Women's Health may earn commission from the links on this page, but we only feature products we believe in. Why Trust Us?
A professional astrologer breaks it all down.
If you’re new to astrology, you might think your Sun sign tells the whole story. But even though that’s typically viewed as your “main” zodiac sign (and the one you likely use and refer to most often), it doesn’t reveal everything about your personality.
Simply put, the horoscope you read each month represents only a tiny part of your astrological self—it’s basically just one slice of the cosmic pie. That’s because horoscopes are based solely on the position of the Sun at your birth, while your actual birth chart takes into consideration the rest of the celestial bodies present in the solar system (a total of 10!).
Sometimes, a horoscope will truly resonate with you and be incredibly accurate, but if you want to get the full experience of how astrology applies to you, your life path, and future opportunities, you need to read your full birth chart.
First, what is a birth chart?
An astrology chart—also called a birth chart or natal chart—is technically a snapshot of the position of the planets on the exact day, time, and location you were born. It contains powerful information about the types of energies you were exposed to at your precise moment of birth. On a personal level, it also speaks of your strengths and weaknesses, opportunities for growth, and the absolute best (and worst) times to make big life changes. Some astrology branches—Evolutionary Astrology, for example—even claim that your astrology birth chart is a window into your past lives and your soul’s entire journey.
The main reason knowing your natal chart is kind of a big deal: It’s unique to Y-O-U. A common misconception about birth charts is that they are like horoscopes, just individualized. Reading your daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly horoscope can provide general guidance because it’s based solely on your Sun sign. But reading your chart—which is a customized assessment of all the different celestial bodies, astrological houses, natural elements, and more—means receiving targeted and hyper-personalized direction for your life (sounds useful, doesn’t it?). Basically, understanding your birth chart can open a whole new universe within yourself.
What’s more: Birth charts apply not only to people, but basically to anything. The chart of a marriage, for example, will be defined by the exact time and place in which both parties signed the marriage certificate.
Birth Chart Calculator
To calculate your birth chart using this free calculator, you will need your exact time, date, and place of birth. FYI: Having the exact time is very important, so if you have access to your birth certificate, your reading would be next-level accurate. But if you don’t know it, just enter 12 p.m.
What does each planet represent in your birth chart?
When it comes to astrological interpretation, the most important element of your birth chart is knowing what each of the 10 main celestial bodies in the solar system represent.
Sun
Your Sun sign relates to your sense of self, which speaks of your vitality levels, sense of identity, and outward presence in the world. Being the luminary of the day, the Sun illuminates the themes that you are consciously aware of and that are prominent in your life. Within your birth chart, the Sun functions as a beacon of light, guiding you in the process of learning and developing certain traits, characteristics, and strengths. If you were born during the day, chances are the general characteristics of your Sun sign really resonate with you.
Moon
Your Moon sign relates to your emotional world and the part of your personality that is normally hidden. As the luminary of the night, it shines a light on the aspects of your personality that are very private or revealed only when you are feeling most vulnerable. Since the Moon works on a deep, subconscious level, your connection with it will develop over time, as you recognize it driving your actions from behind the scenes. If you were born at night, you might resonate with your Moon sign more than your Sun sign.
Mercury
Your Mercury sign depicts your thought process as well as the way you communicate with the outside world. Every time you think, speak, or write an email or text, you are harnessing your Mercury—and you do so according to the zodiac sign in which Mercury is located in your birth chart. Besides running your entire communication channel, your Mercury sign depicts the way you learn, analyze, organize, share, and process ideas and information. If you are part of the 40 percent of the population that was born when Mercury was in retrograde, you are a deep thinker and handle Mercury retrogrades with greater ease.
Venus
Your Venus sign depicts your taste, your sense of aesthetics, and your likes and dislikes. Having full rulership over pleasure, love, and friendship, your Venus sign is activated when you’re socializing and harnessing your charm and grace to attract what you most desire. Money and personal values are also under this planet’s umbrella, so your Venus sign is also very telling of how you make a living and what is truly valuable to you. Seen as the feminine force in your birth chart, it also determines the qualities you look for in a lover or partner.
Mars
Your Mars sign represents the way you express your ambition and go after what you want. Being a planet of raw instinct, it is activated when you’re angry, expressing sexual desire, or chasing a cherished goal. Your Mars sign is what wakes you up in the morning, gets you going, and helps you defend yourself when times call for it. Being the counterpart of Venus, Mars is connected to the masculine force in your birth chart and also plays a part in determining what you find sexy in a lover or partner.
