The Art of Chart Interpretation: A Step-by-Step Method for Analyzing, Synthesizing, and Understanding the Birth Chart

195 Pages·2008·1.96 MB·English

by  Tracy Marks

Published in 2009 by
IBIS PRESS
an imprint of NicolasHays, Inc.
P. O. Box 540206 • Lake Worth, FL 33454-0206
www.nicolashays.com
Distributed to the trade by Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC
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Copyright © 2009 Tracy Marks
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from NicolasHays, Inc. Reviewers may quote
brief passages.

Special thanks to David Perloff, to Yvonne Paglia of Ibis Press, and to Stephen
Arroyo of CRCS Publications, which published the previous edition of this
book.

Quotations by Liv Ullman are reprinted from Changing (© 1976, 1977 by Liv
Ullman), with permission from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available on reequest.

ISBN 978-0-89254-142-3

VG
Cover and text design by Kathryn Sky-Peck Cover photograph by Marcelo
Teson is a detail of the astronomical clock in St. Mark's Square in Venice,
Italy. Used by permission.

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CONTENTS
Preface
Introduction
Principles of Interpretation
A Preliminary Note
Part I:
Techniques of Chart Synthesis & Interpretation
Using the Synthesis Worksheet
Synthesis Worksheets
1 The Chart as a Whole
2 Determining Planetary Strength
3 Aspects and Other Chart Variables
4 Preliminary Synthesis
5 Additional Considerations
6 How to Synthesize
Part II:
Practice In Chart Synthesis
Introduction to Chart Synthesis
Charts A–E with Synthesis Worksheets
7 Author's Answers
8 Example Interpretation (Chart E)
Part III:
The Process of Astrological Counseling & Interpretation
9 Astrology as a Counseling Tool
10 The Astrological Counseling Process
Afterword
Appendix One: Planetary Keywords
Appendix Two: Astrology Client Interview Form
Bibliography
About the Author
PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION
This book is the third edition, revised and updated, of a book I originally wrote
and published in 1979, entitled The Art of Chart Synthesis. My aim then, as now,
was to present a system which I had developed for analyzing and synthesizing
the birthchart. In 1986, after returning to graduate school and completing my
initial training as a counselor, I republished The Art of Chart Synthesis, now
retitled The Art of Chart Interpretation, including in the new edition two
chapters on the counseling and interpersonal dimensions of astrological
interpretation.
During this time period, I benefited not only from my psychotherapeutic
training, but also experienced four years of intensive heartopening
psychotherapy with a psychosynthesis-trained psychologist. My experience as a
client, which began with a Jupiter/Saturn conjunction on my Sun, completely
altered not only my personal relationships, but also my approach to astrology.
Since 1986, I have continued to maintain two separate counseling practices,
one as a licensed mental health counselor, and another as an astrologer.
Although my understanding and methods have continued to develop, in my
astrology practice I still rely, to a large extent, on the system of interpretation
which I presented in the last edition of The Art of Chart Interpretation. For that
reason, I have only made a few alterations to the first two sections of this book,
and have added an appendix of planetary keywords.
The primary additions to The Art of Chart Interpretation are to the third
section, on the process of astrological counseling. Here, I have considerably
expanded material on three different subjects—initial contact with the client,
preparing a session, and conducting a session. Rather than tell you exactly how
to do astrological counseling, I present my own process, so that you may adapt
what you find useful to your own personality and experience. I do, however,
provide guidelines and suggestions for creating a safe environment, responding
to the needs of your clients, and constructively presenting astrological
information.
If you are not a trained counselor, you will want to focus on the interpretative
process itself, and avoid stirring up emotional issues which you are not prepared
to handle. However, understanding the approach of a counseling-oriented
astrologer, and being prepared to deal with the sometimes difficult interpersonal
dimension of a session, will help you improve your skills as an astrologer and
your capacity to benefit the friends and clients with whom you conduct
astrological sessions.

