
Y’all, this week, I’d like to introduce you to my good friend Martha Clarke. She’s an astrologer and has been trying to explain to me what she does. I will be the first to say that I don’t know much about astrology but I’ve been listening to her & learning a bit here & there. She’s told me many times that her work starts with a Natal Birth Chart and with that she can tell you so much about yourself. I always find it valuable to know yourself better & I love doing this with new tools like this. I invited Martha to write a post for me that explains what she does in better detail. She can explain it way better than I can. So this week’s post is by my friend Martha Clarke. What tools do you use to get to know yourself better? Maybe astrology is for you? Read on & let me know what you think…
If you are planning a relocation or looking for the best place to recharge and energise yourself when travel becomes easier again, astrocartography – or locational astrology – can provide valuable insights.
As an astrocartographer, I get huge pleasure from helping people find the part of the world that is just right for them at this moment in their lives – the one where the positive aspects of their potential and personality are supported by the alignment of the planets and the stars.
How to prepare for your astrocartography reading
Over the last few weeks, my blog posts have focused on strategies you can use to get the most out of your astrocartography reading. The process can produce really rich insights when you enter into it in a reflective state of mind.
Taking time to engage with your hopes and fears before I begin interpreting your astrological charts can open up your heart and mind to the insights the reading offers.
That’s why journaling and visualisation are wonderful preparation for the process. (Last week I set out 10 tips for journaling and visualisation that you can use in the days running up to your first reading with me).
When you have opened your mind and heart to the possibility of change, it is time to begin the series of readings and discussions that will shed light on the best places in the world for you.
The three stages of the astrocartography process
In fact an astrocartography reading relies on the interpretation of three astrology charts:
- your natal birth chart
- your transit forecast
- Your astrocartography maps
In this blog post, I want to talk about why a natal chart is important in locational astrology, so that you can understand how astrocartography works and how it can contribute to your decisions about where to live your life.
Your natal charts and transits charts need to be read before I draw up your astrocartography map, and so the first step in your astrocartography journey will always be to sign up to have a natal chart reading.
Why do I need a natal chart reading?
Your natal birth chart is your cosmic blueprint. It represents the raw essence of you, stripped from the expectations placed on you by your family, your job, and society. We are all shaped by the place of our birth and its place in the cosmos, just as much as we are affected by changes in our lives and the shifting movements of the planets and stars in the years that follow.
Many people will arrange a birth chart reading to gain a greater understanding of what is triggering them subconsciously, particularly within their family of origin. A natal reading can help people to access their emotional needs and understand how to have them met.
When you are looking to draw on insights from locational astrology, a natal chart is invaluable. That’s because, as well as explaining your beginning, your birth chart also offers insights into where you are going!
Mapping the lines from your birth chart
An astrocartographer will use your original natal birth chart to map the planetary lines from that chart across the world. By helping you to interpret those lines, they can help you to pick destinations and homes that are fully aligned with your personal goals and your authentic self.
The fundamental principle of locational astrology is based on planet angularity – the planets proximity and aspects to the four main axis of the natal birth chart – The Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant and IC – Imum Coeli (meaning home and roots). I’ll be talking more about the other steps in the process in the weeks ahead!
But none of this interpretation is possible without careful attention to where you began in the world and the moment at which you entered the world, unencumbered by the worries and uncertainties that have crowded in since that moment.
My reading and our discussion of your birth chart, will help you to uncover your hopes, strengths and potential in ways that will help you imagine the kind of future you most want to live.
When we have a clear sense of who we are and where we come from, we can make mindful and purposeful decisions about where we want to go and how we want to life from now on.
Knowing where you come from, and fully understanding your potential is a crucial step towards making relocation and travel plans.
Only when the natal chart reading and discussion are completed will you be ready to move on to the next step in the astrocartography process which is the reading of your transit forecast.
The next steps
After your natal chart has been created and interpreted, the transit forecast moves you astrocartography experience to a new level. When your transit reading is interpreted, we start to take into account how you are positioned in the cosmos at the current moment.
Then, in your final astrocartography reading in which we consider your astrocartography maps, we will go on to pinpoint those future locations which will best enable you to flourish and prosper.
Your natal birth chart – the key to your role in the cosmos – remains a vital part of this whole process as you begin to chart the movement of your life forward into its next, most fulfilling, phase.
A natal birth chart session can be booked as an individual session. A natal chart reading is also the first step needed if you would like to continue to a transit or astrocartography consultation.
Martha Clarke lives in her native Ireland right now & can be found at marthaclarkeastrology.com. She offers private readings as well as group programs.