What is a natal chart?

A natal (birth) chart is a map of the sky for the exact date, time, and place of your birth. It shows where the Sun, Moon, planets, and key points sat across the twelve zodiac signs and houses, and the angles (aspects) between them — the basis of a western astrology reading.

What is western astrology?

Western (tropical) astrology interprets the positions of the planets relative to the seasons, using the tropical zodiac anchored to the equinoxes. Ocean Gull calculates these positions with the Swiss Ephemeris for professional accuracy.

Yes — Ocean Gull has a free plan that includes natal charts and core features. Paid plans add advanced points, higher transit quotas, and more.

What ephemeris does Ocean Gull use?

Ocean Gull uses the Swiss Ephemeris for chart and transit calculations, the same engine professional astrologers rely on for precision.

Houses

The 12 houses divide the sky around the Earth into 12 sectors based on the time and place of birth. Where signs say how energy expresses, houses say where in life it plays out.

House	Cusp	Classification	Natural Sign	Natural Ruler	Keywords
1st House — Self	ASC	Angular	Aries	Mars	Identity, body, first impressions
2nd House — Resources	—	Succedent	Taurus	Venus	Money, possessions, self-worth
3rd House — Communication	—	Cadent	Gemini	Mercury	Mind, siblings, short trips
4th House — Roots	IC	Angular	Cancer	Moon	Home, family, ancestry
5th House — Creativity	—	Succedent	Leo	Sun	Pleasure, romance, children, play
6th House — Service	—	Cadent	Virgo	Mercury	Work, health, daily routine
7th House — Partnership	DSC	Angular	Libra	Venus	Marriage, partners, open enemies
8th House — Transformation	—	Succedent	Scorpio	Pluto (traditional: Mars)	Death, sex, shared resources, deep change
9th House — Higher Mind	—	Cadent	Sagittarius	Jupiter	Travel, philosophy, religion, higher education
10th House — Vocation	MC	Angular	Capricorn	Saturn	Career, public role, reputation
11th House — Community	—	Succedent	Aquarius	Uranus (traditional: Saturn)	Friends, groups, hopes, ideals
12th House — The Hidden	—	Cadent	Pisces	Neptune (traditional: Jupiter)	Unconscious, isolation, transcendence

1st House — Self

Angular · Aries · Mars

Identity, body, first impressions

Begins at the Ascendant — the eastern horizon at birth. The 1st house describes how you appear to others, your physical body, and the way you initiate. The mask through which the rest of the chart shows up.

2nd House — Resources

Succedent · Taurus · Venus

Money, possessions, self-worth

What you own and what you value. The 2nd house governs income, possessions, and the inner sense of worth that determines what you allow yourself to have.

3rd House — Communication

Cadent · Gemini · Mercury

Mind, siblings, short trips

The immediate environment. The 3rd house rules thinking, speaking, writing, siblings, neighbors, and short journeys. How you exchange information with the world close at hand.

4th House — Roots

Angular · Cancer · Moon

Home, family, ancestry

Begins at the IC (Imum Coeli) — the deepest point of the chart. The 4th house is your origins: family, lineage, the home you came from, and the inner foundation you build life upon.

5th House — Creativity

Succedent · Leo · Sun

Pleasure, romance, children, play

The house of joy and self-expression. Creative work, romance, children, performance, hobbies, gambling — anything done for the sheer delight of doing it.

6th House — Service

Cadent · Virgo · Mercury

Work, health, daily routine

The everyday. The 6th house rules your daily work, the tasks you perform, your health and habits, and your relationship to service — including pets and small animals.

7th House — Partnership

Angular · Libra · Venus

Marriage, partners, open enemies

Begins at the Descendant — the western horizon. The 7th house rules one-to-one relationships: marriage, business partners, and even adversaries. What you draw toward yourself in others.

8th House — Transformation

Succedent · Scorpio · Pluto (traditional: Mars)

Death, sex, shared resources, deep change

The house of merging and transforming. Sex, intimacy, joint finances, inheritance, taxes, and psychological depths — anything that requires losing the separate self to gain something more.

9th House — Higher Mind

Cadent · Sagittarius · Jupiter

Travel, philosophy, religion, higher education

Wide horizons. The 9th house governs long journeys, foreign cultures, philosophy, religion, the law, publishing, and the search for meaning beyond the everyday.

10th House — Vocation

Angular · Capricorn · Saturn

Career, public role, reputation

Begins at the Midheaven (MC) — the highest point of the chart. The 10th house is your vocation, public reputation, and the role you are meant to play in the wider world.

11th House — Community

Succedent · Aquarius · Uranus (traditional: Saturn)

Friends, groups, hopes, ideals

The collective. The 11th house rules friendships, networks, communities, and the long-term hopes and visions you share with others.

12th House — The Hidden

Cadent · Pisces · Neptune (traditional: Jupiter)

Unconscious, isolation, transcendence

The most subtle house. The 12th rules dreams, the unconscious, hospitals, prisons, retreat, and what is hidden — including spiritual life and self-undoing.

Angular Houses

1, 4, 7, 10 — defined by the chart angles (ASC, IC, DSC, MC).

The most active and visible. Planets here express strongly and shape life's major arenas: self, home, partner, public role.

Succedent Houses

2, 5, 8, 11 — follow the angular houses.

The houses of resources — material, creative, shared, and collective. Stabilizing what the angular houses set in motion.

Cadent Houses

3, 6, 9, 12 — preceding each angular house.

The houses of distribution and transition. They process, communicate, refine, and release — preparing the ground for the next angular shift.