Voice of The Sacred
If you've never Seen a Birth Chart before
A guide for complete beginners
written by Diana Sab
evolutionary & karmic Astrologer
You came into this world dancing to the same rhythm as the sky.
While taking your first breath, you received the cosmic imprint of our solar system as a map of your inner world, but it was not a random one. Your soul chose the exact position of the Sun, Moon, and the planets such way that they tell your story. The energetical background matched your soul's intentions for this lifetime.
As above, so within.
And now you can study the celestial codes to understand yourself better, because we don't really remember all the plans we made before incarnating in our bodies.
Astrology is here to help us remember the most important details.
1. What is a Birth Chart
& how to get the correct one
Your birth chart is a symbolic snapshot of the sky in the moment of your birth.
It shows you what memories and imprints you carry from your past lives, which are now defining the lenses through which you see and understand this life, which, in turn, define how you understand yourself.
The main elements that are studied are the planets & their position as seen from earth.
Astrologers tracked the movement of the "wandering stars" and created drawings full of symbols that capture the most important details: where the planets are in relation to Earth (the houses), and where they are in relation to the Sun (the signs).
Let's see how it all works.
Below you have a picture of the real sky (10th September 2023) from stellarium-web.org
WHAT WE CAN OBSERVE HERE
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The Sun is close to East = this is the sky a couple of hours after sunrise.
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Mercury is very close to the Sun
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A bit further away you can see Venus.
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The Moon is close to the middle of the sky, and she is almost a New Moon.
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On the western side we can see Uranus very close to Jupiter.
! You cannot see the zodiac signs.
Even if we'd look at the real constellations behind them, they do not correspond to the astrological zodiac signs.
To calculate the signs, we need to track Sun's movement on the Ecliptic (the red line) and calculate the Solstices & Equinoxes to determine the zodiac signs.
In the next picture I have "cleaned" the sky from the unnecessary details and added:
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the houses (which literally represent segments of the sky)
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the symbols of the planets
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And now it starts to look like a birth chart.
Above the horizon we can see the houses 7,8,9,10,11,12.
Below the horizon are the houses 1,2,3,4,5,6.
AC = Ascendant = East, rising.
DC = Descendant = West, setting.
MC = Midheaven = Middle of the sky.
(It changes position based on season & the location's latitude)
HOW THE FULL CHART LOOKS LIKE
To note down the position of the Sun, Moon & the planets, we place everything inside a circle (which represents the Ecliptic / Sun's apparent path on the visible sky, from rising to setting and back to rising).
In the upper half of the chart you can see the planets above the horizon (houses 7-12).
In the lower half of the chart you can see the planets below the horizon - houses 1-6.
I eliminated the landscape from the online stellarium so we can see what's below the horizon + I overlapped the astrological chart. This way you can see exactly how the real planets have been noted on the chart.
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Can you see how the birth chart was created?
Can you see how the position of the planets has been noted?
Can you see how astrologers have turned something as complicated as the night sky into such a simple and efficient chart?
Your birth chart is not just an abstract drawing with symbols.
It is literally the sky in the moment of your birth, as seen from earth.
This is why it is very important to study the chart in the wheel format.
On many websites you will find your chart as a simple list of planets and their zodiac sign or house. While this is very useful to have when you study your chart, it is not the correct birth chart. It is just a helpful list, which enormously reduces the information from the real chart.
When you look at the wheel, you are looking at the symbolic sky.
You see the exact position of the planets. You see the distance between them, you see which ones were in opposite corners, you see which ones are visible (above the horizon) and which ones are not (below the horizon). You see which planets are closer to sunrise (Asc) and which are closer to sunset (Dsc).
These are all precious elements you want to know.
Here are some free websites where you can create your birth chart:
This is the website I work with (which is not free):
And here are some Astrology apps that I use & love:
Time Nomad, TimePassanges, AstroMatrix, AstroDox.
!!! Very important:
To avoid any confusion, when you create a chart go to the settings and make sure you have the following:
Zodiac: TROPICAL
Houses system: WHOLE SIGN
You can also eliminate the aspects (the lines between planets) at the beginning, to reduce the chaos of the chart. You can add them later on, after your eyes will have gotten used to seeing the planets in the sign/houses without feeling overwhelmed. The simpler the better!
