Understanding your birth chart: The building blocks of the zodiac

 

We live in a time where you can find your horoscope on just about anything and often times it is entirely off base. If you want a true look at yourself and your energy for the day, first you should start with understanding your birth chart. Everyone’s birth chart is entirely different and depending on what your natal birth chart (your birth chart at birth) looks like with the current transits of the planets, that will determine what you need to be aware of. Like it or not, the planets do actually affect you. If the moon can literally control the tide of the entire ocean, how far fetched is it really that it can’t affect you? Especially considering we are all mostly….water? If the moon can affect you, how far fetched is it that the planets can affect you? It’s really not. 

So lets start with the basics.  We need to download and print off our birth chart.  I prefer to use Astro-Seek but you can google natal birth chart creator and get all kinds of websites to get one. Once you have it printed off just take a look at it.  It is overwhelming as all get out. However that is why we are here. We are going to talk building blocks and how to understand the foreign language you see written before you.

The three key components of a birth chart: The signs, the houses and the planets. You need to understand the basic meanings of all three of those things before you can understand what they mean. We can use my own mother as an example. She is a scorpio sun….however everything else is in Libra.  Guess what she acts like? A text book Libra. You need to understand the whole picture not just a piece of it. We can’t decorate the brand new living room of your brand new home if you haven’t even laid out the floor plan to start building! 

So first things first. I uploaded an image of a blank chart to make it easier to understand. We look at the big circle, and you can see there are 12 pie pieces.  Those are the houses. They start at the 9:00 position and go counter clockwise to 12.  Everyone's houses will be in different signs. While the first sign of the Zodiac is Aries, not everyone’s first house will be in Aries. The first house will be in your rising sign. But we are getting ahead of ourselves there and will pick up on that later.  First lets go back to the basics. We have the big circle and we have the houses. Each house is in a sign. Now - we are about to REALLY break it down here.  In order to understand how to set up your birth chart - or read the one you printed out - you need to know the signs of the zodiac and what they mean. So that is the point of this post. That is where we are going to start. Before we look at the big picture of the wheel, before we look at the planets, before we look at the houses - lets look at the signs first.

Before nose diving into each individual sign, lets take a look at the building blocks that will help you learn the signs easier and be able to differentiate between them. Understanding them individually on their own will be so much easier if you can understand how they stand in the whole. Each sign has an Element, Quality and Energy (sometimes referred to as polarity).  To gain a better insight into where the sign fits in the big picture, you need to clearly see how it stands on its own.

There are four elements - Air, Earth, Water and Fire. There are three signs in each element. The element reveals the signs most basic temperament. Its a very broad description.

The first is Fire signs. Fire signs tend to be very passionate. They are fervent, hot-blooded, and they burn hot and fast. Fire sign temperaments can flare up but they can calm down just as quickly. They tend to move quickly and can even be restless. They are energetic, love adventure, outgoing, enthusiastic, they are often risk-takers, leaders and have a can-do attitude. They can also be impatient, egotistical and self-centered.  Fire signs are Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. 

Earth signs - These are the solid, stable and reliable signs. The are less bothered with having everyone’s attention, unlike fire signs. They are very grounded and down to earth, nurturing, Earth elements tend to refuse to be fake and prefer to be real and natural. These signs are steadfast, determined, and realistic. They can be practical to a fault, and so cautious that they may miss out on opportunities. Your Earth signs are Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn.

Air Signs - they are very mysterious, a lot like the wind. They stay in their head a lot and are hard to pin down. They are very entertaining people and have an element of wit as well. Air signs are intellectuals and creative. A lot of your fore thinkers, tech gurus, humanitarians and artists are Air signs. They are thinkers, and specialize in ideas and communication. They can also be intuitive, detached, aloof and hard to get to know. Your Air signs are Gemini, Libra and Aquarius. 

Water Signs - These are the emotional ones. They are all in their feels and they feel their feels hard. They are dreamers and deep communicators. They are also very protective of those they love. Like water, you don’t immediately think water and think dangerous. You see water as refreshing, cleansing, relaxing. However water also has the capability of carving out canyons and destroying entire towns. Water signs are sensitive, compassionate and creative. They can also be moody and protective of their emotions. Your water signs are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. 

Now that you get the general temperament for each element let's learn about the Qualities or Modalities. These are Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable. The Qualities are basically breaking the signs down into more specific personality types.

Cardinal signs are great at starting things and also correspond with the beginnings of the seasons. They are leaders, initiating, and assertive. Can be considered bossy. They like change and anything new, but can be impulsive, impatient, and fail to complete what they start. Cardinal signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn.  

Fixed signs are the ones with staying power. They have a tendency to have excellent follow through. They tend to dislike change unless its initiated by them. They use their determination to achieve goals and overall life success. They can be considered stubborn. Fixed signs are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius.

Mutable Signs are the very go with the flow people. They do have trouble finishing things they start. They adapt easily and quickly to any given situation. They are comfortable with change and have issues spreading themselves too thin and can be surrounded by half completed projects. 

Are you starting to see yourself a little more clearly? Instead of just as your sun sign?

Finally, you have the energies. These are the masculine and feminine energies. However it doesn’t mean masculine and feminine in the traditional sense.  Masculine energy is extroverted and feminine energy is introverted. 

Masculine or extroverted is Yang - and are all Fire and Air signs. 

Feminine or introverted is Yin - and are all Earth and Water Signs. 

No two signs have the same groupings so each sign is a unique combination and expression of its element, quality and energy. So now go through what each one is and reconcile that with what you may know about each sign. Is it starting to make a little more sense?  

Finally, you have polarities.  The polar opposite of you on the wheel. Despite some polarities being very opposite in their characteristics, the real significance is that they are complimentary. What you lack the other sign has and vice versa. The polarities are:

Aries/Libra

Taurus/Scorpio

Gemini/Saggitarius

Cancer/Capricorn

Leo/Aquarius

Virgo/Pisces

This doesn't mean you are going to automatically click with your opposite. The rest of their chart can determine a lot too. 

So run through these building blocks and become familiar with them.  Next we will start breaking down the individual signs.

Until next time my little moodies...

Love, Light & Selenite,

-Courtney