How To Create Your Own Astrological Birth Chart

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What is an astrological birth chart?

In a nutshell, your birth chart explains where the planets were in the sky at the date and time of your birth. "It's a snapshot or map of the position of the planets or the stars at the time you were born," says Nymph of Neptune. "Each planet has a different effect on an aspect of our life, and this illuminates that."

Essentially, this means that we all have the personality traits of several zodiac signs in our chart, and they correspond to different areas of our lives. For example, Venus is the planet that rules relationships, so if your Venus is in Scorpio, for instance, that means you embody those traits in your relationships — i.e. passionate, intense, loyal, and sexual.

Each zodiac sign has a different vibe and each house represents a different aspect and area of our lives (education, family, love, health, work). As well as the sun and the moon, there are 10 planets that astrologers take into account to understand a person’s psyche: Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, North Node and South Node (more on those later).

By mapping out which planet and zodiac sign were in which astrological house at the time you were born, you can gain greater insight into who you are.

What are the 12 houses in a birth chart?

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The birth chart has 12 different sections, called ‘houses’. Each house represents a different area of life. They all have a natural sign and planetary ruler that elevates the house.

1st House (also known as the ascendant or AC)

The 1st House in the astrology chart represents you. It shows how you carry yourself and what people first notice about you. If you have any planets in your 1st House, then they will have a significant effect on your overall personality, energy, and vibe.

2nd House

The 2nd House represents personal finances and wealth. It shows how much money you can earn, your innate desire to gain materialism, or your quest for your confidence and self-worth.

3rd House

This is where you will look to see how you communicate with others and your schooling. It also describes the type of relationship you have with your siblings and roommates.

4th House

What are your values and family like? Look to the 4th House to find out what your personal foundation is—also, how you love and care for your brood and home life.

5th House

This is the House of pleasure, playfulness, creativity, and casual dating. It’s where you can look to see who, what, when, and how you’re crushing on someone—and what kind of dates you like to go on.

6th House

The 6th House represents health, daily routine, and self-care. If you’re looking for an excuse for a spa day, then this is where you can look to see when to schedule one for maximum results.

7th House

Who and how you love is defined by checking out this area of the birth chart. By peeping here, you can find the ideal person you want to commit to and invest in, long-term.

8th House

Personal transformation is shown here. You can see how you will evolve over time. Look here to see your relationship with credit card debt, college loans, and pay raises.

9th House

Higher education, travel, philosophy, and adventure are found in the 9th House. By looking here, you can find out what you enjoy studying and how to pursue your personal ideology.

10th House

This is the house of public image—what you share and give to others, and how you want to be perceived by the world. It also represents your professional calling and status.

11th House

This house defines the types of friendships, groups, communities, and associations you make. More importantly, the members of your crew have your back and fight for the same causes.

12th House

Look here to find what visions and dreams you hold dear in your heart. This part of your chart teaches you that by clearing your thoughts and leaning into your intuition, you can find answers to all of your quandaries and struggles.

How do you create an astrological birth chart?

Collecting the Necessary Information

Know your birth date. This is the simplest information you need for an astrological chart. You just need your full birthdate: the day, month, and year.

You need to know your birthdate because a birth chart is a sort of snapshot of the planets at the time you were born.

Although the planets have actually moved since Western Astrology was developed, most astrologers still use the old positions. After all, astrology is symbolic, not scientific.

Get the exact time of your birth. The more exact this can be, the better. Find out the hour, minutes, and time of day (AM or PM). If possible, get this information from your birth certificate. That way you know it’s exactly right (as opposed to relying on your parents' memory).

If you were born during daylight savings time, you may have to take an hour off of your birth time. So, for example, if you were born at 7:03 am during DST, you'd write down 6:03 am as your time of birth. However, most software will do this for you automatically, so don't adjust unless you're sure yours doesn't.

Your time of birth will affect your Moon Sign, one of the more significant parts of your chart, so don't skip this!

Photo: The Chill Times

Entering Your Information into a Website

Create an account on an astrology website. Astro.com and cafeastrology.com are great websites for building your chart. They're free and generate high-quality, detailed astrological charts. Go to astro.com and click on “free horoscopes” near the top right of the web page. In the menu that pops up, choose “Extended Chart Selection.” At this point, you can choose to continue as a guest or create an account. Creating an account allows you to access your chart at any time. Enter your email address and create a password.

If you're using cafeastrology.com, don't create an account. You can still make a chart as a guest.

