Persona charts are an astrological technique developed by German astrologers Peter Orban and Ingrid Zinnel. It is a chart that is constructed for the moment when the Sun makes it initial transiting conjunction to a natal planet. For example, when the transiting Sun reaches Mars for the first time after birth that chart is known as the Mars persona chart.

“Firsts” in astrology are a big deal and since the Sun is one of the core components of the personality (often equated to the ego), it seems rational that when it arrives at a natal body for the first time it would offer insights into the integration of the archetypal functions of that body into the personality. Orban and Zinnel proposed that persona charts provide information about the “sub-personalities” of a person that are associated with this planet. It has been my opinion that these charts are like a microscope that provide a closer look at the dynamics of a planet as it uniquely applies to an individual. 

They published their work on this methodology back in 2000, but it is in German and no additional work has been published on the subject since. There are a few websites that have explored this topic (astro.com has a good article here), but there is very little research into this area otherwise. This means that the opportunity for experimentation and exploration is wide open. The standard approach in using this methodology usually involves analyzing planetary bodies, but could this also be used for the angles as well? Can persona charts offer insight into the areas of life represented by the four angular houses that correspond to the self (1st house), family (4th house), relationships (7th house), and career (10th house)? Since the cusps of these houses are uniform across all house systems, then it seems logical that the Sun’s initial arrival at each cusp (Ascendant, Imum Coeli, Descendant, Midheaven) should produce a chart that accurately describes these areas. To evaluate the effectiveness of this approach, lets look at four individuals whose biographies exemplify one of these four important areas of life.

For this brief exercise, we will review persona charts for the following:

• 1st House – Donald Trump
• 4th House – Tyler Perry
• 7th House – Kim Kardashian
• 10th House – Michael Jordan

Trump’s fierce pursuit of self-promotion, Perry’s horrific experiences of child abuse from his family, Kardashian’s rollercoaster relationships and marriages, and Jordan’s dominance during his NBA career make these individuals prime candidates for the area represented by the applicable angular house. Each of the following bi-wheels represent the moment the Sun arrived at the cusp of an angular house for the first time in an individual’s life. The inner represents the chart for that moment while the outer wheel represents the positions of planets in their natal chart.  

Donald Trump – 1st House Persona Chart

Trump has built his fortune upon the strong brand recognition associated with his name and identity. It is hard to find a property or product that does not have his name largely emblazoned across it. Trump’s persona Sun placed in the 10th house of career and close to the Midheaven is a fitting reflection of how his identity is inseparable from his career. 

His identity is known for the vicious and combative style of his communication and debate tactics. This is symbolized by the partile conjunction between persona Pluto – Mercury and their square to the Ascendant – Descendant axis as well as the partile square between natal Mercury and persona Mars (chart ruler). Trump has a reputation being difficult to get along with because of how he communicates with others. With much of this energy manifesting out of the 9th house of politics and law, it is not surprising this his political career has been characterized by constant fighting and never-ending legal battles. 

Scorpio has a reputation for being vengeful and this has also become a part of Trump’s identity through its placement as the rising sign in his persona chart. Trump prides himself on retaliating against all perceived enemies in a fashion much stronger than their initial attack. It has been reported by those close to him that he maintains a long list of enemies that he holds grudges against. This Scorpio rising could also be interpreted as a reflection of his association with activities that are questionable or even unethical and illegal.

Tyler Perry – 4th House Persona Chart

The house structure for Perry’s 4th house persona chart mirrors his natal chart very closely. The angles between the two charts are off by only a couple degrees. The probability of this degree of alignment between natal and persona is rare. Does it signify a high level of priority for this area of life for the individual? This is possible because Perry’s early family life became the inspiration for his later creative pursuits, but it also shaped him due to the abuse he endured as well. Regardless, many of the planets did move within the persona chart, so this difference offers some contours within the delineation. 

The tight alignment between persona retrograde Mercury and the Imum Coeli is an immediate area of attention. This is a 4th house chart, so a planet’s position within that house should receive a higher degree of significance. It infers that what happened in early family life is under review, being processed, unpacked, and analyzed. Why? With Mercury’s rulership of the 12th house this review is connected to some degree of suffering or imprisonment.

The theme of this area’s influence on identity is further corroborated by persona Mars’ opposition to the natal Sun as well as the 4th house ruler persona Saturn in opposition to persona Jupiter in the 1st house. Jupiter is also placed in the sign of Scorpio, which brings us back to Mars via dispositorship. This means that Perry has experienced some dark stuff possibly connected to violence or aggressiveness from his family and it has colored how he projects himself outwards to others and become a part of the identity that people recognize. 

