How To Interpret Yout Natal Chart

planets zodiacI had a client reference her Moon in regards to showing what she wants in life. I told her that what a person wants is shown by Mars in their chart. The Moon describes a person’s emotional needs.

I realized that beginners could use a simple cheat sheet, so here it is:

What you want – Mars
What you like – Venus
What you need – Moon
How you think – Mercury
Who you are – Sun
Your philosophy – Jupiter

Saturn represents the “skin” in astrology. That’s why I’m offering the short list. If you want basic insight into a personality (yours or theirs), these are the things you want to look at.

For example, if you have Venus in Sagittarius, you are not going to want to hang around someone who is morose all the time, because you won’t find them attractive. This is true, regardless of the rest of the chart.

The gal I mentioned had a 12th house Moon. She’s made a major sacrifice (12th) for her family (Moon). It’s textbook astrology.

When it comes to astrology, it’s easy to get lost in the minutiae. Sometimes you can learn a lot by going back to the basics. The nuts and bolts of a personality, that cannot be denied.

If this intrigues you, check out the Natal Chart Report (yours or theirs). It’s amazing what you can glean from looking at the plain nuts and bolts of a personality, that there is just no getting around.

What I really like about the Natal Chart Report for beginners, is the aspects are shown. You can read the interpretation but you can also search the aspect to learn more. (Sample)  It’s a great tool!

50 thoughts on “How To Interpret Yout Natal Chart”

  1. Thank you for this. I’ve been into astrology just a few years on and off, and it’s always the same, without looking into transits and houses. I noticed those with Venus in water/earth don’t normally care for those whose venus are in fire/air UNLESS the other person has mars in water and earth and a moon in earth/water, sun in earth/water. It makes a balance? I try to simplify it without complicating.It’s easy to get lost too.
    but yes, Venus in fire, even Venus in Aries does not like depression and morose people for too long no matter how much they love them. If they are family, they just distance and keep away until the morose person is over their depression. These people don’t normally like to be to choose a life partner who is like this. It’s hard to face but it’s true from my short experience.

  2. I’ve never heard the Jupiter one before, I like it 🙂 Mars is interesting. Its in my 10th. I don’t *want* to do or have or be anything, but I do really, really want people to see me a certain way.

  3. I have always known that what I like and what I want are the same thing so that’s starting to make sense why now!: Mars conj Venus in Gemini 6th house. But I also have Saturn in Gemini 6th, so does that mean therefore that my likes and wants separate me from others, in a working capacity? Jupiter as philosophy makes sense as its in 12th house conj Asc, in Capricorn. Sun Tau sq Moon Aqu, yes who I am verses what I need, that’s always a battle, 5th house to 2nd house. How I think: shoot first ask questions later – Merc in Aries 4th house; need to work on that:) Mind you, its also conj Chiron and IC, something about public speaking which terrifies me? Anyway, thanks Elsa for the simplification, its starting to make a lot more sense, although I still not sure how the houses fit in, so maybe a cheat sheet on houses?:))

  4. This came in really useful today Elsa! Thanks! I used it when I was telling my non-astrology friends about their Sabian Symbols.

  5. That’s interesting-I have a 12 house Taurus moon and made a sacrifice for family too. My Mother did something against my advice and got herself into a lawsuit; I had a stroke getting her out of the mess.

    1. On Dec. 31, 2013, I took my 92-year-old Mom to my home to care for her. Saturn was EXACTLY sitting on my 17 degree Libra Moon (sacrifice for family, but I wanted/needed to do this). Saturn was also approaching my 21 degree Libra ascendant, (fogging up my window on the world, HA!). Also Mars tromping through my first house can make me cranky at times, but I am using this transit to study HARD (Mars) about relationships (Libra). I agree with Elsa. Astrology helps me navigate the rough spots in my life, and also allows me to choose the high road, because I know what’s going on……at least a little, thanks to Elsa & fellow bloggers.

  6. What I want – Mars in Sagittarius (9th)
    What I like – Venus in Virgo (7th)
    What I need – Moon in Aquarius (12th)
    How I think – Mercury (Я) in Libra (8th)
    Who I am – Sun in Libra (7th)
    My philosophy – Jupiter in Scorpio (8th)

    Love the blog. 🙂

  7. What I want – Mars in Libra (1st)
    What I like – Venus in Libra (2nd)
    What I need – Moon in Pisces (7th)
    How I think – Mercury in Capricorn (4th)
    Who I am – Sun in Sagittarius (3rd)
    My philosophy – Jupiter in Aries (7th)

    My kin – Saturn in Libra (1st)

    Must think on this- understand it very basically. Oh yea,Mercury in the 4th. LOL!

