Astrology has always fascinated me. My mom used to delineate charts, and in retrospect, I was a little spoiled because she used to read my natal chart for me. She’d tell me about the upcoming planetary aspects and how they would impact me…without me ever needing to ask.
But I never learned how to do astrology myself. And as cool and interesting as it is, it’s also super complex.
I know a lot about tarot card meanings and kitchen witchery, but with astrology I only ever knew enough to tell you what my Sun, Moon, and rising signs were and a little bit extra. So, when I wanted to dig into astrology, I turned to an expert.
Brandon Ramsey from Bramstrology has been a professional astrologer since 2010. He sat down with me for an interview where we discussed a wide range of topics for anyone interested in learning astrology.
Read on to hear his advice for beginners, how to get started with your natal chart, and all about his journey as a professional astrologer.
When did you start learning astrology? How did you get into it?
When it comes to astrology, it’s a unique story for me. I was born four months premature. Being born that early came with a lot of complications –– for myself and my family. And because of that experience, I always wondered why.
Even from a very young age, I always questioned why I had that experience because there were so many physical complications that came with being born when I was.
I was introduced to astrology when I was in college and someone said, “You know, you’re not just a Scorpio, right? There’s more than just your Sun sign.”
That was when I did the Scorpionic deep dive and just really got into it. I looked at my birth chart and had this big epiphany. I was going through a lot of spiritual awakenings at that point.
It just took off from there. I used it as a tool to help me understand why I was born so early and then it progressed into reading for myself and other people.
When did you start doing astrology readings and natal charts for other people?
Reading for other people came about organically. Around 2010, when I did my deep dive into all this stuff, I was lucky enough to find a community within the Chicagoland area. I was learning a lot and connecting with different people within spiritual spaces.
I was so passionate about astrology when I talked to people, they would ask me to look at their charts. That’s how it started –– I looked at their natal charts and did little write ups for friends and family and people within the community.
Eventually, people started paying me for those things. When I first started reading for people, I just really enjoyed it. I still do. And I thought, “If this helped me so much, I want to give this knowledge to other people.”
It was a lot of fun, but at first it was very casual. During that time, I was in my Saturn return, which is essentially a really big step up in regards to responsibility, your career, stepping into adulthood.
“During a Saturn return, your chart wakes up in a lot of ways. You’re able to see what you are meant to do here.”
Brandon Ramsey
I became a full time, professional reader in 2019. So, there was a big hiatus while I learned and grew and went through my Saturn return. It was very different, doing it professionally as a business. But it all started organically.
Are there any astrological events you look forward to or really like?
Hot take –– 100% a hot take –– I love eclipses.
I genuinely look forward to them even though it’s the most chaotic time of the year. They’re so confirming for me. And, as an astrologer, I’ve learned to step back and just observe.
I find, during eclipses, it’s such a magical period that is outside of time in a lot of ways. It’s the time that we are all in plot development. All these new things or big events are happening. It’s all chaotic, but it’s so cool to look at it and observe the whole story.
I’ve also learned to appreciate planetary cycles. For example, over the last couple of years, I’ve really learned to love Venus retrograde. Planetary cycles help me kind of root into history and then take that knowledge to look forward to see what’s coming up and how that can impact things.
What recommendations do you have for someone interested in learning astrology? Especially someone just beginning.
It’s a great question because astrology is so complicated. There are so many kinds of things to work with and it’s a lot to digest.
I think it’s important to find what vibes with you.
Back in 2010, there wasn’t a lot to choose from in terms of online resources. YouTube was a lot smaller than it is now and I didn’t have many astrology podcasts to choose from. There’s so much more now and the internet can be a very deep dive. But it can also be easy to get lost in.
There are some resources I would recommend:
- Parker’s Astrology book
- Chani Nicholas’s You Were Born for This
- Robert Hand is also a great writer.
There are courses online. Astrology University is a great resource.
You do want to use your own discernment when you’re choosing your resources. Read reviews, see if you can talk to someone who took the course, and investigate what it covers and whether it matches what you’re looking to learn.
Brandon offers a beginner course:
I do have a beginner course. It’s six modules and walks you through the Sun, Moon, and rising sign. Then we go into the modalities, elements, personal planets and finish off with a final lesson on the 12 houses.
It’s a beginner course. We only go up to Mars because I don’t want to overwhelm people. But so far, the people who’ve taken my courses really enjoy them. I teach in person and online.
Stop by Learn the Basics of Astrology to learn more about the beginner course, or visit Brandon’s course page to see all of his offerings.
What websites or apps are good for beginners to create their natal chart?
There are some good websites and apps that come in handy for people interested in astrology. I would recommend Café Astrology, Astro.com, and Astro Seek.
I also like The Pattern.
A lot of astrologers use an ephemeris, too. I keep it on hand when I’m doing readings. These old school techniques are still used. I think technology will eventually catch up here, but it takes a little time to put the chart in a computer and generate it so the reference book can be helpful.
What are some of the most important things to look at in a natal chart?
When it comes to the natal chart, it really depends on where the person’s at in terms of their astrology level, or what they know about astrology. What are they interested in learning through astrology?
A lot of the people I read are brand new. They might not even know what their chart is, or they’ll have limited knowledge: maybe the big three or their big six –– Sun, Moon, rising sign, Mercury, Venus, and Mars.
For the newbie, especially if you’re doing your own chart, start with your Sun sign, Moon sign, and rising sign. And then go from there.
As a reader, I want to start wherever they are. I don’t want to overload them with information because really the reading is a tool for self-reflection.
Can you walk us through the importance of the Sun, Moon, and rising sign in a chart?
The Sun: The Sun is where a lot of us start. We’re conditioned to understand what our Sun sign is. But what does it mean, really? I would say the Sun is how you shine. It’s how you show up in life and it’s more externalized light. If we think about it, it’s our guiding light during the day and shows up as our externalized personality in a lot of ways. It’s the identity center, or the way you see yourself.
The Moon: This is our nighttime light or internal light. This is more of the internal needs, how we take care of our internal world, the more private parts of us and intimate relationships. The Moon has a more reactive quality.
The Rising Sign: The way we relate to the rising sign is way more important than the Sun or the Moon because the rising sign dictates how the chart is oriented. It’s a quality of how we initiate, how we instinctually connect to the world. It’s not just how we act or react, but how we connect and see the world through this lens.
How much can you learn about someone from studying their chart?
For me, in what I do, I see client charts right away. So that’s how I get to know them. But one of the coolest things for me is that for people in my personal life –– people I’ve dated or good friends or family –– being able to read charts has allowed me to give them a lot of grace and understand them on a deeper level.
A lot of astrologers look at astrology from a psychological perspective, and I agree there is a lot there. But there’s also an evolutionary kind of soul level within that. With the branch of astrology I work with, I specifically work with Pluto a lot, it really helps me connect to that root of the problem from a multiple lifetime’s perspective.
What is the best thing about reading charts for people?
I would say what I love is the awareness it can bring to people. There’s something magical to be said about astrology in general. But I think it’s really about the consciousness the astrologer is putting into the chart.
Astrology is a tool, and when you’re using it for empowerment it can help people in so many ways. To validate the stuff they’ve never told anyone, to help them give themselves compassion, and to bring them back to their sense of self.
“Astrology is yours. It’s not something that’s just gatekept by astrologers. Relationships with astrology can be as unique as you are. And it’s important to approach it that way.”
Brandon Ramsey
Interested in learning astrology or diving into your natal chart?
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