Astrology 101: What Is a Marks Chart?

Timing now includes Marks charts for both sides of a connection, giving you another way to explore how the same relationship can shape two different lives.

Have you ever felt more confident, cautious, or emotionally invested around one particular person—and wondered why that side of you comes out with them?

A relationship can affect each person differently. What feels reassuring to one person may feel demanding to the other. A shared goal might give one person a sense of purpose while leaving the other questioning how much they are expected to change.

The Marks chart offers an astrological way to explore those individual experiences.

Its central question is: How does this particular relationship affect me?

1. How is a Marks chart created?

The technique was developed by astrologer Bob Marks.

It starts with the couple’s Davison relationship chart, calculated from the midpoint between their birth times and locations. A second Davison chart is then created using one person’s birth data and the couple’s Davison chart.

Repeating that process for the other person produces two separate Marks charts.

Each chart represents one person’s side of the connection. This is why checking whose chart you are viewing matters: Person A’s chart explores the relationship’s effect on Person A, and Person B’s explores its effect on Person B.

2. What can it look like in everyday life?

Imagine two people planning to move in together.

For one person, the relationship may bring a stronger desire to create a home. They start thinking about shared routines, family traditions, and having somewhere they both belong.

For the other, the same step may bring questions about independence, responsibility, or how the move will affect their career.

Both are participating in the same relationship. Its effect reaches different parts of their lives.

A Marks reading gives astrologers a framework for exploring those differences. It can address emotional needs, but also the roles someone adopts, the priorities that change, and the behaviors that become more noticeable within the connection.

3. How can you use it?

Start with something you recognize: I take more initiative around this person. Or: I keep feeling responsible for making everything work.

Then consider whether the chart helps you describe that experience more clearly.

When exploring the other person’s chart, treat the interpretation as a question to discuss. Their words and behavior provide the context for understanding how they actually experience the relationship.

A useful conversation might begin with: “I’ve noticed this connection makes me think more about the future. What has it changed for you?”