Jupiter
Your Jupiter sign depicts your overall philosophy of life, as well as the way you attract luck and abundance. Considered a “social planet,” Jupiter relates to your morals, indicating how you interact with society at large. It represents your worldview and your ability to learn, grow, and stay optimistic when times are tough. The zodiac sign and astrological house that Jupiter occupies in your birth chart are where and how you receive your biggest blessings.
Saturn
Your Saturn sign speaks of your sense of responsibility and also the area of life in which you most struggle but can, eventually, master. Saturn is also considered a “social planet,” relating to how you deal with personal boundaries, established rules, and your limitations. Strongly connected to your sense of duty, Saturn is very telling of your career choice, as well as the way you approach authority figures (your parents, bosses, even the government). Overall, your Saturn sign determines how you persevere in life and build something meaningful that stands the test of time.
Uranus
Your Uranus sign signals your mental brilliance as well as the area of life in which you seek freedom and innovative self-expression. Since Uranus usually spends multiple years in the same sign, it is one of the three “generational planets,” along with Neptune and Pluto. That means you share your Uranus sign with your entire generation. So those born between January 12, 1996, and March 10, 2003, for example, all have their Uranus in Aquarius. Being the planet of enlightenment, novelty, and progress, Uranus represents your ability to be a risk-taker, capable of making big life changes when the times call for it. If Uranus is strongly activated by other planets in your birth chart, others see you as a trendsetter or someone who is ahead of their time.
Neptune
Your Neptune sign determines your taste in music, art, and other cultural forms of expression, as well as any blind spots you might experience in life, which you share with an entire generation. Neptune’s influence on your chart is either very positive or very negative, so having this planet in a strong position in your chart can have a major impact on your character. Neptune determines your sense of compassion, inner magic, artistic talent, and intuition. However, Neptune also determines the ways in which you experience delusion, illusion, and deception. If Neptune is strongly activated by other planets in your birth chart, you might toggle between being very spiritual and poetic and experiencing feelings of victimhood, due to a deep need to escape reality.
Pluto
Your Pluto sign speaks of the evolution of your soul as well as the ways you will transform in this lifetime. As the planetary body that is farthest from Earth, Pluto represents your subconscious forces and patterns and how you approach them on a psychological level. Representing “endings and beginnings,” your Pluto sign is what helps you pick yourself back up when radical change knocks at your door. It is the planet that activates when you experience life’s most delicate moments, helping you rise above and become that newer, stronger version of yourself.
What does each zodiac sign represent?
After figuring out what each planet rules, the next step in interpreting your birth chart is to match it with the influence of the zodiac sign it occupies. An easy way to think about this is by approaching the zodiac signs as the costumes the planets “wear.”
For example, those born with Venus—the planet of pleasure, personal style, and money—in Sagittarius will seek travel and adventure, and will have an eclectic taste when it comes to fashion and dating. Meanwhile, those with Venus in Capricorn will be the total opposite. They will be more composed in the way they date, dress, and see love and friendship. They won’t be so focused on travel and adventure as much as concerned with achieving success, creating a legacy, and leaving their mark on the world.”
So, if you've ever felt like your personality doesn't match with the common traits of your Sun sign, for example, that could be because another zodiac sign falls under multiple other planets in your birth chart. What that zodiac sign represents could wield powerful influence over your birth chart, despite the fact that it's not your “main” zodiac sign.
To learn more about the 12 zodiac signs, here's what each one means:
- Aries: Courage, passion, action, impulsive
- Taurus: Stability, prosperity pleasure, groundedness
- Gemini: Communication, duality, adaptation, change
- Cancer: Emotional, maternal, tenacity, nurturance
- Leo: Self-expression, bombastic, generosity, illumination
- Virgo: Organization, hyper-awareness, skillfulness, healing
- Libra: Beauty, balance, harmony, justice
- Scorpio: Power, intensity, profound, magnetic
- Sagittarius: Adventure, broadminded, worldly, philosophical
- Capricorn: Legacy, responsibility, achievement, composed
- Aquarius: Intellect, innovation, rebellion, originality
- Pisces: Vision, sensitivity, psychic, dreamy
What does each house represent?
