OK. So you’ve been listening to lots of podcasts and you are ready to have a go at getting to know your own Birth Chart. But with every new podcast you listen to, you only get more confused. I had my Astrology chart read for me over 30 years ago. I received a tape and a printed circle with hand ruled lines across it, and lots of “sigils” for planets and aspects that I had no clue about. The interpretation told me that I was on the path of Unconditional Love. Where did it say that in my chart? I had no clue.
It was a tough time for me. I have to admit it really wasn’t helpful on the face of it.
But, it actually was helpful.
What would happen if I learned what these sigils actually meant? Would this Birth Chart really yield something up to me that would give me some answers, and maybe even help me to move through some enormous challenges?
30 years later I have to say that I remain grateful for Astrology coming into my Life and have also been happy to witness it giving others so much more than they thought it would! Astrology is a sacred science, in my opinion, when used with honesty, discernment and authenticity. If you are ready to take this journey now then I will do my best to write the kind of articles that reflect the paths I have taken, that may also mean something to you.
I’ll be writing basic stuff and advanced stuff. This is an article about the basics. Everything here will be greatly reduced down. Once you get the hang of it, everything can be fleshed out.
Interpretation of Birth Chart Houses
In Western Tropical Astrology the 360 degree circle is divided into 12 parts. These are called the Houses. Each House is really just an area of your Life.
The First House is you, how you ‘bring it’. Who do you present to most people? The stage is empty. Then you arrive!
The Second House is more about what you own, what resources you have chosen to accumulate. And most importantly how this is based on what you Value.
The Third House is about how you communicate. It is also the House of your siblings and neighbours.
The Fourth House is about your Home, or the Base you want to return to. It is the place where you feel at Home in your world. It often reveals what your childhood home was like. The Fourth House and its opposite the Tenth House are often about your parents. It can also be your country. And the earth you walk on.
The Fifth House is the House of Play and Creativity. It is also the House of Children.
The Sixth House is the last House before we venture out into the world. The Sixth House is the House of Employment, Service, Health and Integrity. This is the House where we become ‘whole’ and ready ourselves as an Individual. Then we can go meet a partner.
The Seventh House is the House of important partnerships. It is the House of Marriage. It is also the House of key Business Partners.
The Eighth House is called the House of Death, Sex and Transformation. The Eighth House is another ‘gateway’, a bit like the Sixth House, but different. If we think about the caterpillar turning into a butterfly this is the Eighth House.
The Ninth House has now left the partnership realm and here we venture outwards into the Big Jupiterian topics of Philosophy, Foreign Travel, Religion, Academia and Publishing.
The Eleventh House is the House of the People. It is the House of friends and acquaintances and Groups.
What are the Signs of the Birth Chart?
In the example above, Aries is shown on the 1st House Cusp. What does that mean? Don’t panic. At the time of day when I cast the above chart it just so happened that Aries was on the Ascendant at the First House. Your Birth Chart might have a different Astrology Sign on the Cusp of your First House. This could be any of the 12, as we will find later.
For now, next, consider this. Aries is always shown at the start of the Astrological Wheel when we study Astrology. Many Astrologers refer to a chart starting with Aries as the Natural Chart. And we will do the same. It makes it easy to recognize what is going on around the Chart. And it holds many Truths, that we can explore much further down the track.
The “sigils” for each sign are also shown inside each House of the wheel. Starting with Aries in the First House. We read the Chart anti-clockwise. (If you have studied Astro-Theology you may be confused but don’t worry. Just follow anti-clockwise.) So Taurus is shown as the 2nd House, then Gemini the Third and so forth.
Got it? Great!
Signs correspond to Elements in Astrology
Now, there are quite a lot of things to say about the Signs.
Look to the right of this diagram. You will see ‘Elements’. Red for Fire, Green for Earth, Yellow for Air and Blue for Water. If you look at this diagram you will see that Aries 1st House is a Fire House. If you look across to the 7th House you will see that Libra 7th House is an Air House.
Zodiac Signs and Their Associated Houses
| Element | Signs |
|---|---|
| Earth Signs | Taurus (2nd house), Virgo (6th house), Capricorn (10th house) |
| Air Signs | Gemini (3rd house), Libra (7th house), Aquarius (11th house) |
| Water Signs | Cancer (4th house), Scorpio (8th house), Pisces (12th house) |
| Fire Signs | Aries (1st house), Leo (5th house), Sagittarius (9th house) |
How do Signs, Houses and Elements work together in Astrology?
So now let’s put these all together to take a closer look.
Fire: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
If you say someone is “fiery” what comes to mind? Maybe they ignite something inside of you and inspire you? Maybe you don’t like their fiery temper? Maybe they are always on the go moving around, doing one thing after another. Maybe they are always starting new things.
