Astrology explainer: Finding houses and degrees in your chart
Astrology is my absolute passion - the combination of magic and order blows my mind on a daily basis. Mystery and beauty constantly surrounds us. Knowing the ongoing position of the planets (and how they interact with your natal astrology chart) allows you to live your life consciously. Leaning in and co-creating with the energy enables you to manifest and squeeze the best out of every situation. Which is why I’m always seeking ways to help you apply general astrology information to your specific chart.
Every planetary influence will impact people depending on their natal chart. Broadly, energy will fall into a ‘house’ of the chart, which will influence distinct life topics. More specifically, if this influence ‘hits’ planets in your chart, then you will feel an energy very sharply.
So when I explain a current energetic pattern, I’ll be talking in general terms. For instance, currently Neptune has just moved into Aries. I can describe this as a general theme eg. fighting for ideals.
To help you personalise this information, I might say, “Find your Aries House”. This will help you to understand WHERE this energy falls in your chart and how it might manifest for YOU. Are you fighting idealistically at work (6th house), or with your spouse (7th house)?
And I’ll usually note a Zodiac degree, or range of degrees where the exact astrological event is happening. eg. Neptune is currently travelling at 0-1º of Aries. If you have any planets around this point, you know that you are being targeted by this influence and will feel it strongly.
But when I say, “find your Pisces house” or “look for 3º Aquarius in your chart”, how EXACTLY do you do it? Here’s the steps to take…
QUICK EXPLAINER: HOW TO LOCATE HOUSES AND ZODIAC DEGREES IN YOUR ASTROLOGY NATAL CHART
1. GET YOUR CHART. An astrology natal chart is easy to get. You’ll need as exact a birth time as possible. Input the data into free sites such as astro.com and you can draw up your chart. Better yet, book a session and I’ll draw up your chart, talk you through it, and then send you away with a copy. A chart looks something like this one below. There can be formatting variations, but the basic information will be the same…
A chart is a simplified map of the sky at the moment when you took your first breath. It shows your perspective of the solar system from down here on earth. For this basic explainer, we can ignore the inner most section of the chart with the blue and red lines. These are ‘aspects’ which I’ll explain another time.
UNDERSTAND THE BASIC PARTS OF AN ASTROLOGY CHART.
A chart has two distinct parts - the outer and inner circles. The 360º outer circle of the chart is split into 12x30º sections. Each section is a different ‘sign’ of the Zodiac, always running in the same order (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces). They run in an anti-clockwise direction.
The inner wheel is divided into 12 pieces of pie called ‘houses’. Disclaimer - depending on the ‘house system’, that the software uses, these can vary. If you’re a newbie, stick to ‘Whole Sign’ houses (which aligns zodiac signs and houses), ‘Equal’ or ‘Placidus’.
There are always 12 houses, and they run in an anti-clockwise position, starting over at the left side of the circle at 9 o’clock, where the Ascendant (sometimes called the Rising Sign) is located.
Houses are important, because each one represents life topics. Planetary energy always manifests somewhere in your chart, impacting in a particular set of topics.
Next, let’s understand the symbols that sit in the houses. They are different planets, mathematical points, asteroids and fixed stars. In basic charts we use about a dozen really important ones…
Each planet is displayed in the chart as a symbol. Then the Zodiac sign symbol is also used, to help you locate which sign the planet sits in. The exact calculations are displayed in degrees and minutes. You can safely ignore the minutes’, which get rounded up.
Once you can decipher the symbols, and understand the order of the houses, you can piece it together…
When I say, “If you have planets or points at xxx degrees”, you can look around the circle of your chart to see if you do have any placements in that location.
When I say, “Find your (zodiac sign) house”, look around the outside of the circle to locate the correct symbol. Houses are always in an anti-clockwise direction (shown below). Find the stick at the start of the house and see which sign it leads out to. That sign is in charge of that house.
Here’s some examples…
So it is a bit tricky, but with a bit of practice you’ll be finding your way around the chart easily. And then you’ll be able to follow my writing and personalise the energies into your own life.
Here’s some practice for finding signs around the outside and planets inside the chart.
But if you want a personalised orientation around your chart, book a session and I’ll take you through it. I always have the chart visible during my Zoom sessions, so that you can get acquainted with this mystical map of your life.
Thanks for bearing with me - hope this has helped to demystify your chart!