Once you have matched the planet with its complementary zodiac sign, the next step is to figure out the astrological houses. If the planet is a part of yourself and the zodiac sign is how you do it, the astrological house will be the area of life where you focus the energy of that planet-sign combination. Worth noting: The astrological houses are strongly defined by the time of birth, so if you don’t have an accurate birth time, you most likely won't be able to read this part of your chart as even fifteen minutes could change the meaning.
Every person’s birth chart is divided into 12 houses, flowing counterclockwise in a circle. Each house represents a different part of life, which is highlighted when a planet resides in it. (Worth noting: When an astrological house is empty, meaning no planets reside in it, that does not mean that area of life is lacking.)
Each of the 10 planets has a “favorite” house to inhabit. When a planet occupies its favorite house in a birth chart, it is said to be “in its joy,” automatically elevating this planet by helping it work at its best.
Flip over these cards to uncover highlights about each astrological house.
Click the arrow for a more in-depth analysis of each house.
How do I put it all together?
To understand how all three elements work together, it can be helpful to look at the chart of a public figure before DIYing your own interpretation. Take the chart of British model-turned-singer Dua Lipa, for example, who has both her Sun and Venus in Leo, in the third house. Leo is the zodiac sign that rules performance, meaning she was born to be on stage, and the third house rules speech, communication, and writing. Dua Lipa is (Sun) a performer (Leo) who makes her money (Venus) by singing (third house).
Another example is the chart of famous swimmer Michael Phelps. He was born with Mars in Cancer in the first house. Harnessing his Mars—the planet of drive, action, and ambition—in Cancer (a tenacious water sign) has made him (first house of self) the most decorated Olympian of all time.
What does your Rising sign in your birth chart represent?
When getting to know yourself through an astrological lens, the first step is to figure out your “big three”—your Sun, Moon, and Rising signs—which are considered the pillars of your cosmic makeup. Your Rising sign, also called the Ascendant, is calculated with your time of birth, as it is the zodiac sign that was rising on the Eastern Horizon the moment you were born.
Having an accurate Rising sign is absolutely crucial for a few reasons:
- Your Rising sign represents your first breath, coloring the way you will interact with the world around you.
- Since the Rising sign is where the first house begins, it sets up your birth chart and the 12 houses included in it.
- Your Rising sign’s celestial ruler also functions as the “ruler of your chart.” Its corresponding zodiac sign and astrological house will be very telling of your areas of focus in life.
- If you have any planets forming an aspect (conjunct, square, opposition, sextile, or trine) with your Ascendant, they will add another layer of interpretation to your birth chart.
Flip over these cards to uncover highlights about each Rising sign:
Click the arrow for a more in-depth analysis of each Rising sign.
How do the four natural elements factor into your birth chart?
Understanding how astrology works consists of creating awareness of the elements that exist in the natural world. The four elements are fire, earth, air, and water, and each one rules over 3 of the 12 zodiac signs. A “well balanced” birth chart has at least three signs in each natural element, but most charts are unbalanced—either because they have fewer than three signs in one element or are missing an element altogether. There’s nothing wrong with having an unbalanced chart, BTW—it simply means you have a lot of one of the other three elements.
What does an astrologer look at when reading a birth chart?
Astrologers use many techniques to figure out how a person uniquely embodies the vibe of their overall birth chart. Though that can get pretty complicated (astrologers are professionals, after all!), here are some of the key elements they consider when analyzing a birth chart:
- The big three signs: Sun, Moon, and Rising
- The placement of each planet within the 12 zodiac signs and the 12 houses
- The pattern or shape formed by the planets
- The overall elemental (fire, water, earth, and air) composition of the chart: Is there a balance or imbalance? If an imbalance, how can that be fixed?
- The overall quality (cardinal, fixed, and mutable) composition of the chart: Is there a balance or imbalance? If an imbalance, how can that be fixed?
- Which are the strongest planets, and which are the weak planets?
- Which planets are in harmony with each other, and which are clashing with one another?
Of course, because there are 10 celestial bodies and 12 zodiac signs in astrology, the combinations of energies are endless. That’s why it’s key to figure out which combo is uniquely yours via your birth chart. Once you understand the inner workings of your chart, you don’t have to love what you find—consciously or unconsciously, everyone decides to respond positively or negatively to their individual chart.
