Find the Ascendant or Rising sign at the 9 o’clock position
Identify the 12 houses moving counterclockwise around the wheel
Note the zodiac sign on each house cusp
Locate the Sun sign for core identity and ego
Locate the Moon sign for emotions and inner needs
Locate Mercury for communication and thinking
Locate Venus for love, values, and attraction
Locate Mars for drive, action, and desire
Locate Jupiter for growth, luck, and expansion
Locate Saturn for discipline, limits, and responsibility
Locate Uranus for change, originality, and rebellion
Locate Neptune for dreams, intuition, and illusion
Locate Pluto for transformation, power, and intensity
Check which planets fall in which houses
Check which planets are in which zodiac signs
Check aspects between planets using the lines inside the wheel
Look for conjunctions where planets are close together
Look for oppositions where planets are across from each other
Look for squares where planets are about 90 degrees apart
Look for trines where planets are about 120 degrees apart
Look for sextiles where planets are about 60 degrees apart
Note any stelliums where three or more planets cluster in one sign or house
Compare the balance of elements: fire, earth, air, and water
Compare the balance of modalities: cardinal, fixed, and mutable
Read the chart ruler by finding the planet that rules the Rising sign
Synthesize sign, house, and aspect meanings together
Focus on the strongest placements first
Interpret the chart as a whole rather than one placement alone