What a birth chart shows

A birth chart is a map of where every planet was at the moment of birth, as seen from the birthplace. It is a fixed snapshot. The natal chart never changes. The Sun, Moon, and Ascendant are the three most fundamental points. The Ascendant (rising sign) requires an accurate birth time.

Each planet occupies a sign and a house. The sign describes how the planet expresses itself; the house describes which area of life it operates in. Aspects between planets show how different parts of the chart work together or in tension. Traditional astrology weights the seven classical planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) most heavily, with the outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) providing generational context.