Everything else in your chart will either be supporting or challenging these keys or, for our purposes here, they will be secondary.
Pulling Up Your Chart
Go to my site at www.ChaniNicholas.com to pull up your birth chart. You will need your day, month, year, location, and time of birth to pull up an accurate birth chart. Time is everything in astrology. The more accurate your birth time, the more accurate your birth chart. Spending extra effort investigating the exact time of your birth is always worthwhile.
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WHAT IF YOU DON’T KNOW YOUR BIRTH TIME?
If you don’t know your birth time offhand, is it on your birth certificate? If not, I recommend ordering a long-form birth certificate, specifically requesting that it have your birth time on it. You can also contact the hospital where you were born to obtain your birth records. Failing that, do you have any living relative or family friend who might remember or a baby book that includes it?
If not, there are a couple of options available to you. The first is rectification, which is the process of trying to figure out your time of birth by using whatever data you have and the timing of life events that you are sure about. It is a little lengthy and costly, and it can never guarantee your birth time, but many are very happy with the results. Find an astrologer who does this work and who can help you figure out your approximate birth time by working with the most important life events that you can recall.
The other option is to work with what you have, knowing you’ll be engaging with astrology but in a much less specific way. You won’t know what houses your planets or signs are in, but you will still derive a lot of information about the strengths and challenges of your astrological makeup by being able to see what signs your planets are in and what relationships the planets are making to each other in your chart. You won’t know what your Ascendant is, or what the ruler of the Ascendant is, which is one of the keys outlined in this book. However, knowing about your Sun and Moon, and their relationships to the other planets in your chart, can still offer a lot of valuable astrological data to work with. The pattern in the sky will still reveal something specific and informative about your life’s calling.
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It’s important to get to know your chart in its entirety, not just a list of the signs that the planets were in when you were born. That list is helpful, but there is something that awakens within us when we see the diagram of the sky the moment we took our first breath. Being able to locate the planets in the houses and seeing the connections they are making to one another is how we learn astrology.
Once you take a look at your chart, you might find yourself overwhelmed by all the patterns in it. Each new piece of information can take time to integrate. Embrace this for what it is: a journey, not something to be mastered or done with precision on your first go. Though some realizations do come quickly, others will be missed for long periods of time.
This process takes patience, compassion, and humility. Many of us come to astrology in search of ourselves. In search of the meaning of our lives. In search of some clues about what it is we are here to do and whether or not we are on the right track. Your astrological chart will show you all that and more if you have the patience to learn its language and wade through its sometimes slow ways of revealing answers to you.
Demetra George has said that, like other wisdom traditions, astrology is a self-secret system, meaning that until the student is ready to learn, the teachings aren’t totally accessible. Until we are open to understanding something about ourselves and our chart, it will evade us. Astrology, like any healing practice, works best with time and layering of information. Astrology is a symbolic language that speaks to both our logical brain and our unconscious mind. Once you are ready, it will flood you with its insights, illuminating the archetypes that you are living out, the lessons that they are teaching you, and the ways in which you can channel the energy in your life. It can take years sometimes to get the insights that we need, but they always come at exactly the right time.
Even when we understand the words spoken to us, it can be hard to comprehend what they might mean for us in the moment. Understanding our astrological chart requires us to understand ourselves, which takes work. We need to develop a willingness to be introspective, contemplative, reflective, and curious about how we move through the world and how the world may respond.
Hold the tools of astrology with an unrelenting respect for their power and with the awareness that it takes a long time to understand what they are communicating and what they are capable of.
Committing to This Process
I remember one astrologer telling me that, upon looking at my chart, they had no idea how I’d ever let myself be loved. I understood what they meant because I knew what they were looking at in my chart, but I felt completely pathologized by their take on my ability to overcome the challenges my chart presented. In that moment, I struggled not to give that astrologer, someone I had looked up to for years and still do, power over my life and its path. It took me a minute, but in the end I chose to believe that I was capable of healing. I was not beyond repair. I found love. I discovered that I am actually very attuned to giving and receiving it, in conditions where I can thrive.
Our preconceived notion of ourselves, or others’ notions of us, can dominate our worldview and make us miss the point of our lives and our astrology entirely.
Consider making the following agreements with yourself, with me as your guide for the moment, and with the system of astrology in general, before going any farther in this book or aspect of your study:
I promise to never give my current understanding of my chart too much power. It is a guarantee that while learning about your astrological makeup, you will misunderstand what you are looking at. Most likely for a good long while.
