Chart Layout: What Are We Looking At?

The chart as a map ... feel free to download!

As the New Moon in Aries draws near, we've got some space for learning a bit more about charts and how they work. This fiery New Moon will be one to prepare for, so let's dive in:

It's helpful to know what you're looking at when you look at an astrological chart. Basically, charts are maps. They're real maps in one way, and symbolic maps in other (and perhaps more important) ways.

Charts are a map of the sky from our perspective here on Earth.

The sky overhead looks like a great sphere, around which the stars and planets move. The Sun, Moon and other visible planets rise and set, and the wheel of the zodiac moves through the seasons.

The horizon cuts through the middle of the chart. Any planets above the horizon are in the visible, public part of the sky––whether we can actually see them with the naked eye or not, they're considered "visible." Planets below the horizon are in the hidden, private part of the sky.

One simple rule of thumb that reflects this is, people with most of their planets, especially the personal ones (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) above the horizon will tend to be extroverts. Those with most planets below the horizon will tend to be introverts.

Each of the cardinal directions has a place on the chart, and each direction has multiple meanings. South is at the top, which puts East to the left (the opposite of typical land maps). East is associated with the dawn, which explains why that point on the chart is the Rising Sign: Your Rising Sign is literally the sign of the zodiac that was rising at the moment of your birth, which is, symbolically, your dawn.

Here's another example chart, this one for Marlon Brando, whose birthday is today.

Checking out the East point on this chart tells us Brando had Sagittarius rising, the expansive, generous, liberal-minded sign ruled by Jupiter.

Looking around, we see that Brando's Sun and Moon are in Aries, together close to the bottom of his chart. Sun and Moon together tells us he was born at a New Moon, and the bottom of the chart placement tells us he was born around midnight (11:00 pm, actually).

Marlon Brando's Moon is at 13 Aries and his Sun at 14, so today's Last Quarter Moon is square his Sun, which is conjunct today's Sun. 

We could also notice how many of his planets are below the horizon, including all his personal planets, and say, hmmm, this is an introvert's chart.

It might seem odd to think of someone as well known as Brando as an introvert, but many actors are surprisingly private people––they hide in their roles. And anyone who buys a Polynesian island as a refuge as a strong need to get away from things.

Here's one more example for today, Brando's birth chart done with actual house sizes instead of the equal-appearing houses I prefer.

Technically, this version is more accurate because it places the chart angles and house cusps in exact positions around the 360 degree circle of the zodiac. Maybe I will grow to prefer this format, but for now, I like to see the Midheaven straight up, reflecting the symbolic positions.

Looking at the same chart in two formats, you can see what's emphasized in each chart, and which format you might prefer.

Let me emphasize that both charts are accurate, and both provide exactly the same information. The difference is in how they're presented, how they're drawn.

I'm hoping this additional background will make it that much easier to look at your chart and tease out the details you need. Look for more on the New Moon in the next few days!