Appendix
A

Chakras and Your Astro Birth Chart

The ancient intuitive art of astrology has gained a renewed relevance in our own time as powerful computer algorithms are making it easy to create and interpret personal birth charts. While a professional astrologer still has a human advantage in helping you understand what is revealed in your chart (the intimacy of face-to-face human communication allows for a direct connection that facilitates truly personalized astrological insights), a computer chart can be a fun way to begin exploring what astrology means beyond just following your daily Sun sign horoscope.

Your Astro Birth Chart

Calculating a birth chart used to be a laborious process, but a computer can now do the calculations instantly and with astonishing precision. All you need to do is enter your birth date and as precise a birth time as possible for the time you were born. (Hopefully, you’ll be able to get hold of your birth certificate, and you won’t have to rely on your parents’ memories of that fateful day!) Also, you will need the precise location of your birth. (Your birth certificate can be helpful for this, too!) If you don’t know the time you were born, astrologers will use noon as your time of birth. Once the calculations are completed, your birth chart wheel will show a representation of your personal planets, signs, and houses. In essence, your birth chart is a map of the Heavens at the precise minute and place of your birth (a lovely metaphor for your place in the Universe!).

If you are into astrology and want to learn more about all the intricacies of reading charts and how to interpret astrological cycles, read Madeline Gerwick’s book in the Awakened Life series, Astrology: An Enlightening Primer for Starry-Eyed Beginners (Alpha Books, 2020). This wonderfully comprehensive book gives beginners a solid introduction to astrology’s signs, planets, and houses, as well as a few more advanced concepts such as aspects, transits, and progressions. It’s a great book to have on hand while you’re learning how to harness the wisdom of the Heavens to help you understand your place in the Universe—why you are here on Earth and what this life means for you—as well as helping you problem solve and plan for your future.

We’ll be taking a look now at the noon chart for Michelle Obama, which is shown here with the birth chart wheel, as well as the aspect grid (an advanced tool that calculates the angle of relationship between planets and reveals extra meaning).

Astrology for the Awakened Chakras

To see how the seven chakras are revealed in Michelle’s birth chart, find the planet placements in her signs and houses.

MICHELLE OBAMA’S PLANETS IN THEIR SIGNS AND HOUSES

Listed in the chart above are Michelle Obama’s personal planets, signs, and houses as they appear in her birth chart. As you learned in Part 3, each chakra has its own natural planets, signs, and houses that correspond with it. You can review a chart of natural astrological correspondences for the chakras at the end of Chapter 13. These natural correspondences reveal the essential astrological nature of each chakra. A person’s individual chart placements reveal the astrological spin on the chakras revealed just for them.

To understand how Michelle’s chakras are revealed in her chart, examine her personal planet placements.

Root Chakra: Saturn 0 and Uranus -

Michelle’s personal Saturn 0 is in Aquarius Q in the eleventh house. This Saturn shows an innovator in achieving visionary goals who is surrounded by like-minded people who can make long-term dreams come true. Michelle’s personal Uranus - is in Virgo I in the fifth house. This Uranus shows unexpected change to a shrewdly ordered plan that means taking a creative risk on romance, fun, and family. Michelle’s Root chakra is secure in setting big goals and dreams, and it seems she listened to her Uranus to take a risk on an unlikely guy who proved a perfect life partner for her life’s work—personal and professional.

Sacral Chakra: Jupiter 8 and Neptune =

Michelle’s Jupiter 8 is in Aries E in the twelfth house. This Jupiter is super-expansive, super-charged, and ready to go big with a creative passion that is transformational on both personal and societal terms. Michelle’s Neptune = is in Scorpio P in the seventh house. This Neptune holds dreams with passionate intensity for primary relationships. Michelle’s Sacral chakra contains almost explosive creative energy matched only by the big dreams she holds for her family and loved ones.

Solar Plexus Chakra: Mars 7 and Pluto ;

Michelle’s Mars 7 is in Aquarius Q in the tenth house. This Mars is an electric thinker who is ready to fight for the social good. Michelle’s Pluto ; is in Scorpio P in the fifth house. This Pluto views the soul’s journey with passionate intensity (amplified as Pluto is Scorpio’s natural ruler, with Mars as co-ruler) and has the ability to take risks in love and family. Michelle’s Solar Plexus chakra finds great power in fighting for family and the social good, which are bound together in the core of her being.

Heart Chakra: Venus 6

Michelle’s Venus 6 is in Pisces W in the eleventh house. This Venus is a dreamy visionary and then some and loves to bring the right people to the right goals and watch wonderful things happen. Michelle’s Heart chakra wants the best for people and wants the best people to help make visionary dreams happen in real life.

Throat Chakra: Mercury 5

Michelle’s Mercury 5 is in Capricorn } in the eighth house. This Mercury is about constructing a message that is transformational, almost a rebirth. This could be a personal rebirth found within the new path Michelle created through her choice of marriage partner. This path continues to evolve and grow as it twists and turns to the future. Michelle’s Throat chakra is sounding the call for a better future, and this is a truth and a message she shares with her partner.

Third Eye Chakra: Sun 3 and Moon 4

Michelle’s Sun 3 is in Capricorn } in the tenth house. This Sun is a builder for the public good. Michelle’s Moon 4 is in Pisces W in the eleventh house. This Moon trusts the intuition of her dreams and visions and has the ability to be surrounded by the right people to realize the dreams she knows can be possible. Michelle’s Third Eye chakra trusts in herself—in her inner knowing and in her real-world experience; she knows what she sees and what she can do.

Crown Chakra: Bliss

Michelle’s Crown chakra is Divine, as is every human being’s Crown chakra. The Crown chakra is beyond astrology, but we can see a clear pattern of the direction Michelle’s Kundalini energy can take from Root to Crown. Michelle’s chakras spin with a clear energy and focus. Looking at the astrological birth chart energy of your chakras can help you determine hints and patterns to direct the course of your own Divine energy. It can help lead you toward awakened chakra healing for your highest good.

Aspects for Extra Meaning

For an advanced astrology tool, you can look at the aspect relationship between planets in your birth chart. Aspects are the angles that planets make to each other, which can be beneficial or challenging. To reveal nuances of how chakra energies can influence one another, list the major aspects in the triangular aspect grid accompanying your birth chart, and then add the chakra for each planet. The resulting chart will tell you how your chakras spin together in beneficial or challenging ways. Let’s look at Michelle Obama’s chakra aspects.

MICHELLE OBAMA’S CHAKRA ASPECTS

By examining the relationships between and among the chakras in aspect to each other, you can begin to see further patterns in the way Michelle Obama’s chakras interact with each other. Note that all but one of her aspect relationships is beneficial—her Sacral chakra is in challenging aspect to her Root chakra. This means that Michelle’s passions and her safety are often in tension with one another, and bravery (or caution) may be required to chart the right energetic course. This is an area that may need extra healing for Michelle.

Looking at your astrological aspect chakra relationships can help you identify areas of special sensitivity for healing or areas where you are strong or have room to grow.