A natal chart is divided into 12 places (sometimes called houses). The first place is called “The Helm,” which is your Ascendant or Rising Sign. The ancients likened the first place to the helm of the ship, from which you navigate your journey of life and the experiences promised of the other 11 places in the natal chart. The first place contains the topics related to you: your character, disposition, how you present yourself to the world, your body, physical characteristics, your constitution, and a general indicator for health, illness, and injury. (Depending on context, the Sun, Moon, and the planet that governs the sign of the first place also give indications for body, health, illness, and injury.)

Your Ascendant was calculated upon the moment of your birth and was determined based on your birth date, birth time, and birth place. The combination of these factors assigned which degree of the zodiac was rising on the eastern horizon when you emerged from your mother’s womb and took your first breath. Your birth at that moment was a proclamation, an announcement of your entrance into the material world, the sublunary sphere. The zodiac sign in the first place at that moment becomes your Ascendant. The degree of the Ascendant in that zodiac sign becomes a senstive area of your natal chart. (There are 30 degrees in each zodiac sign.) When planets transit through the first place, especially near the degree of your Ascendant, the promise of that transit will be experiened more personally.

The Moon (sometimes called Selene, Chandra, Luna, luminary, light, Lady of the Night) moves swiftly through the zodiac, passing through each sign in approximately two-and-a-half days. She is the sect light in a night chart, and in some models of Traditional astrology, indicates the life path (as opposed to the Sun in both day and night charts). She is the fortune of all, meaning she represents the common people and circumstances of life. The Moon represents our enviroment and the lot we’re dealt — the ups and downs of fortune in the material world, reflective of her serpentine path through the sky, along with her waxing and waning of light, from new to full to dark, then new once again. She is the transmitter of light, transferring the energies of her connections from one planet to the next and passing that fate onto the sublunary sphere, the earthly realm, below. She is the flow of life.

The Moon is feminine and mainly wet, and one of the planets that represents fertility. She is a general significator for the body, of mothers and mother figures, older sisters, women of nobility, pregnant women, runaways, marriage, home, family, and the public. Because of her swiftness, she indicates messengers, communication, and the local environment. The Moon holds memory, guides intuition and premonition, and represents common sense. The Moon is adaptable, changeable, and as such, indicates instability. She shows how we nurture and express our emotional nature and gives indications for our early childhood upbringing.

The Moon is responsible for the sign of Cancer and is an honored guest in Taurus. She rejoices in the third place: The Goddess. She is in detriment in Capricorn and in fall in Scorpio — houses where she struggles to express her true nature and fights for recognition and status. 

Mercury travels quickly, is never separated more than 28 degrees from the Sun, and retrogrades three, sometimes four, times per year. His overall condition will describe whether he lends a more fortunate or infortunate nature to the native.

Mercury is changeable and highly influenced by the planets he’s with, including the condition of those planets and of Mercury himself. The numbered place and zodiacal sign he’s in also must be factored in — AND whether he’s a morning or evening star, his proximity to the Sun (e.g., under the beams, combust, cazimi, or phasis), and whether the nativity is a day or night chart and his relation to it (whether he’s of the same sect or not; i.e., is this a day chart or a night chart?). And this, of course, is translated through the numbered place and zodiacal sign he occupies and the places he is responsible for managing, i.e. Gemini and Virgo.

Saturn is the furthest planet seen with the naked eye. It is considered to be the outer limit, the boundary before the fixed stars. It is dim and murky brown, and known to be moderately dry and excessively cold. It represents things like decompostion, bad smells, cultivation of land, handcrafts, hard labor, and burdens. It can point to an ascetic life, long journeys, hardships resentment, and dark moods and feelings. It is the general significator for solitude, time, distance, responsibility, delays, fears, and death. Also for grandfathers, fathers, old men, and ancestors of the dead. Generally speaking, Saturn is more constructive in a day chart than in a night chart. (This is when the Sun is above the Ascendant/Descendant line.)

Mars is excessively hot and dry. It represents things like hot, spicy flavors, tools, machinery, danger, risk, physical effort. It can point to soldiers, warriors, activists, chief commanders, bakers, management of riding animals, crafts of iron and fire. It is the general significator for breaking things like laws, rules, and customs, digging and boring, war, retaliation, provoking discord, theft, glory-seeking, courage, impulse, and recklessness. Remember, to see the best in Mars, he needs a goal, something to strive toward and direct his energy, otherwise the destructive nature grows and in ways that are less supportive and productive to life. Generally speaking, Mars is more constructive in a night chart than in a day chart. (This is when the Sun is below the Ascendant/Descendant line.)

Jupiter is moderately wet and heating, but leans toward hot. It is associated with semen and fertility. It represents things like joy, laughter, being charitable, just, moral, and good-natured, justice, piety, a good reputation, faithful, and admirable authority. It can point to famous, powerful people, mighty leaders, politicians with glamour, religious officials. It is the general significator for rescuing the native when in a bad place, freedom-seeking, liberation, luxury, wealth, prosperity, and success. Jupiter is a sustaining and life-giving force. Like any planet, there is a spectrum, and Jupiter can lead to excess, hypocrisy, insincerity, arrogance, pride, and more. Generally speaking, Jupiter is more generous in a day chart than in a night chart. (This is when the Sun is below the Ascendant/Descendant line.)

