Photo: Key Notez

Does everyone have all 12 zodiac signs?

Everyone has all 12 signs in their chart because each house is ruled by one sign (but you may not have planets in each sign/house).

theeverygirl.com - What Every Part of Your Astrology Birth Chart Actually Means

Can cinnamon help to lose weight?

Cinnamon and weight loss Cinnamon has been shown to reduce some of the bad effects of eating high-fat foods. This can help in an overall weight...

Last updated Nov 6, 2022

Who is the God of luck and wealth?

Tyche Tyche (/ˈtaɪki/; Ancient Greek: Τύχη Túkhē, 'Luck', Ancient Greek: [tý. kʰɛː], Modern Greek: [ˈti. çi]; Roman equivalent: Fortuna) was the...

Last updated Feb 22, 2019

Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »

Promotion

The Everygirl’s product selections are curated by the editorial team. If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. We only recommend products we genuinely love. There’s nothing that makes me more excited than finding out someone’s zodiac sign—whether it’s a coworker, someone I just met, or even a celebrity. And finding out their entire astrology birth chart? That’ll make my whole day (and the next hour or so will probably be spent analyzing said zodiac chart). If you’re into astrology, you probably already know what a birth chart is. If you’re not familiar, though, it’s basically a picture of where all the planets were in the sky at the exact moment of your birth, and no two people have the exact same chart! If you’ve ever looked at a birth chart, though, you probably know that they’re super complex. There are all kinds of symbols, segments, and lines, and if you’re not familiar with what it all means, it might look like an entirely different language. So if you want to learn how to read your birth chart, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to find out the basic elements of a chart and how to interpret them.

Calculating your birth chart

The first step to finding your chart is going to a birth chart calculator website like this one. Enter your birthdate, place, and time (Tip: If you don’t know your exact time of birth, ask your mom or look on your birth certificate). I recommend selecting Whole Sign houses as the house system in extended settings. With this house system, each house is ruled by one sign, making understanding transits (movements of planets) much easier. For the purposes of this story, we’ll be looking at the below birth chart as an example:

Signs

You’re probably familiar with your zodiac sign. When trying to understand your birth chart, though, it’s important to know a little about the qualities of the rest of the signs because everyone has all 12 in their chart (more on that below).

Elements:

Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius): Passionate, energetic, enthusiastic

Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn): Down to Earth, patient

Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius): Intellectual, social, talkative

Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces): Emotional, nurturing, perceptive

Modalities:

Cardinal (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn): Leaders, initiate things

Fixed (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius): Stable, thorough, persistent

Mutable (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces): Flexible, adaptable, good at multitasking

Planets

You might know your sun, moon, and rising signs. These are called the big three for a reason—they’re the core of your identity. But there are many other placements that make up different sides of your personality, too. The planets below are called personal planets because they move quickly, meaning the sign they’re in is different from person to person.

Which chakra is betrayal?

4 – Heart Chakra It's basic concerns are love, compassion, acceptance, and trust. Overwhelming rejection and betrayal, take a toll on the human...

Last updated Nov 18, 2018

What zodiac is Harley Quinn?

Harley Quinn: Gemini But some characters, no matter what, have an astrological true north, and one of those characters is Harley Quinn. One might...

Last updated Jun 7, 2022

Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »

Promotion

Sun: Your identity

Moon: The inner you, how you process and handle emotions, your mother

Venus : What you find aesthetically pleasing, what you appreciate or look for in someone you’re dating

Mercury: How you communicate

Mars: How you take action

Along with the personal planets, there are also generational, or outer, planets. These are farther from the Earth and move more slowly, staying in one sign for about 1-30 years. So everyone born around the same time as you will have these planets in the same signs. How they show up in your individual life depends on the houses they’re placed in (again, that’s why the rising is so important!).

Saturn (28.5 years): Hard work, restrictions, boundaries

Jupiter (1 year): Expansion, luck

Neptune (14 years): Idealism, intuition, spirituality, confusion or delusions

Uranus (7 years): Change, independence

Pluto (14-30 years): Death and rebirth, transformation

Houses

The houses are the segments of the birth chart wheel. Everyone has all 12 signs in their chart because each house is ruled by one sign (but you may not have planets in each sign/house). Your rising sign determines the first house (for example, I’m a Gemini rising, so my first house is ruled by Gemini), and it sets up the order of signs in your birth chart. So if your first house is Gemini, the second will be Cancer, the third will be Leo, and so on. The rising is determined by your birth time, and since it determines your whole chart, it’s super important to have your exact time of birth. Below are the themes associated with each house and its traditional rulers. Knowing the qualities of the signs can also help you understand the themes of each house. For example, Gemini is known for a love of learning and strong communication skills, which translate to the areas of life the third house (traditionally ruled by Gemini) represents. And don’t freak out if you have empty houses in your chart—it’s not a bad thing. It just means there’s less of an emphasis on that area of your life.

