Astrocartography vs relocation chart: which reading should you choose?
In the expanding world of astrology, two branches of locational astrology have become increasingly popular among those seeking greater self-awareness and alignment with their life path: astrocartography and relocation chart readings. While these two systems are often mentioned and used together, they serve distinctly different purposes.
In this diary entry, I will guide you through the nuanced differences between astrocartography vs relocation chart interpretation that can help you choose the approach that best fits your goals, whether you’re seeking inner growth or literal physical change of environment. Let’s begin!
The purpose of an astrocartography reading
Astrocartography is a method that projects your natal chart across the globe. It creates a map showing where the planets were rising, setting, or at key angles at the time of your birth. These planetary lines indicate how energies from your chart might express themselves differently in various locations.
So, an astrocartography reading is focused on understanding how your natal chart interacts with different locations around the world. It is not about picking a “perfect” home or travel spot, but about recognizing how planetary energies influence you in various places. Your map shows patterns in your chart that can highlight strengths, challenges, and opportunities when connected with different regions. Even if you are not physically present in those locations, the reading can provide useful information into how these energies may affect you and guide personal growth and decision-making, regardless if you choose to go nearby mentioned energetically affected locations.
Many clients find that astrocartography readings help them:
Identify where personal growth and healing might be most supported.
Recognize why certain places feel energetically “different” or familiar.
Use intention and ritual to activate planetary lines remotely, aligning their environment with inner transformation.
Make sense of patterns in relocation, travel, or opportunity that seem to repeat throughout life.
Because astrocartography translates your natal chart into a world map, it functions as a mirror of self-improvement, revealing the areas of life where you can move from unconscious reaction to conscious evolution. It’s more of a tool of awareness, not prescription.
It’s important to keep in mind that your astrocartography map is made up of dozens of relocation charts, since every place where your angles shift from your birth location counts as a relocation chart. So, astrocartography map equals many relocation charts.
how a relocation chart can guide your move
Relocation chart example
A relocation chart takes your natal chart and recalculates it as if you were born in a new location. This changes the angles and house placements of planets, which can affect how your personality and life patterns are expressed. This shift can reveal how different environments bring out new sides of you. For example, moving to a place where your Sun moves closer to the Midheaven might make you more career-driven and visible, while a Moon near the IC could make you more focused on family, comfort, and emotional well-being.
In this way, a relocation chart acts as a map of potential experiences, showing how your energy aligns with different parts of the world. Of course, both of these examples truly depend on the condition of your natal placements, and how the rest of your chart shifts as well within a certain location.
So, an astrocartography reading is more focused on major lines (broader areas along a conjunction between a certain planet and certain angle, for example Moon conjunct IC = Moon IC line), a relocation reading focuses on a certain place along that certain area, focusing on one place (or several places).
In a relocation reading, astrologers examine:
How your planetary placements shift in a new location.
Which areas of life are emphasized or activated.
How local conditions may affect your personal growth and daily life.
Potential opportunities or challenges unique to that region and place.
Unlike astrocartography, which gives a broad view of planetary influences globally, a relocation chart reading provides specific insights for particular locations. It is a practical tool to help you make informed decisions about where to live, work, or spend significant time.
This approach allows you to make decisions grounded in awareness rather than guesswork.
Astrocartography vs relocation chart reading
Astrocartography reading:
Focus - understanding how your chart interacts with different locations
Purpose and goal - awareness and self-understanding
Scope - global perspective
Use - exploring energies and tendencies in different regions
Best for - identifying patterns and influences
Guiding question - “how do planetary energies show up in different places?”
Relocation chart reading:
Focus - how your chart expresses itself in a specific place
Purpose and goal - practical decision-making about moving away from place of birth
Scope - location-specific
Use - comparing and evaluating particular locations
Best for - planning multiple moves, moves due to career changes, or long-term relocation
Guiding question - “how will my life change if I live here?”
Which one should you choose?
Choosing between astrocartography vs relocation reading depends on your goal:
Astrocartography is ideal if you want to understand how planetary energies may influence you in various locations. It helps you interpret patterns in your chart and provides insight into personal development and opportunities. This approach is more about gaining clarity and perspective than making a concrete relocation.
Relocation chart reading is suitable if you are considering moving or spending extended time in specific locations. It provides a detailed analysis of how your chart would express itself in a new place, helping you make practical and informed decisions about relocation or career changes. Also in this type of reading, focus is more on the lines beyond the major ones - paran latitude lines, midpoints, local space lines, cyclocartography (transits and progressions), and aspect lines.
Once again, it’s worth noting that both methods complement each other. Astrocartography can highlight areas worth exploring, and relocation charts can provide actionable guidance for the locations that resonate with you.
Where does your chart come alive?
When it comes to understanding the influence of place in astrology, astrocartography and relocation charts each offer valuable insights — they just serve different purposes. Astrocartography gives you the bigger picture, showing how your birth chart connects with different regions around the world. It helps you see patterns, understand why certain places feel significant, and recognize how planetary energies influence your experiences.
A relocation chart, on the other hand, takes that understanding a step further. It shows how your personal chart actually shifts in a specific city or country, giving you a clearer idea of what life might feel like there day to day. While astrocartography helps you understand why you feel drawn to certain places, relocation astrology helps you decide how those places might support your goals and lifestyle.
In the end, there’s no single “best place in the world” for anyone, only places that highlight different parts of who you are.
If you’re curious to see how your chart interacts with the world, consider getting an astrocartography or relocation reading with me by booking below. You might discover that your next move, whether physical or mental with pursuing self-awareness, starts with understanding the map that’s already within you.
