Learn
Astrology, without the jargon
Eight short guides. Read them in order and you can read any birth chart.
- 01How to read a birth chartTo read a birth chart, start with the planets (what), then their signs (how) and their houses (where), and finish with the aspects, the angles that show how planets work together.→
- 02Big three astrologyYour big three are your Sun, Moon and rising signs: the Sun shows who you are at heart, the Moon what you need emotionally and the rising sign how others first see you.→
- 03The 12 houses in astrologyThe 12 houses divide your birth chart into areas of life, such as home, work and friendships, and show where each planet's themes tend to play out for you.→
- 04Aspects in astrologyAspects are the angles between planets in a birth chart, and they show which parts of your personality work together easily and which ones push against each other.→
- 05Retrograde planetsA planet is retrograde when it appears to move backward through the zodiac as seen from Earth, and astrologers read it as a time for reviewing that planet's themes.→
- 06Elements and modalities in astrology, made simpleEvery zodiac sign has an element (fire, earth, air or water) that shows its temperament and a modality (cardinal, fixed or mutable) that shows whether it starts, sustains or adapts.→
- 07Why your birth time matters and how to find itYour birth time sets your rising sign and houses, which shift every few minutes, and for US births a long-form birth certificate is usually the most reliable place to find it.→
- 08Chart ruler astrologyYour chart ruler is the planet that rules your rising sign, and its sign, house and aspects show where your attention and drive tend to go in life.→