First house: Ruled by Aries, identity, self-image

Second house: Ruled by Taurus, skills, values, possessions, money

Third house: Ruled by Gemini, communication, short distance travel, early education, siblings, neighbors

Fourth house: Ruled by Cancer, home, family

Fifth house: Ruled by Leo, creativity, self-expression, fun, romance, children

Sixth house: Ruled by Virgo, routines, health, daily tasks, work, coworkers, pets

Seventh house: Ruled by Libra, marriage, close relationships

Eighth house: Ruled by Scorpio, others’ money, intimacy, taboo topics

Ninth house: Ruled by Sagittarius, long-distance travel, learning , higher education, belief systems

What smell calms anxiety?

Lavender is one of the most popular aromatherapy oils. It has a sweet floral scent with a woody or herbal undertone. Lavender oil can be used to...

Last updated May 16, 2019

What is the hidden job market?

More and more people are finding and landing new opportunities through the “hidden job market”: vacancies that aren't publicly listed or advertised...

Last updated Mar 1, 2018

Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »

Promotion

Tenth house: Ruled by Capricorn, career, what you’re known for (pertaining to career)

Eleventh house: Ruled by Aquarius, community, friends, groups , collaboration

Twelfth house: Ruled by Pisces, mental health, alone time

Angles

The angles are the two lines that divide the wheel vertically and horizontally, and they represent the horizon (Ascendant/Descendant line) and the meridian (IC/Midheaven line). Ascendant: The ascendant is also called the rising sign. This indicates how others perceive you, how you view the world, and first impressions of you. Descendant: The descendant is directly opposite the ascendant, located in the seventh house. This angle represents qualities that you might look for or like to have in a partner. Imum Coeli (IC): The IC is located at the bottom of the zodiac wheel and represents your home, family, and where you come from (childhood or family experiences, etc.). Midheaven (MC): The midheaven indicates your life purpose, legacy, and public image, and it’s opposite the IC.

Aspects

Aspects are how the planets and angles are connected to each other, and you can find them by looking at the lines in the middle of your chart. Hard aspects—conjunction, opposition, and square—mean that there’s tension between two placements. This could mean challenges in a certain area of life or having difficulty expressing the traits of one of those planets. On the other hand, easy or soft aspects—sextile and trine—indicate that there’s a positive flow of energy between them. They’re basically helping each other out.

Putting it together

Once you understand what each planet, house, and angle means, you can combine it all. Be sure to look at the sign and house to tell you how each placement is expressed in your life. For example, in the sample birth chart their moon is in the fifth house in Scorpio. That could mean they feel most themselves when doing creative work or expressing themselves, and they might be really passionate about their hobbies or interests. They also likely have super intense emotions and may fall hard when dating. With their Cancer rising, they might seem hard to get to know but very emotional. And their sun in the ninth house in Pisces could indicate they’re very spiritual or enjoy learning about other cultures, and they might love traveling. These are the basics you need to know to get started on understanding your chart—and hopefully getting to know yourself a little better.

theeverygirl.com - What Every Part of Your Astrology Birth Chart Actually Means

How long was a year in Jesus time?

In ancient times, twelve thirty-day months were used making a total of 360 days for the year.

Last updated Aug 23, 2019

What animal is the symbol of wealth?

Bat. An ancient symbol of wealth, the word 'bat' means prosperity in Chinese. It should be placed in the Southeast section of your home as it is...

Last updated Mar 9, 2018

Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »

Promotion

What is Warren Buffett's favorite way to invest?

A staunch believer in the value-based investing model, investment guru Warren Buffett has long held the belief that people should only buy stocks...

Last updated Aug 6, 2021

Awaken your dormant DNA ability to attract wealth effortlessly

The simple yet scientifically proven Wealth DNA method laid out in the report allows you to effortlessly start attracting the wealth and abundance you deserve.

Learn More »

Promotion

Which planet gives long height?

Rahu gives tall height and Ketu gives shortness. Oct 31, 2014

Last updated Mar 17, 2019