May 07th, 2016

There are three key components one must comprehend to read a chart

1) Planets: the planets are energy- each planet puts forth a particular energy.  
               The Sun is will
               The Moon is emotional response and fecundation
               Mercury is communication and mental activity
               Venus is coalition (love and money)
               Mars is force
               Jupiter is expansion and growth
               Saturn is obstruction or discipline (which leads to success)
               Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are generational planets to addressed in a later post

2) Signs: there are twelve signs, addressed in a previous blog; signs describe how the energy plays out.  Please see the blog "Astrological Descriptions" for information about each sign. 

3) Houses: the houses are the Earth divided into 12 segments; each segment is ruled by a sign and represents an area of one's life.   See below for a description of each house:
         
       

The key to interpreting a chart is to synthesize the information provided to generate a summarized description of a person, place, thing.  This is the tricky part- ironically, it correlates to being a critical thinker and reader, as you must be able to take independent components and put them together to generate a new idea.  

For example, suppose a person has a Gemini Sun in the 5th House.  That would indicate that the person uses the life force energy for entertainment and recreation/entertainment.  They would be highly creative, and express themselves through the written word.  This is a good placement for a writer of any sorts.  If the Sun is trine or sextile Jupiter or Mercury, this would be even more auspicious for a writer- for Jupiter expands and brings benevolence to that which it touches, while Mercury brings great mental activity (making one a great teacher of children).  If Mercury is in Leo, it would promise a successful career in publications.  
Now, take the same planets, but add negative aspects.  The Gemini Sun in the 5th House squaring Jupiter would likely cause one to struggle to become a published writer, although they may have excellent and expressive writing skills.  Likewise, with Mercury squaring or opposing the Gemini Sun, a person might have great ideas but struggle to put pen to paper- a perpetual writers' block.  

As you practice reading your own and others' charts, start with the "Holy Trinity"- that is the position of the Sun, Moon, and Ascendant (AC).  Identify the House that the planets are in (Sun and Moon) as well as their zodiac sign.  Identify the sign on the cusp of the Ascendant.  Analyze how other planets affect the Sun, Moon, and AC.  
​Also, look for areas with a great deal of energies or planets.  This is a stellium, and most times, you must actively work to balance that energy.  This is why you would want to master the Law of Opposites- if you have a stellium, only focusing on that opposite energy can balance you out.  Do this by a) identifying the sign and b) chanting/focusing on angels, stones, colors, etc... that are associated with the opposite sign, or c) think about what that opposite sign represents, find it in your chart (what house does it occupy?  any planets in that sign?) and actively work to incorporate more of that energy in your chart.   If you have a stellium in Cancer or in the 4th House (home, domestic, roots, family), you need to place more emphasis on Capricorn or the 10th House, which represents work, career, and public acclaim for the success you experience.  If you have too much energy in Taurus or the 2nd House, you likely focus too much on material gains for your own personal usage, as opposed to gaining with another person (making you less self-centered/oriented)- this could be a mate, a business partner, or someone in your family with whom you have a deep bond.  

Astrology is a science of geometry, psychology, mythology, cosmography, and symbology.  It is not "spooky" or a "pseudoscience"; it is actually a practice that is prevalent throughout the world in some form or fashion.  Holidays are all days honoring astrological, and subsequently agricultural phenomenon.  Christmas is literally the "birth of the Sun"- look at the zodiac wheel, and you will note that the Sun sits at the bottom of the wheel on the night of December 21st, the winter solstice where it dies or hides, immobile for three days and three nights.  Yet he is reborn the morning of December 25. Easter is a holiday honoring Eostre, or Astarte, or Ashteroth...all correlating to Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, and the planet of love.  Easter came out of  an Anglo-Saxon celebration of the spring equinox.  And it coincides with Passover (Judaism).  Now Easter occurs after the first full moon in Spring, which is naturally Libra, who home in Venus.  Honestly, astrology is everywhere; I say it is the only religion, as all religious holidays and festivals and even narratives include astrology in some capacity.   And as Baba Oduno says, "there is no culture without agriculture." 

I encourage everyone to study their chart; then look at your loved ones- it can help you better your relationships and place you in the natural rhythm of the universe.  There is not such thing as a fatal star placement- there are unfortunate signs that manifest via our past life experiences (see Max Heindel)...yet, we can always use what the universe gives us to better ourselves.  This is what the power of astrology is...so delve in with patience and a keen eye. 

Peace and love,
 SB