The Birth Chart

When someone asks the question, "What's your sign?" they are referring to the placement of your sun in your birth or natal chart. Astrology is much more complex than that. Your horoscope (map of the hour) represents a geocentric (earth-centered) view of the heavens at the particular time and place that you were born. Long ago, configurations of stars were identified and labeled as the 12 signs of the zodiac. To ancient astrologers the stars looked stationary so they formed a backdrop from which the movement of the planets could be charted. When astrologers talk about the planets in your chart they are referring to the known celestial bodies in our solar system including: the planets and the sun, moon, asteroids and centaurs, which are not planets but for ease are referred to as such. The planets are divided into three categories: personal, social, and transpersonal. The Sun, Mercury, Venus, Moon and Mars move quickly through the signs, so the placement of these planets will be unique in each individual birth chart. They represent personal motivations, needs, and desires. The Sun gets its meaning from its placement in our solar system. It is our core, the light within, the essence of who we truly are. The Moon receives and reflects the light of the sun; it is the receptacle of our emotions and feelings. Have you ever noticed you can't remain in a state of anger or bliss? So too with the moon. It is cyclical in nature, constantly changing. Mercury, known in mythology as the Messenger God, rules the intellect, communication and transportation. Venus serves "as an internal barometer or thermostat, giving feedback about what is or isn't comfortable and desirable." 1 It is the planet associated with love and beauty. Mars, on the other hand, is the warrior spirit as well as our ability to assert and take action. Saturn and Jupiter signify our socialization processes. Jupiter is the largest planet, symboliz-ing expansion, freedom and growth. The placement of this planet will describe how a person integrates into society. It can also indicate areas of abundance or excess in one's life. Contrarily, Saturn's qualit-ies are those of contraction, limitaion, containment, discipline and responsibility. Saturn is the furthest planet that can be seen with the naked eye. For thousands of years the outer planets orbited beyond our vision, then about two hundred years ago they began appearing one by one through lenses of telescopes. "During this century, as astrologers have come to understand the meanings of these outer planets, they have learned that Uranus, Neptune and Pluto describe a transpersonal energy that takes place beyond the realm of the personal and social. . . . We learn from these planets that it is only when we let go of our Saturnian control that we can experience a life of emotional depth and spiritual transcendence."2 Uranus, discovered in 1781, was the first planet to be located with mechanical assistance so it is associated with invention and technology. It also symbolizes freedom and rebellion because it was found at the time of the American and French revolutions. Because it is the only planet that spins on a horizontal axis, qualities attributed to Uranus are idiosyncratic, unpredictable, unusual, and unique. Neptune, first sighted in 1846, may have been named after the sea god because of its blue color and liquid quality. Neptune was the ruler of the watery depths, mysterious yet familiar because we all experience those depths. They are our collective world of images and archetypes, our visions and dreams. The qualities of addiction, fantasy and illusion are Neptunian. Historical events that were taking place at the time of Pluto's discovery in 1930 were: the Great Depression, WWII and the development of nuclear power. Pluto, the God of the Underworld, represents the natural process of life, death and rebirth. Plutonian transformation manifests change through total destruction and renewal.