Chart Rulers and Dominant Planets in Astrocartography

Over time, I have noticed something about astrocartography. Perhaps this is a theory that is already out there, but it is just an observation I have noticed when working with clients, and in my personal life. People seem drawn towards their chart ruler line or their dominant planet line. Now you may be thinking, "I hate my chart ruler line!" And you wouldn't be wrong. But perhaps this comes from actually living or visiting there. That is what I mean by drawn. By fate, circumstance, or pure coincidence, you end up at these places, whether you like it or not....

August 31st, 2026 Astrocartography

Planetary Detriment in Astrology Isn't All Bad

You're not doomed because you have a planet in your birth chart that is in detriment. Both Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe had their Venus in detriment. And to this day, they're known as some of the most beautiful women in the world. Marie Curie, the first person to develop a working theory of radioactivity, had both her Mercury and Venus in detriment. Srinivasa Ramanujan, one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, had his Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn all in detriment. Having a planet in detriment in your birth chart isn't a curse, nor will it ruin you....

August 31st, 2026 Rulership

A Short Guide to Reading Your Astrocartography Chart

Astrocartography is the astrology of where you live. Specifically, if we put your birth chart over a map of the world. The lines in an astrocartography chart are lines of the planets, and how they would appear if you were along certain places in the earth. It essentially shows you what places the planets would be along your particular house cusps, or in aspect to angles. If we stretched out your birth chart, and put the possibilities all over the world, we would get an astrocartography chart. For example, a Jupiter on DC line would be a place where your...

August 31st, 2026 Astrocartography

How to Interpret the Trine in Astrology

Have you ever had a friend with their Sun in the same element sign as you? Like, a Pisces and a Cancer or a Virgo and a Capricorn? There's a click, something that starts off immediately as you two come to understand that you're made of then same cloth. But just because you're made of the same cloth doesn't mean you're the same design. That's the element of the trine and the key to interpreting it - there's a mutual understanding because of the element, but fundamental differences that lie underneath. I've mentioned in a previous post that modes describe...

August 31st, 2026 Aspects

How to Interpret Strong Pluto Placements in the Birth Chart

Pluto is the planet of obsession, power, taboo, death, and rebirth. But what if it wasn't all bad? Hear me out. Let's look into the birth charts of people with heavy or prominent Pluto placements and see how it has actually impacted their lives. Because, spoiler alert, they weren't all so bad. First up, Mary Shelley. [Mary Shelley's birth chart. Rodden Rating AA. Pluto conjunct the MC.]Mary Shelley's birth chart. Rodden Rating AA. Now, many of you will recognize Shelley as the author and creator of Frankenstein and the mother of science fiction. But you may not have known that...

August 31st, 2026 Planets

How to Read a Progressed Synastry Chart in Astrology

Relationships are a foundational part of our lives, as well as astrology. While natal synastry can tell us a lot about each person's inherent tendencies and how they react, it can only go so far. Progressed synastry shows us where each person is at in the present moment, both unconsciously and emotionally. A progressed chart shows us how we grow, and a big part of relationships is learning to grow with each other, not apart from one another. So how can we approach synastry, and our relationships, in a more mindful way? The answer lies in the progressed synastry chart....

August 31st, 2026 Synastry

The IC in Astrology and Importance of Community

I’ve wanted to talk about the importance of the IC in astrology for a while. People like to focus on the much more sexy MC angle. But the IC, which denotes the family, endings, history, and roots, is never given enough love. The funny thing about polarity in astrology is that both the MC and the IC represent community, but the ways in which this manifests in real life is astoundingly different. The MC, or Midheaven, is more well known to represent our outward community. It represents the public eye, social standing, reputation, and more. MC relationships may be surface...

August 31st, 2026 Houses

Astrological Chart Rulers: Our Core Philosophy

The rising sign in astrology can tell us a lot, from the chart ruler to how we present ourselves to the world. But the placement of the chart ruler can show us even more. The rising sign isn't just how we appear to the world, but how we interact with it as well. The placement of the chart ruler can tell us a lot about our values, and how we choose to live life. Let's take a Scorpio rising, for example. The ruler of Scorpio is Mars. I've noticed that people with Mars as their chart ruler tend to be...

