Birth Chart Exploration: What the Stars Say About Your Journey
March 18, 2025 | Waxyjo
Most of us are introduced to our Sun sign or our ‘star sign’ or ‘astrological sign’ fairly early in life. Indeed, our understanding the signs we were born under can be very revealing and insightful. However, the truth of the astrological chart is that it provides a snapshot of where ALL of the planets are, at the MINUTE we are born. This is a bit like an astrological roadmap, except it’s in 3D and the planets are always moving. Our birth chart however will always be the same. Our chart lasts for the whole of our lives, and in the most part, it is completely unique. Even twins are born minutes, or even hours apart. It can take years to understand the birth chart fully, however with a few key elements you can find out so much about yourself.
What is the Sun Sign
The Sun sign is often casually referred to as our ‘Star sign’ and this is because it is depicted by a group of stars called a constellation. Originally when the Sun was moving through Aries (from approximately 21 March to 22 April) the Sun would be close to where the constellation of Aries was.
This applied to all of the signs and their dates; Taurus, Gemini, Cancer…etc. all have a constellation of stars that originated the name and symbolism of each of the 12 Sun Signs.
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Our solar system has moved throughout the last few thousand years though, and these constellations do not visually line up with the Sun in the same way.
Astrology is a form of psychology which defines characteristics based upon an unseen energy. The definitions of the Sun signs, as they have always existed are still accurate. Logic doesn’t support this easily, but evidence and personal experience shows that this is so.
The Moon, orbits around the earth continually and just as all the other planets, is constantly traversing through the zodiac. At the moment you were born, the Moon was calculated to be in a particular sign and degree. The symbolism of this sign is, in many ways, as important as the Sun sign.
Where the Moon was at the time of our birth tells us about our emotions, and how we process them. Traditionally it teaches us about our relationship with our Mother. The Mother in this sense represents our first experience of nurture and emotional protection.
Our primary and earliest experiences create a psychological imprint in our lives and form our first impression of the world through our environment. In terms of our formative years, our first experience of emotional connection and love are extremely powerful. Possibly the most powerful influence we ever have.
The position of the Moon in the birth chart informs our understand and ensuing expression of our feelings throughout our lives and how we form relationships throughout our lives.
Ascendant or Rising Sign
If you have your chart drawn up for you, by hand or by a computer app your time and place of birth are very important. The more accurate you can be – to the minute if possible – the more insightful an astrologer will find your chart.
The time you were born indicates the Ascendant and this is also the beginning of the chart, and the 1st of the chart’s houses. There are 12 houses in a chart and all of the loosely correlate to the astrological signs.
The Ascendant or Rising sign of the chart shows the time of day. If you are born at sunrise on 1 June, then your Sun and your Rising sign will both be in Gemini. That’s why it’s called a ‘rising sign’. If you are born at sunset, then your Sun will be at the opposite side of your birth chart.
The sign of your Ascendant denotes the ‘face you show to the world’. This is how you interact with others and the first impress you give. If you are born with Gemini rising then you are likely to be chatty, lively, interested in many things and very sociable. There can be other factors in a chart which change this a little, but your Ascendant/Rising sign is how you feel ‘safe’. It shows your default characteristics and also how you wish to be perceived by others.
The 4th House or IC (Imum Coeli Latin for “bottom of the sky”)
In a chart there are 4 main angles which dissect the 12 houses. Whilst astrologers don’t all agree on the mathematical divisions of all of the 12 houses, we do all agree on the placement of the 4 angles of your chart.
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We also agree that these are very important points which show big life experiences and events.
The 4th House in your birth chart is the house of your ‘home’. This will show who you grow up with and the kind of environment you experience as a child. It will also provide information about your family, your parents and to some extent your genealogy and ancestry.
So, for instance, I was born with a strong emphasis on the 4th House in my chart and that shows a very strong link with my family and heritage. In my case, my father was an Irish immigrant at a time when the Irish weren’t so welcomed in the UK. Hence, although I was fairly oblivious as a child, the connection to that Irish heritage has become increasingly important throughout my life.
Sometimes you will feel a stronger familial connection, when you feel less sense of ‘fitting in’ in your environment.
In some birth charts there may be very little emphasis on the 4th House and it may be that family is not a focus. The Charts of people with difficult early family experiences will show a complex 4th House emphasis.
This house is opposite to the Ascendant and is also called the Descendant. This point is halfway around the chart and symbolises the kind of partner we are attracted to. As there is as an opposite to the natural expression of self, this point shows complimentary characteristics.
In a sense the polarisation is similar to the symbolism of the anima and animus. In traditional astrology the 7th House was also said to represent ‘open enemies’. Due to the opposing position.
Now we tend to view the sign on the 7th House or Descendant as representative of what we look for in a partner. When we have planets in the 7th House this may show a lot of emphasis on personal relationships. Often people with planets here will be either serial monogamists, or feel they struggle with love.
Interestingly those with long-term stable relationships often have less emphasis on the 7th House. As they are less inclined to expect another party to be the source of their happiness.
The 10th House, Midheaven, or MC (Medium Coeli, which is Latin for “middle of the sky”)
The 10th House is also called the MC or midheaven. This point in the birth chart opposes the IC or 4th House, so in a sense represents the opposite of the home. Henceforth the MC is about our status and standing in life and how we are viewed.
Sometimes when you view famous people you may notice their MC traits are prominent. A strong focal energy in the MC of a chart does denote worldly success and, in some cases, fame.
The MC tells us about our best career choices, as the attributes we see here, show talents and ways we can excel. In a sense the MC is our ‘charisma potential’. As how we are seen and received by the world has a massive impact upon how successful we are.
An astrologer will be able to analyse your MC and advise you on best career choices. An MC in a mutable sign (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius & Pisces) may often indicate two distinct career paths. However, few charts show single-minded focus and few people have only one career or path in the modern world.
The north node in a chart is deeply insightful. It will always be calculated for you in a computer generated birth chart. However, it is a mathematical point, rather that an astronomical object.
The North Nodes are a point calculated from the Moon’s orbit and how it intercepts with the Earth’s orbit. It does have a consist passage through the zodiac though, moving backwards through each sign spending approximately a year in each.
The position of your North Node shows your spiritual path and what is meaningful to you. Often our North Node may show an area that is difficult for us. Something that we need a little courage to embrace, but that brings incredible rewards.
There can be a soulmate connection with people who have planet(s) close to your North node. Certainly if we have a destiny planned with another, it will show up here.
The feeling of meeting another who has a connection to our nodes is a deep one. It comes over like a sense of ‘knowing’ or even recognising the other. Often these connections link to past lives, and soulmates who meet up over and over again.
Although some astrologers will say that the North Node is the future path and the South Node (the opposite point) the past. Those who have studied this in depth have shown that there is little distinction between the past and the present.
Time is man made after all. A North (or South) node connection with a new prospective partner is exciting, magical and often denotes destiny. A meeting of soulmates, sometimes who have loved one another and been close in previous lives. At other times there may be a strong karmic connection to rebalance.
Would you like to explore deeper into your own birth chart? Would you like a relationship reading focusing on the North and South Nodes?
Joëlle has been studying esoteric sciences, divination, the supernatural, and alternative health since her teenage years. Now in her 40s, she has also amassed 20+ years of experience as a pioneering astrologer, psychic and tarot reader. She is also a qualified reiki master, herbalist, and twin flame expert. To find out more about her, or to book a reading contact her at: www.facebook.com/waxyjo and as @waxlobster on Instagram.