The Sun represents the life path. It is the general significator for father, the life force, health. As the sect light in a day chart, it points to happiness, success, reputation.

Venus is moistening and wet, with some warming qualities. She represents social interactions, pleasure-based things and activities (versus Jupiter, which is respect-based and stands alone); also, harmony, cleanliness, beauty, joy, and delight. She can point to women, mothers, younger sisters, relationships, singers, musicians, artists, strength of body (but weakness of soul), flesh of the body, good character, brightness, splendor, and justice. She is the general significator for tolerance, tranquility, truth-telling, and pleasant speech. Remember, even good things can go too far and become destructive: conceit, vanity, boasting, haughtiness, false oaths, overindulgence, etc. Venus is a benefic planet, supportive and productive to life, and she will try to improve conditions, but the place she is in will still steer topics, for better or worse. Generally speaking, Venus is more generous in a night chart than in a day. (This is when the Sun is below the Ascendant/Descendant line.)

You don’t have to be born with mystical powers or be psychic to be an astrologer. Astrology isn’t only for intuitives. It is for anyone who wants to learn it. A good astrology teacher or school will provide an overview of the foundational rules to teach you how to translate the language of the stars. Historically, astrologers were mathematicians — except now we rely on computers and apps to do the calculations for the most part. But the basics are something you can learn and are the building blocks to interpretation.

I wish I knew astrology was a learning path when I was younger. Before the internet, you needed someone in your life, like from your inner circle, who could guide you where to find books and teachers on astrology. Now, it seems, social media is crawling with astrologers. Even AI is an expert, to some. But the truth is, many on social media are fakes or copying other people’s work, and AI gets it wrong all the time. Becoming your own astrologer, learning it for yourself, is beneficial. Knowing how to judge the current transits and how they interact with your own natal chart and the unfolding of your own chart through timing is invaluable, validating, and healing.

On July 7, 2025, Uranus departs Taurus and enters Gemini — its first presence in the yang, double-bodied, air temple of Mercury in the image of the Twins since its last sojourn here from 1941 to 1949. Briefly, Uranus is associated with rebellion, freedom, awakening, surprise, unexpected change, downloads/insights, and invention.

Gemini is the sign that dominates the transition between spring and summer. It represents the waxing of daylight toward the peak of summer, when summer begins and daylight begins to decrease. This partly describes the meaning behind its double-nature and ability to be chameleon-like, chageable, adaptable. And being a masculine sign (all three air signs are yang and non-bestial), it is the outward-facing expression of energy associated with the element of air — ideas, communication, connection — and Mercury — the exchange of information, communication, travel, transportation, technology, sport, language, invention, debate. Mercury is the psychopomp, it travels between worlds exchanging messages between the hidden realms and the material world.

One of the best ways to understand cycles in astrology, is to observe how transits to your natal chart affect you and areas of your life. There are untold layered timing techniques in Hellenistic astrology. And like the internal components of a watch, there’s an intricate array of mechanisms active simultaneously, each carrying out their own function and purpose. Learning and practicing some of these techniques takes dedicated — and sometimes intensive — study, and there are others you can learn simply through observation.

In the northern hemisphere, Aquarius season occurs during the stronghold of winter. The weather is fixed and constant, and the promise of spring feels distant. The darkness dictates time and keeps us under its lingering sheath, but daylight slowly takes over, and the days inch longer. Sunny winter days are welcome, but the sunlight is harsh due to awkward, penetrating angles from the Sun’s rays, and the intensity of light is imbalanced with its warmth.

This sign is symbolized by the Goat-Horned One or the mythological Sea Goat, an animal that is half goat and half fish.

Saturn represents containment, duty, frugality, hard work, order, and structure. It is a planet of both the wise, respected sage or the decrepit, senile old man. It’s associated with widowhood, childlessness, orphanhood, and outcasts. It represents matters that are chronic, long-lasting, and that take time to develop. He’s seen as a source of captivity, grief, misery, mishaps, and sorrow.

Because I just published a story about Sagittarius, which is a Jupiter-ruled sign, this piece will focus primarily on Jupiter. I will describe the features of his character, what he tends to represent in astrology, and his natural significations.

In the northern hemisphere, this is a time when we are plunged into deep autumn. Where I live, it feels more like winter than fall. Daylight continues to wane and temperatures become cooler; deciduous trees shed the last of their leaves and any remaining perennial foliage blackens and grows mushy; non-domesticated animals are seen scurrying about, storing nourishment for winter.

In the esoteric scheme of light, this is the dark half of the year, initiated in Libra at the autumnal equinox, where the balance of light hands over to the dark. Darkness dominates and persists, consuming the light until the winter solstice when the light slowly begins to return. Sagittarius season is in the dark half of the dark part of the year (the “dark of the dark” or the “yang of the yang”). The transition between light and dark reaches its most intense depth in Sagittarius.