How to Interpret an Astrological Birth Chart

Last Updated: February 11, 2023 References

In the practice of astrology, a birth chart is a kind of snapshot of the planets and stars at the time and place of one’s birth. Understanding the positional relationships between various celestial bodies can help you gain a better understanding of yourself and the many aspects of your life. Once you’ve had a birth chart made or created one online, interpreting it is largely a matter of looking for the repetition of key themes as represented by your three main signs.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Creating a Basic Profile

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Find out the signs that make up your Primal Triad. If you haven’t done so already, visit a qualified astrology expert or refer to a published guide to confirm which sun, moon, and ascendant (rising) signs correspond to the day, time, and location of your birth. Together, these three signs form what’s known as your “Primal Triad.”^{[1]
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- For example, if you were born on December 5th, 1987, your primal triad would consist of Sagittarius (sun), Gemini (moon), and Libra (ascendant).
- You also have the option of plugging your birth details into an online chart builder if you just need a quick refresher. Many experienced astrologers recommend Astro.com as a reliable, authoritative source for birth charts, horoscopes, and other tools of the trade.^{[2]
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Tip: The Primal Triad serves as the basis of all further astrological interpretation, so it’s important to make sure that you’ve got them right before moving on.
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Look at your sun sign as your foundational self. Your sun sign represents who you are deep down beneath your individual differences. For this reason, its traits will often dominate the features of your birth chart. This isn’t always the case, however, as your moon and ascendant signs also play an important role in shaping your habits, behaviors, and thought patterns.^{[3]
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- Each sun sign has a list of associated traits that are commonly displayed by the people born under that sign—Scorpios are generally understood to be passionate, courageous, and loyal; Capricorns are dependable, reserved, and well-disciplined; Virgos are practical, analytical, and industrious, etc.^{[4]
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- If you were painting a portrait of your personality, your sun sign would be the broad strokes, while your moon and ascendant signs would fill in the fine details.
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Be aware of how your moon sign influences your feelings. Your moon sign is your emotional center. Unlike your sun sign, it’s less about who you are than about how you tend to react to outside circumstances. It’s totally possible, for instance, to be a bold, fiercely self-assured Leo that nonetheless possesses the tenderness and sensitivity of a gentle-hearted Pisces when dealing with others.^{[5]
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- It’s not unusual for people to identify more strongly with their moon sign than their sun sign, since it contributes so much to the way they feel at any given moment. For this reason, some astrologers refer to an individual’s moon sign as their “secret self.”^{[6]
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Study your ascendant sign to get a sense of how other people see you. If your sun and moon signs are responsible for your basic characteristics, your ascendant sign is responsible for the way others view them. It encompasses all those parts of yourself that you project to the world outside, including your body language, moods, style of speech and dress, and general aesthetic choices.^{[7]
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- If other people often mistakenly confuse you for a different sun sign, it may be because they’re actually picking up on traits associated with your ascendant sign.
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Devise a short sentence describing the interconnectedness of your signs. A good way to grasp the comprehensive nature of your Primal Triad is to sum it up in a declarative statement that says something about how each sign expresses itself in your being. Yours might look something like this: “I am a Taurus with the heart of a Gemini that the world sees as a Cancer.” Put in the down-to-earth language of classical archetypes, you might sum yourself up as, “a sensualist with the heart of a storyteller that the world sees as a nurturer."^{[8]
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- You could also try describing yourself using traits associated with each of your signs: "I am peaceful, contemplative person with a courageous heart that the world sees as generous and sincere."
- This exercise can also be useful for helping you better understand your friends and loved ones.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Crafting a Detailed Interpretation

