Welcome back to the Cosmic Classroom, where you’ll find occasional astro-education pieces that help you put your natal chart together in a practical way, guiding you towards deeper self-understanding and embodied action through the lens of astrology.

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Previously, we learned how to find our way around the natal chart—including how to identify the signs, houses, planets, and more! If you missed it, or if you’d like a refresher, you can find it here:

Now that you know how to find these points in the natal chart, we will start getting to know what they mean.

We already talked about the modes and elements, which are the basic undercurrents of each of the twelve signs explained below. Exploring the modes and elements will deepen your understanding of the twelve signs.

The zodiac signs

When most people think of the zodiac signs, they might think of their sun sign first. If you were anything like me, you would flip straight to the horoscope section of the newspaper or [your chosen] magazine with a healthy dose of anticipation and a side of skepticism (rightfully so). You may argue these horoscopes are vague enough to apply to almost anyone, but when a horoscope hits, it can feel like fate.

One thing many people don’t know is we all carry parts of each of the twelve zodiac signs within us. Yes, that chatty Gemini and manipulative Scorpio you hate live somewhere within you. Hearing that may feel a bit like reading a horoscope that really killed your vibe—but it’s true.

One of the most common questions I get from clients and new students studying their charts is “what does it mean if I don’t have a sign in my chart?” I’m here to tell you that you do have every sign in your chart. You may not have planetary energy in that sign (we’ll get to that later), but each sign will shine through a specific part of your astrology chart, and in turn, an area of your life.

Each chart has all twelve signs, but the distribution of the signs (and planets and houses and aspects and so much more) make up your uniqueness. There are no two charts alike (yes, even twins), and no “good” or “bad” charts. We carry so much more as complex human beings than our astrology can define, yet astrology can be a good place to start and your chart can be helpful in the process of getting to know yourself on a deeper level.

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Welcome to the Cosmic Classroom!

Where I bring monthly astro-education pieces to paid subscribers in the Cosmic Classroom. If you’re interested in learning more about yourself through the lens of your own chart, be sure to follow along!

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In the last Cosmic Classroom article we talked about the elements in astrology and how they interact with and support our lives. By becoming aware of the elements in nature, and in ourselves, we can better understand and notice when things start to feel off, while having access to simple tools to get back into balance.

The modes in astrology.

There are three modes, each mode including four of the twelve zodiac signs, which is why it can also be described as quadruplicity. Each sign in the respective modes creates a square or opposition to each other (we’ll talk about this more when we explore aspects) which can cause tension. Each sign in the mode wants the same thing, but they each have a unique way of getting there. The modes are what determine the seasons in nature, too. This can be a helpful connection to make because the nature of the modes directly reflects the nature of the seasonal shifts.

Cardinal: the beginning of each season

Fixed: mid-season

Mutable: the end of each season

The distribution of each mode in our own chart can tell us more about our own mode of operation.

My chart for example, is mostly fixed, which speaks to the part of me that has staying power. I’m loyal (almost to a fault), when I start something I often see it through with consistent action (unless I’m uninterested or lack incentive), and it’s also the part of me that is really fucking stubborn and hard headed (I’m sure my mom has lots to say about that).

If I separate my big three1, two of the three placements are cardinal, which speaks to the part of me that loves to start new. If you look at the trajectory of my life, much of it has been spent starting fresh—whether it be by moving across the country to the arctic circle for a job, moving to a new country for a fresh start after a breakup, or the bazillion business ideas that constantly float through my head waiting to be born. This is also the part of me that can start something new a little too quickly without thinking it through, when even the abundance of fixed energy can’t keep me going.

Knowing these parts of me allows me to bring more awareness to how I move through the world. I know that I’m the type of person that has big ideas, who is a natural leader, but I also know that not every idea is meant to be birthed into the world—especially if the resources and motivation aren’t there to sustain it. With this awareness, I’m able to sit with myself before rushing in and getting in way over my head and taking others on a ride they didn’t ask to go on (most times). It also allows me the permission to go all in on projects I believe in, because I know I’ll be able to make it happen if it feels right.

What about your own astrology chart?

