Astrological Alchemy – A Few Magical Ingredients That Make Up an Astrology Chart

For the basic layout of a birth chart, the birth time and location are necessary at the very get go. More than just the Sun sign, all of the planets are analyzed.

The birth chart reveals the rising sign, which is the outward manifestation of the personality. And although most of the planetary placements are listed by the day in a book called an ephemeris, the moon sign is tricky since it changes so quickly. The moon sign is very important since it represents a person’s emotional makeup.

The house divisions are like the underpainting in a classical artwork. This is a basis that determines many of the variations or tints of the planets in the chart. Often sources of confusion, the nature of the twelve signs that are considered in the chart are altered somewhat depending which house they fall into. (see link below for more information about the houses)

So, we have all of the planets, they have their various modifications specific to the individual’s chart, and there’s still more – much more. Each of the signs indicated by their location at the time of birth also have certain properties automatically assigned.

For example, Leo is a fire sign designated by the elemental quality of fire. With the elements, all of the signs fall into one of four categories. These categories are earth, air, fire, and water.

Earth is the element of Taurus, Capricorn, and Virgo giving these signs qualities of earthiness. Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces are ascribed with the element of water contributing to an intuitive nature. The air signs are Gemini, Libra and Aquarius – these signs gravitate toward thinking. The other two fire signs are Aries and Sagittarius: fire indicates sudden insight and visual flashes.

More categories come in the form of triplicities, quadruplicities, and dualities. In short, these are more geometric divisions used in later stages of chart development. All integrate into the geometry of the circle, and become further planetary reference points.

So, more angular relationships are determined in the form of trines, oppositions, and conjunctions. This process goes on to even smaller angles depending on how in-depth the chart may be. These angular relationships between the individual’s birth planets describe the unique personality, and are also used in prediction.

Basically, once the astrological analysis of the birth chart includes all of these factors, the intrinsic makeup of a human being begins to take form.

References:

“The Round Art” – A.T. Mann
“Horoscope Symbols” – Robert Hand
“Planets in Aspect” – Robert Pelletier

(more about the houses:) http://www.examiner.com/x-7637-Miami-Astrology-Examiner~y2009m6d30-House-divisions-in-Astrology–a-pie-about-the-sky