Start here if you are new to charts or want the pieces in a sensible order. These guides cover the parts of a birth chart one at a time: the Sun, Moon and rising sign, the houses, the planet that rules your chart, and then each of the twelve signs.
Read them in the order listed, or jump to the part you are stuck on. Each guide links onward to the next idea it depends on.
The Pieces of the Chart
- What Do the 12 Houses Mean in Astrology?: Where the story takes place.
- What Is a Chart Ruler in Astrology?: Follow the planet that sets the tone.
- What Does My Moon Sign Mean?: Needs, habits and emotional responses.
- What Does My Rising Sign Mean?: Your chart’s starting point.
- Astrology House Systems Explained: Whole Sign, Placidus, Regiomontanus, Koch and More: Different ways to divide the chart.
- Astrology Without a Birth Time: What Can You Still Learn?: What you can still work with.
- What Is Astrology? A Beginner’s Guide to How It Works: Astrology reads the positions and cycles of the planets as symbols for patterns in human life.
- How to Read a Birth Chart: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners: A birth chart holds a lot of information at once.
- What Are Aspects in Astrology? A Complete Beginner’s Guide: Aspects are the angles between the planets and key points in your chart.
- Sun, Moon and Rising: How Your Big Three Work Together: Your Big Three are your Sun sign, Moon sign, and rising sign.
- Sun in Aries: Meaning, Traits, and Birth Chart Interpretation: Sun in Aries describes a sense of purpose that grows through starting things, making your own choices, and taking part directly.
- Sun in Taurus: Meaning, Traits, and Birth Chart Interpretation: Sun in Taurus describes a steady approach to purpose, where confidence grows through experience, continuity, and results you can see.
- Sun in Gemini: Meaning, Traits, and Birth Chart Interpretation: Sun in Gemini connects your identity with curiosity, communication, and the freedom to keep discovering new things.
- Sun in Cancer: Meaning, Traits, and Birth Chart Interpretation: Sun in Cancer connects your purpose with emotional investment, protection, and a sense of belonging.
- Sun in Leo: Meaning, Traits, and Birth Chart Interpretation: Sun in Leo connects your identity with creative expression, warmth, and pride in what you bring to life.
- Sun in Virgo: Meaning, Traits, and Birth Chart Interpretation: Sun in Virgo connects your identity with careful judgment, practical skill, and the satisfaction of making things work better.
- Sun in Libra: Meaning, Traits, and Birth Chart Interpretation: Sun in Libra describes an identity built through relationship, comparison, and careful choice.
- Sun in Scorpio: Meaning, Traits, and Birth Chart Interpretation: Sun in Scorpio describes an identity built around depth, privacy, and lasting emotional commitment.
- Sun in Sagittarius: Meaning, Traits, and Birth Chart Interpretation: Sun in Sagittarius describes a purpose built around exploration, meaning, and a wider life.
- Sun in Capricorn: Meaning, Traits, and Birth Chart Interpretation: Sun in Capricorn describes an identity built around responsibility, steady effort, and making something that lasts.
- Sun in Aquarius: Meaning, Traits, and Birth Chart Interpretation: Sun in Aquarius describes an identity built around independent judgment, lasting ideas, and how people live together.
- Sun in Pisces: Meaning, Traits, and Birth Chart Interpretation: Sun in Pisces describes an identity built around imagination, emotional sensitivity, and meaningful connection.
The Twelve Signs
- Aries in Astrology: Rising, Sun, Moon and Personal Planets: Aries brings initiative, directness, and a preference for learning by doing.
- Taurus in Astrology: Rising, Sun, Moon and Personal Planets: Taurus brings steadiness, sensory awareness, and a wish to build something dependable.
- Gemini in Astrology: Rising, Sun, Moon and Personal Planets: Gemini brings curiosity, exchange, and the ability to look at something from several directions.
- Cancer in Astrology: Rising, Sun, Moon and Personal Planets: Cancer brings emotional awareness, memory, and a protective approach.
- Leo in Astrology: Rising, Sun, Moon and Personal Planets: Leo brings personal expression, warmth, and lasting creative investment.
- Virgo in Astrology: Rising, Sun, Moon and Personal Planets: Virgo brings discernment, practical adjustment, and the wish to make things work better.
- Libra in Astrology: Rising, Sun, Moon and Personal Planets: Libra is the cardinal air sign ruled by Venus.
- Scorpio in Astrology: Rising, Sun, Moon and Personal Planets: Scorpio is the fixed water sign, traditionally ruled by Mars.
- Sagittarius in Astrology: Rising, Sun, Moon and Personal Planets: Sagittarius is the mutable fire sign ruled by Jupiter.
- Capricorn in Astrology: Rising, Sun, Moon and Personal Planets: Capricorn is the cardinal earth sign ruled by Saturn.
- Aquarius in Astrology: Rising, Sun, Moon and Personal Planets: Aquarius is the fixed air sign, traditionally ruled by Saturn.
- Pisces in Astrology: Rising, Sun, Moon and Personal Planets: Pisces is the mutable water sign, traditionally ruled by Jupiter.
Continue Learning
Return to the full Learn library to search every guide, or move to another path: Traditional Astrology Rules, Astrology Timing Techniques, Relationship Astrology, Astrology Life Cycles.