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Welcome, lovely witches, to your mystical journey towards understanding the cosmos! Astrology holds secrets that can unlock the power within us and help us align with the universe. In this blog post, we will delve into the fascinating world of natal charts, empowering even beginners to grasp the essence of their astrological makeup.

* I would quickly like to point out this is all based on modern western astrology.*

What is a Natal Chart?

To decipher the secrets of the cosmos, we first need to understand what a natal chart is. A natal chart, also known as a birth chart, is a unique snapshot of the celestial energy at the moment of your birth; how the planets, sun, moon and stars aligned at the exact time and location of your birth. It serves as a personal map, depicting the placements of the planets and their relationship to each other, unveiling glimpses of your life's journey. The exact time is important because every hour or so the mapping of the sky changes because the earth is moving. There are many sources for finding your natal chart; some of my personal favorites would be Astro.com and Chani.

Side note : don’t share this personal information with just anyone. Once someone knows your exact time of birth they can end up using that information against you. Always stay protected. 

The Basic Elements of a Natal Chart

Let's explore the key elements that constitute a natal chart. We will unravel the significance of the twelve zodiac signs, the houses, and the planets: those celestial entities that shape our personalities and the energies they emanate. There are 12 signs representing characteristics, 10 planets including the sun and moon (even though they aren’t planets they are considered celestial bodies) representing different mind functions, and the 12 houses representing specific areas of life. To put it more basically: the planets are the what, the signs are the how and why, and the houses are the area of life most of this is happening in. Understanding your natal chart will take some time and with time and different events happening in your life you’ll learn more and more about yourself. 

The Zodiac Signs: Exploring Your Inner Magic

Discover the twelve zodiac signs and how they influence our individual qualities and traits. Gain valuable insight into the elemental forces that shape your character, from the fiery passion of Aries, to the earthy stability of Taurus, to the watery depths of Scorpio. Unleash the power of the zodiac within you!

Most people know there sun sign, this is the sign of the month/season that you were born in. However, we all have a combination of different planets in different signs which make up our different characteristics. Aside from that, our chart is sectioned into 12 parts and each part is associated with each sign; meaning you have all 12 signs in your natal chart.

It’s important to note here that when you look at your natal chart it is a 2D projection of a spherical map. The sphere being the planet earth. The center point is the exact place you were born on earth. Then from there forms a horizontal line down the middle and to the eastern horizon is the ascending constellation; this is the point which is rising/ascending from the horizon as the earth turns. This is your ascendant or rising sign. The planets and all other constellations will then fall wherever they may in your chart based on the mapping of the sky at that time. 

The signs will always show up on the map in a fixed order from: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces. So if your rising sign is Leo, then that is your 1st house and the rest of the signs follow in the order previously listed (ie. Virgo 2nd house, Libra 3rd house and so on…).

We all have planets in some or maybe even all of these signs and all of these signs have corresponding houses which we will get more into later on. The 12 signs all have natural ruling planets and are categorized into different things such as elements, masculine or feminine, and qualities. There are three types of qualities; the cardinals which take action, the fixed which accumulate more stability and the mutable which are really easy to move. 

To go a little more in-depth, so you may start to understand what this all means, here is a little more about the correspondences of each of the signs. Keep in mind each sign has different characteristics that can be seen as “positive” and “negative” but it doesn’t mean that because that is your sun sign that these are your characteristics. Some people relate more to their rising sign, or even their moon sign. You also have to consider how you grew up and how different events in your life have affected your personal character traits.

Aries (March 21 - April 18) - Fire, Masculine, Cardinal, ruled by Mars

Willpower, impulsive, initiative, courage, energy, activity, often can rush headlong into things. 

Taurus (April 20 - May 20) - Earth, Feminine, Fixed, ruled by Venus

Sensual, pleasure-seeker, steadfast, strives for security, loyal to their values, may see red when provoked for a long time. 

Gemini (May 21 - June 21) - Air, Masculine, Mutable, ruled by Mercury

Mental type, witty, communicative, mobile, takes pleasure in learning, may struggle to touch down to earth; elusive.

Cancer (June 22 - July 22) - Water, Feminine, Cardinal, ruled by the Moon

Embraces emotions, consistent, set in their ways, seeks safety and closeness, very much a family person. 

Leo (July 23 - August 22) - Fire, Masculine, Fixed, ruled by the Sun

Glamour, generosity, organizer, adores attention, strong and present leader. 

Virgo (August 23 - September 22) - Earth, Feminine, Mutable, ruled by Mercury

Precise, differentiates, does what is necessary, tends to put logic over emotions, carries a critical point of view. 

Libra (September 23 - October 23) - Air, Masculine, Cardinal, ruled by Venus

A sense of beauty and proportion, tactful, seeks balance and harmony, sometimes hovers between the scales; can be indecisive.

Scorpio (October 24 - November 21) - Water, Feminine, Fixed, ruled by Pluto

Charismatic, passionate, piercing, takes things to extremes, fully commits to decisions. 