Enter your data. Type in your name, your gender, and the date, time, and place of your birth. Astro.com only requires the city of your birth, and will automatically calculate the latitude and longitude for you. When you start entering the city, the website will give you suggestions to choose from. The time of birth setting uses military time, so make sure you’re entering that correctly.

If you were born after noon, add 12 to the hour you were born to get the correct military time. So, for example, if you were born at 6:57 pm, in military time you were born at 18:57.

If you're using cafeastrology.com, go to http://astro.cafeastrology.com/natal.php to fill in your birth data.

For many websites, putting your name and gender does not actually affect your chart.

Cafeastrology.com only has "man" and "woman" options for gender. It doesn't affect your chart, however, so don't worry too much if you don't identify with a binary gender.

Astro.com also has an option under "gender" called “event.” You can use that if you don't identify with binary gender labels.

Choose “circular charts” under “methods" on the next screen. Once you’ve finished entering your birth information, click next. The next screen that comes up shows all of the charts that Astro.com offers. Choose “Circular chart” under the "Methods" menu. A circular chart is the easiest type to read, especially if you're new to astrology. Then, in the drop-down menu for “please select a chart type,” choose “natal chart wheel.”

If you're using cafeastrology.com, click "ok" under the area where you entered your birth data. This will take you directly to the description of your natal chart. On cafeastrology.com, you won't see a circular chart. Instead, you'll get a few tables that list the positions of the signs at the moment of your birth, and then a long written description of your chart.

Scroll down to “options” to choose your house system. There are a lot of different options for choosing a House system. The House system in your chart is how your chart is divided up. The most common are Placidus, Koch, and whole signs. Choose “whole signs” under the “House system” drop-down menu to get a good basic chart.

Click the blue button at the bottom of the page. Once you’ve entered all of your information and settings, you’re ready to see your chart. There’s a blue button at the bottom of the screen that says “Click here to show the chart.” Go ahead and click that button. The website will then generate a chart for you.

Reading Your Chart

Check your sun sign. The sun is usually denoted as a little circle with a dot in the middle. Look for the sun symbol on your chart, and then check to see which house and sign it appears in. You can use that information to learn more about what the sun represents - your ego and personality.

On cafeastrology.com, you can see your sun sign in the tables under the section titled "Planet Positions, Ascendant, & Houses."

Look for your ascendant or rising sign. The ascendant on your chart is marked by an “AC.” It represents which sign was rising over the eastern horizon at the exact time and place of your birth. In general, the sign in which your ascendant appears will dictate how you view the world and how the world views you. The slice of your chart where the ascendant appears is also called the first house. Look for a little number 1 down near the middle of the chart in the ascendant wedge.

On cafeastrology.com, your ascendant sign is listed in the tables under the section titled "Planet Positions, Ascendant, & Houses." It will be marked as "Ascendant" in the first row of the table on the right under that section.

Examine where your moon sign lies. On your chart, the moon symbol looks like a little crescent moon. As with the sun and ascendant symbols, look for the house and sign the moon appears in. Where your moon appears can tell you about your feelings, intuition, and unconscious.

On cafeastrology.com, you can find the same moon symbol in the second row of the table on the left under the section titled "Planet Positions, Ascendant, & Houses."

Study the houses on your chart. Each house represents and/or controls something about your life, from relationships to careers. Once you know what each house represents, you can begin to look at them for help in understanding different aspects of your life.

On cafeastrology.com, the houses are marked by roman numerals in the column under "Ascendant" in the table on the right.

The second house deals with security, money, and comfort.

The third house deals with communication, thought, and neighbors and siblings.

The fourth house deals with your early life and how it shaped you.

The fifth house deals with fun, spontaneity, romance, and hobbies.

The sixth house generally deals with your health, but can also tell you about your work environment.

The eighth house is one of mystery. It deals with things like loss, intimacy, and transformation.

The ninth house deals with higher powers. That might be higher education, philosophy, or religion.

The tenth house deals with the future. What your goals are and what you want for the future.

The eleventh house deals with collective consciousness, including your relationships with your friends and society in general.

The twelfth and final house deals with the unconscious, subconscious, and spirituality.

Check to see which sign is in each house. Around the outer ring of your chart, you’ll see little glyphs representing each of the major zodiac signs. Each sign will correspond to a single house. To find out which zodiac rules which house, find the glyph on the outer ring, then follow that wedge down to the center of the circle. There should be a number there, telling you which house you’re in.