2. The Components of a Birth Chart
As a beginner, it is easy to get lost in all the details of the birth chart and lose the essence of it. To build a solid foundation, focus only on these 3 elements at the beginning:
1. PLANETS ( = what inner part of you?)
2. HOUSES ( = what is it doing? where is it active?)
3. ZODIAC SIGNS ( = how? what's its style? why? what's the motivation?)
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1. PLANETS
= the actual physical celestial objects, the "wandering stars".
☉ Sun, ☽ Moon, ☿ Mercury, ♀︎ Venus, ♂︎ Mars, ♃ Jupiter, ♄ Saturn, ♅ Uranus, ♆ Neptune, ♇ Pluto.
Planets represent:
⎼ active parts of our soul / psyche
⎼ gods expressing themselves through us
⎼ inner functions / mechanisms
⎼ active archetypes (ex: the warrior, the lover, etc)
2. HOUSES
= the 12 segments of the sky, as seen from earth.
The first segment (1st house) always starts where the Sun rises.
Houses represent:
⎼ 12 areas of life / life divided in 12 segments
⎼ where the inner energy manifests outside
⎼ indicators for where the highest potential can be manifested
⎼ indicators for the duties we have in the physical life
3. SIGNS
= the 12 segments of Sun's path on the Ecliptic.
The first segment (first sign, Aries) is at the spring equinox (in the Northern Hemisphere).
♈︎ Aries, ♉︎ Taurus, ♊︎ Gemini, ♋︎ Cancer, ♌︎ Leo, ♍︎ Virgo, ♎︎ Libra, ♏︎ Scorpio, ♐︎ Sagittarius, ♑︎ Capricorn, ♒︎ Aquarius, ♓︎ Pisces.
Signs represent:
⎼ filters of expression, frequencies of manifestation
⎼ the color, flavor, style of an active part of us
⎼ passive archetypes / costumes
⎼ indicators of the memories we carry inside
⎼ stories, journeys, challenges, lessons, gifts, desires, motivations
every PLANET is in one HOUSE & in one SIGN
= a part of your psyche has a mission to be active in a specific area of your life & that outer expression is done through a style/story/journey.
Every HOUSE from your chart is connected to a SIGN
= every area of your life is "colored" by the story of a zodiac sign.
Not every HOUSE will have PLANETS inside (empty houses) = not every area of your life needs your active presence / conscious efforts.
Not every SIGN will have PLANETS inside (empty signs) = not every archetype describes your soul's journey.
Example:
Venus has a mission to be active in the 11th house & her outer expression is done through Leo.
Jupiter & Uranus have a mission to be active in the 8th house & their outer expression is done through Taurus.
7th house is in Aries, 8th house is in Taurus, 9th house is in Gemini, 10th house is in Cancer, 11th house is in Leo.
Exercise:
Can you do the same for the other two planets from these charts?
Download this PDF file to learn the astrological symbols:
Common Questions
2.1 The Planets
Every planet is the representation of a different part of your psyche.
The luminaries ⎼ Sun & Moon.
The personal planets ⎼ Mercury, Venus & Mars.
The social planets ⎼ Jupiter & Saturn.
The transpersonal planets ⎼ Uranus, Neptune & Pluto.
You see yourself and your life story like your Sun, and you are motivated by its values and goals, but:
You receive, feel and flow like your Moon
You love, create and bond like your Venus
You think, analyze and communicate like your Mercury
You want, act and confront like your Mars
You wonder, understand and decide like your Jupiter
You organize, persist and commit like your Saturn
You're a team of inner characters which sometimes fight, sometimes work together, sometimes pull you in completely different directions.
You're a complex human being with a rich inner world.
2.2 The Houses
Every house is the representation of a different part of the external life, more exactly, your soul's relationship with an area of your life.
The houses are calculated based on your Ascendant.
The Zodiac Sign of your Ascendant represents the First House.
Example: Gemini Ascendant => Gemini in 1st House, Cancer in 2nd House, Leo in 3rd House, etc.
(if you use a different house system than Whole, this won't work)
THE FIRST HOUSE
The connection between my body, my energy and the world around me.
My relationship with myself. Sense of self, identity, physical body, well being, vitality, confidence, motivation, energy to exist as an individual being.
Planets inside = a mission to fully embody my identity and courageously asset myself in the world (through the energy of the planets).
