Your Birth Chart: What the Stars Can Tell You About Your Life Path
By Lynda Forman
Uncovering Personal Strengths, Weaknesses, and Lessons
The moment you were born was a time to celebrate. What you might not have realized is that at that exact moment, stars were aligned in a certain way. Knowing what this star alignment means can help you better understand your personal strengths, weaknesses, and lessons. While you might uncover information that is challenging at times, this knowledge allows you to better understand what you need to do in order to have the life you want. You might choose to have your birth chart done by a professional, if you can not do this on your own, as this will allow you to have the most accurate birth chart reading possible.
The Planets
The planets that dominate your birth chart help you better understand basic human needs and urges in your life. The planets include:
• Sun: The Sun rules will power and ego. It is the core of your potential and uniqueness as an individual; who you are and what you are about. It represents the main direction and focus you want your life to take, and your determination to accomplish what you set out to do. It is your personal honesty and integrity, and the ability to command respect and authority, to impress and influence others. The Sun is the astrological ruler of Leo.
• Moon: The moon rules desire as opposed to ego, need as opposed to expediency or reason. It describes how you feel about yourself, how you handle relationships, and how you emotionally respond to situations and experiences. It describes the flow of your daily functions; physical, emotional, and mental. The moon represents your residence and domestic environment. It rules babies and young children, your mother and other important females in your life. The Moon is the astrological ruler of Cancer.
• Mercury: Mercury indicates mental outlook, intellectual endeavors, the way you think and communicate. It represents ideas, methods, and information. It rules your hands and thus your manual dexterity and mechanical skills. Mercury also describes transportation; that is, how you get where you’re going physically and mentally. Do you speed with all possible haste or amble along taking a few detours here and there? Mercury is the astrological ruler of Gemini and Virgo.
• Venus: Venus rules your social attitudes and behavior, and your aesthetic tastes and inclinations. It is female relationships and social interactions at every level. Venus indicates your values. It describes romance, marriage and other partnerships, capacity for humor, and the pursuit of pleasure. Venus is the astrological ruler of Taurus and Libra.
• Mars: Mars rules physical energy and efforts. It describes the strength and direction of the physical force that drives your ego, fires your emotions, and encourages your mental endeavors and communicative skills. It describes male relationships and associations, risk-taking inclinations, and the physical challenges you are likely to encounter. Mars is the astrological ruler of Aries, and the co-ruler of Scorpio.
• Jupiter: Jupiter rules your potential for growth and expansion on many levels; physical, intellectual, spiritual, cultural, and the accumulation of material assets, power, and status. It describes your optimism and aspirations. It represents your father and his position in society. Jupiter is the astrological ruler of Sagittarius and the ancient ruler of Pisces.
• Saturn: Saturn rules responsibilities, restrictions and limitations you are apt to encounter, and the lessons you must learn in life. It does not deny or diminish imagination, inspiration, spirituality, and good fortune but it does demand that these things be given structure and meaning. Saturn is the astrological ruler of Capricorn and the ancient ruler of Aquarius.
• Uranus: Uranus rules personal as well as societal freedom. It indicates originality of thought and expression. In society it rules radical ideas and people as well as revolutionary events that upset established structures. Uranus takes approximately seven years to transit one sign, taking about 84 years to complete all twelve signs. Since groups of people with Uranus in the same sign are separated by 84 years, the influence of this planet in a sign is generational. The personal implications of Uranus in your life are described by its house position and the aspects it makes with other planets in your natal chart. It describes areas of unpredictability, and where you or your life style may be different than those around you. It relates to the unusual or unique. Friends and associations to which you belong are also indicated, as is your potential involvement with science and technology, computers, and the media. Uranus is the astrological ruler of Aquarius.
• Neptune: Neptune rules those who are oppressed or abandoned; the misfits of society. On a higher level it rules visionaries, and those who are glamorous and charismatic. It represents spirituality, mysticism, and ideals. Neptune is in one sign for approximately thirteen years, taking about 164 years to complete its cycle through all twelve signs. Since 164 years separate people born during its transit of one sign and those born when it returns, Neptune’s significance in any sign is described as generational or historical. On a personal level, Neptune’s house position and the aspects it makes with other planets in your natal chart will describe spirituality, abstract thinking, illusion, disillusionment, and other areas of your life where things aren’t always what they seem. It rules derangement, guilt, persecution, and describes the potential for experiences related to confinement, abandonment, and addiction or physical intolerance to drugs.Neptune is the astrological ruler of Pisces.
• Pluto: Pluto takes approximately 248 years to make one cycle through all twelve signs. The period Pluto spends in each sign can vary from twelve years to thirty two years due to the eccentricity of its orbit. Like atomic energy (a force ruled by Pluto), the presence and direction of Pluto’s energy are never obvious until it is used. Pluto’s influence in any sign is interpreted as generational or historical. In your personal life, Pluto’s significance is interpreted from its house position and the aspects it makes to other natal planets in your horoscope. Pluto rules intense energy, and describes the areas in which you consciously or subconsciously seek to exercise power or control. Pluto is also linked to your karmic responsibility, and in this respect, it describes the areas where you must gain the deepest level of understanding. Pluto is the astrological ruler of Scorpio.
By looking to where the planets lie on your chart, you can begin to see how you might want to make changes in your life, or you might begin to see the patterns you have already experienced. And they were set in your life when you were born.
The Signs of the Zodiac/ Sun Signs
You may already know these signs, as so many people are interested in what their horoscope has to say. If you don’t already know your sign, the signs are:
• Aries – March 21 – April 19
• Taurus – April 20 – May 20
• Gemini – May 21 – June 20
• Cancer – June 21 – July 22
• Leo – July 23 – August 22
• Virgo – August 23 – September 22
• Libra – September 23 – October 22
• Scorpio – October 23 – November 21
• Sagittarius – November 22 – December 21
• Capricorn – December 22 – January 19
• Aquarius – January 20 – February 18
• Pisces – February 19 – March 20
These signs can be used to determine your soul or your inner personality. But what is even more important to know is that these signs can help you find out your true potential. Of course, you are always in choice when it comes to your actions in life. However, when you’re not satisfied with the way that your life is progressing right now, these signs can help you see what direction you might want to take next.
For example, if you are a Sagittarius, you might find out that your sign is associated with high energy levels and a propensity to lead. Of course, not everyone is perfect, and you would also learn that you are someone who can be blunt and aggressive. Knowing this will allow you to see yourself in a new light.
The Twelve Houses
The Twelve Houses on a birth chart help to continue to show you how your life was laid out at birth.
• House of Self (1st)
• House of Resources (2nd)
• House of Communication and Perception (3rd)
• House of Home and Family (4th)
• House of Creativity, Play, and Self-Expression (5th)
• House of Work and Health (6th)
• House of Relationships (7th)
• House of the Inner Psyche and Transformation (8th)
• House of Travel, Education, and Religion (9th)
• House of Career (10th)
• House of Friends, Hopes, and Wishes (11th)
• House of Spiritual and Transcendent Life (12th)
So if you were to have a planet in the 10th house, you might have career concerns in your life.
When you are having your birth chart read, it’s better to have a professional do the reading until you are well versed in what the planets, signs, and houses mean. However, with this basic knowledge, you can look at your birth chart and make sense of your life.