Earth: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
If you say someone is “practical” what comes to mind? Maybe they are really good at sorting the wheat from the chaff to get the job done. Maybe they remind you of the steps that have to be taken to get to where you want to go. Maybe they are the salt of the earth and dependable.
Air: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
If you say someone is “clever” what comes to mind? Maybe they come up with solutions to problems fast. Maybe they are great with languages? Maybe they talk a lot and sound logical as they do. Maybe they think a lot.
Water: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
If you say someone is “empathetic” what comes to mind? Maybe they seem to care a lot. Maybe they can be quite emotional. Maybe they are passionate. Maybe they are nurturing.
You have every House, every Sign and every Planet in your own Individual chart. So somewhere in your own chart every one of the above applies to you at some point in time. Or you might project it on to others.
Now, remember, we are being crudely simple for now so don’t get upset if you read that your Sun sign is nothing like you think you are. All will be revealed!! This is a way into the Astrology Birth Chart. These are doorways that you can work with on the first levels that will help you get to the good stuff!
What are Modalities in Astrology?
• Cardinal (or Moving)
• Fixed (or Tenacious or Enduring)
• Mutable (or Changeable)
All Signs have a Modality
• Leo is Fixed fire
• Sagittarius is Mutable Fire
If Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are Fire signs then what attributes might they have?
Fire is usually thought of as “Inspirational”.
Aries is the seed that must summon up all its might to break through the ground to sprout! The Fire of Aries may be brave and eager to move forward quickly. As the name suggests Aries is the impulse to move and grow and fight where necessary. Aries is Cardinal (or Moving) Fire. If Aries is the wild fires, then Leo, next, is the fire place.
Leo wants the flames to keep us warm. Leo provides the wood. Leo will do what’s necessary to ensure that Life continues to live on. Leo is Fixed (or tenacious, or enduring) Fire. If Fire keeps us alive and enduring, then Sagittarius, next, inspires us in different directions.
What about Sagittarius? Sagittarius is Firey inspiration that knows no bounds and doesn’t always hit the right mark. But Sagittarius fire will happily keep firing his flaming arrows into new adventures and open up new opportunities or new places to explore when doing so. Sagittarius is “Mutable” or “changing” Fire.
• Capricorn is Cardinal Earth
• Taurus is Fixed Earth
• Virgo is Mutable Earth
Earth is usually thought of as “Practical”
Capricorn will take its time and choose each step up the ladder of life with meticulous balance and fortitude. Capricorn is the mountain goat who reaches the summit for all to witness. Capricorn is Cardinal (or Moving) Earth.
The Fire of Fixed Leo might provide us with the enduring ever present spark of Life, but Fixed Earthy Taurus offers us the Beauty that makes Life worth living. Taurus might build a home, or decorate a home, or provide the clothing. Physical needs can also be Beautiful. Taurus is Fixed (or tenacious, or enduring) Earth.
We may find ourselves inspired by many things but Mutable Virgo Earth allows us to sift through all our options to find what’s authentic for us! How can I practically integrate everything in my daily Life? What habits do I need to choose from to navigate my Life the way I want to? It’s a very big job that Earthy Virgo has to do in Life. And it also includes making decisions about how to live my best Life. Virgo is a Mutable (changeable, adaptable) Earth Sign.
• Libra is Cardinal Air
• Aquarius is Fixed Air
• Gemini is Mutable Air
Air is usually thought of as “thinking and communicating”
When we silence our own thoughts for a moment we begin to hear another’s words. Libra is Cardinal (Moving) Air. We make the effort to build ways of communicating with a Partner, or maybe a Client, or a Colleague by silencing some of the chatter in our own heads. When we really hear someone else speaking we begin to receive new information. We move out from ourselves and our world begins to include other individuals, one by one. Libra is a Cardinal (Moving) Air Sign.
If Leo is the Fire place and Taurus is the furniture then Aquarius is the enduring communication between us. The chatter between us that tells us we belong. Aquarius fixes ideas that are then shared and pursued. Aquarius is Fixed (enduring, tenatious) Air.
Sometimes there is far too much to talk about to worry about whose speaking first or second, and you just blabber as quickly and as often as possible because the chatter and the moving about everywhere creates a backdrop of fun and exchange. Gemini is Mutable (changeable) Air.
• Cancer is Cardinal Water
• Scorpio is Fixed Water
• Pisces is Mutable Water
Cancer is the fierce natural emotional nurturing of a mother for her offspring. The raw emotion and instinctive caring for those closest to us. When an emergency happens instincts take over, because there is no time to think. We instinctively know through our emotions and we don’t worry whether we aren’t strong enough to lift that weight, or run that mile. We just do it. E-motion. We become super human when needed. Cancer is a Cardinal (Moving) Water Sign.
