The Chart Wheel is a map of the space surrounding us at the time of our birth.
The wheel is divided into 12 sections called Houses. Planets in the heavens are placed on the Chart Wheel in the houses that correspond to where they actually are in the sky at birth.
In the Chart Wheel, the planets are placed in their Zodiac positions. The Zodiac stretches in a circle through all 360 degrees of the surrounding sky, and this circle is divided into sections of 30 degrees, which make up the 12 signs.
Planet positions are measured within signs by degrees, minutes, and seconds of a circular arc. Each degree contains 60 minutes of arc, and each minute of arc contains 60 seconds of arc.
Solar arc direction or "arc" is one of the oldest predictive techniques in astrology. Solar arc is defined as the difference between the position of the progressed Sun and the natal or birth position of the Sun on any particular day. This arc is then added to every planet and point in the chart. The arc is approximately equivalent to the individual's age.
The Chart Wheel is divided into 12 sections which modern astrology refers to as Houses.
The houses are numbered from 1 to 12. The pie-like lines that divide one house from the next are called house cusps. Each house is associated with specific areas of life. For example, the second house is associated with your personal possessions, values and things that sustain the human body. Or the tenth house, which corresponds to your public
persona, reputation, career potential and more.
In ancient astrology, which is the mother of contemporary astrology, ancient Greeks referred to houses as "places" using the word Oikos. Each place would be the house or domicile for one of the seven visible planets, which are the Moon, Mercury, Venus, The Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. That is why a planet is said to "rule" a house in astrology, as that planet "lives" in a section of the chart wheel just like you live in your house. The planet will also travel to other houses to "visit," and while it visits another house, it will bring its personality or energy with it. Just like when you visit your bestie's house... you don't stop being you. But, you DO adapt your behaviour to work within your environment.
Keep in mind that our Earth makes a complete turn on its axis once in 24 hours, and it takes a full 365 (more or less) to make a complete orbit of the Sun and to travel through each sign of the zodiac. The Chart Wheel represents space as it is surrounding the earth at the time of your birth. Its purpose is to give its reader a point of orientation, so they are able to identify where a planet was in the celestial sphere in relation to you at the time of your birth. The chart is calculated to relate to its reader as if we were standing outside with the sky above us (upper part of the chart) and the Earth beneath our feet (lower hemisphere). As the Earth turns, it brings each of the 360 degrees of the zodiac to any part of the wheel once in 24 hours, with a new degree of the zodiac every 4 minutes.
One thing students and clients ask me all the time is, what if there are no planets in a house in a chart? Is that bad? Does that mean something is wrong? Absolutely not. While the house serves as an arena for a planet to express its energy, it doesn't mean that nothing is happening in the area of life. Instead, empty houses tell us more about the story told in the chart!
If you are ready to begin your astrology journey, take a look at our class schedule here
Or follow our Astrology Channel Here
Comments