We humans are, unfortunately, incredibly fearful beings. We tend to project our worries and biases onto everything that we encounter, even more so when we are trying to find an accurate reflection of ourselves. I cannot count the number of times someone has come to me panic-stricken and feeling doomed because of something that they falsely gave meaning to in their chart. When we give our chart, or anything or anyone in our life, too much power, we lose contact with our agency. Try to come at your chart with an investigative and optimistic autonomy.
I promise to never underestimate the wisdom that is woven into my chart. As you come to understand yourself and your life in greater depth, you will also understand your chart in greater depth. Be careful not to jump to conclusions about what your chart means before you get the chance to experience, shape, and rise to the possibilities of it.
As we grow and change, so does our ability to work with the difficult aspects of our lives. With time and effort, we are able to more deftly and intelligently engage with what pains us. You will come to appreciate the harder aspects of your chart and your life if you are committed to your own healing. What appears appalling at first can become a gold mine of possibilities if we come prepared to be transformed by it.
I promise to always leave room for learning, unlearning, and relearning. No matter what you learn about your chart, you have the power to grow, heal, change, and evolve. No astrological signature can take that power from you. Whether our charts are easy or challenging, we are all charged with the task of becoming. Only you can choose your own growth.
How to Use This Book
As you start to delve into this material, it’s always good to sit with each piece that you learn. Write things down that are particularly resonant. Take breaks from the material. Let what strikes you as true sink in. Dream about it. Bring it to therapy, your trusted friends, and mentors.
The framework of this book is both a guide and a workbook. At the end of each big piece of learning that you’ll do, there will be reflection questions that you can participate in to the level that you wish to. I will do my best to guide you through this journey of self-discovery as we cover basic definitions and begin to develop a deepe
r understanding of all that your chart is communicating to you.
Treat this book as a choose-your-own-adventure sort of experience. We’ll explore your Sun, Moon, Ascendant, and its ruler in great detail. Skip ahead to the section that explains your particular setup. Make notes. Work with the reflection questions and affirmations that are helpful to you. Come and go as you feel ready to absorb new information about your chart. You can also use this book to work through someone else’s chart if they have given you permission to do so. This is your journey. Your adventure. I am just one of many guides along the way.
Throughout this book, I refer to the charts of Dr. Maya Angelou and Frida Kahlo, two people who left behind rich autobiographical legacies that helped shape culture, art, and their respective professions. I chose them not only because their work has been deeply meaningful to so many, myself included, but also because, on a more practical level, we have verified birth times for them—not something that is always easy to come by. In addition, they have both fully lived out their lives and left this earth, so we do not have to guess at any unlived future potential.
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READING CHECKLIST
Before you go farther, gather the following items:
Your chart
Pen, paper, highlighters
Your journal
Water and snacks
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Creating an Altar in Honor of Your Chart
Altars are spaces that we intentionally create to mark moments that are important to us. Altars don’t need to be religious or spiritual in any way if that isn’t a framework that resonates with you. They are spaces where we do psychological and emotional healing, and should be specific to your needs, style, culture, and level of commitment.
If you like, you can build an altar for the work that we do together in this book as a way of holding your experience and marking this journey. Add to your altar as you learn about your astrological chart to bring it to life and into physical existence. As you read about each planet, consider going to my website to learn more about their properties and the colors, tastes, smells, herbs, foods, metals, and minerals that they rule to gain a deeper insight into their nature and the different ways in which they may be manifesting for you.
When building an altar, start with a clean and clear space, preferably in the east. Altars are best created in a neutral environment. If you have a table, counter, or shelf that you can dedicate to an altar, it’s good to keep it in the same place so that you somatically know that being in that space means you are doing some kind of healing work.
Your altar can be as simple or elaborate as you like. A candle, a flower, and an intention are enough to begin with. As you learn about your Sun, Moon, and ruler of your Ascendant, feel free to place things on your altar that represent them and any planet in relationship to them, as a way of honoring and getting to know them better.
II
The Basics
Let’s start with the basics—in your chart, there are planets, signs, houses, and aspects. Understanding what they are and how they play together is essential.
The Who: Planets
In astrology the planets are described as the “who” of our charts. They are the different characters in the play of our lives. Some seem like they are out to get us, foiling our every plot, while others are always supporting our storyline. For example, Saturn and Mars are generally going to test us (or others) before they grant us their gifts. On the other hand, Jupiter and Venus may give us love and luck up front without asking for much in return. Each planet, like each character in a play, is necessary. Too much of anyone is overwhelming, and we need everyone to tell the full story. Planets have specific qualities that create conditions in our bodies, lives, and relationships.
