iVillage

European astrologers liked to see the planets drawn in at the correct degree in the circle of the zodiac, and did not like squeezing a bunch of planets into any of the equal-sized house systems. The so-called Euro wheel was the result. As you can see, we still have the 12 houses, with the ascendant, or First House cusp, on the far left, but there is more emphasis on the 12 signs, the band of the zodiac. They even added color to give each sign a distinctive feel. Here we are using a variant of what is called the Queen’s color scale. The space in the chart wheel center is perfect for drawing a small aspectarian in color, which helps to show the major chart patterns at a glance. In some versions, the 12 house numbers are also drawn in, as well. This chart form has many variants and today is one of the most popular chart formats used, but here and in Europe.