How I learned my birth chart
and discovered the placement that changed the way I looked at astrology
When I first started taking astrology more seriously several years ago, I had no idea how to read a natal chart. I had managed to figure out some of the basics from friends and astrologers on Instagram. I just needed my birth time, but unfortunately my mom knew that I had been born around noon but didn’t remember the exact time. So I found a site to enter my birth data and tested out a few options. If I was born a bit after noon then I would be an Aquarius rising. If I was born a little bit before noon then I would be a Capricorn rising.
My dad also did not remember what time I was born, which I found strange because he was an amateur astrologer himself at one point! He hand drew and colored his own, my brother’s, and my mom’s charts back in the ‘70s. He either lost or never made one for me (he said he must have lost it, but who knows. I don’t take it personally. I was born 8 years after my brother, which is plenty of time to lose interest in a hobby). The time wasn’t on my birth certificate so as part of a birthday present in 2015 or 2016 he went down to the Cook County Government office in downtown Chicago to get my birth record and find the time. We were out to a celebratory brunch at Handlebar in Wicker Park when he handed me an envelope with the document and I immediately pulled out my phone and entered the data for my chart. I was a Capricorn rising! Obviously. My resting mean mug and wearing all or mostly black every day kinda tipped me off already, based off what I had read about the two signs. Capricorn tends to be more reserved and conservative in color choice and/or style, Aquarius more visibly eccentric or colorful.
At this point I didn’t really know how to read a natal chart but I was determined to learn. In my mind, if I was meant to be a mystic then that meant that I necessarily had to develop a relationship with the planets and stars. Every day after work at my full time job, I would come home and try to decipher the lines and symbols in front of me. I learned that every sign was present in everyone’s chart. I was shocked to see how many placements I had in Libra and Sagittarius in particular, 3 in each. As I went down the rabbit hole, I started noticing more of the less familiar symbols and found myself drawn to a little glyph I hadn’t seen before which turned out to be the north node, sitting at 1 degree of Aries. I felt a sparkle and affinity towards it before I even knew what it meant, and as I began my research into this point and its placement in my chart (along with its constant cosmic travel partner, the south node), it felt like I had unlocked a code to understanding not only my deepest emotional instincts and ingrained habits, but also how to best direct my energy when I felt uncertain or lost.
Ever since then I have been aware of the invitation of my north node in Aries: to trust my instincts and forge my own path. Not so easy when my south node (which is always in the exact opposite house and sign of the north) was in Libra, which meant I was more inclined to view the world relationally. “I don’t know, what do you think?” kinda energy. Wanting things to feel harmonious, making sure that everyone is on the same page and feels good, quite frankly doing this often at the expense of my own preferences and needs. So the north node offered me something less familiar, a way outside of my comfort zone to take me to my next exploration and phase of understanding in life.
Ultimately the questions that I have carried through this journey with the nodes are: How can I build my own identity instead of relying on feeling seen and validated by others? Can I learn not to abandon any parts of myself? Can I embrace the aspects of myself I am also meant to release my dependence on? How can I best practice the courage necessary to put my needs first so that I can be more authentically available for the relationships I desire?
These are just a few of the things I have been offering deep consideration and care for the last 6+ years of my life. And now my second nodal return is coming up, with the lunar nodes moving into Aries and Libra on Monday for the first time since 2004!
To kick off this year and a half long transit, I will be leading a new class “I am // we are: the lunar nodes in aries and libra” at the end of the month. You don’t have to know a lot about astrology to join, but you will need a copy of your natal chart (instructions on how to generate it will be sent before the class if you don’t already have it). I’ll show you how to find your natal nodes and where Aries and Libra are in your chart, in addition to giving an explanation on what the nodes even are, why they are important, and what they mean for us collectively and by the houses. I’ll talk a lot about the themes of Aries and Libra, and touch on what we moved through with the nodes in Taurus and Scorpio in 2022 and 2023. As always, I will be doing this from a soul-centered perspective, integrating the microcosm and the macro for an empowered, magical, and authentically heart-focused lens.
No matter where Aries and Libra fall in your chart, everyone will be experiencing this big shift in some way! Those born in mid ‘86 to end of ‘87, folks with Aries and Libra placements, folks with cardinal placements, and people who are Mars or Venus ruled in particular will benefit greatly from this discussion.
Come join me for what is going to be a juicy gathering! Click here to sign up
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