The top of the chart represents the highest part of the ecliptic in the sky, and the bottom what’s underneath the horizon, or the non-visible sky.Īn easy way of thinking about this is since the houses represent the areas of the sky: in astrology the houses represent the areas of life.
Feel free to use whichever system you prefer.)ĭirectly opposite the ascendant is the descendant, which as you might guess is the western horizon, or what’s setting. The system we are using today and what my calculator uses is called the equal house system, which divides up the ecliptic into 12 equal segments starting from the ascendant. So the ascendant might be somewhere in the 1st house, or you might notice the houses aren’t divided up equally in other charts. (Note that there are different house systems used by astrologers. Beginning with the 1st house moving counterclockwise through the 12th. This is the beginning of the chart and the houses start here. In a western chart, like the one we’re using today, the left most part of the chart represents the eastern horizon, also known as what’s rising, or the ascendant. The houses form the skeletal structure of the chart and are always in the same location for everyone. More specifically the ecliptic, which is the path the planets move across in the sky.
The houses represent the sky at the time of your birth. For more information on sidereal, watch this quick video explaining it in detail. So you might notice some of your signs are different.
Keep in mind this calculator uses the actual size and location of the constellations, called sidereal astrology.
If you don’t have it available, you can use my simple and easy-to-use birth chart calculator here. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to look at any birth chart (whether yours or someone else’s) and quickly see what the most important components of the personality and overall life experiences are?įirst you will need a birth chart.