On cafeastrology.com, the column next to the roman numerals that represent the houses will show the signs in each house. The column to the right of the roman numeral will have the zodiac symbol. The column to the right of that will have the name of the zodiac.

You can find keys for the zodiac glyphs pretty easily online. Just enter the phrase “zodiac astrology glyphs” into your favorite search engine.

Aries tends to represent the fast-paced, exciting, childlike, and adventurous.

Taurus deals with pleasure, beauty, and sensuality, but can also represent stubbornness and the self-indulgent and lazy.

Gemini deals with wit and versatility.

Cancer represents the clingy, moody, and empathetic.

Leo represents enthusiasm, bravery, and loyalty.

Virgo represents the critical, careful, and analytical.

Libra is about diplomacy (as in being diplomatic) and fair but can also represent unreliability and impatience.

Scorpio represents strength, jealousy, and control.

Capricorn represents the hardworking, practical, and disciplined.

Aquarius represents the socially conscious, friendly, and affectionate.

Pisces represents the emotional, sensitive, and intuitive.

Know what the planets represent. The planets are represented in the houses of your chart with symbols. Like the zodiac glyphs, you’ll need to look up the symbols online, so that you know which planets are where on your chart. Enter “astrological chart planet glyphs” into your favorite search engine.

On cafeastrology.com, the planets are listed in the first and second columns of the table on the left under the section titled "Planet Positions, Ascendant, & Houses." The first column shows the symbol for the planets. The second column tells you the name of the planets.

The Sun represents you and your ego.

The Moon represents your feelings and intuition.

Mercury is about logical and communication.

Venus is about love and romance, but also the feminine aspects of your personality.

Mars is about your aggression, passion, and masculine side.

Jupiter represents luck, confidence, and the big picture.

Saturn represents responsibility, order, and restriction.

Uranus represents higher thought, individuality, and higher powers.

Neptune is about idealism, spirituality, and religion.

Pluto is about money and sexuality.

Consider your whole chart when you read it. Once you have the basics of what the houses and symbols on your chart represent, you can begin to read your chart. Keep in mind as you do that there is a LOT going on in every person’s chart, and no single house or symbol represents all of you.

For example, if your ascendant sign is Aries, your chart suggests you see the world as one big, open adventure. It also suggests that people see you as exciting and fun to be around. But you might also find that Uranus appears in your ninth house. The ninth house is all about intuition and higher powers, and having Uranus there only adds to this idea of you as an intuitive person, which can be a little at odds with being adventurous.

On cafeastrology.com, you can find a long, detailed explanation of your chart under the section titled "Natal Chart Report" near the bottom of the page.

****READ MORE: 4 Zodiac Signs Are Most Likely To Be Overthinkers

WHAT ARE THE KEY COMPONENTS OF A BIRTH CHART? As Nymph of Neptune said, a birth chart tells you where each planet was at the time of your birth, and each planet rules a different aspect of your life. You have your sun sign, which is what you refer to when you read your horoscope; this essentially describes who you are at your core. However, your moon sign is important because it speaks to your emotional self and the kind of nurturing you received as a child. "It connects to your relationship needs and what you need in your adult life," notes Nymph of Neptune. Your rising sign is based on the constellation that was in the sky at the time of your birth, and shows how people perceive you when they first meet you: "Basically, what outside traits you show to the world." The other planets also represent different aspects of your life — Venus is relationships; Mercury is communication; Mars is action and aggression; Jupiter is expansion; Saturn is self-discipline and fears; Uranus is innovation and progress; Neptune is the subconscious and healing; and Pluto is power and intensity. By knowing which sign each planet falls under, you'll recognize your traits, tendencies, and behaviors, which will show you both your strengths and what you need to work on. Another aspect of your birth chart is the houses, which represent the earth's rotation around its axis. "There's a 12-house system, and each house reflects a different life theme or area," says Nymph of Neptune. The houses give more detail into each aspect of your life, depending on which planet and sign they're in. The house system goes like this: The first house is your ego and sense of self; the second house is material possessions; the third house is community and communication; the fourth house is home and family; the fifth house is creativity and romance; the sixth house is health and work; the seventh house is partnerships; the eighth house is death, sex, and transformation; the ninth house is travel and philosophy; the 10th house is public image and career; the 11th house is humanity and technology; and the 12th house is psychic abilities and the collective unconscious. Sounds complicated? Think of it this way: Your birth chart follows the formula "planet + sign + house," which, when added together, helps you interpret your patterns.

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