Astrology is one of those things that is hard to avoid. Even if you are not a believer, you probably have heard of your sun sign and perhaps you resonate with some of the traits. However, you are a beautifully unique and complex soul with many layers and intricate psychological workings which sometimes contradict each other. An archetype that describes one twelfth of the world’s population could not possibly describe all that you are. You are a fully functioning whole – the sum of many parts. And astrology can help you learn about all these separate parts of yourself through what is called a birth chart.
Before we get into the nitty gritty of what a birth chart or natal chart is, check out my article here on how or why I believe astrology works. Your natal chart is a snapshot of the sky at your exact time of birth, and it contains the sun, the moon and all of the planets (each that represents different aspects of the personality) in the solar system. It also includes various asteroids and other calculated points which are specific to your exact time of birth in your location of birth.
Example birth chart: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
These are all positioned into the twelve signs, which also have their own archetypes which describe how the energies of the planets manifest. Your sun sign represents your overall identity, your moon sign represents your inner self. Your Mercury sign tells us how you think, learn and communicate. Your Venus sign shows us how you love and your Mars sign gives insight on what drives you. Jupiter shows us where you find abundance, Saturn shows us your greatest challenges. The outer planets are considered the generational ones, with Neptune ruling dreams and spirituality, Uranus ruling invention and technology and Pluto ruling death and rebirth.
Lao Tzu was an ancient Chinese philosopher whose teachings have been passed down through centuries and has influenced millions of people regardless of their religion or culture. It was him who said, “knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment”. A reading of your birth chart can be the first step towards this Enlightenment. Through the self awareness gained from such a reading, you will be able to uncover the depths of your soul.
A lot of our personality traits can often be a result of conditioning or an amalgamation of the experiences that happened to us – coping mechanisms. These are not necessarily for our highest good. A natal chart reading can give you an honest look at both the highest expression of yourself and your true potential as well as your shadow traits. Carl Jung described the shadow self in psychology as the parts of ourselves we are ashamed of and prefer to repress and keep hidden. Astrology can help us integrate these parts of ourselves, with empathy and compassion and gain self awareness towards what is an authentic part of our self, versus self protective and harmful habits.
Some of the things you can learn about yourself through your birth chart are your emotional processing, your learning style, your love language, how to direct your drive and anger as well as your purpose in this life. You can gain a deeper insight into your natural strengths and weaknesses as well as your greatest opportunities for growth. This can even become the springboard for your spiritual journey through meditation, inner child healing and shadow work.
If you feel as though you are ready to step into the next state of self awareness and evolution, a natal chart reading can help you tap into your inner power so you can live out your authentic purpose for which you reincarnated in the here and now.
