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How to Read a Birth ChartPart One: Personality

by Bruce Scofield

This article was first published in the Aug./Sept. 1999 issue of The Mountain Astrologer andis reprinted here with minor editorial changes and by permission of the author.

I’m a self-taught astrologer. From books by Evangeline Adams and Sepharial, Ilearned about the multifaceted symbolism of astrology and how to calculate a chart.One of Alan Leo’s books led me into the world of progressions and directions, whileCharles Carter’s books opened up vistas in degree symbolism and political astrology.Dane Rudhyar’s many writings introduced me to some rather sophisticated conceptsabout the entire field of astrology and its relation to psychology, philosophy, andreligion, an exposure that motivated me to get a graduate degree. Beginning in the late1960s, I learned about spiritual astrology, the history of astrology, astro-meteorology,and metaphysical astrology. I learned how to calculate every kind of chart, from natal tocomposite. I even calculated the arcs necessary to do primary directions. All of this wasfrom books — I had no teachers. But throughout this period, nowhere did I learn verymuch about how to do a reading for another person.

By the late 1970s, I had attended a few astrological conferences where I hadheard the best and brightest in astrology speak on their specialized topics. I was armedto the teeth with astrological knowledge but was still very unsure of exactly howreadings were done, so I boldly stepped into the reading ring with a method of my ownmaking.

My first readings were basically commentaries on each planet and each house inthe chart, a method that was similar to readings that were done in ancient Greek andRoman times. After going through the planets and houses, I would then report on thetransits and progressions affecting the client’s chart. This was the strong point of myreading. My calculations were so good that I often timed events to the day. Clients wereimpressed with this accuracy and came back for more readings. Over the years, my

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psychological readings improved and evolved. But only after I had perfected a style ofreading charts did I come to learn how others tackled this problem.

In this series of articles, I will attempt to lead readers of this magazine throughthe twists and turns of an astrology reading. I will outline a simple method of chartreading suitable for beginners and helpful to intermediate students of astrology. Pleaseconsider reading your own chart to be an absolute priority. What good is a reader ofcharts who can’t read his or her own? That’s like going to a doctor who can’t healhimself. Don’t let the myth that one can always read others’ charts better than one’sown keep you from facing your own truth.

A Simple Astrological Model of PersonalityIn this first installment, I will concentrate on reading the chart for personality

and motivation. Later installments will cover the topics that seem to be of most interestto nearly everyone: relationships, career and money, and health.

Before any delineation of personality from a chart is possible, the reader of thehoroscope must have a model against which the information extracted can be placed.By personality I mean the overall composite of individual traits, the things that makeeach person unique. In the field of psychology, personality is a broad topic and hasbeen traditionally approached from several directions. One approach identifies traits,another looks at needs, and others look at the development of personality. For mostpeople, however, a discussion of traits is immediately useful and much easier tounderstand and process. For practical purposes, I recommend that first-time chartreaders regard personality as a collection of traits that are organized by the Sun, Moon,Ascendant, and the inner planets. Here’s the basic scheme:

• Sun: Primary motivations, leadership capacities, integrity style, available energy.• Moon: Instinctive responses, emotional reaction patterns, sensitivities, interests.• Ascendant: Social personality, personal identity, presentation of self in everyday life.• Mercury: Cognition, communicative style, thinking.• Venus: Sexual responses, social patterns, cultural and artistic interests.• Mars: Assertiveness patterns, self-motivation, self-interest.

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A simple model of the personality using these points would look like this: TheSun is the central integrating factor and is surrounded by four primary circuits,represented by the Moon, Mars, Mercury, and Venus. The Moon, which is triggered atbirth, or even before, symbolizes a person's needs and instincts. Mars, triggeredbetween the ages of two and five, represents the person’s need to be independent and torun on their own power. Mercury, imprinted mostly between ages six and thirteen, isdescriptive of how the mind works and how successful communications are. Venus,triggered at about age eight and imprinted during puberty, describes mating and socialpatterns. The Ascendant, which develops throughout this period of youth, is symbolicof the persona or social self, the way the person meets the world. These six primaryastrological factors offer astrologers a powerful model of the personality. Of course,much more detailed information can be accessed from the natal chart, but the point ofthis exercise is to get beginning students of astrology started.