  8. Would like to offer my take on the subject of ‘desire/likes’: Venus that shows what one wants in life, and these “wants/desires” appear to be mitigated to great extent, by the aspects to Venus and where one finds Venus in terms of house placement in the natal chart. Mars is how one ACTS or goes about getting/attracting the items/situations/people perceived as being desirable into one’s life…..Mars is the action that seeks to acquire what Venus tells it to go fetch, not always straight forward relationship (understatement!;-) but thats how it appears to roll for most, in my humble and ever learning p.o.v…..

    1. forgot to add that I generally take what one likes in GENERAL in terms of people/situations (not necessarily in significant partners) is shown by the 5th house sign and planets if any therein…Venus/Moon definitely describes in a more specific way the significant partner(s) ones desires or attracts…Mars unless its aspected to either the Moon or Venus, tends to be more descriptive of how one instinctively acts across all areas, including that of sexuality in trying to gain what Venus wants (again depending on the aspects twixt these two, it could be easy-peasy route or rougher terrain due to all sorts of misinterpreted signaling)….Though sometimes its the harder ride that makes for the best kind of authentic repairs & fine-tuning:-)

  9. Excellent article Elsa! It fits well. I have a 5th house moon in Taurus. I have been told I’m a very comforting friend, my husband calls me his “anchor” and his “rock”. One of my deepest desires in life (a burning desire that I felt in the core of my being) was to be a mother. I have five children. I do have four personal planets in the 12th house but that would be a very long post to talk about here. 🙂

  10. This is helpful for those of us who have been here for a while too.
    I was under the mistaken impression that Mars represented the type of action you take to secure your needs (Moon) and desires (Venus.)

  11. Good to go back to basics. With Venus in Capricorn, not only do I prefer the company of clearly older and/or clearly younger people, I also just realised I don’t much enjoy the company of people who have never experienced hardship. As Venus represents e.g. music, I like classical voices, and in pop music understated voices. Also, with Mercury in Capricorn, I very much dislike it when people spell incorrectly purely out of laziness.

    Then again, what I need is much more complicated than what I like… Moon in Aries in 7th needs to be independent in a relationship. Hasn’t worked out too well for me, which is why I’ve been single since 2007 😀

  12. Very good cheat sheet to simplify understanding the dynamics of the planets!
    Didn’t know about Saturn being “skin”. I’m not sure what that does for me – Saturn conj Sun at 26 Leo. I feel like a sunny person with sunglasses, in the shade. Maybe Saturn is my 50 SPF protection against the cosmic blasts?
    Thank you Elsa for sharing all your knowledge (and likewise the input from bloggers), it’s all very constructive.

  13. What you want – Mars in LIbra
    What you like – Venus in Scorpio
    What you need – Moon In Pisces-12th House!
    How you think – Mercury in Capricorn
    Who you are – Sun in Sagittarius
    Your philosophy – Jupiter in Sagittarius

    Saturn represents the “skin” in Scorpio

  14. So the next layer of interpretation will be the aspects, house position and any retrogrades? that can’t be accurately considered without trans-Saturn (generational) influences too.
    I don’t grove with traditional Sun to Saturn cookbook astrological interpretations, humans are more complex than that in this day and age! 🙂

    1. I also have this thing about traditional astrology and its observations of the sky in the NORTHERN Hemisphere of the earth. This is really only about the Sun more than anything else, because the Sun’s strength is opposite in the SOUTHERN hemisphere of our planet. So how does this hold up with saying things like… the Sun is in its fall in Libra because its moving into Winter, NOT so down here in the southern part of the globe!!!

  15. What you want – Mars in leo wants to be the best
    What you like – Venus in aquarius likes freedom, open minds, and oddballs
    What you need – Moon In leo so need attention & to feel appreciated, create, entertain
    How you think – Mercury in Capricorn thinks ahead and compartmentalize things
    Who you are – Sun in aquarian quirky…just quirky, stubborn,
    Your philosophy – Jupiter in gemini Maybe “don’t want to miss a thing” sums it up 🙂
    my “skin” – Saturn in leo – Shiny

  16. I recently met with a local lady to purchase a lot of astrology books she was selling, she knew i repaired computers, so she offered to give me a “brief” lesson in astrology. of course, it was the cutsie stuff, because I’m still a beginner – however. She mentioned that every 29 years, your sign changes – Because saturn completes a full cycle. So, your sun sign – you don’t grow into until you are really 29 and a half, then…again you change to your moon sign 29and a half years later, and then – your rising sign. Is this actual fact?

  17. Mars – what you want – Virgo
    Sun – who you are – Aquarius

    I have these two trine and I always forget about this aspect but I do it all the time! When *I* *want* something, I can be driven driven driven and sometimes after I get it, I’m not so sure about it….Venus in Capricorn (what am I going to do with this???)

