Have you ever pulled up your astrology chart and thought… “What am I even looking at?”

You’re not alone. That beautiful wheel of signs, symbols, numbers, and colorful lines can feel like a secret code only seasoned astrologers can read.

But here’s the truth...

your birth chart is a deeply personal map of who you are and anyone can learn to read it

To help you get started, I created a quick-reference guide that walks you through the basics of reading your chart using the Whole Sign house system, one of the simplest and clearest ways to learn astrology. You'll find a visual at the end of this guide that you can save and reference later!

Whether you’re brand new to astrology or just want a visual that makes everything click, this guide is designed to be easy, digestible, and empowering.

🧭 Understanding the Birth Chart Wheel

The round chart (called a natal or birth chart) is divided into 12 houses, each representing a different area of your life... like identity, relationships, creativity, or career.

Layered around the outside are the 12 zodiac signs, which flavor the energy of each house.

In the Whole Sign house system, each house starts at 0° of a zodiac sign. So if your rising sign is Libra, then Libra rules your entire 1st house, Scorpio rules your 2nd, and so on. It’s clean, consistent, and beginner-friendly... especially when you're first learning.

✨ Whole Sign vs. Placidus: What's the Difference?

Many astrology apps use Placidus by default, which calculates houses based on your exact degree of rising sign, resulting in houses of varying sizes. Sometimes a planet might fall into one house in Placidus, but into a different house in Whole Sign.

There’s no right or wrong here, it’s just a matter of what resonates.

👉 Personally, I’ve found Whole Sign to be the most accurate system for me, especially when I’m looking at themes around home, creativity, and life path. I still reference Placidus sometimes for added nuance, but Whole Sign gives me a clearer, more intuitive structure to work with.

🌞 A Quick Breakdown: Planets, Signs, Houses, and Aspects

With your chart in hand and my guide beside you, you’ll start to recognize how each piece fits together:

1. Planets = What’s happening
Each planet represents a different part of your personality.

• Sun = identity
• Moon = emotions
• Venus = love and beauty
• Mercury = thoughts and communication

2. Signs = How that energy expresses itself
For example, Mars in Leo acts very differently than Mars in Pisces.

3. Houses = Where that energy shows up in your life
Is Venus in your 2nd house? That might mean your values are tied to beauty, pleasure, and self-worth.

4. Aspects = How your planets interact with each other
Those red and blue lines in the middle? They show the conversations between different parts of you... some harmonious, some a bit tense (but often motivating).

🖥️ How to Pull Up Your Chart Using Whole Sign Houses

To follow along with this guide, I recommend using Astro-Seek.com, which lets you easily select your house system.

💡 Here’s how to generate your chart using the Whole Sign system:

This will ensure your chart matches the visual layout of the guide at the bottom of this blog post. It’s the exact method I use in my readings and workshops.