Psychology, Astrology, and the SelfThe study of the Self is the province of both astrology and psychology. Psy-

chologists have been trying for nearly a century now to piece together a map of theperson. Though psychologists have contributed much to fleshing out a map of thehuman psyche, no one person has seen it all. With the possible exception of Jung,psychologists have refused to look at the oldest and most reliable map of the psycheavailable, the astrological chart. [1]

Horoscope readings are an excellent way to self-knowledge. Any spiritual tra-dition worthy of being called such will place self-knowledge squarely on the pathwayto enlightenment. How can one make spiritual progress if one doesn’t really understandhis or her inner motivations? Is there a better index into personality and character thanastrology?

The horoscope contains in symbolic form a wealth of information about who weare. It offers information on our motivations, our personal styles of action, how wesolve problems, how we respond to situations, and how we think. It also offersinformation about the people and things around us. This last statement opens up theissue of what exactly the Self is. Does the Self end at our skin, or are we actually partici-pating in the world around us? Are our projections, which are clearly reflected in thehoroscope, really a form of us? These questions raise complex metaphysical and

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philosophical problems. For our purposes, we will view the horoscope as a map of theSelf, however vast, but will concentrate on the observable traits of the personality.

Some Key ConceptsWhen reading a horoscope, one must be able to determine the relative strengths

and weaknesses of each planet. Many methods have been proposed over the years to dothis, and many work very well. Here are some simple and general ideas for evaluating aplanet’s relative strength in the chart:

1. Is the planet in an angular house (1st, 4th, 7th, or 10th houses) or conjunct anangle (within ten degrees of the Ascendant, IC, Descendant, or Midheaven)? If yes, thenthat planet has a loud voice in the chart. (See diagram below.)

2. Is the planet in close aspect to the Sun, Moon, Midheaven, or Ascendant? Usean orb of up to 15° for conjunction or opposition, 7° for square and trine, and 3° forsextile, semi-square, and sesquiquadrate. For any other minor aspects, use a 1° orb. Ifthe planet is in such an aspect, its qualities are deeply embedded in the personality.

3. Is the planet in a sign that resonates with its qualities, or not? The old tables ofsign rulerships, exaltations, and detriments are a guide to this sort of judgment. If the

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planet is in a resonant sign, it will tend to function in a more socially appropriate way.(See table below.)

Planet Rulership Detriment Exaltation FallSun Leo Aquarius Aries LibraMoon Cancer Capricorn Taurus ScorpioMercury Gemini Sagittarius Aquarius Leo

Virgo PiscesVenus Taurus Scorpio Pisces Virgo

Libra AriesMars Aries Libra Capricorn Cancer

Scorpio TaurusJupiter Pisces Virgo Cancer Capricorn

Sagittarius GeminiSaturn Capricorn Cancer Libra Aries

Aquarius Leo

Uranus Aquarius Leo Scorpio TaurusNeptune Pisces Virgo Cancer CapricornPluto Scorpio Taurus Aries Libra

The Sun: Key to Integrity and VitalityIn my opinion, the Sun is the most important point in the chart, and a natal

reading should begin with a discussion of its condition. Everyone has a Sun, but not allSuns are the same. Start your reading here, with the Sun, by describing a person’smotivations, where in their lives they show leadership and energy, and how they canintegrate everything else that they are.

The Sun represents our conscious primary motivations, our urge to impressourselves on the world, and how we are best able to do that. The sign and houseposition of the Sun will describe how and where our energies are best applied. Forexample, someone with the Sun in Aries in the 10th house should be motivated to be a

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soloist of some sort in the public arena. Their conscious primary motivation is to realizethemselves out in the world, and do it all by themselves. Only with this kind ofaccomplishment will they feel truly empowered.