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21) - Fire, Masculine, Mutable, ruled by Jupiter

Free spirit, carefree, love of movement, cheerful about the things that excite them, wanderlust, may seem to be elsewhere. 

Capricorn (December 22 - January 19) - Earth, Feminine, Cardinal, ruled by Saturn

Enduring, has a sense of purpose, proud, ambitious, can get stuck in challenging situations.

Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) - Air, Masculine, Fixed, ruled by Uranus 

Communicative, humanitarian, progressive, team builder, curious, thinking outside the box, universal spirit with occasional astonishing obstinacy.  

Pisces (February 19 - March 20) - Water, Feminine, Mutable, ruled by Neptune

Compassionate, sensitive, helpful, sociable, very adaptable, comfortable in their solitude, can find it difficult to feel understood, dreamer.

The Houses: Unveiling the Pathways 

The houses in your natal chart represent the various areas of life where the cosmic energies manifest. Learning how to interpret the houses can help gain insight into your work, relationships, creativity, and spiritual journey. This can help illuminate the paths that will lead you to your highest potential.

Going back to looking at your natal chart you’ll notice it is divided into sections and each section is numbered 1-12. These are the houses of life; they represent different areas of life and how you go about living in these specific areas depends on the planets and signs they align with in your chart. Naturally, each house is ruled by a certain zodiac sign that carries similar characteristics. However, the houses on your chart may not land on there natural zodiac sign because the zodiac constellations are in a fixed position in the sky but the houses move because they are corresponding to the earths rotation. 

The houses on your chart start with your ascendant at house 1 and then rotate counterclockwise to 12 in the natural order of the signs. For example, if your rising is in Gemini then that is where house 1 begins and then house 2 would be in Cancer, house 3 in Leo and so forth and so on ending at Taurus in your 12th house.

To understand further here are what each house represents:

1 - The house of self

Ruled by Aries and planet Mars. Determines our rising/ascendant sign, your individuality, how you come off to everyone else, how you present yourself. 

2 - The house of possessions and stability

Ruled by Taurus and the planet Venus. Represents overall general materialism and our attraction towards materialistic things. Determines what we value, who we value and why we value it. This is what speaks to our level of personal material fulfillment.

3 - The house of communication, information exchange and intellect

Ruled by Gemini and the planet Mercury. This is the way that we think and analyze situations and how that translates into your communication with other people. 

4 - The house of family and home

Ruled by Cancer and the Moon. This house governs our own emotional basis for fulfillment and how our upbringing influences that greatly. This is the way you imagine your future domestic life or how you up-keep your current domestic life. 

5 - The house of pleasure, creativity, children or inner child and romance

Ruled by Leo and the Sun. This house influences what we find fun and pleasurable in order to gain personal fulfillment. It is about whatever you do in your life to create happiness and fun. 

6 - The house of health, habits and daily routine

Ruled by Virgo and the planet Mercury. Representing our physical health and how we deal with that. This can also show our habits, good or bad, as well as how we manage day to day tasks.

7 - The house of committed relationships; romantic and platonic

Ruled by Libra and the planet Venus. This is about what you seek in your romantic partnerships and how that will play out; what you value in the relationship. This is also about values you seek in a business partnership and determines all areas of intimacy with people you will be the closest with; both romantic and platonic.

8 - The house of sex, the occult, investments, shared finances, and death

Ruled by Scorpio and the planet Pluto. This has famously been called “the darkest house” because it is about your deepest, darkest desires, your secrets or “taboo” as well as limitations and what challenges you face. This influences sex, death and shared finances. Death in this case, can also represent transformation or the way that you deal with death in your life and events regarding death or the end of a chapter. It also represents a mystical symbolism (ie. reincarnation, reformation, transformation). We can learn a lot from this house because it shows limitations and deep desires and those things that we are trying to break free from, it also views sex as a mystical joining of two souls so this house shows your experience with sex and how you view it. 

9 - The house of travel, expansion of consciousness, awareness, and knowledge

Ruled by Sagittarius and the planet Jupiter. This is about the way that you go about experiencing your spiritual horizons and higher education. It is about how you like to get education whether by traveling, school, research or some other way. 

10 - The house of career and social standing

Ruled by Capricorn and the planet Saturn. This house greatly impacts your career path and where you may end up later on in life. This isn’t going to tell you the career you should take but rather help you choose your career based on your true love and passion for something. This is also where you should look in life for the most success and happiness as far as career and public status goes. It greatly influences the way groups of others perceive us and with that in mind it is said to be connected to the idea of karma as well since Saturn is the planet of karma.

11 - The house of community, network and friends

Ruled by Aquarius and the planet Uranus. This house is kind of an extension of the previous house and extends into our personal social life and business social life. It is about the way that you interact with the people in your close circle, how you work in teams and organizations, and encourages the way that you nourish and further expand the close relationships in your life.

