Intro to a Western Astrology Chart (Esoteric Salon session 3: Start A Tab)

Jul 7

4 min read

western astrology chart example! This circle chart is drawn with glyphs representing signs, planets, and placements

Alright, go ahead and Start A Tab. We might be here a while.

This blog post is an accompaniment to session 3 of my podcast, Esoteric Salon.

My goal was to give an intro to a western astrology chart. It’s a lot more than Sun signs horoscopes, even if that is great place to begin building a common basis of understanding and empathy. My hope was to give a brief overview of an astrology chart, staying light on the actual symbolism. In this way, I hope to introduce the concept of an astrology chart to those who are interested, unencumbered by the style of interpreting symbolism. I will include reference files to explore for self study.

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Super short (well, as short as I can make it haha) educational summary:

An astrology chart is a drawing of a symbolic sky, capturing a moment in time.

That moment could be the moment a question is asked, a business is made, a project is launched, or - most familiarly - the moment you were born. You are symbolically capturing and recording a depiction of the sky of the moment from that location.

The circle chart is divided into 12 pie pieces called houses, representing areas of your life.

The chart is viewed counterclockwise, beginning with the Ascendant AKA the Rising Sign. The Ascendant is the zodiac sign that could be seen on the Eastern horizon of the moment being drawn as an astrology chart.

The 12 zodiac signs get overlaid on the chart, in sequential order, beginning with the rising sign. Think of zodiac signs as archetypes of human experience.

(Note: It’s tricky to attempt to record a drawing of a complicated thing - space and the passage of time. Thus, you will discover that there are many different “house systems.” AKA, Different ways to slice up the pie pieces of the houses. Whole signs and Placidus are the two most common. I work mostly with Whole Signs, using Placidus as a secondary method. Thus, I will speak from the Whole Signs systems.)

Using the Whole Signs house system, the houses are divided equally with 30 degrees each, and each Zodiac sign gets a whole house to itself.

After we have established this chart structure we can draw in the planets of where they fall above and below the horizon. They fall into houses and signs.

Planets are the forces that act within an astrology chart. The houses are where, and the signs are how.

We look at 10 planets. The Luminaries: Sun, Moon. The Personal Planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars. The Social Planets: Jupiter and Saturn. The Collective Energy/ Transpersonal Planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

The planets are rich with symbolism and delineations.

The way the planets are placed within a chart creates degrees of space between them, resulting in geometric lines of relationship. These aspects can result in greater harmony or friction between the forces of the planets.

At this point, you have the basic structure and symbolic features for stories to come alive and dance. Planets in signs and houses, and analyzing the aspects between them.

There are many other notable placements within an astrology chart, such as the highest and lowest point (the MC/IC respectively) as well as many traditional techniques for deriving insight.

Each astrologer has their favorite access point into an astrology chart… sort of like their favorite way to begin a story. That comes from their unique perspective and voice as a person, observer, analyst, story teller, and translator.

Unique styles of interpretation, within the structure of basic symbolism delineations, branch off into revealing the many varied beliefs and values of people. Astrology opens up discussions around beliefs, fate, and free will… and people simply don’t agree on those things! and yet, underneath it all is the core of our shared experiences of being human beings.

Did I answer the question of explaining a western astrology chart??? Not sure. Hopefully. Well anyways, here's a little about my personal approach to reading astrology charts..

As an astrologer, I stretch my language of astrology from profoundly spiritual to skeptically exploratory. Whether you believe deeply in past lives, are spiritually curious, devoutly religious, or decidedly not spiritual, I aim to allow my client’s and my beliefs to intermingle with the knowledge of astrology and create a meaningful exchange. I come from a place of prioritizing self cultivation and self awareness, and use astrology to contain and facilitate understanding and growth for me and my clients. A growth mindset strongly influences my style of interpretation. I prioritize the power of awareness, perspective, and observation. I come from a place that notices and admires the cycles of nature - and this blossoms into a desire to learn and align more harmoniously with natural cycles. I love metaphor, story, and the expansive abilities of the imagination.