What does getting an astrology birth chart reading do for me?

Sarah Brynteson
Apr 30
5 min read

That is a truly fair question!

I shared my thoughts about it in a social media post you can check out here:

Video sharing my thoughts on "What does getting an astrology birth chart reading really do for me?"

When I was a child, my family got the local paper delivered to our home. I would usually be the first to grab the Star Tribune, open it up, and flip to the Variety/Entertainment section. I’d skim through the “What’s Happening” and the TV guide until I reached what I was really looking for...

The astrology horoscopes.

Written not that differently from what you’d find in a fortune cookie, I would find Libra and see what my “fortune” for the day might hold. Sometimes it felt spot on. Most of the time, it didn’t quite click. Yet, I still found that section in magazines and newspapers as I grew up. They weren’t always particularly helpful, but they were always a form of entertainment.

It wasn’t until 2020, when my oldest started bringing around these circular charts divided into twelve sections, that I realized there was so much more to astrology than just being born during Libra season. As a mom of “bigs” (children becoming young adults), having a shared language is always helpful. When I learned those charts were actually a deeper way to understand astrology—and something we could talk about together—I was all in.

I wanted to know why understanding your astrology birth chart could be helpful—not just for me, but for the people around me. Most of all, I wanted something we could connect over, especially since their younger sibling and my husband weren’t particularly “into” astrology.

Enter Debra Silverman. I started seeing videos of Debra on my TikTok FYP and elsewhere. I found her funny, down-to-earth, and—most importantly—I could actually understand what she was saying! I decided the best way for me to learn was to have a teacher guide me, so I enrolled in Debra Silverman’s School of Astrology (DSA).

Through DSA, I learned that we are so much more than just our Sun signs (despite what the newspaper horoscopes suggest). It’s like how a book is so much more than its cover. We have all these different energies available to us every day. Sometimes we access them in high-vibe ways, sometimes low—but they’re always there, waiting to be worked with if we choose.

Choice is a powerful word, isn’t it? Yet, if you don’t know what your choices are—meaning the energy in your chart—it can be hard to access what you need in the way you want.

So how do we access it? First, we need to cast the chart.

Earth is the center of our lives due to the fact we live here. It is also the center of our birth chart too.

To do that, we need three key pieces of information:

Your exact birth time
The location of your birth
Your birth date

If you’re unsure where to find that information, I’ve got a guide with tips

Take me to "Learn my Birth Time"

Once we have that info, we can cast your chart. Earth is represented by the center point, and from there, twelve lines divide the chart—similar to how a pizza is sliced before serving. We begin to see how everything falls into place by looking at the AC (Ascendant/Rising Sign) on the left, followed by placements like the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, the Nodes, and Chiron.

What does that mean, though?

Let’s break it down:

Personal Planets will affect us the most which is why we focus on them during our session so much.

The Personal Planets in Astrology:

These move the fastest in the sky, so we tend to feel them the most in our day-to-day life.

Sun – Your identity and how you shine your light into the world. It often represents the father or masculine/yang energy in your upbringing.
Moon – Your emotional world and how you process your feelings. It’s often linked to the mother or feminine/yin energy you grew up with.
Mercury – Your thinking patterns and communication style.
Venus – How you relate in one-on-one relationships (romantic and business), your creativity, sense of beauty, and finances.
Mars – Your anger and passion. How you take action and work with energy here on Earth
Want to dive deeper into your Personal Planets and how they show up elementally in your life? I have a self-paced course to help with that! You can check it out by clicking the button below.

Take me to Self - Paced Courses

The Outer Planets in Astrology:

These are divided into two groups—Social Planets and Generational Planets.

Social Planets:

They move a little more slowly but still influence our lives in tangible ways.

Jupiter – The expander. He enlarges whatever he touches. Even when the aspects are challenging, he tends to bring blessings. He changes signs every year and takes twelve years to travel the full Zodiac. The year Jupiter returns to your natal position is often one of luck and growth.
Saturn – The great teacher. In DSA, we talk a lot about Saturn's check-ins every seven years or so. He wants to know: Are you on track with your soul’s work? Sometimes those check-ins are gentle. Sometimes... not so much. He takes about 28–30 years to complete a full cycle and spends 2–2.5 years in each sign. The times we tend to feel him the most are around 28-30, 58-60 and around 90 as a result.

Generational Planets:

These move the slowest and are often shared by everyone in your age group.

Uranus – The maverick. He represents change—sudden, sweeping, and sometimes uncomfortable. I often say on social media: when you want to go one way, Uranus says, “Nah, let’s do it that way instead.” Many consider Uranus to be the higher octave of Mercury, due to the flashes of insight he brings.
Neptune – Represents spirituality, dreams, intuition, and sometimes escapism. Often linked to our connection with the unseen world. Many say Neptune is the higher octave of Venus.
Pluto – Transformation. Think Tower card energy in Tarot. It doesn’t always mean a total collapse, but it does suggest profound change—like the Phoenix rising from the ashes. Many consider Pluto the higher octave of Mars.

What about the Nodes and Chiron?

Nodes – These are eclipse points. Many astrologers view them as karmic—choices about where you’ve been and where you’re going. The North Node shows the direction you’re growing into, while the South Node reflects past-life gifts or habits you’re comfortable with. When eclipses activate your Nodes, big life changes often follow.
Chiron – The Wounded Healer. This represents the wound we carry with us—sometimes from childhood, sometimes from past lives. It’s the part of us that felt “othered.” Working with Chiron has become one of my favorite parts of a reading because it offers such profound opportunities for healing.

Curious to learn more about the Nodes or Chiron? I’ve got some recommended reads on my website