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Label a blank document with different headings relating to your subject’s life. If you’re new to astrological interpretation, consider starting with 3 basic headings: “Thoughts and Communication,” “Love and Relationships,” and “Strengths and Weaknesses.” Each of these headings corresponds to the domain of the “inner planets,” Mercury, Venus, and Mars.^{[9]
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- The “outer planets”—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto—are believed to be linked to luck, fears, dreams, changes, and transformative potential, though these don’t describe personal qualities as much as external circumstances.
- If these sorts of categories sound familiar, it’s because they often serve as the basis for many daily horoscopes.
Tip: For a more detailed analysis, you might also make use of headings like “Friends and Family,” “Health,” “Emotion,” “Career and Other Pursuits,” and “Travel.” You can pick just about any subject you like, as every part of life is open to astrological interpretation.^{[10]
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Note the elemental forces emphasized in your subject’s Primal Triad. Each of the 12 signs of the zodiac is associated with one of the 4 elements that constitute all physical existence—earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), fire (Leo, Aries, Sagittarius), air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), and water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces). The elements underlying the signs that make up a person's Primal Triad can offer further insight into the nuances of their character.^{[11]
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- Fire signs, for instance, are often characterized by passion, excitement, creativity, and impulsiveness, while air signs are celebrated as intellectual, communicative, and social-minded.
- Relying on the elements alone can be misleading, so don't read too far into these classifications. They're just one piece of a complex puzzle.
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Factor in the modality of each element to ensure a more accurate reading. Just as the elements can help you predict which traits a person is most likely to exhibit, the modalities can tell you what role those traits may play in the different parts of their life. The 3 modalities are as follows: "cardinal" (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), "fixed" (Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius, Taurus), and "mutable" or "changing" (Sagittarius, Pisces, Gemini, Virgo).
- Signs that fall under the “cardinal” modality are more likely to be ambitious and unafraid to take the initiative, with “fixed” signs being stubborn and resistant to change and “mutable” signs showcasing flexibility and emotional resilience.^{[12]
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- The modalities are there to show how variation can exist even within signs and elemental groupings, putting a finer point on your findings.
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Explain how the characteristics of each sign tie into your chart headings. Now, apply what you know about each of your subject’s signs, including their elemental classifications and varying modalities, to the different facets of their life. As an example, a sun-in-Gemini person will likely possess a certain set of traits that have an impact on their basic personality, relationships, health, special talents, and individual needs and desires.^{[13]
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- Beneath each of your chart headings, list a few keywords that reflect your subject’s character based on their birth chart. In the case of a Taurus moon, these might include "emotionally stable" under “Thoughts and Communication,” "faithful" and "possessive" under “Love and Relationships,” and "industrious" and "uncompromising" under “Strengths and Weaknesses.”
- In other words, you’re contemplating the natures your subject's various signs, elements, and modalities and using your observations to theorize about what effect they might be having on their dealings with themselves and others.
EXPERT TIP

Jessica Lanyadoo
Astrologer & Psychic Medium
Jessica Lanyadoo is an astrologer with over 20 years of consulting experience. She is the author of Astrology for Real Relationships: Understanding You, Me, and How We All Get Along and is the host of the popular astrology and advice show, Ghost of a Podcast. Lanyadoo co-hosted TLC’s digital astrology show Stargazing and writes weekly and monthly horoscopes that help you heal.

Jessica Lanyadoo
Astrologer & Psychic Medium

To understand astrology, you have to understand math. When you flip through an ephemeris, an astrology book that charts the movement of the planets through zodiac degrees, you'll see that it is nothing but numbers and equations. If you want to be able to interpret a birth chart (and therefore a person’s spiritual essence) accurately, it can help to learn what these figures mean.
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Identify your subject’s dominant traits by looking for meaningful repetitions. A sun-in-Aries, sun-square-mars, stellium-in-Leo, and sun-conjunct-midheaven can all suggest a quick temper and a tendency towards self-centeredness. If you’re seeing the same characteristics over and over while reviewing your subject’s birth chart, there’s a good chance that you’ve discovered a dominant trait in their psyche.^{[14]
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- A person’s ruling planet (also known as their “chart ruler”) can also provide a major clue as to what they’re like and how they interact with the world. An Aries (which is ruled over by the fierce planet mars) will probably be aggressive, and competitive, even if their moon and ascendant signs offer a bit of a counterbalance.^{[15]
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- Even traits that only appear once or twice can potentially be quite pronounced if they have a very close aspect, or their associated planet has a strong influence over the subject (as in the case of ruling, personalized, and dignified planets).
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Write out a summarized report if you’re working on behalf of a client. Use your report to highlight the prominent features of the person’s chart and spell out the significance of your observations in greater detail. This is your chance to explain how you built the profile you have and share any key takeaways you want to make your client aware of in clear, simple terms.^{[16]
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- Aim for roughly 2-5 pages in total. Any shorter than that and the picture you paint may be incomplete; any longer and you risk boring your client or overwhelming them with information.
- To make your write-up easy to follow, divide it up into sections and label them with the same headings you used to take notes while examining your client’s chart.
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Discuss your interpretation with your subject. Take the time to answer questions, offer alternative theories, or clear up any confusion that the person might have. The intricacies of a birth chart can be a lot to take in at once, so be patient and do your best to break down your findings in a way that makes sense to the person given their individual depth of knowledge about the practice of astrology.^{[17]
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- If your subject asks you a question that doesn't have a clear answer, don't be tempted to make something up in order to save face or put them at ease. Instead, remind them that while astrology is a wonderful tool for gaining knowledge of self and other, it can't predict the future or right wrongs miraculously.^{[18]
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- When you’re done, print out a copy of your report for your subject to take with them, or email them the document you put together during your meeting.

Warnings

Try not to over-interpret every little deviation or oddity. Zero in on the main themes emphasized in the chart and simply relay what they tell you.

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Only perform readings for subjects you’re comfortable with who are also comfortable with you. Otherwise, there will no be no foundation for trust and learning.

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Avoid asking overly personal or invasive questions. If you get the sense that you’ve broached a sensitive subject or dredged up painful memories, it may be best to move on and let your subject draw their own conclusions.

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Take an optimistic approach and always suggest ways for them to improve themselves rather than concentrating on the negative aspects of their character. Not only could this hurt the person’s feelings, it could also cause you to lose business!

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