Read your map / The symbol key
Astrocartography symbols: know the line you see.
Astrocartography symbols pair a planet glyph with an angle: ♀ identifies Venus, while MC identifies the Midheaven. Together, they name a Venus–MC line. Colors and solid or dashed strokes provide extra clues. This key follows the actual map in Astrocartography Chart, so you can match a mark to its full name, then confirm which lines are near the city you choose.
Match the key to your chart
Enter your birth date, time and birthplace. The complete map and results open here, so you can identify astrocartography symbols and explore the places they relate to.
You can learn astrocartography symbols without a chart. For personal line locations, use the most accurate birth time available.
01 / Identify the planet
Astrocartography symbols, glyph by glyph
Start with the shape, then confirm the name. These ten astrocartography symbols match the named planet filters in the personal map. The swatches below use the same colors as those filters; the written names remain useful when colors are hard to distinguish on a screen or printout.
Sun
Gold
A circle with a dot at its center. Look for the Sun name beside the mark to confirm it.
Moon
Silver
A crescent rather than a complete circle. Its orientation can look different in another font.
Mercury
Orange
A circle and cross with a curved top. The upper curve helps distinguish Mercury from Venus.
Venus
Pink
A circle above a small cross. Read the angle too: the same glyph appears on all four Venus lines.
Mars
Orange-red
A circle with an arrow pointing outward. Use the name, not its resemblance to Mercury's color.
Jupiter
Purple
A curved, crossed mark that resembles a stylized 4. Confirm it with the Jupiter filter label.
Saturn
Royal blue
A cross with a curved lower stroke. Its shape, rather than its blue color, distinguishes it from Neptune.
Uranus
Turquoise
An H-like shape above a small circle in this map. Other charts may use an alternative Uranus glyph.
Neptune
Blue
A trident with a cross below. The named filter is useful when the small strokes are hard to see.
Pluto
Brown
The combined P-and-L form used here. A different Pluto symbol in another chart does not mean a different planet.
Confirm the name behind the glyph
Sun and Moon are included in the traditional astrological planet grouping. Knowing their astrocartography symbols tells you which object a line represents. All four angles of a planet share its glyph and color, so confirm the angle label as well. This is especially useful where several paths cross or run close together.
02 / Read the second half
Match the abbreviation to the angle
The angle makes astrocartography symbols specific. AS, DS, MC and IC describe the planet's position relative to the horizon or meridian at your birth. Our map uses AS and DS; AC/ASC and DC/DSC are alternative abbreviations you may see elsewhere. They do not create extra lines.
Ascendant / rising
AC · ASC · Solid on this map
Rising at the eastern horizon; the identity and self-expression angle.
Descendant / setting
DC · DSC · Dashed on this map
Setting at the western horizon; the one-to-one relationship angle.
Upper meridian
Midheaven · Solid on this map
Crossing the upper meridian; the public-life and career angle.
Lower meridian
Imum Coeli · Dashed on this map
Crossing the lower meridian; the home and private-life angle.
Venus · MC
Venus glyph, pink solid path, MC label. The solid stroke narrows it to AS or MC; the written MC confirms which one.
Venus · IC
Same Venus glyph, pink dashed path, IC label. The dashes narrow it to DS or IC; the written IC confirms which one.
Match the planet name and angle together in Selected planetary line to confirm the path you opened. For the themes behind the complete pair, continue with planetary line meanings.
03 / Check the visual clues
Color names the planet. Strokes narrow the angle.
Astrocartography symbols are easier to identify when you check several clues together. These conventions apply to the main planetary lines in this product. Start with the active layer and full label before using color or stroke as confirmation.
Solid
AS or MC. A solid path alone cannot distinguish rising from the upper meridian. The angle in the selected-line reading resolves which one you have opened.
Dashed
DS or IC. Dashes do not mean weak, inactive or uncertain. Confirm whether the label says setting or lower meridian before assigning a relationship or home theme.
Color
Planet identity in the main map. All four Venus angles share pink, so color cannot choose between them. Astrocartography symbols and names remain the reference when another tool uses a different palette.
04 / Resolve three identification mistakes
Confirm the astrocartography symbols you are seeing
A glyph key cannot tell you which lines are hidden, which path you selected or which place a result describes. On your own birth chart, these three checks connect astrocartography symbols to the actual selection and location behind the result.
02
Which line did I actually select?
Location reading · Selected planetary line
When astrocartography symbols or paths overlap, click the line you want to identify. Location reading names the actual selection under Selected planetary line, with its glyph, full planet name, angle and combined theme. Compare that complete label with the one you intended to open.
