How to Read and Interpret a Birth Chart: Guideposts for Understanding Natal Astrology

by Laurie Farrington, Theresa Reed (foreword)

Master astrologer Laurie Farrington distills her decades of experience into a clear and concise system of preparing and interpreting natal charts, whether one’s own, those of friends and family, or for clients as a professional astrologer.

Each of us possesses an individual astrology chart, cast for the moment of our first breath. This natal chart is a complex document with a mind-boggling amount of information hidden within its patterns and symbols. Even for those with a firm knowledge of the language of astrology, the amount of information involved can be overwhelming.

Understanding the basics of signs, planets, houses, and aspects is the first step for anyone interested in this topic. It must then be determined what is most important and how to merge the many astrological patterns into a coherent whole. Laurie Farrington provides a unique perspective, gathered over years of practical service.

How to Read and Interpret a Birth Chart provides sixteen guideposts to work systematically with each and every chart you encounter. The guideposts are designed to deepen understanding and will help readers to grasp what is most important in the chart. The reader will be able to understand any birth chart with confidence.

Topics include:
Day Charts/Night Charts
Hemisphere/Quadrant Balance
The Moon—Mother and Inner Security
Expression and Navigation of Personality
Balance of Life Development—Planetary Rulership

The guidance offered here is the result of Laurie’s work as a consulting astrologer with thousands of clients around the world. Most currently available books on the topic of natal astrology focus on basic information about signs, planets, and houses. How to Read and Interpret a Birth Chart will bring the student to a deeper understanding of the topic. This is the book needed by readers who have mastered the basics and are ready for more.

Genres: Astrology

280 pages, Paperback

Published January 8, 2025

Reviews

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not going to lie; I am not super interested in astrology. I find the entire field fascinating, and I love reading and hearing about astrological predictions, but it isn't a field I practice, at least not at this point in my journey. However, that doesn't mean I will pass up the opportunity to learn or the opportunity to review a book I know many of you dear witches may be interested in. That's where How to Read & Interpret A Birth Chart: Guideposts for Understanding Natal Astrology by Laurie Farrington comes in.

First and foremost, How to Read & Interpret A Birth Chart is a dense book for being so short. There were times I felt myself shaking my head trying to process what I had just read, often having to go back and reread sections. Farrington covers everything required to read and interpret a birth chart but assumes the reader already has a foundation in astrology. I do not, which is part of the reason I found this book challenging. Furthermore, because I am no expert in astrology, I cannot comment on the accuracy of the information Farrington presents, but considering she has been practicing astrology for the majority of her life and has experience using multiple systems, I think it's safe to assume her information is valid. She also includes a variety of sources, both historical and practical, and encourages her readers to seek out these sources to learn more and grow as an astrologist. I always love authors who are willing to suggest learning from others. It tells me they know they are not infallible and do not know everything.

Again, I found How to Read & Interpret A Birth Chart to be challenging because I do not have the background knowledge to fully understand what Farrington has to teach. As such, I do not recommend this book to those who are just starting out. This is a much more advanced book and one I would not use until all other astrological guides had been exhausted. I do believe, however, Farrington's How to Read & Interpret A Birth Chart would pair well with Keywords for Astrology: The Essential Guide to Correspondences & Interpretation of Planets, Signs, Houses, & Aspects by Hajo Banzhaf and Anna Haebler.

Despite my lack of background knowledge, I loved reading the birth chart interpretations of others, especially those of Monica Lewinski and Chelsea Clinton. Farrington pulls famous birth charts as exemplars, helping the reader to understand the guideposts or lessons she is trying to teach. I am a sucker for "visuals" and need to see things in practice to fully comprehend how to do something.

If you are interested in astrology and already have a solid understanding, I highly recommend How to Read & Interpret A Birth Chart: Guideposts for Understanding Natal Astrology by Laurie Farrington. Learning on the internet is great, but as Farrington mentions in her introduction, the internet gives a very surface-level view of astrology as creators try to appease the masses. This leads to generalizations instead of in-depth understanding and furthers the divide between novices and experts.