What is Natal Astrology?

What is Natal Astrology? is a popular question amongst astrology beginners. I see natal astrology as an excellent self-awareness tool. It can really shed light on the events that have shaped the person we are. Natal astrology can also provide insight into the behaviour and minds of others too.

You are probably aware of astrological zodiac signs, and may even know which one you are (i’m a Pisces). Also, you may have noticed that zodiac signs do not always match people’s personality. For example, you may think that your friend is no way a Leo! And quite the opposite. Although my zodiac sign is Pisces, I do not agree my full character can be explained with a Pisces zodiac sign reading alone.

Zodiac Sign Astrology vs Natal Astrology

Below are the main differences between Zodiac (star) sign astrology and natal astrology.

Zodiac Sign Astrology	Natal Astrology
Only takes into account the position of the Sun when you were born. This is why zodiac signs are also known as Sun or Star signs.	Takes into account the position of the Sun, Moon and planets when you were born. This means a separate interpretation can be provided for the moon and planets too. For example, my Sun is in Pisces, but my moon is in Scorpio. Moon positions provide details about our emotions. Mercury positions provide details about our the way we think, and so on.
Does not take into account the location, and time of day of your birth.	Takes into account the exact town or city of birth. And also the time of birth to the nearest minute.
Is a generalised reading, as many people are born with the same zodiac sign.	A special chart (called a natal chart) can be drawn to represent the positions of the sun, moon and planets at the exact time and location of your birth. This is a unique blueprint of your personality that can be interpreted by an astrologer (or you, once you have finished all of these natal chart lessons).

How Natal Astrology Works?

It is important to know that astrology describes our potential, not our fate. Have you ever thought to yourself that some people just seem to be naturally good at something? Well, natal astrology can highlight these traits. As human beings, it’s also important to understand what we are not good at too. Natal astrology forces us to reflect on the things within our personality that could be holding us back in life. Only ourselves have the power to make changes in our life. Having more self-awareness can help you do this.

Although astrology is not recognised as a science, there is actually quite a lot of scientific principles that go into constructing a natal chart. Below is the overall process:

You are interested in a natal reading.
You provide an astrologer with your date of birth, location of birth, and time of birth.
The astrologer uses this information to work out the exact positions of the sun, moon and planets at the time of your birth. This is plotted on what’s known as a natal chart.
An astrologer will interpret the positions of the sun, moon and planets. And provide you with deep insight into your personality, and events which have made you the person you are today.

In order for a computer or astrologer to work out the exact positions of the planets at the time of someone’s birth, data must be collected from something called an ephemeris. An ephemeris is simply a very large collection of data tables which provide the calculated positions of the sun, moon and planets for certain dates. An example of an ephemeris is shown below. It basically shows which zodiac sign the sun, moon and planets were in for each day in December 2012. It’s important to note that the ephemeris shows the exact position in degrees and minutes, not just for past dates, but also future ones! This predictability of the planets is the basis of astrology itself, as astrologers try and correlate the predictable positions with personality traits of people born at certain times.

If you are new to astrology, then you don’t have to worry too much about the science behind creating a natal chart. You just need to be good at interpretating them. But, it is always good to know the principles behind how anything works to truly understand it.