Sun
Core daylight metaphor in traditional teaching; popular ‘sign’ marker.
Natal diagram
Understanding the birth chart
A natal or birth chart is a map of planetary positions for a chosen time and place. This page explains the parts of that map. It does not cast charts for visitors and it does not invent celebrity birth data.
In Western teaching, the circle is usually the ecliptic divided into twelve signs, with a second twelve-fold division of houses based on the local horizon and meridian. Planets are placed by celestial longitude. Reading is interpretive. Astronomy can tell you where Mars was; astrology is the tradition that tells a story about that placement.
Example birth chart
The wheel below is an Example Birth Chart. The Ascendant is shown in Aries, the Sun in Leo, the Moon in Cancer, Venus in Virgo, and Mars in Scorpio. Those positions were chosen for teaching contrast. They do not belong to a real person.
- Hypothetical Ascendant: Aries 12°
- Hypothetical Sun: Leo
- Hypothetical Moon: Cancer
- Hypothetical Venus: Virgo
- Hypothetical Mars: Scorpio
Pieces of the map
Moon
Fast-moving luminary; often described as bodily and cyclical.
Ascendant / Rising sign
Eastern horizon degree. Requires a time and a place in the usual method.
Mercury
Speech, trade, calculation in traditional lists.
Venus
Attraction, art, and reconciliation motifs.
Mars
Separation, heat, and conflict motifs.
Jupiter
Increase, law, and patronage motifs.
Saturn
Time, limit, and structure motifs.
Uranus
Modern addition (discovered 1781); disruption language in modern schools.
Neptune
Modern addition (1846); oceanic and dissolving metaphors in modern schools.
Pluto
Modern addition (1930); intensity language in many twentieth-century systems.
Houses
Twelve terrestrial topics counted from the local horizon.
Aspects
Angular relationships such as conjunction, square, trine, opposition.
Continue with What Is a Birth Chart?, How to Read a Basic Birth Chart, and the zodiac sign essays.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a real person’s chart?
No. The wheel is labeled Example Birth Chart and uses hypothetical placements.
Do I need software to learn?
Software can calculate positions. Understanding still requires learning what the symbols are said to mean in a given school.
Is a birth chart scientific?
It is a geometric diagram plus an interpretive overlay. The overlay is not scientifically established as personality or fate measurement.
Where should I go next?
Read What Is a Birth Chart? and How to Read a Basic Birth Chart in the guides section.