What is an Astrology Reading?

A beginner's guide to an astrological consultation using Kim Kardashian's astrological chart.

If you have never had an astrological reading, this post will explain what it involves, how it can help, and why it is such a unique experience.

At its heart, an astrological reading or consultation is a conversation between an astrologer and a client. Conversation is key. It's where, together, both parties can explore the unique cosmic moment of a person's birth, which the natal chart captures.

Let's look at an example. This is Kim Kardashian's astrological chart, one of the most famous women in the world.

Kim Kardashian's Natal Chart

This circle is a 2D image of the celestial positions of the planets at the moment Kim took her first breath. What makes her chart unique, and yours included, is the date, location, and time of birth.

The time and location of birth give us the Ascendant Sign, which determines the positions of the houses in the chart. The numbers below correspond to the house number. Contained within each house is a sign of the zodiac. This chart is cast using the Whole Sign house system, which allocates one sign to one house. In other websites, focused on more modern techniques, the default is a house system known as Placidus, which is not used here.

All 12 zodiac signs are contained in the circle. This is true for everyone's natal chart.

Kim Kardashian's Natal Chart with House Numbers. The houses go in anti-clockwise order, mirroring the order of the Zodiacal Signs.

This places the planets in certain houses. Not every house has a planet in it (that's normal), which gives the natal chart a unique flavour.

The signs and houses move in an anti-clockwise direction, with the first house containing the Ascendant Sign (also known as the rising sign—these are used interchangeably), which then assigns the rest of the zodiac to each house. For example, if you have a Cancer ascendant, then your 1st house = Cancer, 2nd house = Leo, 3rd house = Virgo, etc.

Each house from 1 to 12 represents different meanings and topics, addressing every aspect of life. For example, the 7th house would speak to partners, marriage, and long-term committed relationships. This is one of the places we would look to examine the topic of love or even marriage, while also looking at the planet Venus.

Kim Kardashian's Sagittarius Ascendant at 13 Degrees.

In Kim's chart, the zodiacal sign of Sagittarius demarcates the 1st house, which means that Kim's Ascendant Sign is Sagittarius. The ascendant is determined by the time of birth and location, which makes it a very special point in someone's natal chart.

The ascendant sign changes approximately every 2 hours and cycles through the entire zodiac in 24 hours.

Time and Location of Birth = Ascendant Sign = Unique Personal Natal Chart.

Her Sun Sign (more commonly referred to as the star sign) is in the sign of Libra, in the 11th house. The Sun sign roughly changes every 30 days, which is why when people say "what is your star sign?" they are talking about what zodiacal sign the Sun was in at the time of their birth. The sign the Sun is in will determine what season we are in (Northern Hemisphere). Every season contains three signs.

For example, those born under the sun sign of Aries would correlate to the start of Spring. In the sun sign of Pisces, the native would be born towards the end of winter.

Kim's Sun sign is in Libra, meaning she was born at the beginning of Autumn.

Anti- Clockwise - 3 signs/season × 4 seasons = 12 signs = 1 zodiac cycle/year

Her Moon is in the sign of Pieces, in the 4th house. The Moon changes zodiacal signs roughly every 2.5 days, again giving the natal chart a distinct flavour when combined with other planetary placements.

All the other visible planets (those we can see in the night sky as distant stars), Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, are also in different signs of the zodiac. The outer planets, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, have a more generational vibe, with most people born within set number of years, having the outer planets in the same zodiacal sign. This is because these planets move very, very slowly, therefore taking longer to change zodiacal signs.

What I hope to convey here is that astrology is more than "I'm an Aries!". It speaks to the wide range of circumstances that a person experiences.

In an astrological consultation, the conversation would include discussing some of these different placements or a particular chart signature that perhaps stands out to the astrologer. A client could ask an astrologer, "What does my chart say about my career or life direction?" or "What does my chart say about my romantic relationships?" or "Why do I struggle with money?".

Using Kim's chart, we will show an example of a simple interpretation. With a Sagittarius ascendant, any planets in the first house would colour and speak to Kim as a person. Her body, her personality, and her character are all topics regarding the first house. The first house is the individual, the native, YOU.

Kim has the planet Mars which being in the first house means it is also in Sagittarius. A interpretation would be that Kim is very driven, passionate, action-oriented, and perhaps can have a bit of a temper (Mars significations). The body could also undergo martial themes, with one of those significations pertaining to surgery (Mars' ancient meaning—to sever, to cut). This could be interpreted as plastic surgery, which Kim has been somewhat partial to. This isn't a judgment, only a delineation of a chart placement.

Kim Kardashian's Natal Chart with Planets Highlighted.

A particular planet 'rules' each sign or is 'in charge' of that sign. The planet Jupiter is in charge of the sign of Sagittarius. In ancient astrology, the 1st house (Kim), which contains the ascendant, was known as the 'helm', which is the steering wheel of a ship. The 'helm ruler', the planet Jupiter was then said to steer the ship in a particular direction.

Jupiter represents Kim in the chart. All the other planets represent other things, in charge of different houses: other areas of life. While we may think we are the centre of the universe, ancient astrology recognises and speaks to the external circumstances, events, and people woven into our lives. To find Kim, we look to the helm ruler (the ascendant sign's ruler).

The planet Jupiter is located in the 10th house, in the sign of Virgo, conjunct the MC. Don't worry about this for now, but the MC is another point in the chart like the Ascendant, which is a powerful point and can pertain to themes including reputation, fame, and visibility in the world. The MC is the highest point in the chart. Conjunct means together. Jupiter and the MC are together in the chart. A common delineation of this placement would be that Kim (Jupiter) will be well known/famous/visible (MC) or that Kim will be steered towards a life where visibility is important.

This is a simple interpretation, but extremely accurate.

Does it mean that everyone with their helm ruler conjunct the MC point will be as famous as Kim K? NO! But this interpretation, while examining the whole chart would indicate that the native will be drawn towards visibility or being in the limelight.

I hope that gave you a taste of what astrology can say about a person's natal chart. In an astrology reading, we can examine where your helm's ruler is and many other topics. Astrology can affirm our current situation by recognising challenges, identifying opportunities for change, and highlighting our inherent talents.

Don't worry if you didn't follow through all the way; that's what an astrologer is for. Astrology is just a language. You only need someone to be able to read it.

Ready to find out what your chart is says about you?

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