12 - The house of the subconscious, mental health, imagination and dreams

Ruled by Pisces and the planet Neptune. This house governs everything mystical; how you connect to the spiritual realm. This house governs your karma, habits and things that you think subconsciously and if you pay attention to it, this can really transform us spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically if we decide to learn from it rather than run away from it. 

The Planets: Ancient Guardians of Magic

Exploring the planets in your natal chart will help you understand their influence on your psyche. From the mighty presence of the sun and the transformative power of Pluto, to the expressive energy of Mercury and the nurturing nature of the moon, each planet lends a unique gift and challenge to your spiritual evolution.

The natal chart takes into consideration 10 major planets: the sun, the moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Each planet has a certain energy, vibration and purpose. Each one is placed somewhere in your chart; these are the main players of the natal chart because each one of them represents a part of you. You are a conglomeration of different parts, many different fragments that serve many different purposes and many different function and processes.

Each one of these planets is also a natural ruler of each sign. However, this doesn’t mean that the planet that is naturally ruling a sign will be in that sign at the time of your birth, most likely it wont be there. Whenever we see a house that has planets in it, that life department is more highlighted for you and will be more active then houses that are empty. But this is not to say that empty houses mean nothing is happening there, it simply won’t be as active as other areas of life for you.

Fun fact: the correspondences of each planet can also help you later on when doing spell work. Each planet has a designated day of the week that its energy is the strongest. This means if you want to amplify the magic of whatever spell you are doing you could do your spell on the day that a specific planet rules. For example, if doing a love spell you could do it on a Friday because that is Venus day, the planet of love. You could even go above and beyond if possible and also combine it with the energy of the full moon; if it lands on that same day.

Now let’s dive a little deeper into the correspondences of each of the planets:

The Sun (Sunday) - Ruler of Leo

Your identity and where you shine. This is your purpose, what you become, helps you understand your identity, main concerns and vitality. This is the planet of vitality, life, ego, creativity and expression.

The Moon (Monday) - Ruler of Cancer

Your body and emotions. This is the planet that rules emotions, mood, instincts, intuition and habits. This is why when we have a full moon (when it is closest to earth) we may feel intense emotions arise.

Mercury (Wednesday) - Ruler of Gemini and Virgo

How and where you communicate. This planet is about communication, intellect, perception, thinking and reasoning. This also why you always hear fear-mongering around mercury retrogrades (when the planet seems to be moving in reverse). Mercury retrograde can cause commotion when it comes to communication.

Venus (Friday) - Ruler of Taurus and Libra

How and where you connect. This is the planet of pleasure, romance, beauty, love, art and femininity.

Mars (Tuesday) - Ruler of Aries (and to a lesser extent Scorpio because it is its traditional ruler)

How and where you take action. Rules action, desires, aggression, power, passion, and masculinity.  

Jupiter (Thursday) - Ruler of Sagittarius (and to a lesser extent Pisces; being its traditional ruler)

How and where you create abundance. This is about how you expand and grow, your optimism, abundance and luck.

Saturn (Saturday) - Ruler of Capricorn (and to a lesser extent Aquarius as it is its traditional ruler)

How and where you create boundaries. This is how you create concrete results, it shows your restrictions, pessimism, structure, discipline and time. Famously known as the karmic planet. Saturn takes roughly 30 years to revolve once around the sun and for this reason you hear the term “Saturn Return” this is when people feel an extreme change in their life for the better or worse, usually around their 3oth birthday.

Uranus - Ruler of Aquarius (modern)

How and where you innovate and disrupt. This planet is the agent of change, shifting us from one state to another, demonstrates what invokes rebellion, eccentricity, upheaval, individualism, revolution, humanitarianism, science and inventions.

Neptune - Ruler of Pisces (modern)

How and where you use your imagination. Rules our capability to tap into all there is in our imagination, dreams, intuition, illusions, delusions, spirituality, oneness and addictions.  

Pluto - Ruler of Scorpio (modern)

How and where you hold secret power. This is the agent of transformation, obsessions, power, alchemy, healing, life and death.  

These planets show the urges, desires and subconscious patterns we are running as a personality. The more you know the planets especially in relation to what sign they are in your chart the better you know yourself. Astrology is a self discovery journey. The more you know your natal chart the more you discover gifts that you come with. You’ll also be aware of what your challenges are and maybe how to find the best solutions to upgrade those challenges into becoming new gifts for yourself. 

Conclusion: Embrace Your Astrological Essence

This guide is meant to help with decoding your personal natal chart, empowering you to connect with your cosmic blueprint. However, this is merely touching the basics of your natal chart, there is still much more to learn such as the north and south nodes, other celestial bodies like your Lilith placements or Chiron, and then there are the aspects, that connect different planets. When it comes to astrology take your time and always listen to astrology advise with discernment. By exploring and understanding our natal charts, we can tap into the abundance of wisdom the universe freely offers. Remember, your natal chart is a guide, a roadmap that reveals your potential and the path to self-realization. Embrace the magic within you, and let the cosmos be your guide!