How to Read an Astrology Chart

Co-authored by Jessica Lanyadoo

Last Updated: April 13, 2024 Fact Checked

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Astrology studies the interactions between planets, stars, and personality. Astrology charts are used to help interpret a person's nature and make predictions about their future. Learning how to read an astrology chart can give you insight into your inner self.

Part 1

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Reading Your Sign

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1
Locate your sign. The outer rim of a Zodiac chart is divided into 12 sections. Your birth date will fall into one of those sections. The section in which your birth date falls is your Zodiac sign. There are 12 signs of the Zodiac, all of which represent different personality traits. Locate which section you fall into in order to identify your Zodiac sign.
- On your astrology chart, a small person is drawn on the globe in the center. The person is drawn on the top of the longitudinal point of your place of birth. You can draw a straight line from the little person to the out rim of the chart. This will show you your Zodiac sign.
- The stars, planets, and signs are drawn in relation to how they appeared on your date of birth.
Your Zodiac sign supposedly has an influence on your personality. For example, if you're an Aries you are supposedly passionate, driven, ambitious, and outgoing.^{[1]
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Research source} You can find information about personality traits associated with the Zodiac online. You can also check out a book from your local library, or purchase one online or at a bookstore, about astrology. This can help you learn about yourself by using your Zodiac sign.

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Keep in mind your Zodiac sign is only one small component of how you read an astrology chart. A variety of aspects influence how your sign is read. You have to take all other aspects of the chart, such as your houses and planets, into consideration to completely read an astrology chart and develop a better understanding of its meaning. This information is dependent on both your place and date of birth.

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Interpreting the Houses

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Find the ascendant. The ascendant is a very important part of an astrology chart. It is the point, by sign and degree, that was rising above the Eastern horizon at the exact moment of your birth. You need to find the ascendant (sometimes known as the rising sign) to know how the houses will be labeled in your chart.
- If the Zodiac wheel was a clock, your ascendant can be found at 9 o'clock. This points to the cusp of your first house.^{[2]
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- The astrology chart is divided into 12 inner sections, in somewhat triangular shapes. Count the houses counter-clockwise, the ascendant marking the first house.
- The opposite point from the ascendant is the descendant. The descendant is thought to affect your relationships with others.
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Learn about the first 6 houses. The different houses point to different aspects of your life. What sign rules the differing houses will influence your astrology chart.
- The first house represents you at birth. That is, your identity, physical appearance, attitude, temperament, and other inherent qualities. Planets and signs found in the first house have a huge influence on your personality.^{[3]
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- The second house represents your money, personal assets, self-worth, and attitude towards such things. Financial security and emotional well-being throughout your life can be evaluated by what sign and planet are found in the second house.^{[4]
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- The third house represents communication and transportation. How others communicate with you, physical forms of communication like letters, and short distance travel is found in the third house. This also points to your mental attitude, learning style, self-expression, and manner of speech.^{[5]
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- The fourth house represents home, family, and property. Your roots, background, childhood, and the inner emotions that stem from these areas of your life are dominated by this house.^{[6]
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- The fifth house represents children and how you relate to them. Romance and love affairs are also found in the fifth house as are how you approach pleasure and fun.^{[7]
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- The sixth house is the house of health and service, representing your general physical well-being throughout life.^{[8]
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Learn about the last 6 houses. In addition to the first 6, there are another 6 houses. Where these houses fall on your chart, and what planets and signs rule these houses, help you read your astrology chart.
- The seventh house represents serious, committed relationships. Things like marriage and romantic partnerships are controlled by this house. It can show what you need in a long term romantic partner.^{[9]
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- The eighth house is the house of regeneration and rebirth. Birth, death, decay, healing, surgeries, and injuries are found in this house. Sex is also found in this house.^{[10]
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- The ninth house represents long distance travel. Journeys found in the ninth house are both physical and metaphorical. In addition to long trips, of 500 miles and more, emotional journeys and transformations are found in the ninth house.^{[11]
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- The tenth house represents career and status. Your ambitions and aspirations are found in this house. It also reveals your place in a community.^{[12]
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- The eleventh house is known as the house of hopes. It represents when and if your dreams will come true. Supposedly, you should wait until you have a significant planet transitioning through this house before taking big risks.^{[13]
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- The 12th house represents secrets. Things that are hidden, like hidden emotions and secret aspects of one's past, are revealed by the 12th house.^{[14]
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Part 3