Leo keeps the home fire burning, Taurus keeps the furniture and building beautiful, Aquarius keeps the communication happening, and Scorpio brings the depth of emotion that is ever constant that makes us know we share something that touches us deeply. Scorpio is a Fixed (enduring, tenacious) Water Sign.
Pisces merges us completely in an abyss of mutable emotions that seem never to end. We share so many similar emotions that on this level we discover there is no difference between any of us. Pisces is a Mutable (changeable) Water Sign.
Linking Signs with the Houses
The First house is how we “bring it”, and is a Natural (the “Natural” Astrology wheel starts with Aries) Moving Fire House. Now we might “bring it” boldly and actually have Aries on our own First House, or we might “bring it” more practically with Virgo or Taurus there. Or any of the other Signs. We’ll talk about the Rising Sign, or Ascendant Sign of the First House in more detail in the Learn Astrology Basics – Planets.
Let’s go around each of the Houses now that we have a better idea of the Signs.
There are many stories we can overlay on the Astrology Birth Chart that allows us to comprehend how the Signs and Houses come together. We all have our many stories! So, starting with Aries in the First here is one hypothetical narrative. Consider the different elements and modalities at play in each of the 12 Houses in this story.
First House Aries. The ‘fiery spark’ pushes through. (Moving Fire) We want to be born! Here we are World!
Second House Taurus – possessions. “Hmmm”, says the little child in his cot. “What are these pretty colourful things that don’t seem to be attached to my arm? Oh. They make my cot beautiful and interesting for me. They are their just for me. Not my body. My things.”
Third House Gemini – brothers and sisters. “Hmmm”, says the little one who has now learned to walk and make noises, “who are these big kids? Oh they ae my brothers and sisters. This is fun!”
Fourth House Cancer – home. “Hmmm”, says the little one who is out and about outside and now comes back home, “I like coming back to this place. It has my brothers and sisters here and my things. And my Mum and Dad. I feel good here.”
Fifth House Leo – play. “Hmmm”, says the little one who has grown enough to enjoy more and more stuff, “I like this thing Mum calls ‘play’. I like these visitors that are like me. I also like the thing called the park with sand pits.”
And a few years later. “I didn’t know I could paint like this. I’m pretty good.”
Sixth House Virgo – Becoming Me. “Hmmm. I know I am me but it seems that Me is different to lots of other people. Who am I? Let’s see. I like to paint. I have brothers and sisters. Mum tells me I’m a chatter box. My favourite toys are the ones I like to put together. I am different to my brother. I’m a bit like my sister. Hmmm I think I’m starting to discover lots of things about myself now.”
Seventh House Libra – Meeting AnOther. First Crush. “Hmmm This boy is very funny. I really like him. He seems to think very differently to me. If I listen enough I start to discover interesting things. He seems to want to listen to me talk. This is different.”
Eighth House Scorpio – Changing into a Couple. First Relationship. “Hmmm now everyone treats us like a couple. I guess that’s nice. Not sure what happened to ‘me’ here but I like being a part of this ‘couple’.
Ninth House Sagittarius – Higher learning, Foreign travel. The relationship supports further growth outward. “Hmmm darling I want to go back to University and study. What’s that? You’ll support me in this? Thanks Hun. Do you think we can also manage some foreign travel. There are several trips that will really help me in this quest.”
Tenth House Capricorn – Reputation and public standing. Career and achievements. “Wow. I guess now is the payback for us. I’m loving my career.”
Eleventh House – The People. “ Hmmm babe it isn’t enough. I have to give back. I’ve started a Foundation. Does this work for you?”
Twelfth House – Sub-conscious, Abyss of Unity. “Hun. Now that we’ve been through these adventures with so many people, I realise we are all just the same.”
This is just one of a trillion possible narratives of potential Life Stories overlayed on the Astrology Chart. In other articles you will find the narratives of the Moon’s Cycle. You will discover how the Moon ‘triggers’ many shifts in our many stories of our lives, and how each of these stories encounter challenges and smooth sailing times.
Summary:
- The Astrology Birth Chart is a 360 degree circle
- It is split into 12 Houses, or areas of our Lives.
- There are 12 Signs.
- Each Sign corresponds to an Element. (Fire, Earth, Air or Water)
- Each Sign also corresponds to a Modality. (Cardinal, Fixed or Mutable)
- The 'Natural Zodiac' begins with Aries on the 1st House and moves anti-clockwise through the Houses and Signs.