August 31st, 2026 Rulership

The Astrology of Being an Author

So many people want to be an author. Whether it's to say that you wrote a book, to get your ideas out there, or just to express your creativity, writing a book or novella is a great way to try something new, as a hobby or career. Astrologically, I was really surprised by what made an author - it wasn't what I expected. Very rarely were there any of the typical Mercury in signs of rulership (like Gemini) or third house typical placements, as many astrology blogs will suggest (though if you have these, please don't think you can't be...

August 31st, 2026 Rulership

Planetary Expressions in Astrology

The planets in astrology contain certain themes. But how these themes are expressed depends on the zodiac sign, house, and direction of the planet. Retrogrades become a big scary hairy deal whenever Mercury retrograde comes around (about three or four times every year), but what about people with retrograde in their natal charts? Today I want to talk about the astrology of understanding one another. And no, not through synastry, but through planetary expression. We understand zodiac signs well enough. Someone with a Mercury in Capricorn is likely to communicate similarly to someone else with Mercury in Capricorn. Furthermore, they...

August 31st, 2026 Planets

Jupiter, Neptune, and Pisces: The Power of Belief

A lot of people struggle with the idea of co-rulers in astrology. This is understandable, it creates a lot of confusion. This blog post isn't aimed at an academic approach to the co-ruler system, but more of a relatable and understandable one. Let's start with the zodiac sign that Neptune and Jupiter rule: Pisces. Pisces is the natural sign ruler of the twelfth house and a sign associated with mysticism, religion, intuition, imagination, and belief. It is often said that Pisces is a combination of all the signs, carrying each to them within them. This is because Pisces is the...

August 31st, 2026 Planets

How to read your Converse Progressions in Astrology

I'm reading Predictive Astrology by Christine Shaw. There's a wealth of information in the book - and covers everything from transits to progressions. And while I'm already familiar with them, she explains things in a way that is easy to understand and very clear. She also covers techniques I'd never heard of, such as converse progressions. So while regular progressions represent a day after birth for each year of life (for example, 34 years of age would be calculated by going 34 days after your birthday in an ephemeris), converse progressions are a day before your birthday for every year...

August 31st, 2026 Transits, Progressions, and Returns

All about the Sextile in Astrology

When I first started out learning astrology, I was always told the squares were conflict, the sextile was a learning aspect, the trine was harmonious, and the opposition was at odds with one another. One thing I never learned was why. Why was a square a conflicting aspect? Why was the opposition always bad? Why is the sextile a learning aspect? I think the aspects are best looked at in relation to each other. Just like how chart synthesis tells us the entire story of the chart, the aspects are best understood when taking all of them into account. Unlike...

August 12th, 2026 Aspects

The Meaning of the Direct Nodes in Your Birth and Transit Charts.

Let's start by busting some astrological myths. The direct nodes are rare. It's commonly floated around that the nodes are direct only once or twice a month. The implication of this is that they are only direct for a day or two, and then go back to being retrograde. But the Moon's nodes are direct, on average, for as long, if not longer, than the time that Mercury is in retrograde every year. So let's do some math (I know, math is gross, but stick with me). [A compilation of direct nodes using Astrodienst Ephemeris]Astrodienst Ephemeris (located here so you...

August 12th, 2026 Nodes

On Astrological Oppositions...

The opposition aspect is something people kind of dread. It's hard to understand, but understanding the synthesis of the aspect is even harder. It represents conflict, differing sides, and varying ways of expression. Like a fraternal twin, the opposition reminds us that things can be the same, but completely different at the same time. Twins may look and act differently, but are still held together by their birth. This is the nature of the opposition - seeing what we are, what we are not, and all the things we could be. I'll be honest, the opposition didn't make much sense...

August 12th, 2026 Aspects