Your Birth chart, or Horoscope otherwise known as Kundli in Vedic astrology, is a unique Karmic map that shares the wisdom of life—past, present, and future. By analysing a birth chart you can understand every aspect about yourself, your life, your family and the secrets of what your soul is looking to achieve, heal or transform in this lifetime.

So wouldn’t it be great to look at a birth chart (be it yours or someone else’s) and quickly get an insight on the most important components of the personality and overall life experiences?

But when you look at a birth chart for the first time, you may find it overwhelming and absolutely confusing. And that’s completely understandable because astrology can take a lifetime to be fully explored and understood.

However, reading a kundli isn’t as hard as it seems, as one has to only understand some vital aspects to be able to read the several houses and planetary positions.

If you are interested in learning how to read a birth chart as a beginner, here’s how to go about it:

To create a birth chart, you will need to know the person’s date of birth, time of birth, and place of birth. Then these birth details, along with the placement and state of the planets and zodiac signs in the Kundli, are taken into account to make predictions.

Understand The Houses and Their Significance

A Kundli consists of 12 Houses and each of them signifies different aspects of your life and along with physical traits, features and interests. Therefore, any planet or zodiac sign posited in a house, influences its factors and gives results based on that account.

HOUSES

SIGNIFICANCE OF EACH HOUSE

1st House:

Self, Physical Features and Traits, Personality, and characteristics

2nd House:

Wealth, Finances, Family, Primary Knowledge

3rd House:

Communication, Skills, Hobbies, Younger Siblings

4th House:

Happiness, Mother, Property, Land, Vehicle, Secondary Education

5th House:

Creativity, Love Affairs, Progeny, Past Life Experience, Higher Education

6th House:

Profession, Diseases, Enemies, Debt, Advocacy

7th House:

Marriage, Spouse, Relationships & Long-Term Partnerships, Public Image

8th House:

Longevity, Unexpected Events, Research

9th House:

Luck, Father, Mentor, Beliefs, Religion, Long Distance Travel, Higher Learning

10 House:

Job, Career, Profession, Karma or Actions

11th House:

Job, Career, Profession, Karma or Actions

12th House:

Income, Gains, Ambitions, Elder Siblings, Expenditure

Identify All Nine Planets in Your Birth Chart

Find out about the planets and which houses they are in. Planets are the experiences of life that shape our personality. Below are the nine planets of the birth chart, with their Vedic names, common abbreviations, and significance in Vedic astrology.

Sr. No.

Vedic/English Name

Symbol

1

Surya/Sun

Su ☀️

2

Chandra-Moon

Mo 🌗

3

Mars-Mangal

Ma ♂️

4

Budh-Mercury

Me ☿️

5

Guru/Brihaspati-Jupiter

Ju ♃

6

Shukra-Venus

Ve ♀️

7

Shani-Saturn

Sa 🪐

8

Rahu (Ascending Node of Moon’s Orbit)

Rah ☊

9

Ketu ( Descending Node of Moon’s Orbit)

Ket ☋

Identify Your Lagna or Rising Sign/Ascendant

The first step in kundli reading is to identify the lagna or rising sign/ascendant. The number mentioned in the First House represents the Lagna. The Lagna is the beginning of the birth chart (the 1st house in the birth chart/kundli) and all the houses start from here, arranged in an anti-clockwise direction through 12th. Remember, Lagna is always associated with the 1st House.

Aries is denoted by number 1, Taurus is 2, Gemini is 3, Cancer is 4, Leo is 5, Virgo is 6, Libra is 7, Scorpio is 8, Sagittarius is 9, Capricorn is 10, Aquarius in 11 & Pisces is 12.

Find the Sun and Moon

The Sun and the Moon in your kundli represent the most fundamental and essential elements of the self. These two planets are responsible for your inner and outer personality. The Sun presents your outwardly focused, expressive, and masculine side. The Moon represents your inwardly focused, reflective, and feminine side.

Once you have identified both the Sun’s and the Moon’s House and Sign placements, you can uncover the fundamentals of your inner and outer self.

Also, find out what is your sun sign and your moon sign.

Note that the placement of the house reveals the important areas and major themes of your life. And the signs show the characteristics that come through your personality and life experiences.

Now Let’s Look at the Lords / Chart Ruler / Planetary Signs

Every house in your birth chart will be in a special zodiac sign. And each of these signs is essentially ruled or governed by a specific planet(s). Refer to the table below.

Planets

Signs the Planets Rule

Sun

Leo

Moon

Cancer

Mars

Aries, Scorpio

Venus

Taurus, Libra

Mercury

Gemini, Virgo

Jupiter

Sagittarius, Pisces

Saturn

Capricorn, Aquarius

Rahu

Ketu

Once you have identified the Lords, locate its house and sign placement, just like it was done for the Sun and Moon. Where are Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Rahu, and Ketu positioned in your chart?

Summing Up

Of course, learning the process of reading a birth chart takes time. Go easy and slow. Stick to the identification process first and gradually move on to making meaning out of it. The practice is essential for honing this craft. Studying your own chart is the best reference point for knowing and understanding the concept of astrology better.

If you don’t have your birth chart, call our astrologers to seek guidance.