A chart has a theme, just as your life does.
My own chart is full of "preponderances" and this in itself is significant, without paying attention to what those preponderances are specifically. Equally, you will often find charts with no preponderance whatsoever. And this is also significant. Have patience; you'll get there. Use (apply) common sense to your work. A chart with no preponderances might be said to have a "greater degree of freedom" than one with many. What would be the implications of "a greater degree of freedom"?
Everything in a chart has significance. Mostly things work together, creating the theme. When you see conflict, that is what the person experiences. I am a strong proponent of "what you see is what you get." When you see a conflict, apply your common sense to the problem, try to work out the probable results. A handy exampe is the opposition aspect. Most charts have at least one. And what does an opposition represent if not a fundamental conflict? So you examine the opposition carefully, the planets involved, which is stronger in the chart or by nature, the signs involved, the conditioning of their lords, contributing aspects....each thing of itself is "true", so you put the pieces together and a picture of the situation emerges.
Go to
www.astro.com, to their astrodata section, and pull up Luther's chart. Study charts and dig deep. Bruce Lee also had Mars as final dispositor. Both men were true warriors, each expressing this quality differently. Luther was a priest, not a job usually thought of as fitting for a warrior. But, basically all alone (he had his supporters, of course) he stood up to the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope and defied them. The man put his life up front to fight for his beliefs. There was a death sentence on his head.
By dispositor we mean the planet that rules a sign. That planet "disposes" (use your dictionary, please....dispose, disposition, and also determine -- this will explain what a dispositor does and why it is such a powerful influence) the sign and whatever is in it, and also the affairs of the house where the sign holds the cusp. In some charts, but not all, if you follow the "chain of disposition" you will find that one single planet disposes
all the others. It must disposit
all the others to be final (sole, or grand) dispositor. When you find such a planet (it must occupy its own sign...e.g., Mars must be in Aries or Scorpio to be final dispositor), it has power over Everything in the chart....it disposes all the other planets, rules them.
By "background" I mean that the influence may not be readily apparent. It may be cloaked, hidden, but the powerful influence is there nonetheless. A chart with a powerfully angular planet, or one that stands alone (say Moon in Luther's chart) may bring attention to itself, be more easily seen in the life. But Mars disposes Moon in Luther's chart....he rules the Moon and determines how the Moon will act, and toward what ends. Mars in Luther's chart tells us many things....Luther sought to purify both himself and his church....but he was also a warrior, with all the attributes of a warrior....and he was other things too -- according to the nature of Mars.
Bradley Manning also has Mars (a very troubled and also powerful Mars) as final dispositor. But if you look at his chart (and it doesn't matter that the time of birth is not known) you will see that Jupiter acts as the executive officer (follow the chain of disposition) in his map, and also influences everything under his disposition.....and is the most immediate cause of what he did. But Mars is the controlling influence.
The emphasis I am placing on a final dispositor here does not obviate other powerful influences. We don't want to give undue importance to one thing at the cost of ignoring other equally important things. Part of the task in chart interpretation is to weigh and balance all the various factors. Most people are not one-dimensional, and our methods and results should reflect this understanding. In Luther's chart, for example, there is a preponderance of Fixed signs. This type of thing (a power based on whole-chart consideration rather than focus on a single planet (Mars here) is predominant. The weight of Fixed signs is greater than Mars alone....the preponderance is superior in the hierarchy of powers. Think about it and you will see why....and take a giant step forward in your quest.
My astrology is strongly oriented toward the psychology of the individual, rather than events specifically. If I can understand the mind, the events will fit into place, and make sense. But the same principles apply if you are more attuned to events.
You are on the right track. Have patience. It will come to you if your desire is strong. And once you "get it" you'll never lose it. Study charts while you continue to build your knowledge from books. I worked under the same handicap you do....few resources, neither books nor teacher. It delayed my development, but also forced me to think for myself. I was on my own. And I'm a very competent astrologer (who recognizes his many deficiencies and weaknesses without apology. I continue to learn new things, correct old errors, daily. That is part of the joy of astrology for me.)