Understanding the Different Types of Astrology Charts: A Guide for Beginners
Astrology charts in general can tell us a great deal about the various facets of our personalities, potenital life paths we could take, and how we conduct ourselves in interpersonal relationships. At the same time, the wide array of astrology charts can be overwhelming for those who are still trying to nail down the foundations of this cosmically complex school of thought.
Each chart serves a specific purpose and reveals different aspects of our lives, especially understanding our emotional needs and how might prepare for future potential outcomes.
This post is your go to guide for all the different types of astrological charts we use, it’s main purpose of function, what astrological information in most releveant for each chart and why we use it.
Natal Chart (Birth Chart)
The natal chart (most commonlu known as a birth chart) is the foundation of astrology. It represents the positions of the planets at the exact moment of your birth and is often the first chart people encounter when first stumbling upon basic astrology.
- Main Purpose: To reveal your basic personality traits, strengths, challenges, and desires, and challenges.
- Key Elements:
Sun sign: Your ego, desired self, core personality.
Moon sign: Your inner self, how you deal with emotions, default behaviors
Ascendant (Rising sign): Your personal approach life, the vibe you give off, strangers’ first impressions of you
Houses: Different life areas (career, relationships, health, etc.)
Aspects: How the planets interact with one another that create harmony or tension within your personal expression
3. Why Use It: A natal chart is the cosmic GPS of your basic identity that leads you to your highest potential. This highest potential is what aligns you with your true life’s purpose .
Synastry Chart
In this day in age relationship astrology has become a very popular branch of astrology. There are 2 types of charts in relationship astrology; a synastry chart and a composite chart. Both of these charts are used for gauging overall basic compatablity between two people, especially in a romantic context.
A synastry chart compares two individual birth charts to explore how the two people see one another, as well as how they feel and react to one another.
- Main Purpose: To show how two people’s planets interact with each other to highlight areas of ease and conflict.
- Key Elements:
Venus and Mars: For both platonic and romantic connections these planets can show what each person finds attractive about the other and what motivates them to stay connected. But for striclty romantic connections, these 2 planets can describe the romantic compatability and sexual chemistry between the two lovers.
Moon and Mercury: These how the people in question emotionally connect and communicate with one another.
House Overlays: Where one person’s planets are in the houses of the other reveals the areas of life they influence and bring attention to. For example, someone’s moon that falls into your 4th house (the house of home and family) may bring you a sense of emotional security. Whenever the moon person is around you may have this cozy feeling of being “at home” in their prescene.
3. Why Use It: Synastry charts help you understand your individual dymanics with another person and how the characteristics of their individual birth chart can either bring out the best in you or trigger your most deepseated fears and insecurities.
Composite Chart
While a synastry chart compares two individuals’ charts, a composite chart merges them, creating a single chart that represents the relationship as an entity in itself. A simple way to think about it is the birth chart of a relationship.
1. Purpose: To create “relationship personality” by blending both charts. This chart shows the overall theme and purpose of the relationship.
2. Key Elements:
Sun in the Composite Chart: Indicates the central theme or energy of the relationship.
Venus and Mars: Show how love and passion may manifest between two people (if it is roamntic). For both platonic and romantic connections this is how they show love and the fuel that the relationship runs on to keep it alive.
Houses: These represent the areas of life where the relationship has the most impact.
3. Why Use It: Composite charts helps us to see the bigger picture of our relationship, it’s overall mission and challenge, and whether it’s more likely to grow or become stagnate over time.
Solar Return Chart
A solar return chart is a chart calculated on your birthday each year. The Sun returns to the exact position it was in at the time of your birth, making this your sun sign. This chart gives you an astrological forecast into themes that might be relevant in your life from this birthday to the next year’s birthday.
- Purpose: To provide insight into potential upcoming opportunities and challenges.
- Key Elements:
House placement of your sun sign : The house the Sun falls into can show you where your main focus might be directed toward during the year.
Major Aspects: Planetary aspects can highlight potential key challenges and areas of your life where you mind find support and ease.
Transits: How the currrent placement of the planets interact with your natal chart or might bring signficant change (especially outer planets).
- Why Use It: This chart is good for getting an idea of what to expect in the year ahead and spotting possibilties to take action in areas regarding career, relationship, personal growth, etc.
Lunar Return Chart
Not a commonly used or well known chart but still worth mentioning. Similar to the solar return, but the lunar return chart is basically just a transit chart excpet it’s based on the day that the moon returns to its position in your natal chart (the current moon being in the same zodiac sign as the one in your birth chart) This happens once a month.
- Purpose: To give you about insight into your emotional state and the themes surrounding your inner world
- Key Elements:
Moon’s House Placement: The house the Moon lands in indicates where your emotional energy will very likely be concentrated.
Aspects to the Moon: These can reveal emotional challenges you’re likely to face and how you’ll find emotional support during the month.
- Why Use It: A Lunar return chart can help you keep track of your emotional well-being on a month-to-month basis, showing how your feelings evolve and what influences them.
Progressed Chart
A progressed chart represents your personal evolution over time. It shows how your natal chart “progresses” as you age and how your personality grows and changes.
- Purpose: To show how you have been evolving emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
- Key Elements:
Progressed Moon: This is probably the most important part of progressed chart. The progressed moon shows where your emotional focus could be diverted to over the years.
Progressed Sun and Ascendant: Your progressed sun shows how your central identity and external persona might shift over time.
Planetary Aspects: These can indicate important transitions such as career shifts, relocations, or relationship developments.
3. Why Use It: Progressed charts help you make sense of the major life phases you go through in your life and how to navigate the personal transformations you will inevitably go through.
Transit Chart
A transit chart shows the current placements of the planets and how they affect the placements of your own natal chart in real-time.
1. Purpose: To track how the planetary movements impact your life in the present moment or near future.
2. Key Elements:
Planetary Transits: The current planetary positions show the positive or negative interactions with your natal planets and placments.
Retrogrades and Eclipses: These particularly important events can mark times of pause, self reflection or dramatic change.
Outer Planets: Longer transits of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto can indicate upcoming significant life changes or times of upheaval.
3. Why Use It: Transit charts help you understand the timing of events in your life especially new opportunities, personal challenges, and a need to grow and expand
Final Thoughts
Astrology and their various types of charts offer a wealth of knowledge that extends far beyond your basic Sun sign. There is so much more to learn about yourself through just your standard run of the mill birth chart.