Astrology 101: Natal Chart Organization and Terminology
Hey guild members!
I have been researching some new topics and prepping for a move so it has been a couple weeks since I continued our Astrology 101 posts BUT it is time to look at another part of the natal chart! If you haven’t been following along for the last couple installations, I have included a couple links at the bottom the page that can take you to previous posts or you can find them in the Spirituality portion of our blog.
A QUICK NOTE GOING FORWARD… for the purpose of examples, I am going to say you are somewhere in Western Washington like I currently am. This means that when I talk about the different hemispheres etc, I am basing this off of living in the Northern Hemisphere of Earth… BUT I will get into the relevance of that distinction in just a moment.
Let’s get into the meat and potatoes of todays’ Astrology conversation: Organization and Terminology for Natal Charts
We have previously covered that the natal chart is:
- divided into 12 ‘pie’ pieces AND
- that the chart is a map of where different celestial bodies were in relation to YOU at exact time and location of your birth
Inner and Outer Parts of the Chart
The next thing we are going to do in looking at a natal chart is split our 12 pieces of ‘pie’ into an inner and outer circle.
The outer circle is our Zodiac and rotates according to our birth data and the location of the constellations around us as they appeared to be moving around earth. It is fairly common knowledge that zodiacs are associated with different personalities, traits, elements, etc.
The inner circle is the astrological houses and that does not move. EVER. This circle is stationary. This is because this represents the earth and original astronomers thought we were the center of the universe. Each house is associated with different traits, elements, and parts of your life. I originally was going to go over these in this post but realized this would get too long very quickly. Going into detail on the 12 houses will be our next post.
Hemispheres and Quadrants
Imagine looking at the horizon facing either North or South. Which direction is determined by our ability to see the sun. If you are in the Northern hemisphere of earth, you are looking South and mapping what you see in the sky. If you are in the Southern Hemisphere, this is reversed, and you look to the North. This flips our North/South and East /West Hemispheres in the pictures I drew. There is some debate, that I will not dive into at this point, about whether such a north centric astrology practice is still accurate in the Southern Hemisphere, if sign meanings should be reversed, etc. etc. etc. But I digress once again.
Imagine you are in Washington… you are facing South, looking at the horizon. Now hold a blank natal chart up in front of you. The line bisecting the top and bottom of our circle is our horizon (both the -name of the line AND symbolically the one in front of you). The houses 7-12 sit above the horizon and any celestial bodies (this is planets, stars, meteors, etc) shown above the horizon at the time of your birth show up there. Think of the top of the chart as being directly overhead. Anything below that horizon line is not visible but we know where they are because of astronomy, and we still take them into account in houses 1-6.
This sounds a bit backwards BUT, we call the top half of the chart the Southern Hemisphere and the bottom half of the chart our Northern Hemisphere. The Southern hemisphere is associated with Ambition, being career oriented, wanting fame/recognition, being extroverted, and having material values/goals. The Northern hemisphere is associated with having a subjective view on life, a need for a private life, introversion, and an introspective outlook. Having clusters of planets in either the Southern or Northern Hemisphere can hint at whether you are more of a private or public person.
Now, because we are still facing the South, our left side is actually the East and to our right is the West. This is also seen in our natal chart; the left side is called our Eastern Hemisphere and the right side is called our Western Hemisphere. They are divided by a line called the meridian. The Eastern Hemisphere is associated with being more independent, strong-willed, individualistic, a self-starter or leader. It is also associated with individuals who are self-motivated, self- employed, or risk-takers. In contrast, the Western Hemisphere is associated with being adaptable but dependent, passive, subtle, being a follower, and partnerships. Having clusters of planets in the Eastern or Western Hemispheres can hint at whether you are more of an individualist or a collaborator.
So as quick practice, here are a couple of examples of what someone means when they say something vs what you see on the chart vs where it actually is in the sky. Just a reminder. This is based on someone living in the North (think Washington) and they are looking south.
| Verbiage | What it looks like in the sky | What it Looks like in the Chart |
| Pluto is in the Southern Hemisphere | Pluto (though too far away to see) is somewhere above the horizon | Pluto is somewhere in the top half of your chart |
| Venus is in the 2nd House | You can’t actually see it because it is below the horizon line and to your east | Venus would show up towards the bottom, left of your chart |
| Mars is in the Northwest Quadrant | You can’t actually see it because it is below the horizon line and to your west | Mars would show up in the bottom, right of your chart |
Chart Points
You may have noticed in the visuals I made above that there are points named in the four cardinal directions. We do not usually associate these with celestial bodies in this context because the chances of landing exactly on one is low. What you will hear though are zodiac associated with a point. Ever hear “I am a [insert zodiac] rising?”
The very top of our chart has a point called the Medium Coeli (AKA Midheaven, AKA M.C.). This shows your aspirations, where you are aimed, and your legacy. At the very bottom point of the natal chart is your Imum Coeli (AKA I.C.). This is your root of home, memory, and soul.
Just like the Southernmost and Northernmost points on the chart are named (the M.C. and I.C.), so too are the Easternmost and Westernmost points. On the far left (furthest East) with have our Ascendant (often called our rising) and this our social mask and how we integrate into world around us. On the far right we have our Descendant, and this is what you wish you were like, what you admire, and areas of life you wish to grow in. It can also represent what you are looking for in a partner.
Putting the Inner and Outer Circles Together
Remember that outer circle of zodiacs? Remember that it actually moves? The position of that outer ring of zodiacs is based on your birth data (where in the world you are born).
The next visual is not of my own making but hopefully seeing it 3D will help illustrate how they fit together. The inner circle is lined up on the horizon, not rotating. The outer circle of zodiacs could twist any way depending on where the constellations line up.
This visual is not of my own making but hopefully seeing it in 3D will help illustrate how they fit together. The inner circle is lined up on the horizon, not rotating. The outer circle of zodiacs could twist any way depending on where the constellations line up.
That being said… a planet can be in any number of combinations of house/hemisphere and zodiac. And a zodiac can be in a house. And a chart point can be in a zodiac. And… Have I started to lose you again?
I am going to stop for now before I start to really lose you all which would be counterproductive. These are just basics but hopefully it will help untangle what you are looking at when you see a natal chart. Next, we will be talking about the 12 houses and I will be working on getting a post up that is just reference for associations, symbols etc. Let me know if you want me to add the visuals I made!
Happy Charting!
Taylor
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