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Astrology, explained

Short guides to reading a birth chart: what each part of the sky means, how compatibility and timing are read, and how Western and Vedic astrology differ. Start at the top if you're new.

What Is a Birth Chart? A Step-by-Step Guide to Reading OneThe wheel, the signs, the planets, the houses and the aspects, and how to put them together into one reading.
Sun, Moon and Rising: the Big Three in AstrologyWhy astrologers start every reading with these three placements, and how they combine into one picture.
Your Moon Sign: What It Says About Your Emotional WorldThe Moon describes what you need to feel safe. Here is what it means, all twelve signs in brief, and why it can be ambiguous.
Why Your Birth Time Matters, and What to Do Without ItWhat changes minute by minute in a chart, how to track down your birth time, and what can still be read if you never find it.
Fire, Earth, Air, Water: Elements and Modalities ExplainedEvery sign is one element plus one modality. Learn both, and how the balance in a chart shapes its overall tone.
The Planets in Astrology: What Each One RepresentsWhat each planet stands for in a chart, from the Sun to Pluto, and why speed changes how personal it is.
The 12 Houses in Astrology: Where Your Chart Plays OutThe twelve areas of life in a birth chart, what each one covers, and how to read an empty house.
Aspects in Astrology: How the Planets Talk to Each OtherThe angles between planets, what each major aspect means, and how orbs decide which ones count.
Venus and Mars Signs: How You Love and How You Go After ItVenus shows what you find beautiful and how you give affection; Mars shows how you want, chase and push back. Here is how to read both.
Synastry: Reading Compatibility from Two Full Birth ChartsCompatibility in astrology goes far beyond Sun signs. Synastry compares two whole charts, planet by planet, to see where two people flow and where they rub.
Transits in Astrology: How Timing WorksHow astrologers read the moving sky against your birth chart, and why timing is a window, not a verdict.
Mercury Retrograde: What It Is and How to Work With ItWhy Mercury seems to move backward three times a year, what astrology links it to, and how to handle it calmly.
Saturn Return: The 29-Year Cycle and What It MeansEvery 29.5 years Saturn comes back to where it was when you were born. Here is what that cycle is, when yours falls, and how astrologers read it.
Western vs Vedic Astrology: Why Your Sign Can DifferWestern and Vedic astrology measure the zodiac from different starting points, about 24 degrees apart. Here is why, and what else sets them apart.
The 27 Nakshatras: The Lunar Mansions of Vedic AstrologyVedic astrology splits the zodiac into 27 lunar mansions. Your Moon's nakshatra is one of the most personal details in your chart.