You’ll never be able to really read a chart unless you overcome your prejudice. You have to be able to look at the whole which is akin to standing in front of a mirror, naked.

Now people have their bias but when reading a chart you must transcend this so the symbols can speak to you. To illustrate, it is very common people deny part of their chart and they have all kinds of hinky ways they do it.
Continue reading Demystifying Astrology: Prejudice ‘Round The Zodiac

“You’ll experiment and find your way. Post your birthday, you find yourself wearing these new shoes. You’re not sure how you’re going to walk in them but invariably you adjust and it is almost always a pretty smooth process.”

I wrote that to a client regarding her solar return chart and I find this is the case. For some reason, people are almost always daunted by their solar return.
Continue reading Demystifying Astrology: What Is A Solar Return Chart? How Do I Read It?

“My mom is a Taurus but all of the rest of her planets appear in Aquarius. Does this make her “more Aquarius then Taurus?”

Not really. You could say that and many astrologers would but before you do, you should understand exactly what you’re saying. This would be like taking a telephone poll and tying ribbons all over and then concluding it was a ribbon not a telephone pole!
Continue reading Demystifying Astrology: What Does It Mean If My Sun Is In One Sign But I Have A Lot Of Planets In Another Sign?

Start with the Sun and the Moon, also called the “lights”. The Sun shows what a person has to do to be vitally alive. The Moon shows way they need to feel secure. Sun is the Male side, Moon the female. The Yin and Yang of a person’s nature.

Read, Live Your Sun, Satisfy Your Moon for better understanding but just get it in your head what it is you’re looking at here in the simplest terms.

You can think of it like painting. Forget about blending. You have to know RED when you see it before you can mix things up.

Continue reading Demystifying Astrology: I Have My Chart – Where Do I Start?

“Synastry” refers to the astrological study of relationships. There are 3 main techniques and each of them have their own merits.

A synastry chart or what I would call a “chart comparison” is when you check how one person’s planets relate to another person’s and interpret what you find.

If you want to understand this in real terms just consider that you are a person and you respond to other people. Some people you just automatically like and feel easy around, others activate you in ways that are not so comfortable.
Continue reading Demystifying Astrology: What Is The Difference Between Synastry Chart And A Composite Chart?

“I have Mars at 28 degrees of Pisces *trine* Uranus at 0 degrees Sagittarius. Since they aren’t in the same element, how would that make a trine act differently?”

This is a really good question. Think of it in terms of dressing or putting an outfit together. There are colors that you know do well together. They blend. That would be the straight trine… it’s a no brainer.
Continue reading Demystifying Astrology: What About Aspects Out Of Sign?

The picture is of the left side of a standard chart. The planet symbol I’ve circled shows Venus in Scorpio (check your cheat sheet). The numbers mark the position of Venus in degrees and minutes. If you look closely you will see the degree and the minute symbols next to the numbers so what you have there is Venus in so that bit is read: “Venus at 16 degrees, 59 minutes of Scorpio.” Now use you head. 59 minutes is almost 60 minutes, so that is Venus is nearly 17 degrees.
Continue reading Demystifying Astrology: What Do The Numbers On The Chart Mean? How Do I Find My Rising Sign

“My boyfriend has Saturn conjunct my Sun. Will he hold me back?”

He may but he may also be the best thing that ever happened to you. It’s true if someone has their Saturn in aspect to one of your planets (particularly the personal planets: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars), they will have some authority over you.
Continue reading Demystifying Astrology: Saturn Aspects In Synastry – Mentor Or Oppressor?