What is a Birth Chart Reading?
For many, our first brush with the world’s most ancient subject is a magazine sun-sign horoscope, or a list of characteristics read from an app; so generalised and universally applicable that they could surely speak to anyone’s experience at any given moment — which indeed they do. However, as with any subject we become familiar with, astrology has many layers beyond how it is perceived within the mainstream and can offer far more detailed insights than it is often given credit for.
While many are familiar with their sun-sign, and astrology’s recent surge in popularity has made many more aware of their ‘Big Three’, the birth chart (or natal chart) is where these are put into context. The chart is a 2D rendering of the Earth’s sky, and shows the positions each of the planets of our solar system inhabit within the zodiac at the moment of our first breath. Each point represents an aspect of the psyche, or signifies some facet of daily life; archetypal and multifaceted, yet still distinct, in their meaning.
(example of a hand-drawn Astrological Birth Chart offered in my in-person readings)
Just as the Moon is fullest when it is opposite the Sun, and made new when they join in the sky once a month, so do all the planets move with their own cycles and rhythm. Some are quick and shift significantly from day to day; while others are slow, retrace their steps in retrograde, taking years or even decades to pass through certain signs. The fast-moving innermost planets are more personal and relational, while the outer planets reflect shifts in society and colour the characteristics of whole generations.
It is the relationships between all these celestial bodies that the birth chart takes into account. How and why we find ease and tension in certain areas of life is revealed when we layer this symbolism, and can offer a more nuanced perspective of the complexity (and contradictions) within an individual life.
On each our journeys toward better self-awareness we develop an idea of who we are based on our interactions with others. Those which test how we handle conflict and change, and the times in which we find joy, flow, connection, and purpose. These moments show us our values, our ideals, our beliefs, and our boundaries, and all that challenges them.
Astrology is a language which illuminates these often difficult to isolate parts of our experience, and gives them a name, a face, and a story. My birth chart reading sessions are called A Map to the Self because that is exactly what astrology can offer: a means to orientate oneself in space and time.
Your birth chart holds the story of your life; your public persona and your quiet inner thoughts. A reading is to have this story — which you know best — read back to you by someone else. Understanding how the mythology and archetypal narratives of the stars are reflected in your life can be cathartic, affirming, and revealing. Whether it’s from me, or any astrologer you trust and respect, I recommend everyone indulge in a birth chart reading at least once in their lives!
