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Basic Chart Interpretation – Step 3 – Margin Notes

by Alison Price

This post is part of a series on basic chart interpretation and how to read a natal chart. The other steps are listed below and will be developed soon.

Step 1 – The birth chart data – time, date and place.

Step 2 – The physical chart – printing and highlighting main features.

Step 3 – Preparing for the interpretation – margin notes

Step 4 – Your interpretation – detailed notes

Preparing for the Interpretation – Margin Notes

Once you have the correct chart data, have cast the chart and printed it with the appropriate coloured highlights on the page the next step is the written notes you will make and first you will do the margin notes.

At this stage your are not using you astrology journal to take notes for a client that will be used to capture basic astrology interpretation meaning.

You will typically use loose paper with lines and, wait for it, a margin.

Margin

The margin is the column on the left side of a ruled page.

Margin notes are any notes you put in a margin. Simple.

Yes, but exactly what notes will you put in a margin when you do a chart interpretation?

Margin notes can be either handwritten astrology glyphs or astrology short form codes (used when typing or emailing).

Example Chart – Stephen King

Below is Stephen King’s chart.

 

Five Main Points for Chart Interpretation

The five important details for margin notes are:

  • The Balances
  • The Ascendant Complex
  • The Chart Ruler Complex
  • The Sun Complex
  • Major Aspect Patterns

Example Margin Notes for Stephen King

The Balances

Polarity

Active = 4 and passive = 3.

Hemispheres

NH = 6, SH – 1, EH = 4 and WH = 3.

Quadrants

Q1 = 3, Q2 = 3, Q3 = 0 and Q4 = 1.

The Ascendant Complex

ASC 29CA51.

Ascendant aspects

ASC-60-SU, ASC-60-VE, ASC-0-MA, ASC-120-JP, and ASC-120-NN.

First House Planets

PL and SA.

The Chart Ruler complex

MO SG 5th

Aspects of the chart ruler

MO-120-SA, MO-120-PL and MO-60-ME.

The Sun Complex

SU VI 3rd.

Sun aspects

SU-0-VE, SU-90-UR and SU-45-PL.

Major Aspect Patterns

Mini grand trine 1

(MO-120-PL)-60-ME

ME focal planet 4th

Mini grand trine 2

(MO-120-SA)-60-ME

ME focal planet 4th

Subsequent Margin Notes

After the five main points you will list in order:

  • The Moon complex (if not already done as the chart ruler)
  • The final dispositors complex (if not already done as the chart ruler)
  • The rest of the planets in order in the houses by angular, succedent and cadent

At the end, you will have everything listed in the chart. But the first five things will be the important issues and the ones that the client is dealing with already.

 

Interpreting a chart is easy when you break down the steps and do them in order of importance and order of relevance.

You do not need to be looking at a Chiron semi-sextile the North Node aspect as the first thing you consider.

Nor do you interpret from the planets in Aries first and then Taurus. Understand the weight of the planet and its prominence within a chart.

Get to love margin notes.