The birth chart was once called a horoscope or nativity.

It’s constructed for a specified date, time and place and all birth charts display an image of the astrological environment.

This environment consists of 10 planets and 12 zodiac signs.

The Earth and planets are in motion so the image it captures is a freeze-frame of a moment in time.

A computer calculated chart looks like this

At first glance the chart gives the appearance of a circle with strange looking symbols placed in and around it.

It can be viewed as a wheel that’s divided into 12 equal sections by lines that can be called spokes.

It’s actually a very detailed sky-map that pictures the ten planets and 12 zodiac signs that comprise the astrological environment.

The declination grid that accompanies the chart lists each planet’s declination as x number of degrees and minutes north or south of the celestial equator.

Symbols are used to identify each planet and sign.

There’s a small inner circle that symbolizes the Earth – the viewing platform.

The lines divide the chart into 12 equal sections.

Each section is called a house.

There are 12 houses in a birth chart.

They bring the sky-map down to Earth.

They are numbered 1 – 12 and easy to identify.

The point where a dividing line meets the large outer circle is called a house cusp.

The large outer circle pictures the entire zodiac belt.

There are 12 zodiac signs.

A degree and minute of a zodiac signs falls on each house cusp.

There are ten planets that move along the zodiac belt.

It permits their locating by sign and the degree and minute of the zodiac on each house cusp permits their locating by house.

The houses represent the environmental setting.

Here on Earth it embraces life-matters, activities and people that are influenced by the astral energies of the planets and zodiac signs.

A birth chart unites the astral energies of the zodiac signs and planets with the life-matters and activities that comprise the business of living here on Earth.

Some take-home messages

A birth chart is a map of the zodiac signs and planets that’s calculated for a specified time, date and place.

Each planet is positioned in the degree and minute of the zodiac it actually occupies and the degree and minute on each house cusp permits their locating by house.

Your birth chart is calculated for your time, date and place of birth.

You can read a book without knowing how to write it and you can interpret the astrological messages written in your birth chart without knowing the technicalities of its construction.

The Horoscope computer program calculates and constructs your birth chart, measures the strength and functionality of its component parts, and calculates when astrological events will stimulate character factors into a dynamic state of activity.

It does not interpret the chart.

This requires personal data that can’t be programmed.The Horoscope program is available from the Church of Light.

Astrology for Aquarius – sharing our knowledge