—TRACY MARKS
Arlington, Massachusetts
June 12, 2008
INTRODUCTION
The dilemma that most of us face, after we have learned the meanings of the
planets, signs, houses and aspects, and have begun to delineate the bits and
pieces of the chart, is how to view the chart as a whole and determine its primary
characteristics. The vast array of planets and aspects so easily becomes a dense
jungle of twisted vines which prevents us from discovering the trail that leads
out of the undergrowth, to the central meaning and purpose of the chart itself.
Only by becoming so familiar with each of the multifaceted parts of the chart
that interpreting the details becomes automatic, and only by consciously
focusing upon the overall pattern and the chart's most outstanding
characteristics, can we begin to master the art of interpretation and synthesis
rather than lose ourselves in the tangle of hundreds of interrelated variables.
Many of us, when we begin interpreting charts, feel that we must cover
everything—every planet, sign, house, and aspect. If we don't, we fear that we
may be neglecting something important, or failing to give a complete picture of
the influences operating at birth. But in covering everything, we often end up
covering nothing, because we fill our minds and our clients' minds with so many
minute details that all that remains for all concerned when the reading is finished
is a foggy blur.
Some of us may approach a chart by interpreting it house by house, beginning
with the first house and moving counterclockwise around the wheel. Others may
begin with the Sun and consider every planet in turn—Moon, Mercury, Venus,
etc. Still others may attempt to transform chaos into order by considering each
area of life important to the client—love, work, home and family, etc., and
interpreting all the planets, signs and houses associated with it.
These systems of interpretation may work for some astrologers and some
clients. But they lack an essential element necessary to giving a meaningful
reading—attention to priorities, to the central meanings of the chart above and
beyond its multifaceted characteristics. Without this focus, the most prominent
issues of the chart are likely to be lost in an array of minor issues. Without this
focus, clients have nothing to grab onto to help them relate all that is told to
them in a meaningful and unified way; as a result, they forget most of it or
consider it in only a superficial manner. Covering everything does not help
clients to assimilate everything; most often, it overwhelms and confuses them, so
that they are less sure of their identity and direction when they leave the room
than when they entered.
If we want our clients to emerge with clearer mental pictures of themselves,
including the understanding of their predominant strengths and talents, and the
weaknesses and conflicts which can become strengths and talents once they
develop the desire and resolution to transform them, we must aim for quality and
depth of insight in our readings rather than quantity and breadth of scope. After
we have spent at least an hour on the most distinctive characteristics of a chart,
we can always: 1) consider several of the minor characteristics; 2) give a
comprehensive delineation of one of the areas of life (most frequently love or
work) which is the client's primary concern now; and 3) answer questions which
were not answered during the initial interpretation.
Consider a color wheel. How vivid each color is when viewed separately, but
spin the wheel and notice that as the speed increases, each individual color
becomes less distinct. At high speed, all that can be seen is white. Only by
stopping the color wheel and viewing each primary color one by one again can
we experience and appreciate each shade and hue in all of its infinite richness.
Similarly, only by paying attention to the five to ten most distinctive
characteristics of the chart, by studying and interpreting each of these in depth,
and by relating them to each other, can we develop and communicate a clear
picture of the natal chart rather than a whizzing blur of planets, signs, and
houses.
Consider now a newspaper article. A reporter presents the details of a story in
descending order, the most important information first, then the next important,
and finally the least important, so that it may be cut if there isn't enough space
for the complete article in the paper. Readers may glance at the first sentence or
two and distill the essence of the article; they are oriented from the very
beginning. The rest of the article elaborates upon the first few sentences, filling
in more information as it goes on, and does not for a moment lose the central
focus, which gives all the details coherence and order.
If we want to give coherent readings, we can learn from the newspaper article.
We must determine what is most important in the chart and what is least
important. We must develop the ability to focus upon the essentials of the chart
and allow the inessentials to be dealt with only when the most significant
information has been presented as clearly and completely as possible. But unlike
the news writer, we will dialogue with our audience; we will want to make sure
that our clients understand what we are saying. Therefore, we will explore each
facet of the chart that we deem important in the utmost depth—imparting all that
we know about that characteristic, astrologically and personally. We will listen