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Astrology Basics: The Structure of a Natal Chart

Llean Joie B. Bautista In the previous blog, we talked about what astrology is—and more importantly, what it is not. Now we move into the core of it: The natal chart. What Is a Natal Chart? A natal chart is the celestial screenshot of the sky during a specific point in time. In relation to people, this is the screenshot of the sky during the time of your birth. A natal chart gives you a glimpse into the celestial blueprint and map of a person and their life path—personality, career, luck and fortune, areas of wealth, areas of growth, and many more. Natal charts can be divided into 4 main aspects:  Signs (zodiac placements themselves, such as Aries, Taurus, etc.) Planets (celestial bodies, such as the Sun, Moon, Mars, Venus, etc.) Houses (positional areas in the sky that delve into relationships between different areas) Aspects (relationships of the celestial bodies and signs against other points in the sky)  The Four Pillars of a Natal Chart Every natal chart is built from fou...

Astrology Basics: Why It Exists (And Why You’re Drawn to It)

  If you’ve spent any time on the internet in the last few years, you’ve likely come across astrology in one form or another. From short-form videos that reduce zodiac signs into personalities— your sign as a girlfriend, your sign at work, your sign in an argument —to more in-depth breakdowns of planetary movements and transits, astrology has quietly embedded itself into modern culture. And yet, despite how visible it has become, it remains one of the most misunderstood systems people interact with. Most people don’t actually understand astrology—they consume it in fragments. In digestible, small tidbits that, while helping increase the popularity of astrology to the modern masses, can have the unfortunate side effect of diluting the complexity in faux reductionism. A post here. A video there. A thread explaining one planet, another explaining one sign. The result is a collection of disconnected ideas that feel insightful, but don’t form a complete picture. It creates a strange pa...

The Cross of Matter Part 4: The Dalai Lama's Chart

By Mari Garcia Read Part 3 If we apply these [qualities and elements] to the chart of the Dalai Lama we see Capricorn on the IC.  Capricorn is cold dry suggesting that there is slowness and separation in home life, foundations and family and that they are traditional and conservative.  The ruler is Saturn in Pisces in the 6th with neutral dignity but cadent. Family and foundations are precarious and are dependent on others.  The Dalai Lama’s life started in a small farming family but he was taken at the age of four to succeed his predecessor and honour the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. The ruler Saturn is also in a tight opposition to Neptune and the Moon echoing the sense of loss, as well as the contradiction and paradox of spiritual and physical reality. Saturn as the ruler of the IC is hampered and must bow to the will of others.  The Dalai Lama is the embodiment of Buddhist spiritualism but is also the temporal leader of the Ti...

The Cross of Matter (Part 2)

By Mari Garcia Read Part 1 The Sun then continues to climb high into the sky and reaches the zenith of its path and gains maximum strength and heat. It is this point which in astrology we know as the MC. It is associated with power, glory, honour and distinction. It is the pinnacle of the chart hence its association with status, rank, profession, success, public life and social acknowledgement. It was seen to show where the individual succeeded as a result of their own efforts as opposed to position or status which was inherited, as symbolised by the IC. The MC was also the Mother, the public parent as opposed to the IC, the Father. Manilius says it: "…holds sway at the summit of the sky and divides heaven in two with imperceptible meridian; enthroned on high this post is occupied by Glory (truly a fit warden for heaven’s supreme station), so that she may claim all that is pre-eminent, arrogate all distinction, and reign by awarding honours of every k...

Life Matters: the Cross of Matter (Part 1)

By Mari Garcia The Cross of Matter is a fundamental principle of Astrology and as such is the backbone of any chart. Its components are the four angles: the Ascendant, the MC, the Descendant and the IC. The concept is based on divisions of the circle described by the path of the sun and planets across the sky as seen from the earth. Indeed, the Greek word ‘horoskopos’ means the ‘watcher of the hour’ describing the fact that originally, the celestial observers would record what stars or planets were rising at different hours of the day. These were used as markers in the construction of calendars for religious observances. The earliest records of natal astrology go back to the Babylonians whose astrology we would describe as ‘omen’ astrology, in the sense that they used not only the planets and the stars, but the winds, the flight of birds, comets and other phenomena. These were recorded on stones and were used to describe the nature of the time in which they appeared. ...