Just a few decades ago, “Astrology” was synonymous with the horoscope section in the periodicals and was seen mainly as entertainment. Back then, only a few sought to dig deeper and learn more about the oldest science in the world. 

Thankfully, ‘real’ astrology has made somewhat of a renaissance, gaining more and more popularity in the last decade, thanks to the internet and social media. 

Once you go beyond horoscopes and “What’s your sign”, a whole world of opportunities opens up. Astrology enthusiasts are shocked – and delighted – to discover how complex, beautiful and accurate astrology is, when they begin to study it in depth. 

Because there is no formal astrological education, it is quite difficult to figure out what stage of your astrology journey you are on, how much astrology you already know, and what the ‘next level’ is.  

That’s why I would like to share with you a scale from 0 to 10, with “0” being “a total beginner” up to 10 – being “the most advanced” astrology knowledge level. 

This guide is not perfect and it is not a sentence. If you’re at level 2 for example, this doesn’t mean you don’t know astrology, and of course, by no means, that you’re doing something wrong.

The purpose of this guide is to give you an overall idea of where you stand, to see how far you’ve come, and what the ‘next level’ is, in case you decide to pursue your study further. 

Let’s get started: 

Level 0

You only know your Sun sign, e.g. “I’m a Leo”. This is the absolute level 0 because even people who ‘don’t believe’ in astrology, know what their Sun sign is. 

Level 1

You know the 12 signs of the zodiac and you read your Sun sign horoscope.

Level 2

You know the 12 signs, you are familiar with Mercury retrograde, with New Moons and Full Moons, you are “Astro-curious”, i.e. read astrology blogs or follow astrology social media accounts, and/or you’ve read at least one astrology book. 

Level 3

You are familiar with the planets (you know that Venus stands for love, Mercury for communication, Saturn for rules, etc.). You know your Moon sign, your Ascendant, and some other placements, but you may feel stuck going beyond this level.

You love reading astrology blogs or watching youtube videos, however, you are often confused with the ‘astrology terminology’ (e.g., when an astrologer says “if you have planets at 5° Taurus…”) which leaves you wondering where to go from there. 

Level 4

You are familiar with your natal chart (the natal chart wheel) which you have generated online by yourself (or had it done by an astrologer). You know the difference between planets, signs and houses.

You know for example, that your Mercury is in Virgo and in your 3rd house. You are familiar with aspects, e.g. Sun square Pluto. You know the difference between natal charts and transits, and you may be familiar with synastry or astrological compatibility.

Although you know the “astrological language” you rely heavily on the internet or astrology books for interpretation. You have to google for example, what “Mars in the 6th house” means, or what “Venus opposite Pluto” means. 

Level 5

You confidently cast natal charts online, for yourself or other people. You are familiar with several advanced astrology techniques, such as composite, progressions or solar returns.

You ‘know’ what Venus in the 3rd house means without searching on the internet. You may still be confused about the difference between signs and houses (e.g. Venus in Gemini vs. Venus in the 3rd house).

While you have a very good grasp of the “astrology language”, you have difficulties bringing all of the elements of the chart together.

For example, you know what Venus conjunct Pluto in the 1st house means, you know what Mercury in Gemini opposite Uranus in Sagittarius means, but you struggle to bring all these different (and sometimes contradictory) elements of the chart together.

Put simply, while your chart analysis skills are very good, your chart synthesis skills need more training.

Level 6

You see the chart, you know what each aspect means, but you are ‘afraid’ or believe you ‘don’t know’ how to read charts, even charts of people you know very well.

You can see chart patterns, you can read someone’s personality in their chart placements, however, you have difficulties articulating and putting into words what you grasp at an intuitive level. 

Level 7

You can read charts of people you are familiar with (friends, acquaintances, people you talk to on the internet), however you need extensive preparation.

You’re still not confident in reading charts of people you are not familiar with, or with asking to be paid for chart readings.

You have good overall chart synthesis skills, however, still have the occasional difficulty in grasping the main themes of a natal chart.  

Level 8

You read charts with confidence and minimal preparation (less than 1 hour). You can “guess” someone’s prominent chart placements, such as stelliums or planets conjunct the angles or luminaries – before you even look at their chart.

You have at least 2,000 hours of astrology study (education, research, reading charts) which is the equivalent of 2-3 years of intensive study or 5+ years or sustained, but less intense study. 

Level 9

You’re a natural when it comes to reading natal charts, even with zero preparation (with the exception of special techniques, which of course need preparation irrespective of the astrologer’s experience).

You have excellent chart synthesis skills and can easily grasp the main 2 or 3 themes of a natal chart, while being able to go in-depth in a particular aspect or transit when needed. You have more than 5,000 hours of astrology study and practice (that’s 5-10 years of intense study) under your belt, and you’ve read more than 500 charts.

Apart from chart readings, you continually extend your astrology legacy, and have written astrology books or astrology papers, OR are an astrology teacher (teaching in person or online). 

Level 10

You have more than 10,000 hours (10 to 20+ years) of study and practice and have read more than 1,000 charts. You can quickly grasp the ‘essence’ of a natal chart and highlight the most important themes, and the person’s main purpose in life.

You can read charts without knowing anything about the person, and your interpretation is bias-free. You have proven and documented interpretation accuracy – and excellent counseling, research, and teaching skills. 

Some notes about these levels

• Levels 0-3 correspond (more or less) to the beginner level, levels 4-7 to the intermediate level and levels 8-10 to the advanced/professional level.

• Apart from levels 8-10, the levels are not correlated to “experience” or a specific duration of study time involved. Some people stay at level 0 or 1 all their lives, other people ‘discover’ astrology at some point in their life, become very passionate, and get to level 7 in less than one year! 

• There seem to be some particular levels where people get stuck. Most people get stuck at, either level 3 (before they cast their own chart), or at level 6 (they know the theory, but are afraid of putting the theory into practice and reading charts). If you want to up your astrology level, start with becoming aware of where you’re stuck:

• • Are you stuck at casting your natal chart? The great news is that this is an easy stage to overcome. In fact, a very easy one! If in the past, before the advent of the internet, casting a chart was not an easy task, now absolutely everyone (even people with zero tech skills) can generate their natal chart online, using one of the various websites that offer this feature for free. Let’s take one of the most popular websites, http://www.astro.com To generate your chart, simply go to the “free horoscopes” section, select “extended chart selection” and then insert your birth details. That’s it! here is the direct link
• • Are you stuck at reading charts? Start with reading the charts of your friends or of people you know well, or make a start by reading the charts of celebrities. You can easily find celebrity charts online, just google “…. celebrity name” + “natal chart”, for example, “Mozart natal chart”.  Before you open the chart, take some time to think about which aspects that particular celebrity might have, and then check if any of your assumptions were correct. With time and practice, your accuracy – and most importantly, your chart reading skills – will improve. 

What is your astrology level?

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