What is Astrology?

Astrology 101

Astrology is a complex system which predates many modern sciences, including astronomy and psychology. Astrologers use intricate mathematical angles and specific language to ‘read’ a chart. A natal chart speaks to a person’s predisposition, orientation and probable path in life. It is a map of inherited tools, inclinations, preferences, values, moods, and attractions, and it provides surprisingly accurate detail. No one knows why it works but many ideas have been advanced. The most common is ‘as above, so below,’ which implies the macrocosm (the universe, stars and planets) affects and is affected by the microcosm (the individual) and vice versa. Regardless of the reason, it is immediately apparent to those serious about learning it that it does work.

Human psychology is not the only application of Astrology, but it is the most interesting to beginners and it will be our starting point. A beginning student of Astrology usually starts by examining his or her natal chart, a two-dimensional circle with symbols, or glyphs, representing the planets and angles at the moment of birth. It is a map of our uniqueness, those hard to explain emotions and the automated responses we engage in. When we ‘discover’ ourselves in this way we can embrace and utilize our inherited skills instead of pushing against our nature.

We then progress to examining a lover's chart; that special someone who perplexes and occupies our mind. When we understand our significant other better, empathy develops. Perhaps now we see that he or she is not an object or destination we’re entitled to, but a complex individual with programs that cannot be re-written or undone without internal understanding and a desire for change. For example, maybe we learn that our lover is afraid of society’s definition of commitment because he fears the stagnant structures that develop in personal relationship (Uranus in the 7th house). Maybe that friend, the one who annoys with her incessant talk and non-stop advice, is just exercising a strong need to share knowledge (moon in Gemini).

One difficulty in learning Astrology is the sheer volume of reading material dedicated to the topic. The field has exploded in popularity in the last 10 years, right alongside the Internet and the information highway overload. Without a formal class, it is difficult to know where to start. The best Astrology books are also quite complex and hard to follow without some familiarity with the subject. We hope to provide a sequential, logical order for the beginner here. Astrology is like peeling an onion; there are many layers and often even advanced students overlook the basics. We hope the material offered here is a good refresher for this group.

We will begin a basic tour of the natal chart. To follow along, please print a simple copy of your natal chart. For this, you need a birth date, an accurate birth time and the place of birth. Please, go to www.astro.com. Go to free horoscopes, chart drawing/ascendant, add a new person, enter data and print. For this next section you will not need to know what the glyphs stand for, we will work on this later. Now let’s take a look at your natal chart.

The Natal Chart – An Overview

The chart you see is a snap shot of the planets as they appeared in the sky at the moment of your birth (as seen from earth). The Sun and Moon are considered labeled planets for the purpose of this exercise and to keep in line with classical Astrology (no hate mail please, this is done for simplicity, to keep in line with classical Astrology, and to distinguish between other celestial bodies and points, such as fixed stars, the moon's nodes, etc.).

The point on the chart at the 9 o'clock position is important. It is called the Ascendant (ASC) or the rising sign and is usually different from your Sun sign. It denotes the Eastern most point in the chart (again, here the Earth is considered the Center), and we look here to find the condition of birth (for example, Capricorn here can represent a difficult or delayed birth). We can also tell a lot about the face the person shows the world (again, with Capricorn here, we would expect a serious, ambitious individual, even if the Sun sign is in fun-loving, carefree Sagittarius). Other factors can color this expression, but this is more advanced and will be discussed in depth later.

At the 12 o'clock position is the Medium Coeli or MC. The MC represents our public face, the accomplishments or achievements we are known for and the legacy we will leave behind. The MC also tells us a little about one of the parents (usually the mother but not always, and this will be covered during our discussion on houses).

At the 3 o'clock position, and directly across from the ASC is the Descendant (DSC). The descendent shows how we interact with others and the types of relationships we form. And finally, at the 6 o'clock position, we find the Imum Coeli or IC. It sits directly opposite the MC and provides clues to our home life, roots, ancestors, and the other parent. The IC is private and generally only family or those very close to us get to see it. These four points begin the most important houses in the chart, which we call the angular houses (1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th). We will discuss the houses in detail at a later junction, for now we are attempting to establish the very basics of the chart.

Now look at your chart. Where does the predominance of planets fall? Split the circle from north to south (MC to IC). Do most of the planets fall on the left (eastern) or right (western) side? If most of your planets fall in the East then you are an individual who causes things to happen, and if the opposite is true then your life is more reactionary. Perhaps things happen to you or you perceive that they happen to you versus others you know who seem to ‘control’ the changes they experience. If planets were more or less evenly distributed then we would ignore this as a differentiating point.

Now split the chart east to west (ASC to DSC), do the planets fall primarily in the north or south (above or below the horizon)? Above would imply that the individual's life tends to take place before the public or the focus is on outer affairs. They maybe famous, public figures tend to have this signature, but not necessarily. The focus is, however, on relationships with others or in some public way where others are involved. Conversely, someone with a bottom-heavy chart (planets below the horizon) is a more private, self-focused individual with most of his or her life experiences taking place without seeking or requiring the influence of others.

We like what Lois Rodden has to say about the horizon split in her book Money: How to Find It with Astrology:

"Planets above the horizon. We move into life experience instinctively and without preamble. If we don't start at the top we do at any event make an early start, moving right into the fray to interact with our environment. In our own parameters, whether they are our world, our culture or our neighborhood, everyone knows who we are and we step right out, stage center, to be highly visible.

Planets below the horizon. We need to prepare for our public life, often with years of education or training before we feel ready to step before the public. Our time is filled with low-profile activities of maintaining what is essentially a private life. With planets "in the dark" we can still be public figures, or be well known for the matters symbolized by the planet when that planet aspects the MC, a planet in the 10th house, or the ruler of the MC."

Now save your chart for our next installment of Astrology 101, where we will begin our discussion on the elements, qualities and chart patterns.