The interpretation of a natal horoscope is a complex matter involving considerable skill to synthesise the often contradictory factores into a meaningful whole. Personal chart intrepretation (face to face or taped) allows the astrologer to work at an intuitive level which aids such synthesis and allows, in the case of face to face work, input from the recipient. Written astrological reports, however, are by nature limited in their capacity to provide the intuitive synthesis to the same degree.

Astrology can provide a unique depth and subtlety in its understanding of the human personality when well used. The following is a brief outline of how a chart is structured and what its various elements correlate to psychologicaly. A whole book could be written on every chart, revealing an amazing depth of information about the personality, life, karma and possible experiences of a person. This is a story which would never be finished and astrology is, as with life, a dynamic approach, not a fixed and static picture. It can provide both an outline of the underlying structures of the personality and a guide to its continuing unfoldment throughout life.

Planets, Signs, Houses and Aspects

Planets:
Each planet represents a unique complex core or energy focus, that is a particular personality factor such as aggression, maternal qualities etc., in the personality. This will be described when it is first mentioned in the chart report. Every planet is placed by sign, house and aspects within the chart and acts like an energy centre of a specific nature which will be focussed through the lens of the sign it is in and projected onto the screen of a house..

Signs:
Represent the deeper archetypal underpinnings and life issues related to the planetary energy or personality factor. Each sign indicates mythic or collective energies related to C G Jung's Collective Unconscious. Because of the way the sign acts as a "lens" in focussing the planetary enerigy we can expect people with the same planet placed in a particular sign to share underlying  characteristics and life issues although this is not always apparent..

Houses:
Represent the arena of every day experience through which the planetary factors and their associated sign qualities will be expressed; that is not the deeper issues themselves but where they will be manifested in every day life, such as in family, career, self image etc. As such the houses are like screens onto which the planetary energies are projected via the focussing through a sign.

The Sign and House placements may be complementary or appear to be unrelated or contradictory. So understanding a planetary placement involves seeing how these different combinations may work together by creating ease of expression, lack of connection or inner and outer tension. This is an intuitive "art" of synthesising which cannot be performed by a computer and so is not availiable in computer gernerated chart reports. It is the creative activity of a living astrologer.

The Moon's Nodes

These are the points where the Moon crosses the Earth's plane of orbit around the Sun. They are not paid much attetion in modern astrology which is a great pity because they are, psychologically speaking, perhaps the most significant indicators of a person's deepest challenge and calling in life.

Aspects:
Indicate interactions between the different planetary points and suggest their likely effects upon each other, reinforcing, cancelling, conflict and latent potentials for example. It is also worth noting that some planets are inherently contradictory by nature and so even in normally positive aspects they may present difficulties. Likewise natural affinity between planets may lessen the difficulty of some aspects.

It is often helpful to consider that you may act one way in some situations and not in others. So if a description comes up that you react to with; "But I'm not like that!" it may be useful to cast around in different aspects of your life for where you are actually like that. If its in the chart it will be around somewhere and with honest attention you can usually find it.

Some planets are less influential in the chart in an obvious way than others. A planet that is weakly aspected, for example, is often a hidden or erratic energy that it is more difficult to recognise. So if a planetary description does not ring a bell don't dismiss it just be aware that it may not be easy to recognise. Look at the chart to see how many aspect lines it has to see if it is one of these hard to see factors or ask a friend you can trust whether he or she sees you like that at any time.

It is important to bear in mind that every planetary placement has a "good" and "bad" side. How it is expressed depends on other factors in the chart and on your own willingness to accept and work with that energy. You cannot change a placement but you can with awareness and effort change the way it works for you. You may also find that some parts of the chart describe how you used to be and don't seem so relevant now. Because life is full of opportunities for change and growth this may well be so.

Transits

Planetary cycles of transits indicate times of potential change which continue to occur throughout life providing continuing opportunities for growth and psychological and spritual development. Although you may well have worked through some issues indicated in the chart to the point where they no longer present major difficulties no process of development of the personality is ever complete and transits indicate the timing of continuing processes in the personality throughout life.

Synastry

Synastry is the art of interpreting how two charts interact with each other and can be a powerful tool for understanding the way in which a relationship between any two people, lovers, friends, parents and children, work or don't seem to work and why. It reveals the innate tensions and natural flows of energy which go to make up the particular chemistry of each unique relationship.

© Rodney Ravenswood 2006

Return to Ravenswood's Homepage Return to Front Page Menu.