Photo by Remko van Dokkum (cc)
Every student of astrology should be able to obtain and look at their own chart, and not just have it handed to them by an astrologer. Even if you don’t quite know what you’re looking at yet, as an enthusiast it’s empowering to be able to do it on your own. It’s easy to get a free copy of your natal chart- here I’m going to walk you through getting your chart from Astrodienst.
Note: I don’t work for them; I have no vested interest other than being a fan and wanting them to stay healthy and solvent. As a visually-oriented person, I find their charts to be by far the most visually appealing and easy to read of all the free options on the internet.
To draw an accurate chart you will need the following information:
- Your date of birth
- The location (city and country) where you were born
- Your birth time
The accuracy of your chart is determined by the accuracy of this information. If you don’t have a correct time of birth, you can still draw a chart but it will have only signs, not houses. This is still a good start for studying on your own, but it’s best to obtain a birth time if you can.
1. Visit the Astrodienst website and create an account.
Go to www.astro.com and look at the home page. In the top right hand side, there is a series of links ending with the item “My Astro”. Click this and you will see a login page; the last two options are Create a horoscope immediately as a guest user, and Create a free registered user profile. Choose whichever one suits you the best. I recommend creating a profile, since it will allow you to save your information. If you decide to do so, it will take you to a screen where you will enter your email and create a password. Choose the “high security” option here.
2. Enter your birth data.
The next screen is your main account view. Click the link that says “add new Astro data”.
On this page, enter your name, gender, birthday, hour and minute of birth, and location. If you do not know your birth time, select “unknown” in the hour menu. Hit the Continue button. it will take you back to the profile screen, with your information near the center.
3. Select your chart style.
Click on the line with your information from the account page, and it will take you to the main horoscope page. Scroll down to the section on the right labeled Horoscope Chart Drawings. Click the first one that says “quick access” and your chart will be in horizontal format on the next page. From here you can email it to yourself, or follow the printing instructions below.
You’re done!
3a. Print a more detailed chart (recommended).
If you have your birth time, you might want to print yourself a chart that shows aspects to the ascendant and midheaven as well. From the main horoscope page, choose the second option that says “extended chart selection”. Starting at the top of the screen, select:
- Horoscope for: your name
- Please select the type of chart you want: Natal Chart Wheel
- Chart drawing style: Astrodienst w. asc/mc asp.
Then click the Click here to show the chart button. From here the sending and printing is the same. If you want transits on your chart as well, click the link on the top right that says “with transits” and the page will reload with the positions on the current date added.
And that’s it! Easy. Even if you have an old paper copy of your chart already, you may find the Astrodienst style easier to read.
