Astrology Chart Terms
Astrology Chart Terms
SIGNS = identity; your astrological sign is determined by the location of the sun in the sky at the time of year you were born. The sun in astrology indicates the essence of who you are in this lifetime
HOUSES = the arena in which identity operates; the domains of life’s activities (home, work, love, communication, education, creativity, community, etc.)
PLANETS = all play individual parts in your chart; each one carries a certain kind of energy and represents a different facet of what it means to be human.
These three symbols together answer the questions what, how and why, and where. The planet is the “what.” It lets us know which part of the mind we are considering. The sign tells us what the planet wants and what methods it might best use to achieve those goals – the “why and how.” The house answers “where,” telling us precisely in which department of life the action is taking place.
-Adapted from The Inner Sky, Steven Forrest
Other important factors in the birth chart
ASCENDANT = the sign in which the sun was climbing over the eastern horizon at the moment of your birth; describes your “mask” or persona, the surface, or outer personality that you show the world.
ASPECTS = the angular relationships between planets that spark “conversations” between the differing energies of the planets involved. These relationships can be easy or oppositional and challenging; all are opportunities for growth.
NODES OF THE MOON = the north node is our “destiny,” where we’re headed in this incarnation; while the south node indicates the qualities that feel most familiar to us, the things and ways “we already know how to do and be.”
“We are warriors fulfilling our turbulent evolutionary paths.” - Oprah