Astrology basics

leelee

i have started to look into my astrology chart albeit I know nothing about how to read them. I am following this site and trying to understand it
http://www.astro.com/astrology/in_signs_e.htm and a link to my chart here

http://www.astro.com/cgi/chart.cgi?rs=3&btyp=w2gw&

A few questions please:

As I am reading my chart is the first house the house I was born in for eg: gemini? the chart does have numbers on it so I am assuming that they are the house numbers I need to refer to so if I was born in Gemini sun sign then that would be house number 5

Another symbol I noticed is the moon on the charts or list beside the circle diagram (sorry dont know the name of these yet ) the moon is shown but on my diagram the moon is backwards and facing the opposite way - does this have any relevance?

I note also that my chart has no colours or lines in some of the houses. The ones I have seen all seem to have sqaures andmine does not.

I am very new to this and would like some insight please.
 

dadsnook2000

For leelee

I cannot use the link provided to view your chart. Some of your questions can be answered. First, the whole chart is a two dimensional model of the sky above and around you at the place and time of your birth. If any one point in the chart was to be "you" it would have to be the center---but the chart diagram as a whole is considered "you" by an astrologer. Note that the chart contains "things" that are not visible in the sky --- these include the signs (which are artificial constructs and cannot be seen except on the chart), house (another artifical construct that is not related to the signs), as well as mathematical points such as the Moon's north node and south node.

So, the first house is not directly represented by your birth, it defines the sector of the sky that was rising on the eastern horizon when you were born. "Houses" are divisions of space and/or time between the charts Asc./Desc axis and MC/IC axis. In many house systems these are not equal in arc-degrees but may be equal in the time it takes for each sector to rise above the horizon. In other house systems different factors of space and time are in effect. Houses are said to represent areas of the living experience that we encounter.

Your Sun has a seasonal or month-day relationship to its position in the sky (as measured by the signs) relative to your birth. It will be located in one of the houses and signs of your chart. The Moon moves quite fast and has no orbital relationship to the apparent movement of the Sun, so it may be found in any sign and house in your chart relative to the time you were born. The Moon's symbol facing one way or another is merely an illustrative convention and has no astrological significance. Astrologer usually depict it as a new moon with the crescent facing left.

It is common in astrological charts to use colored lines in the center area of the chart to show certain geometrical or "aspect" patterns that exist between some of the planets. Arc distances of 180, 120, 90, and 60 are most commonly noted and considered important in that they are said to modify the way in whcih two planets interact. The exactitude of these degree distances are often given some leeway such as 92 or 93 degrees being treated as if it were 90 degrees. 98 or 104 or 83 degrees would not typically be treated as if it were 90 degrees. Two planets in close proximity are said to be conjoined, blending their energies and expression. Two planets in opposition would typically be unbalanced and seeking balance with each other and be considered stressful until one learned to balance them. Two planets in square or 90 degree aspect to each other offer a challenge in that they often work at cross purposes and in non-harmonious ways. Hope this helps. Dave
 

Minderwiz

I too could not get your link to work, so I can't comment directly on your chart either.

Dave gives you an excellent summary of the nature of the chart. For someone's birth we would simply call it a 'natal chart' - there are other branches of Astrology but as you're concerned with your own natal chart we can forget those for present purposes.

You will also see references to 'horoscope', which today is a more general term to describe either forecast made in a newspaper or other column or the natal chart itself. Strictly speaking the ''horoscope' was actually the Ascendant and first house of the natal chart but virtually no one uses the term in that way these days.

It's possible (I haven't checked) that the software used on the site changes the Moon symbol to reflect it's phase in some way but as Dave says, either symbol can be and is used to show the Moon and a difference in usage would not normally reflect any external (to the chart) difference.