What is a birth chart?
A birth chart, also called a natal chart, is a map of the sky at the exact moment and place you were born. It shows where the Sun, the Moon and the eight planets stood against the twelve zodiac signs, and which of the twelve houses, or areas of life, each one fell in. Your zodiac sign, the one you read in horoscopes, is only your Sun sign. The rest of the chart explains why two people with the same Sun sign can be so different.
Astrology reads the chart as a description, not a verdict. It does not decide what happens to you. It offers a language for your tendencies, your needs and the places you are likely to grow, so you can recognize yourself and make your own choices with a little more understanding.
Your Big Three: Sun, Moon and Rising
Most of a first reading rests on three placements. Your Sun sign describes your core self: who you are becoming and what lights you up. Your Moon sign describes your inner world: what you need to feel safe, how you react before you think, and what comforts you. Your Rising sign, or Ascendant, is the sign that was rising on the eastern horizon when you were born. It shapes how you meet the world and how people see you at first.
Together they explain a great deal. A Leo Sun with a Cancer Moon and a Virgo Rising might shine in front of others, need a quiet nest at home, and come across as careful and helpful on first meeting. This free chart explains each of your three in plain words, and adds your chart ruler, the planet that steers the whole chart.
Why your birth time matters
The Sun stays in a sign for about a month, so your birth date is enough to find it. The Moon moves much faster, changing sign every two or three days, and the Rising sign changes roughly every two hours. That is why the time and place of birth matter: they set the Rising sign and the houses. If you can, check a birth certificate or ask a parent. If you can't find it, you still get a useful chart from your date alone.
How we calculate your chart
We calculate every chart ourselves rather than relying on a third party. Positions come from NASA JPL planetary data, the same data astronomers use. Your local birth time is converted with the time zone that applied in your birth place on that day, including daylight saving time. The interpretations are written for each placement and reviewed before they appear here. You can rate each one with "Does this sound like you?", and we use those ratings to rewrite the parts that miss.
Frequently asked questions
Is this birth chart really free?
Yes. You see your chart, your Sun, Moon and Rising, your chart ruler and all ten planets without signing up. If you would like it as a PDF, you can leave your email and we will send it.
Do you store my birth details?
We use your birth date, time and place only to calculate the chart, and we do not store them. If you ask for the PDF, we keep them encrypted only until the PDF is made, then delete them.
How accurate is the chart?
Planet positions come from NASA JPL ephemeris data, and the birth time is converted to Universal Time using the historical time zone of your birth place, including daylight saving time. Houses use the Placidus system and signs use the tropical zodiac, the most common choices in Western astrology. The result is only as accurate as the birth time you enter.
What if I don't know my birth time?
Tick "I don't know the birth time". Your Sun and Moon still hold, though on a few days a year the Moon changes sign and we will tell you if yours is one of them. The Rising sign and the houses need a birth time, so we leave those out rather than guess.
Can I make a chart for someone else?
Yes. Choose "For someone else" before you calculate. It is a lovely way to understand a partner, a friend or a child, or to choose a gift.
What is the difference between this and the full Birth Chart Reading?
This free chart gives you one line on each planet and a closer look at your Sun, Moon and Rising. The full Birth Chart Reading, from our sister shop LalaSpiritual, is about 25 pages written for your chart alone: love and desire, work and calling, where you grow, and the patterns that tie your chart together.