When something new is found within and inner reality expands

Observations on and experiences with living sky astrology 

This text is based on a series of interviews I did in winter 2024-2025, where 8 individuals participated in birth chart readings and interviews. The topic was their birth chart according to the living sky constellations, comparing it with their ‘regular Western astrology’ birth chart with its tropical zodiac.

The aim was to understand how the perspectives of these two astrological systems describe a person’s perception of themselves and their life - and how they also influence the formation of that perception. Many discovered a new side or layer within themselves, found new language for their experience, or reconnected with something more subtle - a part of themselves that had been overshadowed by the everyday self.

How does the tropical zodiac used by Western astrology differ from the living sky?

‘Common Western astrology’ utilises the tropical zodiac, which is divided up into 12 equal-sized, 30-degree signs, which are locked in place based on the equinoxes and solstices. The reality in the sky is much more alive and less uniform, and this is explored by what can be called living sky astrology, true sky astrology or astronomical astrology.

Briefly, there are 88 constellations in our sky in total, of which those making up the zodiac constellations aka zodiac signs, are the ones more or less on the Sun’s path (the ecliptic) as seen from Earth. The orbits of different celestial bodies can differ quite significantly from the Sun’s path, meaning they can activate entirely different constellations than those of the zodiac. In the sky, the constellations are also of very different sizes (ranging roughly from 15 to 50 degrees wide); they can appear to overlap; or there can be ’empty space’ between them.

Ultimately, all zodiacal energies come alive within each of us in some way and in some area of life - though each of us carries a unique combination and composition of them, expressing differently in various situations and life stages. Also, regardless of which of the two zodiac systems mentioned here we use as the basis for the astrological chart, the relationships between planets and other celestial bodies - the aspects - always remain the same from one system to another, even though their sign placements often differ from their constellation placements. This is somewhat similar to how, in different house systems, celestial bodies fall into different houses of the chart.

What kinds of insights, then, can one glean from a birth chart based on the living sky?

Opening the door to a deeper experience of selfhood

The underlying assumption of the interview study was that astrology based on the tropical zodiac and astrology based on the living sky represent different layers of reality, as it seemed that people were often able to relate to both birth charts. The interpretations and interviews supported this assumption.

However, depending on the person, the birth chart based on the tropical zodiac could be experienced as either accurate and empowering, or limiting and anxiety-inducing - or anything in between - and sometimes in different ways at different times. Naturally, there are always individual differences in people’s experiences and in which astrological tools work best for each person.

In a nutshell, Western astrology with its tropical zodiac appears to represent more of the everyday, tangible reality, while the living sky brings in a deeper layer of experience and inner feeling - the perspective of the soul or higher self.

Most of the direct quotes below are translated from Finnish.

“…it reflects something I’ve been searching for in vain in the tropical chart, but I’m not ready to abandon that one completely either… In a way, as a whole, I feel more bare in front of this True Sky chart. It’s as if the same clues are hidden within the tropical chart, but that one feels more like the outfit for this life, whereas the True Sky feels somehow deeper and describes things I’ve perhaps only realized about myself later in life. It’s really interesting, and somehow I can sense those layers and depths. Neither chart describes me completely, so I couldn’t give up either of them, but together they bring more understanding and depth!”

“Some things, I think, could actually fit, but like we talked about last time, it’s not that straightforward. I had already learned to recognize in myself the traits that the tropical chart defines for me, so then I had to dig into slightly different sides of myself. And yes, they’re all there. … I’ve kind of gotten a new… to me, it feels trustworthy, or at least as trustworthy as the tropical one, so I can use this too as a tool for my own reflection. … And the fact that now, when I see that there really is that Pisces energy there, I’ve felt that I’m quite Piscean after all, even though people have tried to tell me otherwise, so maybe… I get to be that Piscean without having to be something else. … So it’s probably just relieving, to see that I’m not only in one kind of shell but actually a bit of everything.”

“In a way, also if someone doesn’t recognize themselves in the tropical chart, as can often happen, then you kind of have a tool to see why it doesn’t feel like one’s own.”

“I do think it brings a certain depth. This is probably such a long process that within just a few weeks, it’s not yet fully clear, there’s still much to keep observing and reflecting on. But in some of those themes, there was this feeling of being ‘more seen,’ especially from the perspective of the inner world, than in the tropical chart. I feel there are many themes here that I’ll definitely keep contemplating and observing in my life.”

