Natalora

Western astrology basics

Tropical zodiac, Western astrology

From the basics to advanced techniques. Read in order, or jump to what interests you.

Basics

• What is astrology?Western astrology is a symbolic language. It links the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets at a given moment with themes of human…
• How to read a birth chartA birth chart can look like a puzzle at first: a circle full of symbols and lines. It becomes much easier once you know that it is just a…
• Tropical and sidereal zodiacsIf you have seen two different Sun signs for the same birthday, you have met the difference between the tropical and sidereal zodiacs. Both…
• Why your birth time mattersYour birth date fixes where the Sun, Moon and planets stand. Your birth time and place fix something else: how the sky is turned relative to…
• Astrology glossaryA short list of terms you will meet in the app, grouped by theme.

Planets

• The planets: an overviewIn astrology, the planets are the actors in your chart. Each one stands for a basic drive or function of the psyche: how you think, love…
• The SunThe Sun is the centre of the chart, just as it is the centre of the solar system. It represents your core identity: who you are becoming…
• The MoonThe Moon represents your inner emotional life: what makes you feel safe, how you respond when something touches you, and the habits that…
• MercuryMercury is the planet of mind and message. It describes how you gather information, think things through, speak and write, and how you…
• VenusVenus is the planet of attraction and value. It describes what and whom you love, how you give and receive affection, what you find…
• MarsMars is the planet of energy and action. It describes how you assert yourself, go after what you want, compete, defend your boundaries and…
• JupiterJupiter is the planet of growth, optimism and meaning. It describes where you expand, what you believe in, how you extend trust and…
• SaturnSaturn is the planet of structure, responsibility and time. It describes where you set limits, where you feel tested, and where you build…
• UranusUranus is the planet of change, freedom and originality. It describes where you break away from convention, where you feel different from…
• NeptuneNeptune is the planet of imagination, compassion and the dissolving of boundaries. It describes where you dream, where you sense more than…
• PlutoPluto is the planet of depth, power and transformation. It describes what you hold at your core, what you are drawn to confront, and where…

Key points

• The Lunar NodesThe lunar nodes are not planets. They are two points in the sky where the Moon's path crosses the path of the Sun, which astronomers call…
• Black Moon LilithBlack Moon Lilith is a calculated point, not a body you could photograph. The Moon travels around the Earth on an oval path, so its distance…
• Chiron and the AsteroidsBeyond the Sun, the Moon and the planets from Mercury to Pluto, astrologers sometimes add smaller bodies. Natalora can display five of them…
• ChironChiron is a small icy body found in 1977, the first known centaur, half asteroid and half comet. It travels between Saturn and Uranus, read…
• CeresCeres is the largest body in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was found in 1801, was counted as an asteroid for a long time…
• PallasPallas is one of the largest asteroids in the belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was found in 1802, the second asteroid ever discovered, and…
• JunoJuno is one of the large asteroids in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was found in 1804 and takes a little over four years to…
• VestaVesta is one of the largest bodies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was found in 1807 and takes a little over three and a…
• The Four AnglesThe angles are the four most sensitive points of a chart. They come from your exact birth time and place, which is why a chart without a…
• Fixed stars in your chartFixed stars are other suns, very far away, that look almost motionless from Earth. Astrologers have paid attention to certain bright ones…
• Part of Fortune and VertexThe Part of Fortune and the Vertex are calculated points, not bodies in the sky. You can use them on your own natal chart only, and they are…
• Retrograde PlanetsA retrograde planet looks as if it is moving backward through the zodiac. It is an optical effect. All planets keep moving forward, but when…

Signs

• The Twelve SignsThe zodiac is a belt of sky that the Sun, Moon and planets appear to travel along. Astrology cuts that belt into twelve equal slices of 30…
• The Four ElementsAstrologers group the twelve signs into four elements: fire, earth, air and water. Each element has three signs, spaced a third of the way…
• The Three ModalitiesBesides its element, every sign has a modality, sometimes called a quality. The modality describes how a sign uses its energy over time…
• Planetary RulersIn astrology each sign has a planet that is said to "rule" it. The ruler acts like the sign's manager: it shows how the sign's themes are…

Houses

• The Twelve HousesIf the planets say "what" and the signs say "how", the houses say "where": in which area of life a planet's energy plays out. The houses…
• House SystemsThe sky is round, and there is no single obvious way to cut it into twelve houses. Over the centuries astronomers and astrologers have…

Aspects

• What Is an Aspect?An aspect is the angle between two planets (or points) as measured along the zodiac. When two bodies sit a meaningful distance apart…
• The Five Major AspectsWestern astrology has relied on five major aspects since ancient times, and these are the ones the app switches on by default. Two planets…
• Minor Aspects: Finer DetailBeyond the five major aspects there are minor ones, created by dividing the 360° circle in other ways. They have a lighter effect and use…
• Aspect Patterns: The Bigger PictureSometimes several aspects link up and draw a geometric shape across the chart. These are called aspect patterns, and they show several parts…

Forecasting techniques

• Transits: Today’s Sky Meets Your ChartA transit is the real position of a planet in the sky at a given moment, compared with your birth chart. Your natal chart is a snapshot…
• Progressions: Your Inner Growth Over TimeThe most widely used method is the secondary progression, and its idea is simple: one day after birth stands for one year of life. If you…
• Solar Arc: Moving Every Point TogetherSolar arc directions build on progressions. First you measure how far the progressed Sun has travelled from its birth position. That…
• Solar and Lunar ReturnsEvery planet eventually circles back to the position it held in your birth chart. Astrology calls that a return, and treats it as the start…
• Synastry: Comparing Two ChartsSynastry means laying two birth charts side by side to see how the energies of both people affect each other. It works for any relationship…
• Composite and Davison ChartsIf synastry compares two charts side by side, a composite chart blends them into a single chart that stands for the relationship itself. It…
• The Eight Moon PhasesThe Moon’s phase comes from the angle between the Sun and the Moon. As the Moon moves ahead of the Sun, more of its lit face turns toward…

Tools

• The Ephemeris: A Table of Planet PositionsAn ephemeris is a table that lists where each planet is on each day. It is the basic reference book astrologers have used for hundreds of…
• Astro Map: AstrocartographyAstrocartography draws lines of the planets onto a world map. Each line marks the places where, at the moment you were born, a planet stood…