Minderwiz
It's really encouraging to see people trying to read their own charts - and those of others. So I thought I'd start a thread on the process so that people can ask questions on the methods of chart interpretation.
For this thread I'll assume that you already have your own chart, obtained of the Net or from computer software.
The first thing you should do is go through the balance of elements (triplicities) and qualities or modalities (quadruplitities).
I'll deal with the elements in this post
The Elements are:
Fire - Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Earth - Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Air - Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Water - Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
The simplest way is to count one for each planet in one of these signs. So you could end up with say, five Water, three Air and one each of the other two.
Most astrologers will go beyond this. The most common variant is to count two each for the luminaries (Sun and Moon). Some will go further and also count two for the Ascendant ruler (which is also called the chart ruler), some will even count two for the Sun's ruler (planet that rules the sign that the Sun is in). Others do not count the outer planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto as their effect is generational, rather than personal. I tend to use the first variant and count two for Sun and Moon, giving me a maximum of twelve in the count.
You should also take not of the elements of the Ascendant and the MC - use these as possible 'tie breakers' (though again some astrologers will include them in the count).
Look for which element is dominant (if any) and just as important, which element or elements are weak.
In crude terms Fire is action, enthusiasm, strength, honesty, radiated energy, and impatience.
Earth is practicality, materialistic, persistant, careful and suspicious
Air is ideas, mental activity, theories, abstract concepts, detached and rational
Water is feelings, emotions, the power of the unconscious mind, empathy, sympathy, sensitive and receptive.
A lack of one of these does not mean that that side of the personality is entirely absent - it means that the person may have difficulty expressing that side - a lack of Water may suggest that the person has difficulty expressing their feelings and emotions or treats them with suspicion or will be uncomfortable with emotional displays by others.
Astrologers will also look for compensations in the chart for any lack of element. These are through house placements. The first, fifth and ninth Houses are sometimes called the Fire Houses or the Triplicity of Life. Planets in these, what ever the sign, can be seen as offseting a lack of Fire.
The Triplicity of Substance or Matter, the second, sixth and tenth houses may provide planets which offest a lack of Earth.
The remaining Triplicities of Houses are those of Relationships and Soul (or endings) which correspond to Air and Water respectively.
The Astrologer, Stephen Arroyo, reckons that over 50% of his interpretation is based on the elements (and their qualities).
If there are any questions, I'll answer them and then post on the qualities of Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable in terms of balance and the Yin/Yang balance.
For this thread I'll assume that you already have your own chart, obtained of the Net or from computer software.
The first thing you should do is go through the balance of elements (triplicities) and qualities or modalities (quadruplitities).
I'll deal with the elements in this post
The Elements are:
Fire - Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Earth - Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Air - Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Water - Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
The simplest way is to count one for each planet in one of these signs. So you could end up with say, five Water, three Air and one each of the other two.
Most astrologers will go beyond this. The most common variant is to count two each for the luminaries (Sun and Moon). Some will go further and also count two for the Ascendant ruler (which is also called the chart ruler), some will even count two for the Sun's ruler (planet that rules the sign that the Sun is in). Others do not count the outer planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto as their effect is generational, rather than personal. I tend to use the first variant and count two for Sun and Moon, giving me a maximum of twelve in the count.
You should also take not of the elements of the Ascendant and the MC - use these as possible 'tie breakers' (though again some astrologers will include them in the count).
Look for which element is dominant (if any) and just as important, which element or elements are weak.
In crude terms Fire is action, enthusiasm, strength, honesty, radiated energy, and impatience.
Earth is practicality, materialistic, persistant, careful and suspicious
Air is ideas, mental activity, theories, abstract concepts, detached and rational
Water is feelings, emotions, the power of the unconscious mind, empathy, sympathy, sensitive and receptive.
A lack of one of these does not mean that that side of the personality is entirely absent - it means that the person may have difficulty expressing that side - a lack of Water may suggest that the person has difficulty expressing their feelings and emotions or treats them with suspicion or will be uncomfortable with emotional displays by others.
Astrologers will also look for compensations in the chart for any lack of element. These are through house placements. The first, fifth and ninth Houses are sometimes called the Fire Houses or the Triplicity of Life. Planets in these, what ever the sign, can be seen as offseting a lack of Fire.
The Triplicity of Substance or Matter, the second, sixth and tenth houses may provide planets which offest a lack of Earth.
The remaining Triplicities of Houses are those of Relationships and Soul (or endings) which correspond to Air and Water respectively.
The Astrologer, Stephen Arroyo, reckons that over 50% of his interpretation is based on the elements (and their qualities).
If there are any questions, I'll answer them and then post on the qualities of Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable in terms of balance and the Yin/Yang balance.