On this page and the subpages we want to present a lot of information about astrology, a sort of mini-encyclopedia. The pages are intended for those who need technical information on astrological issues and questions. If you have proposals for new subpages, please don’t hesitate to send us your email.

This figure illustrates a chart with the most common components. The table below describes the components.

 

	Symbol	Description
The Ascendant		The rising sign will tell you about your physical body and how you present yourself, your appearance and outward personality. The other side of the axis, the Descendant tells you about how you meet others and keywords which describe how you are in relationships
MC		The MC (Medium Coeli) and IC (Imum Coeli) show where you are coming from and which direction you wish to take – roughly speaking. The IC is the cusp of the 4th house, which is your home including childhood and rootsThe MC moves at the same speed as the Sun. In 24 hours the MC will do a full orbit within the chart, which explains why the the time of birth has such great influence
The Nodes		The North Node (Dragon’s Head) tells you about your task or quest in this life and the areas, (that some people will see as obstacles) that will be recurring themes throughout your life.The South Node (The Dragon’s tail) tells you where you are coming from in previous lives and what baggage you are carrying into this life
Direction of movement		Normally the planets move counter clockwise. But at certain periods all of the planets (except Sun and Moon) seem to be moving backwards. We call this “retrograde motion”
Signs		The starsigns are the basic energies. Every point in a sign (planet, angle, etc.), will be influenced – “coloured” – by the energy of that sign
Planets		The planets are the first thing you look at when you interpret a chart. Each planet has specific characteristics or skills, which will be expressed through the energies of the sign, in which the planet is located
Houses		The planets and signs will indicate certain characteristics and how they are expessed, while the houses will show the area of life in which these energies will be met.There are 12 houses in total and each represents specific areas of life. For example the 3rd house is about siblings or your neighborhood, while the 8th house will indicate how the person in question will relate to other people’s finances or resources
Aspects		Planets make aspects when they are located within certain degrees of each other. There are 5 main aspects:
		Conjunction (the planets are close to each other)
		Sextile and Trine (60 and 120 degrees apart)
		Square and Opposition (90 and 180 degrees apart)
		Some aspects are considered easy to deal with (Sextiles and Trines), while Squares and Oppositions can be experienced as obstacles to be overcome. The Conjunction is considerd as something in between – depending on the planets in question. The Conjunction is the most powerful of the aspects
		Orbs: An aspect does not have to be exact. Astrologers allow what is called an orb either side. For example a square is a 90 degree angle between 2 planets. Most astrologers will allow up to 8 degrees of an orb for a square so the planets could be anywhere between 82 and 98 degrees apart

 

Always remember, to every planet, sign, house or aspect there are positive and negative sides; strengths and weaknesses. The only question is: How do we use our own chart?

When people see their chart for the first time they often get worried if the see a lot of inharmonious aspects. It is best to explain the positive and negative sides to each aspect and to view the difficult aspects as challenges to be overcome. These aspects which start out as weaknesses, when worked on, can become strengths. For example, a person lacking in confidence in public may be terrified at the thought of speaking to a crowd. If they persevere and take small steps at a time they will probably end up an accomplished public speaker.

In the 3 tables below we have collected a lot of keywords for the signs, planets and houses. We could, however, add more words on the negative side, but as we want to use astrology in a constructive way, we have focused more on the positive side.

Starsigns

The symbol of Capricorn are often seen in these versions

It is not the day itself, which will determine your starsign, but the time when the Sun enters that sign. If, say the Sun enters Taurus 12 minutes past midnight during the night of the 20th to 21st of April, then people who are born 5 minutes past midnight will be Aries, while people who are born 18 minutes past midnight will be Taurus! Well, sometimes it’s not easy to find out what sign you are.

Planets

The Sun		Vitality, creativity, warmth, surplus, individuality, confidence, egoism
The Moon		Feelings, needs, safety, touchiness, instincts, women, maternity
Mercury		Communication, logic, information, teaching, trade, traffic
Venus		Well-being, beauty, art, affection, love, values, money, diplomacy
Mars		Performance, energy, anger, conquest, impatience, courage, impulsiveness, victory
Jupiter		Expansion, gregariousness, optimism, insight, honesty, education, tactlessness
Saturn		Discipline, time, diligence, boundaries, stability, care, duties, limitations
Uranus		Freedom, revolution, technology, independence, alternative, shock, suddenness
Neptune		Illusion, sympathy, intuition, music, isolation, idealism, apathy
Pluto		Intensity, transformation, destruction, death, regeneration, power, control

The twelve Houses