Check out this post if you need help creating your chart.

You’ll be able to see the modal breakdown in your chart you created via astro.com. Take a look at the diagram below for reference. If you need an extra hand, check out the video at the bottom of this page for a step-by-step walkthrough.

Let’s break down the three modes, their respective signs, and the qualities associated with each.

Below you will find information for each of the three modes and their signs, along with the video walkthrough. If you would like to gain access to the Cosmic Classroom and learn more about yourself through the lens of your own chart, consider becoming a paid member. If you’re already a paid member, don’t let me stop you—keep reading!

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Next steps

• create an account on astro.com if you don't have one already

• generate your personal birth chart on astro.com

• identify which sign rules each house in your personal chart using the method demonstrated

• track the sun's movement through your chart over time

• observe and note the themes and areas of life highlighted as the sun moves through different houses in your chart

Zodiac Glyphs

Overview of House Themes

If you need help creating an account:

Or more info on identifying parts of the chart:

Welcome to the Cosmic Classroom!

Where I bring astro-education pieces to paid subscribers. If you’re interested in learning more about yourself through the lens of your own chart, be sure to follow along!

Subscribe now

Last edition we learned our way around the natal chart—how to find the signs, houses, planets, and more! If you missed it, or if you’d like a refresher, you can find it here:

The Elements

The elements are the key I come back to, time and time again, as they bring me back to the basics when things start to feel overwhelming—in life and in learning astrology. Most people have a sense of the elements already, as we meet them in our lives every day, whether we realise it or not.

These elements we see in nature are also found within each of us—because we are nature—we are not separate.

It’s up to us to take the time to notice.

During my first ever formal astrology class, I learned about the elements. Finding out my fire was dangerously low (pretty well burnt out) was life changing. Since childhood, I’ve been the serious one—often trying to hang out with the adults in the room because I felt older than I was—which has made it more difficult for me to access anger, joy, and the confidence to be seen in my adult life.

I have a distinct memory as a child, where I was trying to be heard—for my emotions to be given space—that I yelled and kicked the oven in the kitchen in an angry outburst. Not long after that outburst did I get physically sick. I was convinced that my anger (aka my fire) made me sick, and from that moment, my body learned it wasn’t safe to be angry—something I’ve later learned how to hold space for in a healthier way.1

Knowing I can intentionally balance the elements within me is a tool I will carry with me for the rest of my life. My homework during that class was to post a video online, and now reflecting back, I can still feel that version of me who was shaking at the thought of speaking about myself and showing my face to the world. Now I can go live on social media with zero second thoughts and chat unscripted as if I’m talking with a friend—something I once spent three whole days trying to work up the courage to do—which is proof that working the elements is like working a muscle at the gym. We all have access to all of the elements, whether we find them in our astrology chart or not. Working with the elements has given me the confidence to be me, unapologetically and without fear.

There are four elements in astrology: fire, earth, air, and water.

Part of coming into alignment with ourselves is by way of coming into alignment with nature itself. One way to do this is by working with the elements in our chart, and finding balance between them, noticing where we are overactive, and where we could turn up the dial—much like I did with my own fire.

Below you will find descriptions and medicine for each of the four elements. If you would like to gain access to the Cosmic Classroom and learn more about yourself through the lens of your chart, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

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Welcome to the Cosmic Classroom!

Where I bring monthly astro-education pieces to paid subscribers in the Cosmic Classroom. If you’re interested in learning more about yourself through the lens of your own chart, be sure to follow along!

If you don’t want to receive Cosmic Classroom education pieces, but still want to hear from me, click here to manage your subscription.

You can toggle off the Cosmic Classroom to unsubscribe to this series.

One of our members, , created his chart and mentioned the chart looks like string art—an image that has stuck with me since hearing it.

String art was created by mathematics teacher, Mary Everest Boole, in the 1800s as a way to make geometry more understandable to her students.1

Much like string art, astrology involves mathematics and a bit of art.

Let’s begin untangling the string art that is you, by diving more deeply into your natal chart.

