Birth Chart Part 2: Outer Planets & Chiron
I’ve spent time at several Holistic Fairs in the past year. I’ve learned to focus on the primary areas of the chart to give each individual a slice of their life plan. In Part I the basics of a Birth Chart/Natal reading was covered. In Part 2 of the Birth Chart blogs I expand beyond the basic personal birth chart reading to areas that I feel are important both to the individual and to our collective energies.
Personal vs. Collective: When you receive a birth chart reading, the focus is mostly on your personal planets and aspects. These include the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter along with the North Node and Rising Sign or Ascendant. However, there are other astrological indicators of the bigger picture of your life. These are called collective (transits) or generational (birth chart). They are Uranus, Neptune and Pluto and line up like this:
Uranus: Takes 7+ years to move through zodiac signs. This means that a majority of humans never have a Uranus return, which would occur around 84 years of age. However, they do have squares (ages of 42-48) which line up with our demographic cycle called the “mid-life crisis”. More significantly, the signs represent periods in history which can be studied to determine what might occur this time around. In 2018 we had a shift of Uranus into Taurus which lasts until 2026.
The last time Uranus was in Taurus was 1934 to 1942 when significant events occurred globally including the rise of leaders as dictators and and their roles in WWII, the Great Depression in the US and its subsequent unemployment, the creation of social programs in the US to provide employment and housing to the population, the outbreak of WWII and the US entering the war just as Uranus in Taurus was ending. Fast forward to 2019 and we had significant events that mirrored the same issues: the worldwide rise of authoritarian leaders, Japan’s emperor abdicating, Brexit, the fire at Notre Dame, violence and wars breaking out, and the pandemic.
The global pandemic arrived in 2020 and transformed work, values, economics, and showed divides in generations about the importance of work. The challenges have continued with great chaos that is showing us collectively that we need to be clear on values. We are also seeing that there are differing values and we have to work on honoring our various journeys or the chaos will continue.
Uranus for you: You may wonder what this all means to you. Currently, Uranus will be retrograding into Gemini in 2025 and then back into Taurus. It finally leaves Taurus - which represents “what we value” in 2026. Look at the house(s) in your birth chart where Taurus can be found to determine how you are most affected. When Uranus in in Gemini we will see changed in education, more emphasis on the mind which includes changing how we think, and general restlessness. After WWII we saw these Gemini changes with the addition of the GI Bill which helps military veterans and their dependents pay for college. It can be a time where opposing viewpoints are highlighted as Gemini is symbolized by the twins. They may look alike, but they have differing
Neptune: The planet Neptune takes 14 years to move through signs. Looking at the house of your birth chart, Neptune will reveal a lot about how you are affected. Neptune has been in Pisces since 2011 and will move into Aries on March 30, 2025. We are moving from an energy of great emotion, imagination, and illusion into an energy of Aries, representing honesty, directness, initiative, assertiveness, and also traditionally conflict or war. There will be a retrograde back into Pisces from October 22, 2025 to January 26, 2026 and then it will reside in Aries until 2039. Previous Aries dates were 1861 (The US Civil War) until 1875.
Neptune for you: I have found Neptune has one more characteristic that applies to individuals. It’s the great dissolver. When you look at the house of Neptune by birth it will show where Neptune shows up during transits in your life and everything just disappears. For example, a second house Neptune indicates loss of finances and possible bankruptcy. A fourth house Neptune shows one parent who is absent in some way - alcoholism, away for work or the military, or absent emotionally. The zodiac sign does not matter, it’s all about the house!
Pluto: Pluto was discovered in 1930 and represents power, the subconscious, and the culmination of everything you have ever experienced in past lives. Pluto as a collective generally aligns with demographic groups such as Baby Boomers, Gen X, etc. It was discovered in 1930 at the time of rising world leaders who were either democratic or authoritarian. In 2006 the celestial object was downgraded from a planet to a dwarf planet due to its orbit not being the same as other planets.
Pluto for you: While we just moved into Pluto in Aquarius in late 2024, looking at the house of your Pluto focuses on your individual handling of the subconscious and the power of understanding that you are more than your physical self. From a soul perspective Pluto energies occur when you have a rebirth or spiritual awakening and your consciousness is lifted to reveal a world beyond the mundane. Many people never take this journey and stay in a state of the physical world as the beginning and end of existence.
Focusing on Chiron
Chiron was discovered as an asteroid in 1977 but reclassified years later as a comet. The planetary object was first classified in astronomy as a Centaur object and in astrology is represented by the half man/half horse of Sagittarius. Because these objects are unstable, the astrological effect is that you have a wound that seems to pop up out of nowhere. Typically, the wound is a major life challenge that can come to a head during the Chiron return which occurs between the ages of 51 and 53. Your life experience up to this point would serve as a catalyst for healing the wound you have been carrying since childhood.
The major themes of each house by rulerships are :
Aries: Consciousness of the self
Taurus: Values of the material and spiritual
Gemini: Communication and mastery of your gift
Cancer: Connecting to your roots
Leo: Self expression and creativity
Virgo: Health and healing
Libra: Relationships as the path
Scorpio: Feel your feelings
Sagittarius: The meaning of life
Capricorn: Recognition and appreciation
Aquarius: Feeling a sense of belonging and being grounded
Pisces: Having trust and faith
To understand your Chiron placement look at the sign and house combination. Example: You have Chiron in Aries in the 10th house. Your wound would be around your identity (Aries) and being conscious of the self beyond your ego. In the 10th house you would have issues around being recognized and appreciated in your career.
The Lesson: Become conscious of yourself beyond your ego and let go of needing co-workers to recognize your contributions. You are learning to do the right thing and not focus on reward and recognition.
Birth Chart Part 3 will focus on the Rising Sign/Ascendant.
