Birth Chart Reading: A Beginner's Guide

A birth chart, or natal chart, is an astrological map calculated for a birth date, time and place. Astrologers interpret planets, zodiac signs, houses, angles and aspects as a symbolic framework. Astrology is not a scientifically established method for predicting personal outcomes.

What a birth chart reading is

The most useful way to approach this topic is to separate calculation, interpretation and claim. A chart can be calculated from birth data; astrologers then apply a symbolic tradition to interpret it; predictions or promised outcomes are a separate claim and should be evaluated accordingly.

What to pay attention to

• What information the method uses.
• Whether the result is automated or interpreted by a person.
• How uncertainty is handled.
• Whether marketing language is being presented as certainty.
• What personal information you are asked to share.

Where to go next

Build the foundation with our birth chart reading guide, learn the Sun, Moon and rising signs, or compare free and paid readings.