How to use the line guides
Every line is a planet on one of four angles. The planet tells you what is emphasised; the angle tells you where in life. Each guide explains how that line is drawn, what it is traditionally associated with, how it tends to feel to live or travel there, what it brings to love, work and home, and what to watch. Each also links straight to the map with that line highlighted, so you can see where yours runs.
| Angle | The planet was | Life area | On the map |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASC | Rising in the east | Self, body, vitality, first impressions | Solid curve |
| DSC | Setting in the west | Partners, relationships, other people | Dashed curve |
| MC | Overhead, culminating | Career, reputation, public life | Solid straight line |
| IC | Underfoot, anti-culminating | Home, family, roots, private life | Dashed straight line |
The planets and points
The luminaries, the Sun and Moon, are the most personal: identity and vitality for the Sun, feelings and belonging for the Moon. The personal planets, Mercury, Venus and Mars, cover mind and words, love and beauty, and drive and courage. The social planets, Jupiter and Saturn, cover growth and luck, and discipline and structure. The outer planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, move slowly and are read as generational and transformative: change, dreams and power. Finally, three points: Chiron (wounds and healing), the North Node (direction and fated meetings) and Black Moon Lilith (raw independence and taboo).
Lines at a glance
| Planet | Best-known line | Reading in a phrase |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | Sun MC | Be seen and recognized |
| Moon | Moon IC | Feel at home |
| Mercury | Mercury MC | Be known for your ideas |
| Venus | Venus DSC | Love and harmony |
| Mars | Mars ASC | Energy and courage, less calm |
| Jupiter | Jupiter MC | Growth and good fortune |
| Saturn | Saturn MC | Hard-earned, lasting success |
| Uranus | Uranus ASC | Freedom and reinvention |
| Neptune | Neptune IC | Retreat and imagination |
| Pluto | Pluto ASC | Deep personal change |
| Chiron | Chiron MC | Healing work and teaching |
| North Node | North Node MC | A sense of calling |
| Black Moon Lilith | Lilith ASC | Untamed independence |
Reading lines together
Lines rarely work alone. Most places sit within range of two or three, and the crossings between them form parans, which astrologers read along a whole latitude.
To weigh several lines at once, follow the guide to reading your chart step by step. Once you know what to look for, tap any place on the free astrocartography chart to see the exact distance and strength of every line near it.
How many lines matter at once
On most maps, a given city has between one and four lines within 1,000 km. The reading lists them nearest first, and a sensible rule is to weigh the closest one or two most heavily. Places with no line in range are not "bad"; astrologers read them as neutral ground where your birth chart works without any one planet turned up.