Naturally, the participants’ reflections echoed a recurring theme: that the exploration of different sides, layers, and aspects of the self is a process that takes time - one that unfolds gradually and organically, like peeling an onion layer by layer.

The practical tools of the everyday self and the motivations beneath

It also appears that deeper motivations may often be found in the placements of the living sky chart, while the concrete ways to act on it - the practical tools of the everyday self - emerge through Western astrology’s tropical chart.

For example, placements in tropical Virgo, but within the constellation of Leo, may reveal an underlying motivation to express one’s individuality and creativity (Leo), while the outward form or method for doing so manifests through Virgo’s diligent, detail-oriented approach.

“I can’t really think of anything that felt clearly difficult or confusing or weird. Maybe just a sense, I could imagine, an intuition, that the tropical chart is more like something that helps with understanding my everyday life and practical matters. And then the true sky chart feels more like something about the inner world, like support for making bigger life decisions or living in a way that truly feels right. Maybe something like that. The concrete organization of life versus the broader visioning and what truly feels good.”

“Maybe when I think about different stages of my life, that Capricorn energy (strong in the person’s tropical chart) has really been the work role I put on, but then, I’ve had certain identity crises around it. When I start identifying too much with just that role, it has started to feel incredibly constricting… And what you just said reflects, in an interesting way, my learning path with that Capricorn energy from my upbringing. That I can let it be something that serves as a tool, something to be used, and then let the other parts inform it, instead of trying to force myself into that mold.”

The living sky as a mirror for inner transformation

It is also relevant to reflect on when the living sky birth chart enters a person’s life - as it often seems to align with a key process or a period of inner transformation underway:

“There was that question about whether an identity crisis occurred, and yes, this probably did, in its own way, push this developmental journey forward again, inviting me to explore… but all of this really enlightens and brings depth, and it also opens up new questions… But I received so many thoughts and insights, so much to now contemplate. Truly valuable. You were able to articulate so clearly so many things that had been circling in my mind, I feel like I can now take real leaps forward!”

"The true Sky opening to me is happening just as I am breaking through the old programming - that perhaps that old snake Scorpionic tropical sun I was told represented me is cracking as I am shedding layers.  Interesting that my True Sky South node is Scorpio and that makes soooo much more sense to me. That validated it for me - that being given this wisdom at this point in my life - a time where I am questioning "truth" including the accepted divination systems. I am also guided to be light and easy around this and letting it unfold."

One participant also referred to the nodal axis - symbolizing the direction of our soul’s growth - as a metaphor: for her, the tropical birth chart felt like the South Node energy, and the living sky birth chart like the North Node energy:

"There has been an enormous shift in my consciousness over a relatively short period of time, and that’s part of why this now resonates so much more… The living sky constellations give me a feeling similar to the lunar nodes, the North and South Node. There’s something magnetic about it, something that pulls me toward it. I get a sense of direction… Maybe it’s because I’m now more ready to receive a broader perspective, or because I’ve already done some inner work, or because my tropical chart has already started to open up for me. Through that, I can probably receive more from the true sky constellations too. And then there’s the possibility to grow, recognizing my own potential. That’s what I see. Maybe because the big realization came first through the tropical chart, like ‘wow, what am I!’ And now this takes it even further. And specifically I see it as potentials, not as something to fix or develop, even though there’s always that side too. But more the potentials.”

"I feel drawn (to the sky) and I’ve felt that before, but now it speaks to me even more. And maybe nature in general. But yes, I could just gaze at the sky, it calls me deeply. I’ve even downloaded those sky apps. But somehow, I’m looking at it in a whole new way now. There’s this real pull toward it.”

Through astrology aligned with the living sky, a person can begin to see themselves, their rhythms, their life, and the world at large in a completely new light - as part of a living, breathing cosmos that reveals something new each time one returns to contemplate it.

Curious to take a peak at your living sky birth chart?

You are warmly welcome for an astrological consultation where we work with your birth chart both according to the living sky constellations as well as your chart according to the tropical zodiac of ‘regular Western astrology’.

This consultation helps you uncover the many layers within you and your life - and see who you are in the process of becoming.

Clarify your inner compass to support the growth of both your earthly and soul selves!

🧭 Birth chart reading - living sky astrology / Western astrology comparison - available for a limited time for only 99 EUR (regularly 133 EUR) for the first five individuals with the code autumncompass 🍁

Wishing you enlightening insights into the darkening autumn,

Saila