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Understanding Your Planets

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Locate the planets. Planets that pass through the different houses of your chart affect your reading. Planets are scattered throughout the chart, represented by different symbols. According to astrologers, the movements of the planets can activate specific energies that may have an impact on the events of your daily life.^{[15]
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- The sun is represented by a circle with a dot in the center. The moon is a small half-crescent moon shape.
- Venus is the symbol for female while Mars is the symbol for male. Mercury is the female symbol, but with two small lines jutting out of the top circle.
- Jupiter is represented by a symbol that looks something like the number 4. Saturn is represented by a symbol that resembles 5.
- Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto all have fairly intricate symbols representing them. Uranus looks something like an upside-down female symbol with 4 lines on either side, 2 on each side, that curve outward in opposing directions. Neptune looks like an upside down cross with 2 lines on either side, looping upward. Pluto is a kind of combination of Neptune and Uranus. It's a female symbol facing upward, with 2 lines on either side that loop upward.
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Learn about personal planets. The planets are divided into 2 types: personal planets and outer planets. Personal planets include the sun, the moon, mercury, venus, and mars.
- The sun represents a person's basic identity and purpose. The moon represents how a person reacts and reflects on the events experienced in life.^{[16]
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- Mercury is your ability to relate to and perceive individuals and objects. Venus illustrates what you're comfortable with and what you enjoy. Mars represents your will and your actions.^{[17]
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Learn about outer planets. The outer planets include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Pluto, and Neptune. They point to different aspects of your personality than the inner planets.
- Jupiter represents how you integrate yourself into society as well as your personal growth.^{[18]
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- Saturn represents your personal responsibilities as well as personal rules you develop for yourself over time.^{[19]
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- Uranus represents your ability to learn and grow. Neptune points to your ideals and imagination.^{[20]
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- Pluto represents your capacity for change and inner growth, pointing to very deep and personal types of change.^{[21]
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Interpret your planets using your houses and signs. In order to read an astrology chart accurately, you will need to take into consideration where the planets appear. What house do they appear in and under which sign? This will give you insight into your personality and life path.
- Planets represent what you do, that is, what you enjoy and what drives you. Signs represent how, which is your manner of accomplishing a given task. Houses represent where, as in which areas of your life you can expect certain aspects of growth or change.^{[22]
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- Say you have a Uranus in Aries in your fourth house. Uranus represents your ability to learn and grow. Aries is a sign that points to ambition, passion, and strong emotions. The fourth house points to home, family, and property. This could mean you feel passionate about personal relationships and tend to learn and grow most through your family. You may be more emotionally invested and introspective when dealing with your family.

What Are The Differences Between Your Sun, Moon, And Rising Sign?

Astrology Chart Glossary

Sample Astrology Chart Glossary

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Question

How do I read a birth chart?

Jessica Lanyadoo
Astrologer & Psychic Medium
Jessica Lanyadoo is an astrologer with over 20 years of consulting experience. She is the author of Astrology for Real Relationships: Understanding You, Me, and How We All Get Along and is the host of the popular astrology and advice show, Ghost of a Podcast. Lanyadoo co-hosted TLC’s digital astrology show Stargazing and writes weekly and monthly horoscopes that help you heal.

Jessica Lanyadoo

Astrologer & Psychic Medium

Expert Answer

A common mistake of reading an astrology chart is calling an aspect grid a birth chart. A lot of apps and websites show your aspect grid and not your circular birth chart. An aspect is an angle the planets make to each other in your horoscope, which shows the timing of transitions and changes. A birth chart, or natal chart, is what the sky looked like at the moment of your birth.

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Will I ever be wealthy and successful? An astrologer hinted that October would be a turning point, is that true? I'm a Scorpio.

Lytton Hall

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Most experienced astrologers tend to shy from making concrete predictions about the future, primarily because it's almost impossible to predict the exact circumstances being represented in one's personal natal transits. Personalities are far easier to read accurately from a natal chart, since there are far fewer potential factors to take into consideration. In either case, an astrologer can't tell you anything from your sun sign alone. If the astrologer who counselled you only asked for your date of birth, it's a safe bet he or she had no idea what astrology actually is. Your individual natal chart is far more involved than just "a sign." The article above may grant you some notion.

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When reading an astrology chart what is meant by true node, chiron, vertex, ascendant, and mid heaven?

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True node is seen as your karma for this life (things you have to learn), chiron is your wounds and how you heal them, vertex is usually a "fate" position. It is triggered when you meet your soul mate, when someone dies or is born, or when you break up important relationships. Typically ascendant is what first impression you give people, and how you view the world and midheaven is your reputation/public image, or your career.

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Astrologers believe that you can get a more nuanced understanding of events in your daily life by looking at “transit charts.” These charts map the current movements of the planets onto your birth chart, or natal chart. The influence of these planets is thought to mingle with the influence of the planets in their original positions at the time of your birth.^{[23]
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It can be very difficult to draw your own astrology chart, but you can find websites that will generate an astrology chart for your use. Be careful, however, as not all sites are accurate. Pay attention to user reviews and feedback to find a good site. You may also find someone who does astrology professionally in your area who can make a chart for you.

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You'll need to know your time of birth, in addition to your date of birth, to read a chart correctly. You’ll also need to take your local time zone into account.

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