When you look at an old photograph isn’t it amazing the details you remember. Where you were, who was with you, what you were doing, wearing, etc. So much information in one still photo.
An astrological birth (or natal) chart is essentially an old photo. It’s a photo of the heavens at the exact moment you were born. Where the stars, moon, sun, and planets were based on the exact time and location of birth.
Astrology is, simply put, the study of the correlation between the astronomical positions of the celestial bodies to events here on earth. Your birth chart is a snapshot of the universal energies at play the moment you were born, and through study, can provide a map to understanding yourself better.
SIMPLIFYING THE FORMAT
Arguably, a birth chart isn’t immediately user-friendly. When I first saw my birth chart, pictured below, I was so overwhelmed. It felt too mathematical for lack of a better word. I had no idea what I was looking at. This chart - with glyphs, lines and numbers - felt intimidating. It certainly did not feel like a snapshot of 'me’ at all.
One of the primary motivations I had when creating The Living Wheel Astrology Cards was to create a tool that would allow me to visualize my birth chart in a unique, more appealing way. One that would also support my continued studies with astrology and enhance my work with this very important chart.
HOW TO
Let's take a look at how you can generate your birth chart and use The Living Wheel Astrology Cards to visualize it in a way that helps explore the celestial energies at play in your life.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
First things first, you’ll need to go online or use an app to generate your birth chart. To generate your birth chart you will need the following information:
- Your full birthday (month, day and year)
- Your birth time (be as exact as possible)
- Your birth location (city, state, country)
GENERATE YOUR BIRTH CHART for FREE here: https://horoscopes.astro-seek.com/birth-chart-horoscope-online and print it.
* A NOTE ABOUT HOUSE SYSTEMS
One variable in astrology is determining which ‘House’ system to use when generating your birth chart. We recommend using the Whole Sign House system. It is the original house system used from the 1st - 7th centuries and most astrological correspondences were formed from this system. The system vanished for years before being rediscovered in the 1900s. More and more professional astrologers are currently adopting it. What does this mean for you? When you generate your birth chart - look to see which ‘house’ system is selected. The above link provides a drop down menu titled “Extended Settings: House System, Aspects, Orbs". Select "Whole Sign" house system.
LAY OUT YOUR BIRTH CHART
Now that we have our birth charts generated and printed, we can start taking the data found in the chart and use The Living Wheel Astrology Cards to uniquely visualize it.
1. Create row one - The Houses.
Locate the “The House” cards in the deck. They are the cards numbered 1-12. Lay them out in order on your desk. Place them closest to you. The houses each represent different areas of the human experience. They identify areas of your life. Keywords for each house can be found in the keyword booklet that comes with The Living Wheel Astrology Cards.
2. Create row two - The Star Signs.
Locate the “Star Sign” cards in the deck, these are the twelve zodiac signs. On the birth chart, each house will have one star sign located in the outer most ring of the chart. Identify what sign is in House 1. For example, in mine I have Pisces in House 1. Lay the appropriate star sign card down above each of the house cards until all twelve star signs are placed. The Star Signs are expressive, they express the house and everything in it. For example, in my chart, Pisces is the expression found in House 1, the house of Identity. Aries expresses itself in House 2, the house of Resources. See chart pictured below.
3. Create row three (and additional rows, if necessary) - The Planetary Bodies.
In this step, you will lay down eleven 'Planetary Bodies’ cards and the two “Lunar Node” cards. Start by looking at House 1 on your birth chart and identifying if anything is located within it. You may or may not have a planetary body located within each house. In my chart, the Moon is located in House 1, so I will lay the appropriate moon phase card down.
To determine what specific phase the moon was in at the time of your birth click here: https://www.moongiant.com/birthday-moon/ Lay that specific moon phase card down when you come to the House that has your moon in it.
4. Finally, place the Earth card closest to you, under row one. Next to the Earth card, place the season card that aligns with the day of your birth. For example, I was born May 2nd, so I lay down the Spring - 1st Half card.
A MOST UNIQUE PHOTO & Perhaps the most personal spread EVER
At this point, you are now looking at a beautiful representation of your specific birth chart. This spread now depicts where all the celestial energies were at the exact moment of your birth. Through exploring their meanings and relationships, you can gain more insight into yourself and your life path. Take a photo and share it on instagram using the hashtag: #thelivingwheelastrologycards - we'd love to see them! Enjoy the journey and remember...
...there is always more to know...