The traditional planets and their roles are
Mercury—The Messenger
Venus—The Lover
Mars—The Warrior
Jupiter—The Sage
Saturn—The Taskmaster
The modern planets and their roles are
Uranus—The Revolutionary
Neptune—The Dreamer
Pluto—The Transformer
The How: Signs
Each sign has its own way of functioning, its own flair, its own signature style. Each planet in your chart has to function in the style of the sign it is in. For example, Mars, planet of courage, drive, and desire, when in Aries is action-oriented and extra fast. In Virgo, it’s aggressively thorough. In Pisces, it’s a seeker of great escapes and spiritual sustenance. Mars has a job to do, but how it does it varies by sign.
The signs and their styles are
Aries—independent, action-oriented
Taurus—stabilizing, grounded
Gemini—communicative, curious
Cancer—sensitive, caring
Leo—self-expressive, creative
Virgo—discerning, thoughtful
Libra—social, likable
Scorpio—intense, penetrating
Sagittarius—adventurous, positive
Capricorn—enduring, reserved
Aquarius—intellectual, insightful
Pisces—intuitive, creative
Modalities and Elements
Each sign is categorized by modality and element. There are three modalities (cardinal, fixed, and mutable) and four elements (fire, earth, air, and water).
MODALITIES
The modality of a sign tells us what its job is. Cardinal signs initiate new seasons. Fixed signs stabilize the existing season. Mutable signs let go of one season in preparation for another. Because of this, no two fire, earth, air, or water signs work exactly alike.
THE CARDINAL SIGNS
Aries initiates action
Cancer initiates emotional ties, bonds and feelings
Libra initiates relationships
Capricorn initiates the long-term plan
THE FIXED SIGNS
Taurus harnesses the power of the material world
Leo harnesses the power of the persona
Scorpio harnesses the power of its emotional intensity
Aquarius harnesses the power of its intellect
THE MUTABLE SIGNS
Gemini disperses information
Virgo disperses skills
Sagittarius disperses enthusiasm
Pisces disperses dreams and visions
ELEMENTS
There are four elements: fire, earth, air, and water. Each element has its own temperament. The element of a sign will tell you whether it functions via inspiration, practicality, communication, or emotion.
FIRE
Qualities: Spontaneous. Enthusiastic. Inspired. Self-Expressive. Intuitive.
Aries takes initiative (cardinal) that demonstrates its personal courage and ability to act on its own inspiration (fire).
Leo stabilizes (fixed) a warm and entertaining persona in hopes of gaining attention and having its creative self-expression (fire) witnessed.
Sagittarius seeks unrestricted movement (mutable), and freedom, to find meaning that illuminates (fire) its purpose in a buoyant and positive manner.
EARTH
Qualities: Grounding. Stabilizing. Manifesting. Generative. Hardworking.
Taurus develops security through stabilizing (fixed) its resources and developing them into fertile (earth) fields from which it can provide much abundance.
Virgo wants a diversity (mutable) of skills (earth) to serve life with. Through perfecting its craft, Virgo creates meaning for itself.
Capricorn initiates (cardinal) disciplined action in order to accomplish great feats. Through its ability to utilize the tools (earth) it has access to, Capricorn develops the self-restraint necessary to climb any mountain.
AIR
Qualities: Intellectual. Focused on ideas and facts. Strong communicator.
Gemini disperses (mutable) information (air), connecting to many through intellectually stimulating exchanges that generate new ideas and relationships.
Libra initiates (c
ardinal) relationships (air), seeking balance, harmony, and justice.
Aquarius articulates (air) its well-developed ideas in a self-assured (fixed) way.
WATER
Qualities: Intuitive. Emotive. Impressionistic. Sensitive. Responsive.
Cancer initiates (cardinal) familial bonds through demonstrating care (water).
Scorpio penetrates (fixed) the secret and mysterious (water) aspects of life.
Pisces connects to a vast array of experiences through being open and impressionable (mutable) to its surroundings and offering compassion (water) to many.
Homes, Thrones, and Hostile Environments
Each traditional planet has two signs in which it feels at home, two signs in which it feels uncomfortable, one sign in which it gains recognition, and one sign in which it feels disrespected.* In all other signs, it is in neutral territory.
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