The Sun is also symbolic of the captain of our ship, our CEO, our leadershipcapabilities, and our deepest sense of an integrated self. If the Sun is in the 10th house,such people should be leaders in the outside world, the public arena. If they are not, askthem why. If the Sun is in the 8th house, they should be leaders in groups and in crisissituations. Many therapists and teachers have their Suns here. If the Sun is in the 3rdhouse, there is a strong potential for leadership in matters of mobility andcommunication. The important point is to show clients exactly where they should applyany leadership qualities they may have and where their energy will tend to be mosteffective.

The position of the Sun also shows how individuals may best integrate theirlives. Many people are “all over the place” and lack a central focus. Many of us look toothers for clues as to who we should be. For millennia, women have been programmedto let men set their course through life. Frequently, a woman on the verge of making achoice that is truly her own will suddenly meet a man who wants her to go down hispath. This is a crucial moment, a time when the woman must choose whether the Sun inher chart is her own or will be owned by the man. Our society has made the first choicea difficult one, while it rewards (in money and security) the second.

Beyond this social dilemma, the Sun in the chart defines how we can best inte-grate our lives. If the Sun is in Cancer, then domestic security will bring a life into focus.If the Sun is in Libra, partnership is necessary for personal integrity. The Sun in Piscessuggests the need for a belief in, and a life of service to, higher ideals as the key tointegrity. When we “do” our Sun, our life becomes stronger, we have more energy, andwe feel integrated.

The Sun in the chart also indicates the amount of energy available to us. It issymbolic of our life energy, our battery, and what keeps us going. A person with anangular Sun in Leo (conjunct one of the four angles) may have more energy than onewith the Sun conjunct Saturn in the 12th house. But the former person may wasteenergy, while the latter may, through conservation of energy, accomplish ten times asmuch. When reading a chart, always show clients how to best use their energy; don’tever tell anyone they have a weak Sun.

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Finally, if the Sun is positioned very strongly in the chart, for example, angularand in a fire sign, you can expect that such people will make their mark on the world,rather than letting the world make a mark on them.

The Moon: Interests and Instinctive ResponsesAfter discussing the Sun, an astrology reading might next turn to the Moon. The

Moon in a chart shows how a person naturally reacts to situations. A prominent Moon(conjunct an angle) will describe a person who is primarily reactive to the world, even ifthe Moon is in a fire sign. An example is my eleven-year-old son, who has the Moon inAries just above the Ascendant. He’s the goalkeeper for his soccer team, a position thatis very vital and even aggressive, but basically reactive. The Moon represents theorganism’s ability to adjust to situations, to change with the flow of events and shifts inthe environment. If the Moon is in an active fire sign, then the reaction pattern isparticularly quick. If in an air sign, there is some mental deliberation before a reactiontakes place. In an earth sign, reactions are often muted or restrained, and in water signs,reactions are accompanied by an emotional charge.

The Moon in the chart is the signature of our capacity to respond. If a chart hasthe Sun more prominent than the Moon, then such natives will probably do things that,essentially, act on the world. They may, unfortunately (from the perspective of mostpeople), lack the ability to feel what is really going on around them. This is typical ofmany establishment doctors and scientists who are clueless when it comes tounderstanding the whole situation. Lunar types intuitively understand the emotionaldynamics of a situation and are less inclined to act on the world. They react.

The Moon tells us what a person is interested in. What we respond to is whatdraws our interest. Just bring a group of people with different Moon signs to a marketand watch what happens. The Cancer Moon people go for collections of domestic items,or for lunch. The Gemini Moon people buy books and magazines. Pisces Moon typesbuy bath salts. Of course, this is generalizing, but you get my point. Our Moon signs saya lot about what we want and, consequently, about who we are.

In the charts of men as well as women, the Moon sign is an indicator of the femi-nine. Since most men are programmed from birth to deny any feminine responsivequalities in themselves, they learn to experience their Moon’s qualities through awoman. This process begins with the mother and extends to the female mate and

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female offspring. Men with their Moon in fire signs, or in aspect to Mars or the Sun,respond to females who are fiery and direct. Men with the Moon in water signs respondto emotional, soft, and sensitive women.

