What is a Birth Chart?

So… What exactly is a birth chart?

So… What exactly is a birth chart or a ‘Nativity’? A birth chart, for all intents and purposes, is a snapshot of the sky at the exact date, time, & location that you were born. This is unique to only you. Each individual is completely unique and cannot be replicated, the heavens will never create another exact match in this lifetime of your personality & your unique chart.

I am a traditional astrologer, this means that I believe all circumstances – both internal & external – can be shown in the natal chart. Having a birth chart can show you the entire life of the native (the person who’s chart it is), as well as their personality in it’s entirety as well. This is a powerful tool if you know how to read it and can vastly assist you in self-growth and better understanding loved ones and those you wish to have relationships with in life.

Astrology can help us understand ourselves by helping us see ourselves in a different light. We are created uniquely, but exactly as we were meant to be created. Not one of us is a ‘mistake’ or here by accident. Every one of us has a cosmic purpose that we are designed for. Learning about our astrological placements can help us maximize our strengths & minimize our weaknesses. This can not only help you appreciate your innate personality, but this can also help you understand some of your intrinsic life challenges, accept them, and learn how to work with them.

You can evaluate compatibility with other individuals with different methods of combining and comparing two birth charts. It is important to remember that compatibility does not come from just evaluating the signs that a planet like the Sun is in and then make a generalization that you are ‘incompatible’ with another individual based on their Sun sign. This is not at all accurate and takes away from the complexity and intricacy of true synastry (relationship astrology).

There are many methods of moving the birth chart forward in time to express how your personality evolves over time, as well has events that may happen in your life. The birth or natal chart is the foundation for most predictive work performed in astrology.

** A note about birth times **

Birth time & Location in astrology is important for the calculation of the terrestrial houses in your astrological chart. These ‘houses’ give us information on the areas of life certain events may take place in, or where certain things may play out in the long-term. If you do not know your birth time and/or your birth location, you can still (generally) use and evaluate your sign placements, however certain mathematical points may not be available for you (like the Ascendant and the Midheaven). The Moon, it is important to note, moves an average of about 12-13 degrees per day and can change signs if it is near a sign boundary. In this case it may be helpful to try and at least ascertain if you were born during the morning, afternoon, evening, or night.

Below is an astrological chart calculator provided by Astro Charts© to calculate natal birth chart placements. I do differ in the terrestrial house system that is used (I prefer a system known as Whole Sign Houses) so the house placements the program offers and the ones I use may be different. However sign placements and the placements of the Ascendant and the Midheaven should still be correct in terms of how I would calculate them.

It is important to note that when they ask you to note your city, state, & country – they are referring to the city, state, and country where you were born not where you currently reside.