Natal astrology is done by freeze-framing the solar system at the moment of your birth, from the perspective of your birth place. This creates a circular map that looks like a pie sliced into twelve pieces. It shows where every heavenly body we’re capable of seeing was located when you arrived. Basically, it’s your astrological tool kit, and it can’t be replicated more than once in thousands of years. This is why we astrologers are so darn insistent about the need for you to either dig your birth certificate out of that box of ancient paperwork in the back of your closet or get a copy of it from the county clerk’s office where you were born. Natal astrology, as interpreted by a professional astrologer, is done exactly and precisely for you and no one else. It shows your inherent traits, talents, and challenges. Comparing the planets’ current positions to their positions in your birth chart allows astrologers to help you understand the celestial trends at work in your life—and most importantly, how you can put each astrological energy to a positive, productive use.
Let’s take a look at the four main components of every astrology chart.
Planets
The planets represent the needs or urges we all experience once we hop off the Evolutionary Express and take up residence inside a human body. For example, the Sun is your urge to shine and be creative, the Moon is your need to express emotions, Mercury is in charge of how you communicate and navigate, and Venus is all about who and what you love—and more importantly, how you love.
Signs
The sign a planet occupies is like a costume or uniform. It describes how you’ll go about acting on your needs and urges. If you have Venus in fiery, impulsive Aries, for example, and you’re attracted to a complete stranger across the room, you won’t wait for them to come to you. You’ll walk over and introduce yourself the second the urge strikes you. Venus in intense, sexy Scorpio, however? Well, that’s a different story. In this case, you’ll keep looking at a prospective beloved until they finally give in, cross the room, and beg you to explain why you’ve been staring at them for the past couple of hours.
11Houses
The houses represent the different sides of our personalities that emerge in different life situations. For example, think of how very different you act when you’re with an authority figure as opposed to how you act with a lover or when you’re with your BFF.
Aspects
The aspects describe the distance from one planet to another in a geometric angle. If you were born when Mercury was 90 degrees from Jupiter, for example, this aspect is called a square. Each unique angular relationship causes the planets involved to interact differently.