The Moon shows what makes us feel “at home.” We take a primary lunar im-print during the first two years of our lives, a mostly preverbal time when our verysurvival depends on our caregivers. Difficulties during this stage of life are shown bydifficult Moon aspects and are reflected in later life by restless feelings and unstablemoods.

The Ascendant: The Social Presentation of Self in Everyday LifeThe sociologist Erving Goffman has written several books on what appears to me

to be the Ascendant, though I doubt he knew that was what he was doing. In his bookAsylums, he talks about how institutions strip our identity from us. [2] By taking usaway from our normal environment, around which we have built an identity, andgiving us a number instead of our name, institutions can break a person down into amuch simpler biological machine. In his book The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life,Goffman talks about how people define situations by assembling the world in a specificway. [3] Conflicts erupt when different definitions of the world conflict. The Ascendantis the astrological symbol of how we interface with the world and how we assemble itso that we can preserve an identity for ourselves.

If this seems too sociological, think of it this way: The Ascendant is our face andour social act. If you’re alone in a room, with no particular agenda, you’re probablydoing things you feel like doing (as symbolized by your Moon) and thinking aboutthings that you need to think about (Mercury). Then, another person comes into theroom. Immediately, your psyche springs into action and you assume a role that isfamiliar to you. If you happen to have been a firstborn child and have Leo rising (not anuncommon combination), you take a strong stance in regard to the visitor, perhaps evena dominant one. If you have Pisces rising and are a second or third child, you take amore submissive stance. As the visitor moves about the room, your body languageshows where you’re really coming from. Years of instinctive reactions and clashes withparents, siblings, and others have produced a set of characteristic responses to theworld around you that is shown by your astrological Ascendant. Its sign and aspects tothe other planets spell out its actions in detail.

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The Ascendant is crucial in understanding personality. It is the lens throughwhich everything else, including the Sun and Moon, is channeled. You could have themost dominant Sun position possible, but with a service-oriented Ascendant, youwould politely ask others if you could dominate them, or you might go through alengthy mental process that would validate your deep inner sense of superiority. Adominant Sun and a loud Ascendant can be something to behold, preferably from adistance. A desperate used-car salesman with a powerful Leo Ascendant makes morenoise than a multimillionaire investor with Virgo rising. This is how the Ascendantworks.

To read the Ascendant in the chart, first look at the sign it is in. Then look at theplanets to see if they make any aspects to it. If it is squared by Mars or Pluto, there willbe power issues between the person and the environment. People with Pluto squaretheir Ascendants love to tear things up and transform their environments. If they don’texpress this need in some legitimate way, such as in a demolition job or interiordecorating, others may find them to be pushy and overwhelming. With Neptune squarethe Ascendant, the boundaries between Self and others are blurred. People with Venusaspecting the Ascendant express themselves through the magic of beauty andappearances. Those with Mercury in aspect to the Ascendant relate to the worldthrough talk. The Ascendant is our portal to the outside world and planets will expressthemselves powerfully when they aspect this point.

The Ascendant is the rising sign, the point on the eastern horizon where all thezodiac signs rise. Every day, planets also rise in the east, so it’s possible to have Marsrising and Taurus rising. What’s rising is what’s coming into being. The Ascendant isthe identity that is always in the process of becoming. As we grow older, we gain morecontrol over this part of our life and begin to show our Sun and Moon signs moreclearly. The Ascendant, however, is where we really begin as a social self.

If there are no planets in the sign of the Ascendant, in conjunction with it in the1st house, look to what has traditionally been called the ruling planet. The ruling planetis the planet that rules the sign on the Ascendant. If Capricorn is rising, then Saturnrules; if Aries, Mar rules, etc. The house where the ruling planet is located will be quitedescriptive of the area of life in which the person best displays his or her identity. Also,the planet making the closest aspect (especially a conjunction) to the ruling planet mightbe considered very important. Remember, in this instance, the ruling planet is the

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carrier, and it carries the energy of this other planet right to the Ascendant. This otherplanet thus gains power in the chart via the ruling planet.

