Step 2: The Four Components in Every Chart
Identify the Signs. There are twelve of them and they make up the celestial band or belt called the Zodiac. This band runs around the outside of the chart. It is cut into the twelve equal parts: the 12 signs of the zodiac.
Identify the Houses. Inside the Zodiac there are what look like twelve slices of pizza. These are the twelve houses. They do not align with the signs of the Zodiac although there are twelve signs and twelve houses. It is worth thinking this through as this is the single most difficult point to understand when learning how to read a chart.
Find the ten Planets. Inside the twelve houses you find the ten planets. If you are counting more than ten in your Birth Chart that is because some websites (or programs or astrologers) show other points of interest in the heavens. Do not worry about these.
Recognize the Aspects. Finally, in the middle of the Birth Chart there are usually a whole lot of lines. They show interplanetary relation- ships and are called aspects.