  18. What you want – Mars-Virgo-I want perfection.
    What you like – Venus-Scorpio-I LOVE [like is too mild] all things Scorpio.
    What you need – Moon-Gemini-I need mental stimulation.
    How you think – Mercury-Virgo-I over think and analyze everything. Always making lists and criticizing myself and everything else.
    Who you are – Sun-Virgo-I am a Virgo whom frets and worries about everything and must have things a certain way.
    Your philosophy – Jupiter-Scorpio-My philosophy is very deeply spiritual and goes along all things Plutonic.
    My Skin-Saturn-Taurus-I am tough natured, thick skinned and easy going until I get pushed too far.

  19. What I want- Mars in Aries 8H equal/9H placidus, trine Jupiter/Uranus H4, trine Asc- I just have extrememly strong desires in general. Mars as final dispositor is a seriously dumb brute who is blinded by his desire. My desire tends to take over me to the point of foolishness and reckless abandon.

    Needs- Moon Pisces conj Sun 8th house- I need deep mutual sharing, deep intimacy, alone time, research time etc.

    Likes- Venus H9 trine Neptune H5- spontaneity, creativity, fun, dreams, love and laughter, bliss , Venus opp Pluto- a powerful partner.

    Thanks for this…I am always trying to make it more complicated than it has to be.

  20. The comment about Venus in Sagittarius made me giggle. Both parents had it on top of my natal 9th house Sag moon. Each would blame the other for being morose (Suns in
    Scorpio and Cap). I was often the comic relief to lighten things up!

  21. I have an 8th house Scorpio moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter with Sun/Mercury in Capricorn. This may seem strange, but people always tell me their secrets. Whether it’s at the dentist office, work, waiting in line, a Christmas party. The conversation will always start out the same, with a stranger saying, “I’ve never told anyone this before, but somehow I feel like I can tell you this…” The has been happening since I was 12, and learned a secret that still haunts me to this day. I would’ve thought this would manifest more with a 12 house stellium, but for me it seems to work out in the 8th. Anyway, I’m apparently a gatekeeper for secrets.

    1. Wow, interesting! They will usually talk to me for 5-10 minutes before feeling comfortable telling me things, but they usually peg me right. It’s both a wonderful and scary thing to be trusted with peoples secrets.

  22. This is a helpful breakdown, especially for beginners. Too often people broadly apply the parts of their chart so that it loses so much meaning. “I have a Scorpio sun/moon/Mercury/venus/mars” becomes “I love intense sex”. Yet those all have different interpretations that would be much more helpful to know. The nitty gritty is so much more fascinating!

  23. Going back and reading this, I think of Saturn as the skeleton/structure that holds it all together. Having my Saturn in Taurus dictates that I try to keep firm control over myself and depending on the chart it is in either the 3rd or 4th house. I personally think it fits better in my 4th house due to my home life/upbringing.
    Saturn in Taurus wants security and I do. But it is in a negative aspect to my natal Uranus and that sends security out the door.

  24. What you want – Mars in Virgo: order, correction.
    What you like – Venus in Sagittarius: “natural” things, truth.
    What you need – Moon in Capricorn: productivity, status.
    How you think – Mercury in Libra: diplomacy.
    Your philosophy – Jupiter in Libra: justice, reciprocity.
    “Skin” – Saturn in Libra: ?
    Who you are – Sun in Scorpio: intense, penetrating, powerful.

  25. What I want, need, and think are all within about a degree and a half in Scorpio. Plus Neptune( what I believe?) is 2 degrees from that, still in Scorpio. I may take my time making my decisions, but once I do I am dead set on them.

  26. I have my mars in Capricorn, but it really doesn’t define me. Im not ambitous and I am not a workaholic. Although, I have to say Im about to have my mars return and I’m dying to go on a trip to Machu Picchu, climbing some of the highest peaks. So far, only dreaming or putting together the cost and the details of the trip. It may take a full year to save up for both my husband and I to go.

  27. Moon in Scorpio : what I need is beyond what even my needs are.

    Mars in Scorpio: Try hard, fail, try harder, fail better.

  28. Excellent, helpful list.

    I appreciate your example of Venus in Sagittarius. My son has this and although he is young, he’s already had 2 crushes and both girls are active with bubbly personalities! 🙂

  29. I like my astrology on the fairly simple side. So I love it when I am presented with (reminded of) the basics. It’s amazing how far they can take you.

    For example, last week I purchased a Progressed Chart report from Elsa. It was bang on and I felt so good (reassured) after reading it.

    Now, just looking at where the first 6 planets are on my Progressed chart, and applying Elsa’s formula (who you are, what you want/need/like, etc. – as per this post), and comparing where I was “natally” to where I have progressed (evolved)… is fascinating, revelatory… and again… bang on! A very, very useful (and comforting/reassuring) exercise!

    Thanks Elsa for resurfacing this post!

  30. What you want – Mars- Action
    What you like – Venus- Comfort
    What you need – Moon- Respect
    How you think – Mercury- Slowly
    Who you are – Sun- A chameleon
    Your philosophy – Jupiter- I want to be useful and competent.
    Skin- Saturn- electrifying. Skin that feels and sends small electric shocks

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