The selected line stays primary for that clicked point; Other nearby visible lines are listed separately with their own labels and distances. A thicker path marks the selection. Neither its thickness nor its first position in the reading ranks it above the surrounding lines.
If you intended Venus–MC but the selected label says Venus–IC, you have identified a different angle of the same planet. Select again before using that reading. The extra nearby labels provide context for the point; they do not rename the path you clicked. You leave knowing both the chosen object and what surrounds it.
03
Does this label describe my city or the clicked point?
Check City · Nearby visible lines
Use Check City with your current birth chart and the destination you want to locate. Its result connects astrocartography symbols to that city through full planet-angle labels, approximate distances, proximity levels and combined themes for the nearby visible lines.
A reading opened by clicking a line refers to that clicked coordinate. Check City uses the destination instead, which may be farther from the same path or near other lines. Read the full labels and distances returned for the city rather than carrying over the selected point's nearby-line list.
This tells you which named lines the city result actually includes, and whether they are close or broader background context. A familiar glyph elsewhere in the same country cannot answer that. Keep the destination and its returned labels together so you do not mistake an on-line click for evidence about the city.
Read the result label as carefully as the symbol
Check City adds distance context to your astrocartography symbols. Its proximity labels and empty states describe different kinds of evidence; none is a city suitability score.
- Strong / close
- This is the closest distance band in Check City. It describes proximity to that line, not strong support for moving, working or forming a relationship there. Read the full planet-angle theme before assigning it a helpful meaning.
- Nearby · Broad · Wide context · Weak
- These labels describe progressively more distant bands. They help you separate a close local signal from broader background context. A Weak proximity label is not a negative verdict on the city or a rating of its practical suitability.
- No close lines in the usual summary range
- None of the visible planetary lines falls within the summary's nearby range. The result can still list the closest visible signals as background context. Their presence in the list does not make them close or establish a reason to reject the city.
- No visible planet lines
- No planetary lines are enabled for the check. Turn on a planet and check again before drawing a location conclusion. This state describes the current display selection; it does not establish that the destination has no relevant signals.
Once the astrocartography symbols are clear, continue with How to read your map to interpret the combined themes and cautions for a place.
Keep the distinctions clear
Astrocartography symbols FAQ
What do astrocartography symbols mean?
The main astrocartography symbols combine a planet glyph with an angle. The glyph identifies the planet; AS, DS, MC or IC identifies where it was angular at birth. Color and line style help distinguish the paths on this map. Interpret the complete pair before attaching a theme to a location: a Venus glyph alone does not tell you whether the line concerns public life, home or relationships.
What do AS and ASC mean in astrocartography symbols?
They are abbreviations for the same Ascendant angle. Likewise, DC, DSC and DS refer to the Descendant. This product uses AS and DS in its map results. When comparing labels from different tools, first translate the abbreviation, then check the planet. A change from Venus–AS to Venus–ASC is a naming difference; a change from Venus–AS to Venus–DS is a different angle.
Why do my astrocartography symbols look different from another chart?
Fonts, alternative planet glyphs and angle abbreviations can differ. Uranus and Pluto are especially worth confirming by name. Match the full planet name and angle before comparing colors or shapes. The astrocartography symbols in this key follow this product's current glyphs. A visual difference alone does not establish that the calculations disagree; birth details and the selected map layers also need to match.
Do red lines mean danger and blue lines mean good luck?
No. On the main planetary map here, colors identify planets. They do not grade a destination as helpful or harmful. Mars is orange-red and Neptune is blue, but those colors do not substitute for their planet-angle meanings or a city's result. Use the named line and the location reading to investigate the relevant themes and cautions.
Do dashed lines mean weak or inactive influences?
No. The main planetary lines use dashes for DS and IC, and solid strokes for AS and MC. Those styles distinguish angle groups, not strength or activity. Additional map layers can use their own styles, so read the layer name and full label before applying this key. A selected line becoming thicker is also a display state, not an increase in its calculated influence.
Do astrocartography symbols change with my birth time?
The key stays the same: the Venus glyph still names Venus, and MC still names the Midheaven. Changing the birth time can move the lines, so a city may have different nearby labels and distances. You can learn the symbols without an exact time, but the locations in an estimated-time chart remain provisional. Recognizing a mark does not confirm its calculated position.
Bring one place to the key
Find astrocartography symbols on your own map
Use these astrocartography symbols with your own birth details. Confirm the planet and angle of one line, then check the city you actually care about. Leave with the full label, its local context and a clearer question to investigate about that place.