Kim Kardashian – 7th House Persona Chart

Holy cow, I do not think I can do justice to the extensive high profile relationship history for Kardashian. If you are interested, this link offers a pretty good detailed timeline. It is safe to say that Kardashian falls in love easily and has had much disappointment in this highly active area of life. 

Kardashian’s persona retrograde Neptune positioned close to the Descendant is the immediate area of attention. It symbolizes the heavy idealization, fantasies, and general confusion with her romantic relationships. The retrograde status infers that some of this goes pretty deep and much of the activity in this area of life has left her feeling quite confused as far as what to make of it. It may also represent that Kardashian attracts partners who suffer from mental health diagnoses which was case with Kanye West. 

On the other end we see persona Venus in Gemini aligned with the Ascendant. This shows that part of her identity that is connected to relationships is also defined by many different love affairs. Considering that this Venus rules the 5th and 12th houses, this identity also includes mistakes that were made in dating and love. This is reinforced by persona Sun’s placement within the 12th house and square aspect to natal Venus as well as persona Venus’ square to natal and persona Jupiter, the ruler of the 7th house. When all these dynamics are considered alongside persona Neptune, it is easy to see why Kardashian falls in love easily. She cannot help herself and it usually goes too far and lacks the common sense needed to properly evaluate the relationship. The reason this is difficult for her is because the dispositor of persona Sun and Venus is persona Mercury in Cancer, also the ruler of the natal 7th house. Her thought processes are influenced by how she feels and this tracks back to everything else, ultimately defining her relationship situations. 

The disappointments from this blind spot are represented by the square from persona Mercury to persona Saturn. Kardashian’s thoughts are very heavy here and possibly even borderline depressive. Saturn’s retrograde status confirms that she spends a lot of time replaying the mistakes of old relationships in her head. 

Michael Jordan – 10th House Persona Chart

Jordan’s basketball career was historic and he is regarded by many to be the greatest of all time. What set Jordan apart from his peers was his fiercely competitive nature. Some of his opponents have admitted that they were scared to play him because his intensity was so ruthless. 

For his persona chart, the Sun did not have to move far to reach his Midheaven so there is not much difference between his natal and persona positions. Also, this is another example where the house structure of the persona chart is closely aligning to that of the natal. We can take this to mean that this area of life was very important for Jordan. Regardless, the movement that did occur between the planets and houses between these two charts was just enough to offer much insight into Jordan’s obsession with winning. 

The major significator here is persona Mars. It is the ruler of the Midheaven, positioned in the angular 1st house, and in partile trine aspect to the Midheaven. Jordan’s athleticism and competitive nature was an integral part of his identity and he won constantly. Mars’ placement in the sign of Leo extended this identification even further: he is known as the greatest to ever play the game. The persona North Node’s close alignment to the Ascendant confirms that Jordan’s identity would become famous because of this career success. 

Persona Mars is doubly important because it is also in square aspect and dispositing the persona Scorpio Moon. Any relationship between two planetary bodies connected by aspect and dispositorship is powerful. This is Jordan’s fiery and ruthless demeanor to win and be the best no matter the cost. This is interesting because natally Jordan’s Sun and Moon are in Aquarius and Sagittarius. These two sign qualities are not known for their emotional intensity. Yet anyone who has seen him play (or played with or against him) can attest that this intensity was off the charts. For Jordan, winning and being the best was an obsession. Losing was worse than death. His temper, aggressiveness, and insanely competitive nature reflect this square that became a part of his identity through the 1st house and helped him win through the supportive aspect relationship to the Midheaven. 

Angular House Persona Chart Key Characteristics

Based upon this evaluation, we can isolate a few characteristics that appear to be significant in evaluating these types of charts. 

1. Each angular persona chart represents dynamics related back to that angular house. The entire chart reflects that area of life. 
2. Aspects to the Sun because of its alignment with the cusp of that natal house. 
3. Planets positioned within the house that corresponds to the applicable persona chart (i.e. 1st house planets in a 1st house persona chart) and aspects to those planets. 
4. Aspects to ruler of the applicable house (i.e. aspects to the ruler of the 1st house in a 1st house persona chart). 
5. A persona chart that matches the house structure of the natal. The affairs of that chart deeply affect their general personality. 

A Deeper Look

One of the interesting facets of this evaluation is that these persona charts confirmed dynamics of the applicable areas of life for these individuals with astrological dynamics that were a bit more detailed than the natal chart. If this trend holds up across more charts, then a case could be made that these angular house persona charts offer a deeper and more detailed look into these areas of life in general.

Of course, more research needs to be done with this approach. Try them out with your chart. See how accurate they align to your life. Compare transits to the applicable persona chart to see how well the timing aligns to specific events as well. For astrologers, start checking these charts when a client is describing biographic details that are not clearly corroborated by the natal. We may find that the applicable angular house persona holds the insights.