As I grow older, the thing that I find myself going back to time and time again is my birth chart. Nothing has been more affirming and life-changing than understanding my placements. Over the last few years, I have gotten a birth chart reading, looked up many of my placements, and listened to many astrology forecasting videos on YouTube. I even took an online beginner’s course. I am one Amazon click away from buying an Astrology For Dummies handbook. To put it mildly, I have been obsessed with Astrology lately.
We have all heard the saying: As above, so below. But do we know what it truly means? This saying means that the galaxy's activity directly affects the Earth and the species that inhabit it. If you don't believe me, google the billionaires who used astrology to gain wealth. It is easy to say that you don’t believe in astrology. But it is not something to be believed. But rather something to be studied and applied over time. I went through extreme imposter syndrome when I began to work on my book. I thought that I was trying to do something that wasn't natural to me. But after a birth chart reading, I realized that I wasn't crazy at all. Writing is as natural as breathing to me.
Isn’t it ironic that the things that come naturally to us are the things we question the most? But once I discovered my Nodes, I understood why I was having the struggle in the first place. My North Node is in Pisces, and my South Node is in Virgo. Which means that I struggle with accepting and walking the spiritual path because I am used to dealing with facts and details. In the last tarot reading I received, a reader told me, “You’re struggling because you’re sleeping on your gift.”
It also explains why I have struggled to incorporate channeling into Honestly Sis. I have always thought of it as a separate. But now I see that the writing and tarot reading come from the same place: spirit. Now, I am trying to overcome it by making it my mission to get out of Corporate America and into a life of working as a full-time creative. Researching my birth chart allowed me to see that this wasn't some random shift. But something that was planned and mapped out in the stars. It took me a while, but I now see this as my path.
To find your birth chart, you only need your birth date and the city where you were born. You can always pull information for your birthday if you don't know or have that information. Below is a short beginner guide to help you navigate your birth chart:
Sun Sign: This one is basic. Everyone knows it. Your Sun Sign makes up your identity and, ultimately, the essence of who you are to your core. Understanding it can help you understand what motivates you and why.
Moon Sign: This rules your emotions and thoughts. Understanding your moon sign will help you know what will make you happy and fulfilled.
Rising Sign: This is how others perceive you. Some astrologers call it your soul mask. Understanding it will help you learn your life themes, cycles, and patterns.
Mercury Sign: This is all about communication and the mind. It explains the way you think and how you express yourself. Understanding it will also tell you how you process and absorb information.
Venus Sign: This is the planet of love and relationships. This sign speaks to how you express your desires, your passions, what you value, and how you attract others in your life.
Mars Sign: This is the planet of action, energy, and sex. This sign tells you what compels you. It also sheds light on your sexuality, what lights you up, how you cope and express anger.
Jupiter Sign: This is the planet of abundance, expansion, risk, and luck. It can signify what comes naturally to you and where you will have the easiest time achieving your ambitions. Understanding this placement can show how to improve your life and build trust with the universe.
Lilith (or Black Moon Lilith): This place is known as your shadow self and sexuality. It reveals the desires you have hidden to avoid being ridiculed or abandoned. Understanding this placement may help you see what has been holding you back.
North Node Sign: This placement determines your fate and spiritual purpose. It is all about karma and can point you toward what you are meant to do in this lifetime. Understanding this placement will reveal the energy you need to harness to fulfill your soul purpose.
South Node Sign: This placement gives you information about your past life and what gifts you received from that life. The South Node ultimately represents your comfort zone. This placement reveals what is familiar and easily accessible to you.
Chiron: This asteroid is the wounded healer. It is all about your core wounds and how you can overcome them. It is said that this placement houses your super-power. Understanding this placement can tap into your deepest inner trauma and how to truly heal from the inside out.
I could go on and on about the planets. But that is a letter (or class) for another day. This letter will help you get familiar with your chart and how these transits (i.e., Venus Retrograde, Mercury Going Direct) affect you! Earlier this summer, when the nodes switched into Aries/ Libra, an astrologer said that the last time this happened was in 2005-2006. Instantly, I remember all the things I struggled with back then.
I was choosing college, falling in love for the first time, and picking a major I knew would never make me happy. But instead of being true to myself (Aries), I trusted the opinions to keep the peace. (Libra) Now I have a chance to do it all over again: Will I go down the traditional road of working this 9 to 5, or will I go all in on the wild and unknown?
You already know which direction I have chosen to go in! Understanding astrology has helped me understand my life path and how none of it is random. Writing this letter was another reminder that this path I am on, although it feels foreign, is natural to me. So, I'm going to treat it that way. Instead of asking God to give me signs, I will walk this path with trust and courage, never waiting for external validation. Knowing my success is guaranteed because it's already written in the stars!