The time and date of your birth is more important than you think! Not only does it mark your entry into the world, it also determines your destiny. The first step towards this is preparing a kundli or birth chart, otherwise known as a natal chart. The importance of a natal chart and the significance of a kundli cannot be undermined in astrology, as it is a key aspect.

But exactly what does a birth chart tell you? Even if you’ve had a Vedic astrologer create one, it’s always good to know how to read your birth chart. For this, astrology birth chart basics need to be understood. Let’s start with the birth chart meaning and kundli explained. Remember, there’s no need to get overwhelmed with the complex astrology chart symbols that come your way. With these kundli reading steps, you’ll be as good as a pro.

A kundli is a chart or map that is created based on the celestial objects at the time of your date and time of birth. Each kundli is compartmentalised into 12 houses, which are key components of a birth chart. The houses represent different aspects of your life, ranging from relationships and health to career and finances – these are essentially the birth chart houses explained. How to read an astrology chart? If you look at your kundli, you’ll see that each house is governed by a specific planet, based on reading planetary positions in a birth chart. The planets typically influence that area of a person’s life.

Identify the Lagna or Ascendant sign or Rising sign in your horoscope. This is the rising zodiac sign on the Eastern horizon at the exact time of your birth and occupies the first house in your horoscope. Aries is marked by 1 and Pisces by 12. Interpreting zodiac signs in a birth chart need not be confusing when you approach analyzing a birth chart in an organised manner.

The next step in Natal chart interpretation is to look at each of the 12 houses, and understand what each of them they represent. Houses are labelled in Roman numerals I – XII. For instance, I depicts appearance and personality, II is associated with wealth and family, VII with marriage, and so on.

The next step to understanding your natal chart, is to find out which houses the planets were in at the time of birth. This is a crucial step in astrology birth chart reading. Each of these planets has abbreviations – Sun (Su), Moon (Mo), Venus (Ve), etc. Familiarise yourself with this terminology and significance of each planet. For instance, the Moon is associated with introspection and the mind, while Venus is associated with love and Jupiter with higher education.

These are some of the key pointers to keep in mind while making sense of an astrology chart for beginners. If you’re still having difficulty interpreting it, opt for a few professional consultations so that you can understand it entirely.

FAQs

**Is the Lagna or Ascendant sign the same as your zodiac sign? **

The Lagna is the rising zodiac sign on the Eastern horizon at the time of your birth. This can be different from your actual zodiac sign.

How can one tell favourable from unfavourable planets? One also has to acquaint themselves with enough knowledge of whether a planet is ‘exalted’ or ‘debilitated’, depending on where it is positioned in the chart. An exalted planet gives favourable results, and a debilitated one gives unfavourable results.

What are the astrology chart symbols to watch out for? Houses are denoted by Roman numerals (I-XII), zodiacs by Hindu-Arabic numerals (1-12) and planets by abbreviations – such as Ju for Jupiter.