Download this PDF file to learn the keywords for houses:
2.2.1 The 4 angles
The 4 angles show the 4 most important points in Sun's journey through the visible sky in one day:
The rising point ⎼ Ascendant / AC
The middle of the sky ⎼ Midheaven / MC
The setting point ⎼ Descendant / DC
The bottom of the sky ⎼ Imum Coeli / IC
Ascendant / AC ⎼ always in the 1st house, in all house systems
Midheaven / MC ⎼ can be anywhere in the upper half of the chart, based on location
Descendant / DC ⎼ always in the 7th house, in all house systems
Imum Coeli / IC ⎼ can be anywhere in the lower half of the chart, based on location
2.3 The Zodiac Signs
The zodiac wheel represents the 12 segments of Earth's journey around the Sun. Just like the Moon has different phases, so does Earth (creating the 4 seasons based on how much light it receives).
The signs represent 12 different styles in which energy can manifest based on the combination of certain characteristics. Each zodiac sign is characterised by:
- polarity (yin or yang)
- modality (fixed, cardinal or mutable)
- element (fire, earth, air or water)
- ruling planet (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter or Saturn)
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ARIES
warrior, general, survivor, hero
POLARITY: Yang
MODALITY: Cardinal
ELEMENT: Fire
RULING PLANET: Mars
The energy of creation, archetype of the warrior/hero, independence, will power, courage, leadership, being seen and acknowledged, asserting the ego & own desires, conflicts, action.
Planets in Aries = the parts of you that have a desire to prove the world what they're made of, full of energy to fight for something and go after their desire, a mission to boldly be yourself.
House in Aries = the area of your life where you need to be your own leader and show courage & determination.
Download this PDF file to learn the keywords for signs:
When you look at the Birth Chart, imagine that you are looking at a map full of characters, and each of them is carrying a story inside + a task ahead.
You are not looking at how a person is, but you are looking at their soul's plan: what memories they carry from the past lives, and what they want to do with them.
Creating Sense & Going in Depth
The planets & their signs are the fabrics of our existence, frequencies we are made of and from which we create our reality. There's a potential, but there's also the danger of the shadow side. A person can be capable of anything since they carry all of that within, but the question is: what do they choose to do with it?
This is where we have free will.
When you analyze a planet in a sign, imagine that planet as a character, and the sign as its story.
Example: Venus in Leo is the story of the Artist/Lover who is learning to be seen, to step on the stage and lead people towards beauty and harmony. It's the awakening of the feminine energy to her Queen power. Will she be able to keep being herself on the stage? Will she turn shallow for the applauses? Will she learn to be truly seen as she is? Will she lead people towards self-love?
That's her individual journey, not ours to judge.
The planets & their houses are the map of the energetical currents in our life, powerful doorways that show us where to move, where to channel our energy in this physical world to maximize the potential we carry within.
When you analyze a planet in a house, imagine that planet as a character, and the house as a scene.
Example: Venus in 11th house is the Artist/Lover who sits in the middle of a group of people, connected to everyone, building something for the future of the community, channeling her gifts towards those around her. Will she realize her gift is simply to be present and offer her love and warmth to those around her? Will she realize all her feminine empowerment from the Leo energy is meant to inspire and empower other people? Will she accept her duty of delivering beauty and love to enrich our society? That's her individual journey, not ours to judge.
This is the evolutionary way of interpreting the planets in signs & houses.
How we can go in depth from here?
These are some elements you can look into, when you advance with your astrology studies:
⎼ Venus in polarity, modality & element analysis
⎼ the karmic imprint carried by Venus/memories from past life (dignity/debility)
⎼ Venus' degrees (decans, duodenaries)
⎼ the areas of life (houses) & planets governed by Venus
⎼ the planet that governs Venus (the dispositor)
⎼ the connections between Venus and other planets (aspects)
⎼ life events when Venus is activated by a transit
⎼ the Progressed position of Venus
⎼ how other people's planets trigger Venus (synastry aspects)
Other chart elements that can be analyzed:
The Lunar Nodes, Lilith, Asteroids, Fixed Stars.
Human Design elements present in Astrology:
the Unconscious Chart, Earth's placement, Hexagrams & Lines for every planet, Colors & Tones for Sun, Earth and Lunar Nodes.
This was a simple guide for beginners, for you to grasp the essence of Astrology and have a clear image of how the chart works,
but there's so much more to explore.
If you enjoy the way I translate the language of the stars and you resonate with my approach, we can continue this journey together,
for I have created a space just for this:
