Planets show WHAT Planets represent fundamental urges and principles.

An example would be Mercury which is the urge to communicate. Sign shows HOW. The word how in this instance means an approach or particular style. Example: The urge to communicate (Mercury) is filtered through a particular sign that tells us something about a persons style of communication. Mercury in Leo could be revealing a flamboyant speaker. I say could, because these basic beginning statements can then be modified by other chart aspects. House shows WHERE. Houses show us an arena of life where the particular urge and style of expression will be experienced. The houses of the horoscope usually refer to a more material, or tangible experience for the individual. Houses are closer to the earth plane experience. Mercury in the second house for instance might say that this individuals urge to communicate (Mercury), is related somehow to their money supply (second house). Common sense might indicate a writer or a sales person. The latter would be especially supported if Mercury is in Leo. But, we could 'just as well be looking at the chart of an evangelist. Unless one is psychic, it's nearly impossible to predict exactly how a person will manifest the energies in the chart. However, one can learn to paint a fairly accurate picture of the individuals approach to many areas of life, as well as contributing insight into life patterns and potentials.

Often the messages from well meaning parents, friends and society in general can override a persons ability to get in touch with their own path. Perhaps they have come to believe that a nice safe office job with benefits is the way to go,

and yet, they feel chronically discontented and empty. The individual had a dream once of being an artist. Take for instance a person with the Sun in Pisces in the 5th house. The Sun (will and innermost self) in Pisces (imagination, inspiration) in the 5th house (creativity and creative projects).You can see that this is a wonderful combination for an artist. What is more, Neptune is in the 10th house of career. Career confusion? Perhaps. What about a career where an active imagination is useful? Excellent potential for that. The individual breathes easier. The innermost will has been acknowledged. This person feels a kind of renewed hope and strength in the face of the "practical advice" of family and friends. Now, we might have guessed that children (5th ) were a focus in this individuals life. Not at this stage though. Perhaps later. At this time in her life, career was the key. Why? Because we encouraged the client to talk. Find out about the persons life. If possible, get them to open up about why they have come for a chart reading. They'll get a lot more out of it a lot faster than if you have to play the "lets see how well I can guess whats going on" game in order to impress them. Unlike psychic and clairvoyant readings, astrology's strong point Is its ability to uncover areas where cosmic energies support a myriad of possibilities. You will find though, that this ancient art can hit the nail directly on the head with amazing accuracy. All of the best psychic readings cannot magically change a persons life plan. Neither can Astrology. But, what it can do is provide a clear cut road map of the principles and lessons we came to experience. The evolution of a soul depends on the learning of universal principles and as each life lesson is passed through, the outer environment will then ( and only then) change to reflect the inner progress. Keep this in mind as you begin to delineate charts for yourself or others. Creating Keyword Phrases Chart interpretations are made up of rather simple phrases which can be expanded or modified depending on the depth to which you wish take the interpretation. Here is a basic example of how to use the planet, house, and sign

keywords.

Mars in Capricorn in the 6th house. Mars by sign shows how the Mars energy is expressed. So we would begin by making a simple fill in the blank statement. What? The energy level (Mars) is expressed How? In a Capricorn way. Some Capricorn keywords are efficient and works with a strong sense of purpose. Where? In the 6th house. Some 6th house keys that might apply are work, everyday duties, and health. I have found that it is usually easier to make a statement which makes sense by using the house first, followed by the sign. Since there are few absolutes in astrology, be flexible with this statement. Sometimes the sip first followed by the house works better. Much of this depends simply on using language in a way that makes sense. Example: You are willing to put a lot of your energy (Mars) into the work (6th house)that you do You are efficient and you don't quit easily (Capricorn) until the job is done. The above is an example of blending the three factors used in chart analysis. This where computer generated reports fall short and why a personal reading by an astrologers far superior to cookbook style interpretations. Notice how I assessed the three factors and chose particular words. With Mars in the 6th house of work, I felt that efficient and enduring were the Capricorn words to use, rather than inhibited or fearful. I substituted "don't quit easily" for enduring because I prefer the way it sounds. When you achieve a solid feel for the energies involved you can begin to substitute words and phrases that best describe the scenario you are painting and still remain within the basic structure of a definition. Another example: Mercury in Pisces in the 5th house. What? You are interested in (Mercury) Where? Creative pursuits (fifth house) How? Imaginative (Pisces) Statement: You may be interested in (Mercury) putting some of your imagination (Pisces) to work on creative projects (5th house).

At first this will seem like a lot of work. I am teaching you to think astrologically and not rely on books. Too many new students get stuck at the stringing together of pre-written "cookbook" paragraphs stage. Pre-written paragraphs can only blend together two factors at a time; either planet in sign or planet in house. Ideally, you will be able to blend three factors; the planet, sign and house. This makes the reading much more personal. Sometimes the blending of a particular set of factors can be challenging. When this happens, move on and return to those later. Use cookbooks as a last resort to jog your thinking processes if necessary. We all draw blanks from time to time. Like everything else in life, practice makes for an easier flow. If you have difficulty blending the three factors, then stick with making a separate planet in house and planet in sign statement. By the time you have done some house rulership connections and aspects, you will still have gathered plenty of useful information pertaining to the chart you are analyzing. In the beginning, do not feel that you must write a long paragraph for each factor. Here is a secret. Even professional astrologers keep it simple. One to three phrases is plenty to start with. By the time you have included all the chart factors, you'll have plenty of information to keep yourself busy and the client interested. I have included a section of charts of famous people. May I suggest that you choose someone who interests you and find a biography of their life. Read it and then study their chart. See how many traits you can find in the persons chart. Discover how accurately a chart can describe a persons motivations and experiences. This also helps you to learn to trust the information in the chart. Biographies often reveal traits that are not widely known to the general public. You will begin to notice that what at first seemed not possible according to the chart interpretation, is indeed a little known facet of that individuals personality. Practice on people you know well also. Sometimes the chart factors appear to contradict one another. We are all a mass of contradictions and it means that sometimes the person is one way, but at other times they take a different approach. Also, as our lives progress we change. We behave

primarily one way at one stage of life and another way at a different stage of life. It's called evolving.(hopefully!) Various life circumstances and the persons choice of approach to those life scenarios can change also. Individual free will also determines how, when and to what extent planetary energies are played out. Where to Start? Planet by planet, or house by house? That is the $20,000.00 astrology question. Who among us at some point in our astrology studies has not stared blankly at our carefully prepared chart and thought, "I have no idea what all this could possibly mean!" Run for the astrology cookbook. The truth is that you may begin anywhere you wish. Perhaps the house that has Leo on the cusp, as that is the house the Sun rules. Something jumps out and grabs your attention; start there. Perhaps you prefer the planet by planet route. In the case of chart delineation, "all roads lead to Rome" eventually. House by house insures that nothing is left out. In time you will evolve your own particular preference. The Chart Overview Most interpretations begin with what is known as the overview. This is a fairly quick assessment of planets above or below the horizon, element and quality distribution. The overview results are something to keep in mind as you begin to make decisions about the persons approach to life based on the other factors in the chart. Note how many planets are above and how many planets are below the line of horizon. The horizon is the half way line from the 1st house to the 7th house. A predominance above the horizon - others peoples opinions count more than your own A predominance below the horizon -your own opinion is the last word Now look for a predominance of planets on the eastern or western side of the chart.

A predominance on the eastern (left) half of the chart -feels that his fate is in the hands of other peoples actions A predominance on the western (right)half of the chart -feels that his fate is under the control of himself Next, take into account the number of planets, including the ascendant sign in each element and quality. Four or more planets in an element constitutes a predominance. Sometimes a predominance does not exist in which case the person then may be fairly well balanced with respect to the traits exhibited by the elements. The same holds true for the qualities. Refer to the section on Elements, Qualities and House Classifications Now, here is a surprise. The following is based on the past/present lifetime belief system, which states that, whatever energies you came in with a lot of, represents traits that must be integrated into this lifetime. In other words, the universe supplies you with more of whatever you need help with. Therefore, whatever you lack are traits you've already learned. A lack of earth element for instance may indicate that you've already learned about the things that the earth signs represent. And so, these are often the things that motivate us deep down. It's the things we have yet to learn about that we might avoid. A preponderance of planets in fire signs indicates that the person must learn the fire sign traits such as getting attention, faith, being out-going etc. Therefore you will often find that many people are not always attuned to what they have a lot of in the chart, at least not until they've gotten some life experiences under their belt. Another technique which may (or may not) be included in the overview is finding the chart sub-signature. Fill in the blanks in this section of the report according to how many planets are in fire signs, how many in earth signs and so on. After finding out which element and which quality is predominant, the two factors are combined to produce one of the signs. Refer to the section on Elements, Qualities and House Classifications. Cardinal/fire=Aries, fixed/earth=Taurus and so on. A predominance may not always exist. If it does,

the result is a chart sub-signature indicating that the individual is very much like (or is learning to be like) the resulting sign in some way.

The Ascendant The Ascendant and the first house cusp are really the same thing. The Ascendant is the sign which was rising over the horizon at the precise moment of birth and therefore, sets a strong tone for the persons life. Usually the Ascendant sign traits along with the sign the Ascendant ruling planet is in, as well as any planets in the first house, describe a kind of mask that people feel they must wear in order to impress others in some way; before they feel comfortable enough to be themselves. I call it the survival persona. Via the law of correspondences, the first house Is attuned to Aries, and that is survival. Wherever the ruling planet of the first house cusp sign is by house, also gives a powerful clue into what the person finds very important. In other words, a major life motivator. The first house reveals how the person feels about themselves and that to a larger extent than almost any other factor can determine how they steer through life. It also tells what they "send out" about themselves to other people, whether they are aware of it or not. When it comes to getting what you want out of life, it certainly helps to have other people want to give it to you. Hence, I feel that the Ascendant ruling planet as well as any planets posited in the first house can safely be given larger orbs than some of the other planets when determining aspects. How large? A 10 degree orb is a safe bet. Stretch the orbs for aspects to the Sun and Moon while you're at it, as these luminaries also represent a major portion of the personality and life approach. Saturn is such a chart "heavy" that you can stretch the orbs a bit for aspects from it also. Aspects from other planets to the Ascendant point (first house cusp line), help modify the interpretation as well. The Midheaven The abbreviation for the midheaven is M. C. In a simple equal house chart, the midheaven is the same as the tenth house cusp. However, the midheaven may also be listed as a separate point in an equal house chart according to the

information supplied it the table of houses. When using the Placidus or some other unequal house system the midheaven (tenth house cusp) is always the point found in the table of houses. The midheaven is considered to be an important angle in the chart. The degree of emphasis on it varies between astrologers. Since so much of our lives are spent pursuing career goals and other societal contributions, the midheaven is then important in this respect. It also reveals another way that others view us and that in itself makes this point important. Aspect graphs for charts usually include aspects to the midheaven. These are interpreted much the same way as aspects to the Ascendant point. They help to modify the interpretation for those areas of life represented by the tenth house, such as career, public reputation, etc. Signs on Cusps Whole book sections are written about interpreting the activity for a particular house based only on the sign on the cusp. I disagree somewhat. About the only thing that you can safely state is that a particular principle, the one the cusp sign or its ruling planet represents, is important in some way to the affairs of that house. You can sometimes make an accurate cusp sign only statement, but you really should take into consideration it's ruling planet as well as the sign and house it is in. Again, try both ways and see what produces an interpretation that feels accurate to you. Intercepted Signs If you prefer to use the Placidus house system or one of the other unequal house systems, then some of the houses may contain intercepted signs, whereby some house cusps will have the same sign on them and a whole sign is contained within a house as mentioned in the section on Finding Houses. When an intercepted sign exists according to the table of houses, then the house opposite is will also have an intercepted sign. Some astrologers feel that the affairs of houses which share the same sign are somehow closely linked. Also, given extra attention are planets in signs which

are wholly contained within a particular house. Many feel that the principle that the planet represents holds extra importance for the individual. In other words, until the individual gains a deeper understanding of the planet's principle, he will be held back in some way. I have used the equal house system extensively because it doesn't create very small or large houses the farther one gets from the equator. Supposedly, the affairs of houses which are larger gain more importance, while those that are smaller carry less weight. Since I am an equal house advocate, I will have to suggest that you experiment with both in order to find out which method you prefer. When you are considering house rulerships, the sign on the cusp rules the affairs of the house-not the intercepted sign. However, the intercepted sign and its ruler may be considered a secondary ruler of that house. When linking houses, you may want to consider the placement of both rulers. Houses as Psychological Attributes If you want to begin to practice the previous technique, start with this after becoming familiar with which sign is associated with which house according to the natural zodiac, May I take this opportunity to remind you that when I refer to the natural zodiac, I am referring to the wheel which would represent each house, planet and sign following it's natural order, beginning with Aries on the first house cusp with Mars in Aries in the first house, and so on. All personalized horoscopes are representations of the constant movement of this "natural zodiac." A natural zodiac is probably a very rare occurrence. Having clarified what a natural zodiac refers to, let us return to considering the houses as psychological attributes. When delineating a planet in a particular sign, you may add to that planet an undertone of the house it's in as a psychological trait. Example: If the Sun is in Aquarius and in the 4th house, then the person's Sun will also manifest some Cancer traits. Why? Because in the natural zodiac, Cancer corresponds to the 4th house. Cancer and Aquarius are very different! So this Aquarian person will not be as rebellious or detached as usual for Aquarius. In

other words, this Aquarius Sun is blended with Cancer traits via its 4th house placement, perhaps adding more sensitivity and traditional attitudes than Aquarius alone. In fact, sometimes an individual will strongly manifest the house traits instead. My theory is that the house shows a pas t life approach that ideally should be balanced with the sign the planet is in this lifetime. So in the example, we might say that this person has come into this lifetime to learn to detach somewhat. Perhaps she was overly clingy (Cancer) and somewhat attached to hearth and home in a past life. This is a life time where goals (Sun) are met by learning to join with others(Aquarius), while retaining a certain autonomy. Also, the Cancer attachment to the past would definitely be challenged by Aquarius-the sign of progress and new ideas. Study the house and sign placements of the Sun of several people you know well. Watch how they often flip flop back and forth from one set of traits to the other depending on the mood or the circumstances. This technique works especially well with the personal planets-the Sun through Mars.

Planet equals Sign equals House Another popular approach to chart interpretation consists of taking the basic meanings of the planets, signs, and houses and interchanging them. Mars=Aries=the 1st house or any combination thereof. With this method then, the 1st house is also be akin to the persons sexuality and aggression, which is usually associated with Mars. Or, instead of a psychological approach, Aries may be indicating cuts, sharp things or conflict, another Mars association. Another example would be Taurus indicating money. Money is normally associated with the 2nd house. This technique works, but, may be a bit much to swallow at first. Try it after you've gotten very familiar with the basic planet as what, sign as how and house as where, technique. You may find yourself falling into it naturally as you study many charts and discover that this method confirms life patterns which may not be readily apparent with the less flexible method of planet as what, sign as how and house as where. The Keyword Wizard has reminders at the bottom of the sign and house pages regarding this technique.

Stelliums This is an easy one. A stellium exists in a chart whenever three or more planets are in the same sign. It means that there is a part of the person that behaves very much like that sign; sometimes more so than their Sun or Moon sign. My teacher put it this way. You may be a genius of sorts when it comes to the things that sign represents!