Learning astrology can feel so challenging, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Here at The Sisters Enchanted we have a team of Astrology teachers here to help us dance with stars and one of those teachers, Sarah Milne, has put together this list of Astrology Terms for us.  

Natal Chart  

The Natal Chart, or Birth Chart is an astrological map of the skies at exact time and place you were born. It contains your unique map and guide to your Soul’s purpose in this lifetime, the challenges you may face, the talents you have to overcome them and almost everything else about this life for you.  

In Western Astrology, nothing is predestined. Your Birth Chart is a guide and understanding it can help you to make healthy choices and live an intentional and Soul-led life but they are choices. You have freedom to make any choicesyou want to. Your chart holds infinite possibilities and identical twins with identical charts can have life experiences that are almost unrecognizable from each other, but each perfectly aligned to their chart. 

Transit Chart 

A transit chart is an astrological chart of the skies at any given time. You can pull a chart for where you are right here and now or pull historic charts or future charts. This shows the signs the planets are all in at that time, which tells you a lot about the energies you may be experiencing. Transit charts are great to help you to be forewarned and plan how to ride energies that you don’t enjoy so much and to make the most of opportunities that may come your way. 

You can apply transit charts to your own Natal Chart too for more details and ideas on how the current transiting planets may impact you and understand what you may experience. You can look to see what sign a planet is hanging out in your chart. 

For example, if Mars is in Leo, we will all feel quite fired up and motivated by our passions, creativity and the things that bring us joy.  If you look to see what house in your Natal chart is ruled by Leo you can see the area of life where this energy may be particularly strong. 

Progressed Chart 

Your Birth Chart shows the energy at the moment you were born and remains your main map and guide throughout your life time but we all change with age, we develop our ideas, we mature, we grow and transform. A progressed chart reflects all of this.  

A progressed chart adds one day to your date of birth for every year you’ve been alive to create a new chart you can use to chart your growth and transformation and to use as a guide for a coming cycle. You can pull progressed charts annually or to explore the impact of big of life changes and see what is on deck for you in the next cycle or phase.  

Progressed charts show how your planets and houses progress through each sign, learning lessons on the way. As they do, they reflect shifts in energy and cycles of growth and maturity. 

Square 

A Square is where two planets are at right angles with each other. This brings them to literally square up, like boxers in a ring. They tussle with each other and push each other down and into the corners of the ring. In a Natal Chart, it often takes four of these stand offs, four fights between the two planets and then they learn how to get along and cooperate together, so the energy flows more freely together. We can often identify some of these times of challenge between them across our lifetime.  

Conjunct 

Conjunct is where two planets are right on top of each other, within 5 degrees of each other. They will be in the same sign and house and often work together as a kind of super planet, incorporating each other’s energies and characteristics. At times, we may find that one planet combusts the other out, especially where the Sun is involved in a conjunction. This can mean that the other planet struggles to express itself. When this happens, conscious work can help to get that planet’s energy more active in life.  

Cusp 

A cusp is a line denoting the start of a house. The sign on each house cusp is the sign that ruled the house.  

Ruling Sign 

The ruling sign is the sign that sits on the house cusp. Each house has two ruling signs, the natural ruler – the sign that rules that house for us all and gives the house its characteristics, such as Aries always rules house one and gives us that drive to get started and assert ourselves into the world. We also have our own ruler of the house, which addour unique tone. For example, having Capricorn ruling House One could suggest someone who is methodological and plans how they assert themselves into the world and takes great pride in how their identity is seen in society. 

We also talk about ruling signs in relation to planets. These are the signs that rule our planets in our Natal Chart, such as a Sagittarius Sun or Libra Moon. The planets own energy always dictates what they do, such as Mercury always rules communication and thinking. The ruling sign shows how that happens, what flavors it. So, Mercury in Aquarius would be someone who is very logical and philosophical in their thinking and communication 

Want to learn more about Astrology and learn how to put all these parts together? Be sure to check out our Expedition Astrology program!

Anna, (Left) and Sara of The Sisters Enchanted