Mercury: Mind and LanguageMercury is an important symbol in understanding personality. It is descriptive of

how we put together the information presented to us by the environment, how weprocess it, and how we pass this information on to others. Bees and ants seem to do thiswell, and I suspect that, in the overall scheme of things, they might be creatures ofMercury. On the physical level, Mercury is our nervous system, the network thattransmits information throughout the body. It includes the brain, which directs theshow. Mercury in the chart is a symbol of our own personal style of information-processing. It shows how we think and what subjects or themes we are best suited for,mentally, that is. For example, Mercury in Virgo is probably better suited to processdetails than Mercury in Sagittarius, a placement better for dealing with generalities.

How we think about things varies considerably from individual to individual.Everyone sees things from a different vantage point. If we have a Mercury that operateswithin a tight framework, for example, Mercury conjunct Saturn in Virgo, we will thriveon details. People with this combination will find success in scientific or other precise,focused work. What we don’t need are these kinds of people making big decisions thataffect many people. On the other hand, people with Mercury conjunct Jupiter in Geminimay see too much. Their heads may be full of ideas gleaned from every possibleperspective. They shouldn’t be asked to handle details and are far better qualified toserve as go-betweens, people who function as connectors between those with fixedpositions. These extreme examples are given to make the point that we all thinkdifferently, and an astrology reading can help draw our attention to what our style isand where we should use it. How we learn, what we want to learn, and how well wecommunicate, are shown by Mercury in the chart.

Venus: Whom and How Do We Love?Venus is a most biological planet. It’s the force behind the drive to mix our

genetic material with that of another, but not with just anyone — it must be someonewe believe will make our descendants better off. We are attracted to those who havecomplementary immune systems, which, when combined with ours, create descendants

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who can better handle the world. Venus is the symbol of how we handle the impulse tomate and what we favor in our choices.

Like the Moon, Venus is reactive. It shows how and what we respond to. Venusin Gemini responds to words and ideas. Venus in Capricorn responds to concreteevidence of security, like money in the bank. Venus shows our taste. It shows what weseek to add to our genetic data bank or what we seek to add to our art or CD collection.Art collections, and specifically good taste in art, are a way for us to show others howvaluable our genetic material is. And all of this operates on many different social levels.But don’t be fooled. Venus is the force that moves us to mate for success, and whatevercultural tricks may be necessary for this to occur (a new hairdo, a new car, or an electricguitar) will somehow be employed.

Read Venus in a chart as the need to socialize and mate, and also to “improve”oneself and to be more attractive to others. If Venus is angular or in close aspect to theSun, Moon, or Ascendant, it is a powerful influence in the chart. People with a strongVenus–Ascendant link are good-looking, artistic, and very sociable. With a strongMoon–Venus connection, they are more passive, reactive, and feminine. With a strongSun–Venus connection, they tend to project attraction energies, like a tractor beam inStar Trek.

If Venus is ahead of the Sun in the zodiac, in an earlier degree or sign, it is amorning-star Venus. This indicates a tendency to feel first and think later in socialmatters. If Venus is behind the Sun, in a later degree or sign of the zodiac, it is anevening-star Venus and indicates a tendency to think first and feel later in socialmatters. If Venus is conjunct the Sun, note whether it is direct or retrograde. Manypeople are born with a direct Venus conjunct the Sun. These people are highly social butalso very conscious of their social life and how people accept them. Those born withVenus retrograde, and there are far fewer of these, can be very impulsive and notparticularly clear about social boundaries.

Venus and the Sun run together at eight-year intervals. At the solar returns forages eight and 16, the Sun–Venus relationship at birth will be repeated. These arecrucial periods for taking social imprints. A person’s social skills and, consequently,mating success are formed around these years and, for better or for worse, will bereflected in the position of Venus in the chart.

