I’m a Taurus, with a Leo moon and Aries rising.

Huh?

It’s all above, in my birth chart.

Regardless of your belief in Astrology, birth charts are a very cool to base artwork on, because just like fingerprints, no two are alike. Your birth chart, or natal chart, is a visual map of where the planets were in the sky at the time of your birth. Since the planets are constantly moving across the sky, passing through the different constellations and houses of the zodiac, even people born just a few minutes apart can have completely different birth charts.

Ever know someone with the same sign as you, but think that you couldn’t be any more different? That’s because you are more than just your Sun sign, or the sign you identify with when you read your newspaper or magazine horoscope. Your moon and rising signs also play a very big part in who you are. Even though you may share a Sun sign with someone else, you and that other person have totally different birth charts. Take my dad and I, for example. We share the same birthday, and we both have that same stubborn Taurus streak (or so I’ve been told) but we are otherwise very different. If you were to compare our birth charts, you would find that we had different moon signs, different rising signs, and planets in completely different places.

Even two people born on the same date, at the exact same time, but different locations will have very different natal charts. The inner planets move through the sky very quickly, but the outer planets, like Uranus, Neptune and Pluto (and yes, I know that Pluto is no longer really a “planet”) are sometimes said to have more of a generational effect, as they take much longer to pass around the sun, and people born in the same generation will most likely have those planets in the same positions in their charts.

I’m no expert on any of this, but I do find it really fun and really interesting to read up on natal charts and the position the stars and plants have on your personality. It’s much more involved than I could ever hope to go into here, but just for fun, here are the three main influences:

Sun Sign

This sign governs the outward you, the you that everyone else sees. Your personality and your general outlook on life.

For example – my sun is in Taurus. Typical Taurian traits? We HATE to be rushed (ask my BF how annoying he finds this) and we’re known to be a bit stubborn. We’re also very persistent, and will pursue our goals with dogged determination, come hell of high water. We also love working with our hands (check), tend to be homebodies (double check) and crave stability (triple check). We are hard working but are generally laid back and easygoing, sometimes to a fault.

Moon Sign

The moon governs your emotions, your subconscious, the inner you, your fears and your moods. It’s the “you” that come out when no one else is around to see it. It’s your intuition, your vulnerabilities, and how you process your feelings.

For example, my moon is in Leo. This supposedly means I enjoys responsibility but may take on too much (this is ridiculously true with me), a love of the arts (check), a strong intellect, and desire to create. Supposedly people with a moon in Leo love to be the center of attention, but the introvert in couldn’t agree less.  I hate people focusing on me, but I DO love them paying attention to my work, so maybe there’s something there after all!

Rising Sign.

This is the sign that was rising in the eastern part of the sky at the time of your birth. It represents how other people perceive you, although it may not necessarily be how you would describe yourself. This sign governs the way other people see us, how we project ourselves in ways we might not even be aware of.  It’s the “mask” we wear, and the impression you make on others.

For example- I have Aries rising. It means trusting attitude toward people, being somewhat headstrong, an initiator, very competitive, but putting more pressure on myself than others. Direct and forthright. Independent. Self reliant.

In addition to your sun, moon and rising sing, the position of the planets and what signs/houses they fall into, and whether those are fire, water, earth or air signs (my chart for example, has a LOT of fire, but barely any water!) also has an effect on you! You could literally fill up books about it – and people have!

If you enjoy zodiac artwork, you might like the zodiac calendar I created for a design class a few years ago. I’ve been thinking of updating the dates and having them printed in the future. Let me know if you’d be interested!

Have you ever looked at your birth chart? Do you think it’s an accurate reflection of your personality?