An astrocartography map takes the positions of the planets at the time of your birth and places them onto a map of the world. It uses the same information as an astrological birth chart, including your date, time and place of birth, but shows the information in a very different way. Instead of looking only at where the planets were positioned in the Zodiac, astrocartography looks at where each planet was rising, setting or at its highest or lowest point around the world.
This means that an astrocartography map is personal. Two people born on the same day can have different maps if they were born at different times or places.
The Birth Chart Comes First
The first stage in calculating an astrocartography map is to calculate the birth chart. The exact positions of The Sun, The Moon and the planets are found for the moment of birth. These positions show where each planet was within the Zodiac at that particular time.
The time and place of birth are especially important because the Earth is constantly turning. As it turns, different parts of the world face different parts of the sky. A planet that was rising in one location could have been setting somewhere else, while in another part of the world the same planet could have been at its highest point in the sky.
An astrocartography map takes these differences and shows them geographically.
The Four Main Positions
For each planet, an astrocartography calculation looks for the places around the Earth where that planet was in one of four important positions at the moment of birth.
The Ascendant represents where a planet was rising. The Descendant represents where it was setting. The Midheaven represents where the planet was at its highest point, while the IC represents the opposite position at the lowest point.
These four positions create the main planetary lines seen on an astrocartography map.
A person can therefore have a Sun Ascendant line, Sun Descendant line, Sun Midheaven line and Sun IC line. The same calculation can be made for The Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
Turning Planetary Positions Into Lines
Once the planetary positions are known, the calculation determines the geographical locations where each planet occupied one of those four positions at the moment of birth.
These locations are then plotted across a world map.
The result is the familiar pattern of planetary lines running through different countries and regions. Some lines appear relatively straight while others curve across the map because the calculation is showing positions on the surface of the Earth. Each line represents locations where a particular planet had an important position at the exact time of birth.
The lines do not show where the planets physically were on Earth. They show where those planets were rising, setting, at their highest point or at their lowest point when viewed from different locations around the world.
Why the Exact Birth Time Matters
Birth time can make a considerable difference to an astrocartography map.
The Earth rotates throughout the day, so the geographical locations connected with the Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven and IC are continually changing. Even when the planetary positions within the Zodiac have changed very little, the places where those planets are rising and setting will continue to move.
This is why an approximate birth time can produce an approximate map. If the recorded birth time is wrong, the planetary lines can also be placed in the wrong geographical locations.
The date alone is not enough for an accurate astrocartography calculation.
Why the Birthplace Is Needed
The birthplace provides the geographical starting point for calculating the birth chart and its angles. The location is normally expressed using latitude and longitude, while the birth time also has to be related to the correct local time and time zone.
From this information the Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven and IC can be calculated for the birth location. The calculation can then determine where around the rest of the world each planet occupied these same important positions at that moment.
The result connects one moment in time with many different geographical locations.
Reading the Planetary Lines
Calculating the map is only the first stage. The planetary lines then have to be interpreted.
Each planet has its own astrological influence. Venus represents affection, harmony, balance, romantic relations and pleasure, while Mars is associated with confidence, energy, strength, ambition and impulsiveness. Jupiter is associated with growth, prosperity, good fortune, travelling and exploration. Saturn is connected with restriction, boundaries, hard work, responsibility and discipline.
The angle adds another part to the interpretation. A Venus Ascendant line is therefore not interpreted in exactly the same way as a Venus Midheaven or Venus Descendant line, even though Venus is the planet involved.
This combination of planet, position and geographical location is what gives each line its meaning.
What Happens Between the Lines?
An astrocartography map does not mean that only places directly underneath a planetary line have any importance. The lines show the geographical locations where the calculated planetary position is strongest, but astrologers can also consider locations close to a line.
Some areas of the world will have several planetary lines nearby, while others can have very few. This creates a map with very different combinations depending on where in the world you look.
It is also possible for different planetary lines to meet or pass close to one another, adding another part to the interpretation.
Astrocartography and the Birth Chart
An astrocartography map does not replace the original birth chart. It is calculated from it.
The birth chart shows the positions of the planets, signs, houses and angles for the time and place of birth. Astrocartography takes some of that same information and asks a different question: where in the world were those planets on the important angles at that exact moment?
The answer is then drawn across the world as planetary lines.
This is why astrocartography can look complicated at first. Behind the many lines is a relatively simple idea. One moment in time is calculated from many different locations around the Earth, showing where The Sun, The Moon and the planets were rising, setting, at their highest point or at their lowest point.
That calculation creates the astrocartography map.
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