I invite you into my imagination, in the hopes that it will speak to yours.
Here we are, on the beach. We’ve all gathered to brainstorm, creativity flowing like stardust – notebooks are open, pens are poised, and there’s an air of possibilities. Fairy lights twinkle around us, and there’s a gentle breeze rustling through the grasses on the sand dunes behind us, and before us, the waves shush in and out on the shore. We’ve got plush cushions to sit on and warm blankets nearby. The scents of woodsmoke and salt mingle with your beverage of choice – rich hot chocolate? Peppermint tea? Crisp Sauvignon blanc or a spicy marg?
And there’s space.
Space to breathe, space to imagine, space to create.
Space to consider all the quirks and qualities of your characters and mull them over, space to ponder their big dreams and little fears.
And while some of you are totally vibing in this space, I definitely hear some of those voices saying whaaaaaat? I don’t even know where to start!
Don’t worry, I’ve got you.
I love helping writers discover their characters’ sun signs and explaining how that shapes their core personality. I love using tarot spreads to map out character arcs and plot twists (more on this in another post). I love chatting with aspiring authors about worldbuilding and magic systems and character growth, and I love showing seasoned writers how their protagonist’s rising sign can be a key to unlocking new dimensions in their stories. So here’s something fun that I do to help me get into my characters.
I look at their astrological birth chart!
Alright, we’ll back up a bit. Your birth chart – your personal map of the skies from the moment of your birth, the blueprint of your soul – tells you a lot about your self – your inner self, your outer self, your hopes and dreams, your needs and your direction in life. It can get pretty complicated, but we don’t need to worry about that now. (Unless you want to, in which case hit me up for a chart reading. 😉) You may or may not have heard about your Big Three. In astrology, this refers to the position of your Sun, Moon, and Ascendant, or Rising – the sign that was rising over the horizon at the moment of your birth. These three points/planets tell us where in your life your light shines brightest (sun), what things affect your emotional landscape (moon), and how you present to the world (rising).
This is simplified, but it’s all we need to get the first handle on a character.
When we know the Big Three for our characters, we immediately know these three things about them:
1. The heart that drives them (sun)
2. How they respond when they’re stressed (moon)
3. The face they put on to face the world (rising)
Next obvious question – how do we know what our character’s birth details are?!
Well, some of you may well already have your character’s details. You might know their date and place of birth, and could fairly easily choose a time of birth, too, in which case you can input their info into a website like astro.com, and their birth chart will pop up for you, giving you everything you need.
But for those of us who don’t know these things already, you can either pull tarot cards like I often do (I’ll do a post on this another time, so as not to be overwhelming!) or you can use the Magical Wheel Of Fortune!
It’s just a regular Wheel Of Fortune, but it sounds so much better with the word Magical in front of it.)
⭐️🔮 Magical Wheel Of Fortune! 🔮⭐️
I set this one up here for you to use. Just spin it three times per character and note down each sign it lands on. This will give you your character’s driving force (sun sign), their emotional needs (moon), and the face they show the world (rising).
Let’s break it down a little bit more.
Sun Sign
This tell us in which area of life your character shines most brightly. For example, if they’re a Libra sun, then harmony and justice matter to then. Equality in relationships, fair treatment, also aesthetic beauty in their surroundings, good conversations and pleasant company. Those are the more positive qualities. If they’re manifesting negatively, this could mean that they’re unbalanced and struggle to pick a side, they talk without listening, they obsess over things being just so… A sun sign will tell us a character’s motives in life (this is in addition to their plot motives, and will often inform how their plot decisions manifest).
Moon Sign
A moon sign gives us the emotional blueprint, and tells us how our characters react when they’re up against it, highly stressed, or conversely when they’re super happy. It tells us what they need – which also, helpfully, allows us to withhold it from them, story-wise, and see what happens. For example, a Cancer moon characters holds family most dear, whether biological or chosen. They give and expect absolute loyalty, and have amazing memories, particularly for people, faces, and events. This can also be seen in some serious grudge-holding! Whether they’re stressed or joyful, you’ll know about it – their emotions emanate from them like an aura that’s almost visible. Their laughter is often infectious! However, when they’re upset you won’t always know why. They feel deeply but don’t verbalise easily, which can make living with them… interesting!
Rising Sign
As the sign that was rising over the eastern horizon at the moment your character came into the world, this sign shows the first face they put on when they greet new people or situations, and how they think that everyone sees them. (Sometimes they’re right! It’s often not until we know people best that they see us in a different way, often by the sign ruling the descendant – but that’s a tale for another day…)
If your character has an Aries rising, they will approach the world headfirst; open, honest, independent. They are fearless leaders, and unafraid to show who they are. Other people will feel a sense of authority, even from quiet or shy characters – these people seem to know who they are, and they embody a sense of newness, quest-seeking, and discovery. They want to do, see, experience things now.
When I did this with my new characters, it was illuminating and (for the old characters) reassuring! And also slightly eerie to see how a random generator gave me signs resonated so strongly with what my characters were already like… Very cool, though. I hope that has given you a little sparkle! Go ahead and draft out a few new characters or get to know a few old familiars a little better, and let me know how it goes – I’d love to hear how this resonates with you.
The sun is setting fast, and although I’d love to stay out with you and watch the stars rise, I’m going to leave you with the sound of the sea and hopefully a renewed sense of excitement for discovering how your characters tick. Follow the links on this page to find out more about me, including how to book for consultations, where to buy my books and meditations, and how to get in touch. In the meantime, take a deep breath, centre yourself, and prepare to meet your characters under the starry sky of your imaginations…
