What is a Birth Chart Exactly? The Author of Raising Baby by the Stars Weighs In

For newbies, could you share an introduction to natal or birth charts?

The answer to “What’s your sign?” is generally your sun sign — the zodiac sign that the sun was moving through when you were born. But when someone is born, the sun, the moon, and every planet was in a specific astrological location. Using the exact date, time, and place of a person’s birth, you can cast a birth chart (also called a natal chart), like a screenshot of the sky showing exactly where the sun, moon, and each planet were at that precise time.

From there, layers of details can offer a bit of valuable insight into that person’s unique perspective, motivations, voice, strengths, challenges, and more. A child born with a Scorpio sun but a Leo rising might be more outgoing than your average Scorpion. A baby who came into the world while the sun was moving through curious, at times scattered Gemini, migh t also have their Mercury, the planet of communication and thinking, in slow, steady Taurus. In turn, they’ll move in a more deliberate way toward their big picture goals.

Explored separately and holistically, all of these distinctive astrological “placements” make up a person’s astrological blueprint, which can be used as a lifelong tool for self-awareness and growth.

 HOW TO FIND YOUR CHILD'S N ATAL CHART: YOUR BABY’S UNIQUE BLUEPRINT

Although you might already know your baby’s sun sign, that is just one piece of their natal chart, which denotes which signs all the celestial bodies—the moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and even outer planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto—were in when your baby was born. For example, any baby born on July 31 is a Leo; however, one who was born at 2:00 a.m. on July 31, 2020, in Chicago has a Sagittarius moon and a Gemini rising sign, whereas another born at 1:00 p.m. on July 31, 2022, in Los Angeles has a Virgo moon and a Scorpio rising sign. 

To calculate your little one’s astrological natal, or birth, chart, you’ll need their:

• Birth month, date, and year

• Time of birth

• Place of birth including city, state or province, and country

This integral info can generally be found on a long-form birth certificate.

If you don’t have this handy, you can request one from the county where

your child was born. 

Then, check out any of the following resources:

• MaressaBrown.com, and you’ll find a tool that allows you to run a birth chart for free.

• An app. TimePassages is a free app on which you can run your baby’s—or anyone’s—chart. Or if you plan to continue your astrological studies, consider Astro Gold, a paid app that professionals use.

• A professional astrologer. Whether they practice locally or you love their work on social media, connect with and hire an astrologer who can cast and provide you with a chart.

• A sign calculator. If calculating a whole birth chart feels overwhelming, you can also look up individual placements by searching “moon sign calculator” or “Mercury sign calculator,” etc.

How can this unique astrological blueprint be a resource for parents?

Whether you’re an expectant, new, or seasoned parent, you can’t help but revel in the fact that your child is a whole, individual person you get to meet and learn from. At the same time, you’re likely always adding to your parenting toolbox. Astrology is a time-honored, powerful tool for that box, as it can support you in getting to know, nurturing, and engaging with your child. The details of their astrological blueprint offer wisdom on how your child prefers to communicate, experience emotions, and learn. By tapping into this knowledge, you can foster their self-expression, steer them toward educational or wellness activities they’ll enjoy, better understand their sensitivities, pinpoint the best way to soothe them, and more. Here's an example from my book about how to use your baby's rising sign. 

YOUR BABY’S RISING SIGN (AKA ASCENDANT)

Your child’s rising sign, or ascendant, is a detail of their astrological profile that can be determined only with a correct birth time. The rising sign represents the zodiac sign that was rising—aka ascending—on the eastern horizon at the time of your little one’s birth. And because of the way Earth rotates on its axis, the rising sign is the part of the birth chart that changes the fastest: approximately every one to two hours. Children born just a couple of hours apart in the exact same location can have different rising signs. The rising sign rules your child’s First House of Self and speaks to how they present themselves to the world. It’s the sign that people will guess your little one is based on how they appear at first blush. For instance, if your child was born with their sun in fiery, unfiltered Sagittarius but they have a more private, emotional Scorpio ascendant, they could initially seem more reserved than the average Archer.

Your baby’s rising sign or ascendant also reflects their:

Skills

Talents

Pursuit of innermost desires

HOW TO FIND YOUR BABY’S RISING SIGN

Because the rising sign changes throughout the day and is also based on birth location, the fastest way to pinpoint it is by casting a natal chart with your child’s exact birth time. Since it’s already familiar territory, let’s use Prince George’s chart (the blue chart above) to illustrate this.

When the heir to the British throne was born, the constellation that was rising over the eastern horizon from the vantage of his birthplace (London, England) was Scorpio, making his rising sign, or ascendant, Scorpio. Had he been born just over two hours earlier, his rising sign would have been Libra. Had he happened to arrive a bit later, his rising sign would have been Sagittarius. But because he was born at 4:24 p.m., his natal chart begins with Scorpio ruling his First House of Self. In turn, the way he is initially perceived by others is not so much as his sun sign—sentimental, tenderhearted Cancer—but as a magnetic, mysterious Scorpio.

On your own child’s chart, you can pinpoint their rising and ascendant in this very same spot: on the left-hand side, which represents the eastern horizon.

Are there reasons to avoid having your child's chart read...or reasons to wait until you get to know your baby a bit before you do?

There are no real reasons to avoid having your child’s chart read or to wait to do so. And there are many reasons you might find learning about your child’s chart — even the most basic details of it — to be very useful, as, again, it’s just one more tool for your parenting tool box that can promote more harmony and make raising a child even slightly easier. It’s up to every individual parent to decide what’s right and most comfortable for them and their little one.

That said, if you do have an interest and want to go beyond what you can learn yourself from my book Raising Baby by the Stars: A New Parent’s Guide to Astrology, be sure to connect with a professional astrologer. (While I’m not currently doing readings, as I’m focused on my writing at the moment, you can sign up for future offerings on MaressaBrown.com. I also highly recommend my mentor, veteran astrologer April Elliott Kent of Big Sky Astrology.)

Are there areas of parenting that you'd avoid using a natal chart to navigate?

Not really! When looking at a child’s whole natal chart, you can usually pinpoint a bit of intel that comes in handy when tackling a particular challenge. But you probably wouldn’t want to only use your child’s birth chart to navigate a parenting challenge — just as you’d rarely want to use just one resource exclusively. After all, your decisions and actions as a parent are usually best informed by a variety of insights from a bevy of resources — be that experts, educators, your own parent, etc.

I recently chatted with my parents about how they used info from my own and my siblings’ natal charts when they were raising us by the stars, and my dad recalled how knowing that I am such a strong Virgo (my sun, moon, and Mercury are all in the earth sign that’s ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication) was a reason for them to always be up for reading to me, buying me books, getting me a library card, and doing whatever they could to support my love of language, because they knew it would make me feel empowered and seen. They also remembered how my sister whose sun is in quirky, futuristic Aquarius, ruled by Uranus, the planet of rebellion, was often conducting science experiments — even as a toddler! — and also striking out on her own by embracing quirky music or fashion, so they were always quick to celebrate her individuality.

That said, my greatest hope is that my book inspires more parents to use natal astrology as a way to gain insight into their children’s distinct personalities and perspectives. After all, that can only lead to those children feeling seen — and in turn, experiencing greater self-awareness, confidence, and happiness.