How to read your birth chart, step by step
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A birth chart is a map of the sky at the moment and place you were born. It looks busy at first, but you can read it in a few steps. Make your own chart first with our free birth chart tool, then follow along.
Step 1: find your big three
Start with the Sun, the Moon and the Ascendant (rising sign). The Sun sign is your core style, the Moon sign is your inner and emotional side, and the rising sign is how you meet the world. On our Western wheel the Ascendant is the line on the left marked ASC.
Step 2: read the wheel
The outer ring shows the 12 signs. The inner ring shows the 12 houses, counted anticlockwise from the Ascendant. Each planet glyph sits at its exact degree. Read each planet as a sentence: planet (what), in a sign (how), in a house (where). For example, Venus in Gemini in the 5th house points to a playful, chatty style in love and fun.
Step 3: look at the aspects
Aspects are angles between planets. A conjunction (close together) blends them, a trine (120 degrees) and a sextile (60 degrees) flow easily, and a square (90 degrees) or opposition (180 degrees) create tension that pushes growth. Our wheel draws the main aspects as lines in the middle.
Step 4: the Vedic chart (kundli)
The Vedic chart uses the sidereal zodiac and whole sign houses. In the North Indian style the houses are fixed diamonds and the numbers show the signs, with the 1st house at the top centre. In the South Indian style the signs are fixed boxes, with Pisces at the top left, and the lagna box is marked. Both show the same chart.
Step 5: your nakshatra and dasha
Your Moon's nakshatra sets your Vimshottari dasha, a 120-year cycle of planetary periods. You start in the period of your nakshatra's lord, partly used up depending on how far the Moon had travelled through it. The order is fixed, and each lord rules for a set number of years.
Each main period (mahadasha) is split into nine sub-periods (antardashas). Astrologers read the planet ruling your current period as the main theme of that chapter of life.
| Period lord | Years | Nakshatras that start it |
|---|---|---|
| Ketu | 7 | Ashwini, Magha, Mula |
| Venus | 20 | Bharani, Purva Phalguni, Purva Ashadha |
| Sun | 6 | Krittika, Uttara Phalguni, Uttara Ashadha |
| Moon | 10 | Rohini, Hasta, Shravana |
| Mars | 7 | Mrigashira, Chitra, Dhanishta |
| Rahu | 18 | Ardra, Swati, Shatabhisha |
| Jupiter | 16 | Punarvasu, Vishakha, Purva Bhadrapada |
| Saturn | 19 | Pushya, Anuradha, Uttara Bhadrapada |
| Mercury | 17 | Ashlesha, Jyeshtha, Revati |
If you do not know your birth time
Without a time, the planets' signs are still mostly right (only the Moon may change sign during the day), but the rising sign and houses are unknown. Our tool then uses 12:00 noon and tells you which parts to ignore.
Frequently asked questions
What are the big three in astrology?
Your Sun sign, Moon sign and rising sign (Ascendant). Together they give a fuller picture than the Sun sign alone.
How do I read a birth chart wheel?
Find the Ascendant on the left, then count the houses anticlockwise. For each planet, read its sign and house as one sentence, then look at the aspect lines in the middle.
What is a kundli?
Kundli (or kundali) is the Hindi word for a Vedic birth chart. It shows the planets in the sidereal zodiac by house, usually in the North or South Indian square layout.
What is a Vimshottari dasha?
It is a 120-year cycle of nine planetary periods used in Vedic astrology. Your starting period is set by your Moon's nakshatra at birth. Our tool shows your current mahadasha and antardasha with dates.
For reflection and fun, not fate. We explain astrology as a tradition and a tool for reflection. It has not been shown to predict events.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org - Horoscope
- en.wikipedia.org - Astrological aspect
- en.wikipedia.org - Dasha (astrology)
- en.wikipedia.org - Hindu astrology