

If You Were Born During the Day:

  • Jupiter is your most beneficial planet

  • Mars is your most challenging planet


If You Were Born at Night:

  • Venus is your most beneficial planet

  • Saturn is your most challenging planet


Advanced Technique: Layer the Meanings

Once you know:

  • Your rising sign

  • The ruler of your rising sign and its placement

  • Whether you were born during the day or night

  • Where Jupiter, Venus, Mars, and Saturn are in your chart

You can begin to combine the meanings:

  • Take the planet (e.g., Saturn),

  • Add the sign it’s in,

  • And the house it's in,

  • Then blend those themes.

This will give you deeper insight into not only your own personality and purpose—but also how different people and areas of life show up for you.


The Planets in Astrology

Now that you understand your rising sign, chart ruler, and chart sect, let’s get to know the planets. These are the key archetypes in astrology—each one represents different energies, people, and themes. As I go through each, look for where they fall in your chart (sign and house), and combine that with what you’ve already learned.


The Sun ☀️

Rules: Leo

Represents: Eyes, consciousness, life’s work, kingship, fortune, the father

The Sun is the framework of your mind—it shows your consciousness and your sense of purpose. It’s also your public reputation and how you shine in the world.


  • A Sun in Scorpio might be drawn to mystery and deep psychological exploration.

  • A Sun in Libra may gravitate toward relationships and balance.


The Sun is also said to represent the father, and its house placement can show something about him.Example: Sun in the 9th = father may be a foreigner or connected to higher education.Sun in the 8th? You might work with other people’s money, investments, or inheritance.

Some say your Sun sign is what you grow into—a life-long journey of embodying your light.


The Moon 🌙

Rules: CancerRepresents: Mother, women, emotions, travels, the body, nurturance, grounding

The Moon rules your internal world—your emotional landscape, how you nurture yourself, and how you experience being in your body.


  • Moon in Gemini: Communicates emotions, needs mental stimulation.

  • Moon in Cancer: Nurturing, emotionally driven, home-oriented.

  • Moon in Scorpio: Intense, secretive, deeply feeling.


Your Moon sign shows your emotional reflexes, and the house it’s in tells you how and where you find emotional nourishment.Example: Moon in the 5th = creativity and pleasure soothe you.Moon in the 6th = you may need structure and routine to feel safe.

If the Moon is next to another planet, it grounds the qualities of that planet into your life.(Example: My Moon is next to Mars, and it grounded some violence into my lived experience.)


Saturn 🪐

Rules: Capricorn, Aquarius

Most difficult planet in night charts

Saturn is cold, dry, and demanding. It rules bones, teeth, time, limits, and structure. It can indicate depression, scarcity, and repression, but it also rewards hard work and resilience.

In ancient astrology, Saturn also indicates queerness—it’s for the outsiders, the disciplined, and the unique.

  • Saturn people often struggle early in life, but age into their power—especially after 30.

  • The house Saturn is in may feel like a heavy burden or a deep area of growth.

Examples:

  • Saturn in the 3rd = issues with siblings, learning, or communication

  • Saturn in the 10th = career feels delayed or burdensome but eventually rewarding

If you were born during the day, Saturn’s challenges are surmountable.If you were born at night, Saturn may represent the greatest hardship in your life.


Mars 🔥

Rules: Aries, Scorpio

Most difficult planet in day charts

Mars is heat, war, action, force. It rules over violence, severing, conflict, and authority figures (like police, military, etc.). It governs the genitals and represents male energy.

Mars shows:

  • Where you fight

  • What drives you

  • How you pursue what you want

It also shows where you may have experienced sudden or violent events.Example: Mars in the 4th = violence in the home or a father figure in law enforcement.Mars in Leo = assertive self-expression.Mars in Virgo = driven by service, precision, and details.


Venus 💕

Rules: Taurus, Libra

Most positive planet in night charts

Venus is all things soft, magnetic, and beautiful. She rules over love, sex, friendship, pleasure, art, fashion, and money. Venus shows:

  • What you find beautiful

  • What you desire

  • How you relate in partnerships

It also governs precious materials (gold, emeralds), the face, the lips, and the senses.

Examples:

  • Venus in the 10th = public beauty, fashion career, art-related status (think Kylie Jenner)

  • Venus in Scorpio = intense, devoted love

  • Venus in Libra = graceful, social, and fair in relationships

People with strong Venus placements often have refined tastes and may be involved in creative or luxury industries.


Jupiter 🌟

Rules: Sagittarius, Pisces

Most positive planet in day charts

Jupiter is about expansion, blessings, luck, and wisdom. It rules philosophy, politics, freedom, generosity, and sweetness. Jupiter brings growth wherever it lands.

Examples:

  • Jupiter in the 5th = abundant creativity, children, or joy

  • Jupiter in the 8th = inheritance, other people’s resources

  • Jupiter in the 3rd = writing, speaking, and mental gifts

Jupiter shows where you’re blessed and how you can find luck and meaning in life.


Mercury 🧠

Rules: Gemini, VirgoNeutral—takes on the flavor of the planets around it

Mercury governs communication, thought, detail, humor, intelligence, and markets and trade. It represents the mind, voice, and how you learn.

Mercury is associated with androgyny and those who straddle lines between logic and mysticism.

Examples:

  • Mercury in the 8th = thinks about death, psychology, taboo topics

  • Mercury in the 12th = intuitive, secretive, poetic thinking

  • Poorly aspected Mercury = struggles in early education or speech delays

Mercury adapts—it can be witty, anxious, brilliant, or confusing depending on where it lands.







 
 
 

コメント


bottom of page