Casting Your Unique Natal Chart

What is a natal chart? Why is it so important to know your own? How can it help you navigate life? These are a few of the questions that this article will answer. 

If you frequent social media platforms, you may have come across many posts about your ‘sun sign’. Sun signs are only one, of many placements, that can be used as a ‘personal identifier’. Sun signs are based solely on the month and date of your birth. That makes you just as ‘unique’ as everyone else born in that 28-30 day period….not very unique now, is it? 

If you’re like me, you may have never resonated with your Sun Sign, and maybe that’s why you’re intrigued with astrology. Or maybe, that’s why you don’t believe in astrology at all! It’s easy to discredit information on a topic that doesn’t resonate with you, but that is also a stubborn and ignorant way to live. At a young age, the researcher in me had to find out why I didn’t resonate with my sun sign. Luckily, the internet had just become widely accessible during my teenage years, and was able to help me with my quest for understanding. After some time, I was able to confirm that I was, in fact, a very different type of Capricorn. Through learning my natal chart, I found one particular aspect that changed everything for me: I had Neptune exactly conjunct my Sun at 14 degrees of Capricorn. Therefore, Neptune became the soul of my Sun. I was more of a mix between a Pisces and a Capricorn. A spiritual and mystical Sea-Goat. Now that was something I resonated with.

To put it simply, natal charts represent a screenshot of the sky at the exact moment of your birth, and at the exact location of your birth. It is important to have an accurate time (hour and minute) and location to accurately cast your unique natal chart. Even twins might have different natal charts, depending on their exact time of birth. Minutes absolutely make a difference, in fact, natal charts can shift radically every four minutes! As discussed in the Finding your Astrologer article, everything is energy. The planets in our solar system, which are depicted in your natal chart, all carry their own unique frequencies and energies, as well as frequencies and energies from distant galaxies/star systems (microlensing). Your natal chart represents your soul’s blueprint. It is composed of unique energies based on where the planets are placed in the houses, and what aspects the planetary bodies are making to each other. I will discuss planets, houses, and aspects in further detail in a later article.   

For now, we want to cast our own natal chart! I utilize Astro.com for all of my charts, so that is the information I will be providing below. I personally use AstroGold on my computer, but Astro.com is free and fairly easy to use once you understand the basics. I recommend making a free account on their website so that you can save your chart, and later, add/save more charts if you choose. 

*Side Note*

There are a few astrology apps on the market that are available to download onto your phone. I have experience with TimePassages, Co-Star, and The Pattern. I understand that we all have a different style of learning, therefore, if you feel that you *must* use an astrology app to learn this information better, I recommend using TimePassages. My personal opinion is that the others do not provide quality charts and information the way that TimePassages does. Each of the three apps mentioned carry their own valuable information and perks. It is also important to understand that there is a fee associated with the use of TimePassages, and I encourage you to only use what you can afford. All of this information is available for free with the use of the internet, and only costs the dedication of your time. I am a strong advocate of utilizing free resources, and I believe this information should be accessible to everyone. Gate-keeping information creates division, and division is not something that I, personally, stand for. 

After you’ve made an account on Astro.com, navigate to the ‘Menu’ bar on the left of the webpage, and locate the section titled “My Astro”. There will be an arrow to the right, select that arrow, and then select “Stored Astro Data”. This will open to a page where any charts you have created will be saved to your account. If you did not store your personal information, utilize the option on this page to “Add New Astro Data”. Again, you will need your exact date, time, and location of birth for this to get the most accurate information. Inaccurate times may result in pulling false information that does not fully resonate. Your results are determined by your personal responsibility. Utilizing the information I provide does not guarantee that you will find accuracy in your chart if you have intentionally, or unintentionally, provided false information.  

After inputting your data, save the information, and select the name of the chart you would like to cast. Then, choose the following: 

1: Extended Chart Selection 

* ensure the name at the top of the page is the person that you want to cast the chart for*

2: Sections

* Choose ‘Round’

* Chart Type: ‘Natal Chart Wheel’

* Chart Drawing Style: ‘Web Default Style’

* Start Date: The date you cast the chart (can be changed later for past/future events)

3: Zodiac and Houses

* House System: Default 

* Zodiac: Choose ‘Tropical and Geocentric’

4: Display and Calculation Options

* Calculation Options: Choose ‘True Node’ and ‘Descending Node’ 

* Traditional Astrology Options: Choose ‘Traditional Decans’ 

* Aspects: Choose ‘To Chiron’ and ‘To Lunar Nodes’

5: Additional Objects

* If you are new to astrology, I do not recommend adding any additional objects other than Chiron. It can become too overwhelming if you are still trying to learn the planets. For those who have a basic understanding of the planets/houses/aspects, I recommend selection of the following: 

* Common Elements: Pars Fortunae, Vertex, Lilith (mean), and Chiron

6: Click to Show Chart

Now, the page should load with your natal chart, and two legends underneath that display the aspects and modalities of the planets/objects. Congratulations, you have officially created your unique natal chart! 

This is the first step in navigating home to your soul.