Astrology 101: Go Beyond Your Sun Sign and Learn the Basics of Your Birth Chart

If you’re into astrology, then you probably know that in order to understand the basics of astrology, you need to know to go beyond your sun sign and learn the basics of your birth chart.

Most people are hip to the fact that their birth date determines whether they fall into the classification of an Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, or Pisces—and perhaps they even have a basic knowledge of the character traits that go along with it. Yet, the sun sign is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to your unique astrological makeup.

While there’s no doubt the best-known facet of astrology is the sun sign astrology is so much richer. Once you learn the basics of your birth chart, astrology will make so much more sense.

Truth is, we’re all born with a cosmic blueprint; one that gives us an understanding of our natural tendencies, personalities, weaknesses, and the path forward. While the sun sign acts as the foundation of who we may innately be, there are many more layers that determine the complexities of our human condition. Thankfully, astrologers (like me!) have made it their life’s work to translate what your birth chart’s basic and what it indicates, and how that impacts your life.

Go Beyond Your Sun Sign and Learn the Basics of Your Birth Chart: What is a Birth Chart?

If you’re new to astrology or haven’t fully grasped what a birth chart is, here’s the scoop: your birth chart, also known as a natal chart, is a map of exactly where the planets were on their journey around the sun at the precise moment you were born from Earth’s perspective.

The positioning of each planet determines which sign of the zodiac it falls in, creating your unique cosmic blueprint. Your birth chart includes: the sun, the moon, the ascendant (or the sign on the eastern horizon at the moment of your first breath) as well as the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. These are the traditional planets, but there are even more celestial bodies to consider, like Chiron, an asteroid-comet that represents your healing at the highest level possible, amongst many (many) others.

Learn The Basics of  Your Birth Chart: What Can It Tell You?

Having your birth chart read by an astrologer is the best way to understand the key pieces of your cosmic blueprint and what they mean for you. Naturally, astrologers have their favorite chart reading platforms and systems to give the most accurate reading. I work with Tropical Placidus.

From there, I identify the positioning of 3 key things:

• • The Sun: This determines your sun sign which is your core identity.
  • The Moon: This determines your moon sign which is your emotional makeup.
  • The Ascendant: This determines your rising sign and indicates a big part of who you are becoming.  

The sun, moon, and ascendant are the most important aspects of your chart because they largely determine your astrological makeup. The rest of the planets play their own key parts, too, and are star players so-to-speak. Once they’re identified, and their relationship to one another is established, the reading can begin. To learn more, pick up my book, Cosmic Health! (It will help you learn the basics of your birth chart.)

Understanding Astrology’s Potential

Personally, I believe the following statement as true.

Astrology is simply the study of possibility. It provides a roadmap of who you are and the potential of your life. It can be used to understand our strengths, discover our passions and priorities, and dig deep into our most authentic selves. Astrology tells us how to use the energy around us to our best advantage, so we can get into a state of flow with our bodies and our work. But it does not offer any guarantees. Our futures are entirely up to us. You have the power to create and change your destiny at any given moment of your life! We use the science of astrology to discover our authentic self, step into our power, take charge of our success, and to truly allow our life to unfold as they should.

Here’s why.

There is a common misconception that an astrologer is a magician or fortune teller. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. A really good astrology session is a dialogue about you and your life and oftentimes feels like a year’s worth of therapy in an hour (not kidding, we go deep). While future predictions may come up, ultimately no one can predict your future for you. So, it’s oh so important to be open, unattached, and engaged in order to get the most out of the experience.

Want to learn more about astrology? Read on for a little Astrology 101…

Learn The Basics of Your Birth Chart: The Planets And The Houses

Each of the planets, the sun, the moon, and your ascendant all belong to a specific zodiac sign and fall within a specific house (for example, you could have Mars in Capricorn in the seventh house).

It’s essential to understand the role the houses play in your unique cosmic blueprint. In the Lunar Logic Moon School Mastermind we learn which house each astrological element falls into, as well as the sign each is in, you can learn a huge amount of information about yourself and your conditions coming into this life. Because of this,

First House 

This house represents your body and your physical presentation to the world. It also signifies personal drive, ambition, and determination.

Second House 

This house represents your sense of self-worth, as well as your material possessions. It also indicates personal income, financial habits, and aspects of early developmental years.

Third House 

This house governs communication and writing projects. It also represents short distance travel, as well as modes of transportations. Further, the third house represents early child development and relates to your siblings too.

Fourth House 

This house represents your family, your home, and your parents. It’s symbolic of what you need to feel safe and secure in your life. It represents your roots.

Fifth House 

This house represents creativity and joy. Many associate the fifth house with fun, pleasure, free time, dating, and romance. The fifth house also rules children, most notably the firstborn.

Sixth House

This house, the house of service, represents your diet, health habits, daily actions, and day-to-day work.

Seventh House 

This house represents both business and romantic relationships. It also describes your contractual relationships, friendships, and adversaries.

Eighth House 

This house represents shared resources and the money of others: a partner’s income, money earned through commissions; anything having to do with your credit, loans, inheritance, mortgages, etc.; or fees earned through charging others for your services.

Ninth House 

This house rules religion, spirituality, higher education, big-picture thinking, publishing, and long-distance travel. Additionally, legal matters also belong to the ninth house.

Tenth House 

This house rules career, fame, ambition, honors, and promotions. Beyond career status, the tenth house also represents authority figures as well as your parents.

Eleventh House 

This house represents your desires and your ability to manifest. Traditionally known as the house of friendship, it also rules groups, organizations, and acquaintances. Describing your personal, and sometimes even professional, goals, this house is essential to making your dreams a reality.

Twelfth House 

This house rules your subconscious. Closely associated with the occult—things having to do with new-age spirituality—it represents etheric qualities of life. Traditionally, the twelfth house represents karma. However, from a more evolved perspective, the twelfth house represents spiritual regeneration, deep self-renewal, privacy, and the need to retreat.

If you’re curious what a chart reading sounds like, take a listen to the reading I gave to Nico Tortorella on his podcast, The Love Bomb. You can also learn more by tuning in to Liz DiAlto’s Untame Yourself podcast, where she and I spend almost an hour riffing on astrology.

Following a private chart reading with me, you’ll walk away with:

• • A clearer understanding of who you are, including your strengths and your weakness, and the biggest hurdles you currently face, and how to clear them.

• • An aerial view of what’s on the horizon for you—the opportunities, the obstacles, and the optimum dates that are of note in the immediate future.

• • An understanding of how to work the astrological cycles in your life so you minimize the amount you push against the tide and instead ride the waves.

• An approach to power and productivity from an entirely fresh angle — and new ways to create, launch and lead… without frying yourself to a crisp.

While I’m not taking any new astrology clients at the moment, you can sign up for my newsletter list and get my FREE e-book here, plus you’ll be notified as soon as I open up my booking calendar again. You’ll also be the first to hear about my signature group coaching program, Lunar Logic Moon School: An Astrology Mastermind for Womxn on the Rise.

Now, I’d love to hear from you. Have you had your chart read? What did you discover? What questions do you have about what your chart means for you? Please share your questions and thoughts in the comments below.