Illustrations by Samantha Mash
How can you determine birth chart compatibility?
Birth chart compatibility—also known as synastry—is the art of comparing two birth charts to understand the dynamics at play between two people, regardless of the nature of their relationship. Unlike Sun sign astrology, which compares only the position of the Sun, it takes into consideration the 10 celestial bodies and many other factors. With romantic synastry, for example, comparing two people’s Sun and Moon signs is always a must. Often, romantic couples will have a positive Sun-Moon connection, which is the ultimate “good compatibility aspect.” If one partner’s Moon and the other partner’s Sun are in the same sign, for example, that is their most positive compatibility connection.
The “romance planets” of Venus and Mars are key players too because if two people’s Venus signs are harmonizing with one another, there will be a strong pull between them. And if their Mars signs are compatible, let's just say the sexual energy will be gratifying. Synastry also takes into consideration the Lunar Nodes of Destiny, which are the points in the sky where the luminaries (Sun and Moon) cross paths to create eclipses, the Nodes rule destiny, karma, and even past lives.
These are just a few celestial points of comparison, but astrologers also assess the relationship between many other aspects of each person’s birth chart.
What can your birth chart tell you about your future?
Astrology is less a method for concrete fortune-telling and more a language of energy. Its practice is better used when reading the *many possible* effects some celestial influences can have on you in a holistic way.
Using astrology to predict your short-term future is similar to making plans around the weather forecast: Certain days and weeks will look great for making big moves and asserting yourself, while others are better for keeping a low profile.
Predicting your long-term future by reading your natal chart can be an enlightening experience, but your birth chart isn’t static—it learns and evolves with you. Bringing the chart to the present moment helps astrologers see what might end, begin, change, or evolve over the course of the years. While astrology can’t predict exactly what will happen (you still have free will, after all!), it can predict periods of opportunity and big emotional changes, as well as which times of your life will be the most successful or difficult. One thing’s for sure: After getting a solid overall grasp of your birth chart, you’ll never read your horoscope the same way again.
How often should you read your birth chart?
Unlike your credit score, your natal chart can be checked as often as you like. But there are two powerful times to read your birth chart: at the beginning of each year and around your solar return (a.k.a. your birthday).
As you already know, the beginning of the year is an energetic reset. This is when most astrology enthusiasts delineate the big-picture Transits Chart for the year ahead (calculate yours here!). A Transits Chart overlays the current celestial alignments onto the natal chart to figure out how these changes affect it. (Things get more complicated when reading how the current astrological weather is affecting your chart, and for this, astrologers use other kinds of charts.)
Based on the yearly cycle of the sun, Solar Return Charts are important because during the daytime surrounding your birthday, plus or minus one day, your chart gets impregnated by the light of the sun going back to the exact position it was in when you were born.
What are the types of astrology readings you can get?
Besides the Solar Return Chart, astrologers use Synastry Charts, Progressed Charts, Electional Charts, Horary Charts, and many more. Synastry Charts delineate the in-depth compatibility between two people and can be read for romance, business, family, or friendship. Progressed Charts bring the natal chart to the present moment. Lastly, Horary Charts focus more on answering specific questions and predicting the future.
But regardless of the chart you use to start your astrological journey, remember to be patient and open to what it reveals about your personality, compatibility with other people, and more.
For beginners, these are some essential astrology books:
Best Astrology Books For Beginners
Seven Paws Press The Inner Sky: How to Make Wiser Choices for a More Fulfilling Life
Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice: A Manual of Traditional Techniques, Volume II: Delineating Planetary Meaning
Narayana Montúfar
Astrologer
Narayana Montúfar is an astrologer, artist, and writer who finds inspiration in the symbolic language of astrology. She is the author of Moon Signs: Unlock Your Inner Luminary Power. Narayana currently serves as the Senior Astrologer of Astrology.com & Horoscope.com, and her work has been featured in numerous lifestyle publications including Vogue, Teen Vogue, Refinery29, InStyle, Brit+Co, Bustle, PopSugar, Cosmpolitan, Romper, and more. She was also featured as one of Medium.com’s Authority Magazine 2020’s Strong Female Leaders, Destig Magazine’s Top Artists to Collect in 2020, and one of Vogue’s 13 Astrologers to Follow in 2021.
Watch Next
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
Horoscopes
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