If you missed the last article on how to create your chart, you can find that here:

How to gather astrology chart information

The chart is made up of signs, planets, houses, angles, and aspects. Today we are going to begin by learning how to recognise these pieces of information by looking at your chart.

Let’s break down the anatomy of the natal wheel

Signs

Each chart is made up of the twelve zodiac signs that surround the outside of the wheel. You’ll notice in the picture below, the zodiac signs are depicted by their respective glyphs. In the next post, we will go deeper into these glyphs, the zodiac signs, and their meanings.

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Hi, I’m Kaitlyn 👋

I write about real life through the lens of astrology. My goal is to help as many people as possible learn to love themselves for who they are—dark parts and all. I believe the parts we were taught to hide are where our true gifts lie. 

Going forward, I will be bringing occasional astro-education pieces to paid subscribers in the Cosmic Classroom. If you’re interested in learning more about yourself through the lens of your own chart, be sure to follow along!

This first edition is free for everyone—you’re welcome to join the Cosmic Classroom at any time by upgrading your subscription.

Have you ever looked at a birth chart and wondered, “wtf is this and where do I even start?”

If you have, you’re not alone.

The first time I saw a birth chart (also called a natal chart), I was overwhelmed. It felt like the scene from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” where Charlie loses his mind trying to figure out who Pepe Silvia is.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

But, I do want to preface this post by saying astrology is a language—it’s complex, and it’s quite literally impossible to learn it in one sitting, possibly even in one lifetime. You wouldn’t sit down and expect to speak Mandarin fluently after reading one post, and learning astrology is similar in this way.

Your walls may look like Charlie’s throughout the process, but if you stick around the Cosmic Classroom, I will make sure it’s a lot less overwhelming.

Give yourself grace if you don’t get it right away.

Not to mention all of the difference schools of thought, house systems, lineages, and everything you can do with the language once you learn it. The possibilities are endless, and I hope this is just the beginning of your astro learning journey.

There are people out there who may never have an interest in learning astrology, and that’s fine. If you’re curious about learning more about yourself through the lens of astrology without the desire to spend time studying, I’d recommend booking a session. In my readings, I won’t overwhelm you with astro-jargon you don’t understand, but rather bring you the essence of you via your chart in a language you can understand. Let me do the leg-work for you.

Book a Reading

**Warning: stop here if you’re not ready to go down the rabbit hole.

Creating your own chart in 3 easy steps:

1. Create an account

Go to www.astro.com and create a free account. This is the website I recommend most, as it’s accurate and one of the easiest to navigate. There are plenty of options to play around with as you get more comfortable and start synthesising your knowledge.

2. Input your birth information

This is where you’ll need your birth information (or the information of the person you’d like to create a chart for). You’ll need the name, date of birth, time of birth, and place of birth of the person in question.

On the “Stored Astro Data” page, click + Add new Astro data.

Input the information of the chart you’d like to generate.

The time of birth is really important here. The time of birth will affect the rising sign1, which changes approximately every two hours—the closer to the correct birth time, the better. Ask your parents, get your long form birth certificate, or contact vital statistics if you don’t have it. There are astrologers who can reverse engineer your birth time as a last resort—this is called chart rectification.

If you don’t have the birth time, you can still look at the planets in each sign, but disregard the houses and rising sign. The moon (and other personal planets near the end/beginning of a sign) may also change as it moves quite quickly, too.

You will still be able to gather valuable information, but it won’t be as in depth if you don’t have the time of birth.

3. Get your birth chart!

Once the information is input into the system, you will see the name of the person in the Stored Astro Data page. Click the name to generate the natal chart. You will be brought to a page with many options.

For now, we will be working with the quick access chart drawing.

You will then be brought to the image of the natal chart for the selected person.

Be sure to save your chart or print it out—this is just the beginning. It will be useful as you continue on this journey of learning more about yourself through the lens of astrology.

Now if you’ve gotten this far, you may be thinking it’s about as useful as a credit card with no balance. Don’t worry, we’ll get you the funds you need in the currency of knowledge.

We’re going to take it slow and simple here.

In the next post, we will learn how to identify the things you see on the photo above. Keep your own chart nearby as we explore it together.