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Understanding Your Birth Chart
Astrology has many layers and it can be confusing when you are beginning to work out how it all fits together. When I first started learning astrology, I would hear things like, degrees, houses, and I don’t know what else! I was like, “What are you talking about? The temperature outside, what does that have to do with my time of birth or where I was born? How is that relevant?”
They said, “No, Mia it’s not temperature, it’s degrees around a circle. And this is relevant to your birth information and predictive astrology!” Plus, all of this other cool stuff! For example, looking at how we’re moving through lifetimes! Which is amazing and interesting to me, because I particularly like to talk about the past, present, and future lives.
In talking with astrologers about this and with lots of reading. I see all sorts of examples of people that might be one degree something, or 29 degrees something, or 15 degrees and we’re going to break it down and make this a little bit easier for you to understand right now!
I like to think of a birth chart like the layers of delicious cake or a pie. This is a super helpful way to 
look at the birth chart and come to understand all the different information and energies and how they layer on each other and influence each other.
The Birth Chart Pie Analogy
Twelve Slices – the Twelve Houses
Our birth chart is divided up into twelve houses, representing different parts of our experiences through life. So, like a pie cut into twelve pieces.
The Bottom Crust – the Natural Chart
A pie starts with a pastry base at its bottom layer. This is the same for all pies, whatever the topping and decoration that will be layered upon the bottom crust. This is like the natural astrology chart – the bit that is the same for everyone. Each of the twelve houses are ruled by one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac. We have specific ruling signs for our own birth chart but, at the same time, each of the houses has a sign that naturally rules. For example, House One, the house that represents the beginnings of things, how we assert ourselves and our identity in the world, what is on our surface, what people see about us on the surface. Aries is the natural ruler of House One, the first Zodiac Sign, the sign of the pioneer, the ram that wants to push itself headstrong into the world and into all it wants to achieve in this lifetime.
We all have Aries energy in our House One, we all have Taurus energy in House Two, the house of values and Gemini energy in House Three, the house of experiences and exchange
through communication, siblings and short distance travel, and so on… When you look at a blank birth chart that has no information on it, you will see that it’s cut into 12 equal pieces. And those 12 equal pieces are ruled by one of the zodiac signs, and it’s always that way This is the energy and influence that is baked into that pie crust – that foundation that is the same for any pie.
The Filling – The Signs Ruling the Houses for Your Birth Chart
Once you have your crust, you build your pie. You can’t change the base – once it is made it is made, just like that natural chart made of the natural placements of the Zodiac signs that stay the same for all of us. The base is the underlying energy, common to everybody. The filling is what is unique to you – your character and experiences. If your first house in your birth chart is ruled by Cancer, then this is your filling. Cancer filling on an Aries crust. When you eat the pie, you taste both – the filling and the underlying crust. It is the same in the birth chart. We have the underlying characteristics of Aries in House One with the energy of our own sign on the top of it. With Cancer ruling House One, this would give you nurturing and emotional characteristics, on top of the independent and pioneering Aries energy. Of course, if you have Aries Ascendant – Aries ruling House One in your own chart your filling matches your base.
The Decorations – The Planets
Our birth chart also has the planets situated throughout the houses. This is like the fancy top layer – a lattice or a top layer cut into shapes with motifs like flowers, leaves, moons or with fruit or candy decorations.
Each of those twelve slices, our twelve houses have the base flavor or energy that we all share, our own unique filling and our unique decorations, the energy of the planets. They
are all in the same slice. They all act together in each house. These are the layers of astrology in our birth chart. Your planets, those are the topping, so those are layered over your pie.
Extra Toppings – The Degrees
What is a degree in astrology? There are 360 degrees in a circle and there are 12 signs. Therefore, there are 30 degrees in each sign. 360 / 12 = 30…
High school math? Yuck! Yes! You just look at where the planets or the house cusps are in your chart and it gives you a little bit more information about that sign, about that particular planet in that sign. The lower kind of degrees that you find, like 1 and 0, 0 and 1, especially zero, you’re kind of learning, you’re just starting to learn about that sign, so the traits are a little bit more immature. Towards the end, 28, 29 degrees, you’re very mature in that sign. That planet acts with more wisdom and knowing. It just starts to behave a little bit more like the next sign.
So, if you’re born near a cusp, you’re going to act a little bit like both signs, the one you were born under and the sign the suns moving into next.
For example, Let’s say your a Sagittarius. If you were one degree Sagittarius versus 15 degrees versus 29 degrees, you may have different qualities then another Sagittarius sun. If you’re 1 degree Sagittarius, you carry a lot of that instantaneous fire, that desire to just go and do something, experience something, journey, journey, journey and without really thinking about it. It’s more instinctual. And then when you move into more of the middle of the sign, you end up seeing that it acts very strongly, like itself, it’s just a little bit more mature. It’s like if you’re in your 20’s. You’re not acting like a child, you’re not acting out just to act out, you’re experiencing, you’re gaining knowledge- And then towards the end, when Sagittarius finally meets the end of its sign, it’s more of the philosopher, it’s done the journey, it knows what’s going on and it carries more maturity to it.
The next sign is Capricorn which has to do with achievements and goals so the end of Sagittarius is looking forward to that. It’s looking forward to using all of its knowledge so that it can achieve its goals. As we’re moving through the degrees, we’re transitioning, moving into the next sign and so if you are higher in those, like a Sagittarius sun, that was 28 degrees Sagittarius, you might feel more Capricorn or more steady. Maybe like, “I don’t know, I’m not really wild and crazy and making rash decisions,” but maybe you’re still feeling that fire and that goal chasing but you’ve got plans in place and you’re like, “Listen, I need a plan to chase my goals, I’m going to chase them after I make my plan.”
That’s what degrees mean in astrology. It has nothing to do with the temperature, it turns out. It’s all about the degree you are around that circle and in that specific space of the sign. Very cool stuff. And even a better way to dive into who you are, what you are, and what you’re doing here in this lifetime.
What kind of pie would you be?
When you first look at your birth chart it can be overwhelming with all the different components and questions you can ask about them all and their interaction and relationships. The first thing to know is the overall flavor – the kind of pie your chart shows you to be.
To understand astrology, you have to understand how these layers work together
Everybody has their personalized chart because there are twelve houses in there, with as many signs and planets. Although a lot of people share an Ascendant or Rising Sign and a Sun Sign and a Moon Sign, they are different because of all of these layers that are in there. You can go buy a strawberry rhubarb pie or a pumpkin pie, but they will not likely taste the same because it depends on who made them, what ingredients are put in them, the oven they were baked in. So even though they’re similar, they’re always kind of different at the same time.
Only by learning astrology can we begin to understand those layers and how they work together. This is what really makes astrology such a cool tool for us in our lives.
I would love to be able to show you all these layers and flavors. Astrology has literally changed my life, parenting, and all relationships.
Order your birth Chart here: Birth Chart
Want to find out what your Astrological Horscope Forecast for the year is?.
If you want to know what is happening for each month, astrologically speaking, I make a Monthly Forecast, so you can navaigate yourself through the stars. You can always find this information in my group on Face book. Join The Lighthouse Group on Facebook. (Always under the Announcement tab.)
Check out some of my other Blogs, on Journaling, Journaling, Grounding & Shadow Work, Shadow Work, Shadow work: Steps to emotional Healing .
I also provide Protection DIY Kits & Spell Kits. Email me for more information.
Divine Direction by Mia is an online service dedicated to providing simple and profound guidance to those looking for clarity and direction on their life journey; and others who are interested in learning about the practical applications of Astrology.
Love & Light my Darkling’s.