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Mars: Punching through LifeMars symbolizes how we assert ourselves. Without Mars, we would be lifeless

blobs of protoplasm. With Mars, we propel ourselves through life, meeting challengesand promoting our own agendas. People who have an accentuated Mars can bedisturbing to other people. Those with a less prominent Mars may find themselvesineffective in some life situations and will need to choose their playing field carefully.

Here’s how Mars works: With Mars angular, in aspect to the Sun, Moon, orAscendant, or in a fire sign, personal assertiveness comes naturally. The sign Marsoccupies will show the style of assertion; the house will show the area in whichassertion is best directed. For example, Mars in the 9th house suggests that one’sopinions are strong and there is a need to assert one’s beliefs. It will be very importantfor such an individual to have a good education. With education, these people can beintellectual pioneers, the first to enter dangerous areas of thought. The same idea can beapplied to the other houses. Mars in the 2nd house is the mark of the self-employed.Mars in the 6th means taking charge of one’s daily schedule and healing oneself. Themain points are that Mars needs to project itself and that it wants to do it by itself.

In its essence, Mars is a very simple planet. It’s all about fighting to be anindividual, a somebody. Mars kicks in at about two years of age, after completing onecycle through the zodiac. At that time, children learn to stand up for themselves (bysaying No!) and to control their muscles in toilet training. The condition of Marssymbolizes the relative success or failure of this critical period of life, roughly from agetwo to age five.

Putting It TogetherAfter reporting on the six points of our chart-reading model, it might be good to

wrap up the reading with a discussion of the four primary orientations. The fourorientations correspond to the four directions. East is the Ascendant, west is theDescendant, north is the IC, and south is the Midheaven. (These four orientations areoften described in textbooks as the hemispheres.) If a majority of planets are groupedaround one of these points, the general thrust of the personality will be described bythat point. Here’s the scheme:

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Ascendant/East: The personal orientation is about self. The goal of life is to realizeone’s potential, possibly through self-employment or works that are a reflection of thepersonality.

Descendant/West: The personal orientation is about relating. Interactions withothers determine the path of life. Relationships establish destiny patterns.

IC/North: The personal orientation is subjective. The inner life and deep feelingsdictate actions. The inner self does not feel a need to conform to the status quo.

Midheaven/South: The personal orientation is objective. What is going on in theworld counts; it shapes the personality. There is a strong need to conform to the statusquo.

If the planets are scattered around the chart with no particular emphasis, theperson may be regarded as having the potential to be well-rounded.

By reporting on the six points and commenting on the orientations, a beginningstudent of astrology can get off to a good start in doing readings. By offering clientsinformation about how best to express their energies and character traits, astrologerswill certainly increase self-knowledge, which is the goal. Astrologers should emphasizethat people have a choice in where they put the energy of their planets. This is not aworld of fatality and unchangeable destiny, at least not for people who strive to beconscious and rise above the limitation of family and culture. Always give people asense of how they can do the best with what they have. The next installments of thisseries will describe methods of extracting more practical information from a birth chart.

References and Notes1. A complex model of the Self is offered in my book, The Circuitry of the Self: Astrologyand the Developmental Model, One Reed Publications, 2001.2. Erving Goffman, Asylums, Anchor Books, 1961.3. Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Anchor Books, 1959.

© 1999, 2010 Bruce Scofield – all rights reserved

Bruce Scofield has maintained a private practice as an astrological consultant, writer, andconference speaker for more than 40 years. He is the author of seven books and hundreds ofarticles on astrology. He has been active in the National Council for Geocosmic Research since

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1979 and was Education Director between 1998 and 2003. He holds an M.A. in History and aPh.D. in Geosciences and currently teaches at Kepler College and the University ofMassachusetts. Bruce Scofield and Barry Orr maintain a Web site (www.onereed.com)containing a variety of astrology articles and a calculation program on Mesoamerican (Mayaand Aztec) astrology.