A couple years ago, I was in a group interview for a part-time sales job at a local crystal store. To be honest, this was not a situation I ever expected to find myself in, but I guess you could say I was “going through something” (no judgement to all you crystal lovers out there!). One of the first questions the interviewer asked us was: “What’s your sun, moon, and rising sign?”
I froze – I knew my sun and rising sign, but what the heck is a moon sign!? The other interviewees all piped in with their signs as I floundered in the depths of an existential crisis: I thought I knew a lot about astrology, but what did I know? When everyone else had answered, all eyes fell on me. I was honest, “I’m a Scorpio sun and Virgo rising, but I don’t know my moon sign…” I felt judged.
But I also felt motivated. The moment I stepped out of the store I was already deep in Google search results. I didn’t end up getting the job, but it did lead me somewhere exciting – my interest in astrology, dormant since my teen years, was reignited.
As I tumbled down the rabbit hole, I was surprised by how much more information was available to me than when I was in high school. There was so much at my fingertips – books (Practical Magic by Nikki Van De Kar offers a fun introduction to astrology, among other things), podcasts (highly recommend Mary English’s astrology podcast), websites (Astro-Seek, Café Astrology, and The Dark Pixie Astrology are some of my favourites), and more!
The more I learned, the more interested I became in birth charts. They tied in all the different elements of astrology to tell a full story. But maybe you’re wondering, “What is a birth chart!?” So, let me back up…
Birth Charts
The way I like to describe birth charts to my clients is that they are a map of the sky at the moment you were born. This ‘map’ (while not able to tell your future) can provide valuable insight into your personality and lifepath – from what makes you tick to what you absolutely need to make you feel fulfilled, and how this can impact your love life, career, friendships, happiness, and more. Essentially, your chart goes beyond your sun sign to illustrate the placement of your planets in the signs and houses, as well as their relationships to each other, or ‘aspects.’
Birth charts can help us understand our strengths, weaknesses, and higher Self. They’re wonderful tools to support self-reflection, and they also make great gifts for the astrology lover or introspect in your life. Whenever I’m working on a chart for someone, I always think, “Wow, this person is a freaking badass!” Despite how different we all are, birth charts remind me that, at our core, we are all magnificent, powerful, and worthy creatures.
To create your birth chart, you just need your birth date, birth location, and birth time. (No birth time? No problem. I’ve modified birth charts for several clients who are unsure of when they were born.) You can create your birth chart online, I like to use Astro.com.
Confused? Don’t worry. Throughout my blog, I am going to walk you through the different elements of a birth chart, helping you make sense of all the symbols and lines to get to Self.
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