How Does Astrocartography Work?

Astrocartography works by taking the planetary positions from a person's birth chart and placing them onto a map of the world. The map shows the locations where The Sun, The Moon and the planets were rising, setting, at the highest point of the chart or at the lowest point at the moment that person was born. The result is a network of planetary lines crossing the Earth.

To calculate an astrocartography map, three pieces of information are particularly important: date of birth, time of birth and place of birth. These are the same basic details used to calculate a birth chart. The positions of the planets in the Zodiac are established for that particular moment, but astrocartography then adds geography to the calculation. This is possible because the same planet can appear in a different part of the sky depending on where on Earth it is being observed. At the exact moment someone is born, The Sun might be rising in one part of the world while it is setting somewhere else. In another location it may be high in the sky, while somewhere on the opposite side of the Earth it will be below the horizon. Astrocartography maps these differences across the Earth.

The four most important positions are the Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven and Imum Coeli. These are often shown on astrocartography maps as AC, DC, MC and IC. The Ascendant or AC represents the eastern horizon, so a planetary Ascendant line shows the locations where that planet was rising at the time of birth. Directly opposite the Ascendant is the Descendant or DC, representing the western horizon and showing where a planet was setting. The Midheaven or MC represents the upper part of the chart and is associated with career, ambition and our position in the outside world. The Imum Coeli or IC sits opposite the Midheaven and has a stronger connection with home, family, security and private life.

These four angles are important because planets positioned close to the angles of a birth chart are given particular importance in astrology. Astrocartography takes this idea and asks a geographical question: where in the world would each planet have been on one of these angles at the moment of birth? The answer creates the planetary lines. Venus, for example, can produce a Venus Ascendant line, Venus Descendant line, Venus Midheaven line and Venus IC line. Mars can produce the same four types of line, as can Jupiter, Saturn and the other planets.

Understanding the map therefore requires looking at both the planet and the angle rather than considering the planet alone. The planet describes the main astrological influence. The Sun represents the inner self, ego, power, self expression, creativity and vitality. The Moon is associated with emotions, memories, moods, nurturing, home and security. Mercury represents intellect, thoughts and communication, while Venus represents affection, harmony, relationships and pleasure. Mars brings confidence, energy, strength, ambition and impulsiveness.

Jupiter has connections with growth, prosperity, good fortune, travelling, freedom and exploration, while Saturn is associated with restriction, boundaries, hard work, responsibility and discipline. Uranus can bring originality and change. Neptune is associated with idealism, compassion, imagination, illusion and confusion, while Pluto can bring subjects involving self empowerment and important changes.

The angle shows the area of life through which that planetary influence may become particularly noticeable. Consider Venus as an example. On a Venus Ascendant line, Venus becomes connected with the self and the way someone presents themselves to the world. A Venus Descendant line places more emphasis on relationships and dealings with other people. A Venus Midheaven line can bring Venus subjects into career and public life, while a Venus IC line turns the emphasis towards home and private life. Mars would be interpreted using exactly the same method, but its character is very different from Venus. A Mars Midheaven line combines career and public life with the confidence, energy, strength and ambition associated with Mars. A Mars Descendant line brings that energy more directly into relationships and dealings with other people.

Astrocartography therefore works through combinations rather than isolated meanings. A line should not simply be described as good or bad. Jupiter is commonly associated with good fortune and growth, but that does not mean every Jupiter location guarantees success. Saturn can represent restriction and hard work, but that does not mean every Saturn location should be avoided. The meaning depends on what someone is trying to achieve and how that planet operates within their complete birth chart.

The original birth chart remains important because astrocartography does not create a new set of planets. The planets retain their original Zodiac positions and relationships with one another. The geographical map provides another way of examining how those planets may be expressed. This is also where astrocartography and a relocation chart are closely connected. A relocation chart uses the original moment of birth but calculates the chart for a different location. The planets remain at the same positions in the Zodiac, but changing the geographical location changes the angles and houses of the chart. Astrocartography provides a way of viewing these geographical changes across the world rather than calculating a separate chart for every possible city.

This makes the map useful for comparing locations. Someone considering moving may look at the planetary lines running through different cities. Another person might examine the map before travelling. Someone concentrating on career may pay particular attention to Midheaven lines, while relationships could make Descendant lines more interesting.

The exact birth time becomes particularly important in astrocartography. The Earth is continually rotating, so the relationship between the planets, the horizon and different geographical locations is constantly changing. If the recorded birth time is inaccurate, the calculated positions of the astrocartography lines can also change. This is more important than it might first appear because moving a line can change which towns, cities or countries lie close to it. Someone who only knows that they were born sometime in the morning cannot expect the same geographical accuracy as someone with a reliable recorded birth time.

Planetary lines also do not need to pass directly through a city before astrologers consider them relevant. Locations surrounding a line can also be considered, although there is no single distance used by every astrologer. The closer the location is to the line, the more directly it is usually treated as connected with that planetary position. Some parts of the world may have several lines nearby, while other areas may have very few. When lines come close together, several planetary influences may need to be interpreted at the same time.

When there are no major lines close to a location, this does not mean that nothing will happen there or that the location has no astrological meaning. The birth chart and a relocation chart can still provide information about that place. The map is therefore best treated as one layer of a larger astrological interpretation.

In simple terms, astrocartography begins with the exact moment of birth, calculates where each planet was rising, setting, at the Midheaven or at the IC around the world, and draws those positions onto a geographical map. The meaning of each line is then interpreted by combining the characteristics of the planet with the meaning of the angle. That is the basic principle behind how astrocartography works.