This aspect is form when two or more planets are within 3 degrees of one another (the tighter the degree is to 0, the more powerful and profound the integration of the two planetary energies into one another).
Each planet has their own individual energy, however in a conjunction, the planetary energy is expressed simultaneously in the style of the sign they are both placed. These planets will act together, not individualistically.
This aspect is considered a ‘hard’ aspect due to the fact they can express more positive or negative qualities depending on the style of drive of a planet.
Conjunctions to other planets can give that planet a style of expression as the conducting planet rules (Example: Sun conjunct Jupiter will give the native a Sagittarian style of expression to their self identity, regardless of sign. Conjuncting Jupiter will also greatly enhance the sign of the sun, making them far more prominent than without the conjunction).
EXAMPLE:
Easy – Moon conjunct Venus: Love and affection is also integrated into the natives style of nurturing and what they need to be emotionally satisfied. This is an extremely gentle, and affectionate conjunction.
Hard – Sun conjunct Saturn: This can be a very self limiting aspect, as Saturn puts blocks on the natives drive for self expression, making the native rather quiet and shy. This can also be an indication of someone who is prone to depression and self doubt.
Opposition (Hard)
This aspect if formed 177 – 183 degrees from one another (the closer to 180 degrees, the more prominent this aspect is felt).
This aspect show two conflicting energies within the self, that are contradicting and conflicting.
These planetary energies will make a ‘swinging’ motion, going back and forth as they try to gain dominance of expression.
This aspect feels internally tense, irritating and uncomfortable, as if no matter what you do, you can’t get exactly what you want.
Though this is another hard aspect, like the conjcuntion, it does carry benefits and can be balanced.
The first step to balancing this aspect lies in the realisation that you need BOTH energies to be expressed, not just one.
This aspect is easier to resolve if a trine to one or both planets is involved or is part of a T-Square.
The opposing planet, like the opposition, will integrate the style of the sign it rules (Example: Mars in pisces opposite Pluto in Virgo would indicate someone who acts passive in times of confrontation one time, than becomes explosive and aggressive – much like a mars in scorpio – another time).
This aspect can also be balanced as planets will more often than not share the same modality and be a in compatible element (apart from the cases where this aspect is formed by out of sign planets).
EXAMPLE:
Venus opposite Uranus: To balance this opposition, the native would need a sense of personal freedom in relationships in oder to form a functional relationship. This person may also fluctuate from being affection to passive, and in these time, some personal space will be needed, and they are ready, can return to the partner – unconventional relationships tend to manifest from people with this aspect.
Trine (Easy)
This aspect is formed when two planets are 117-123 degrees from one another (the closer to 120 degrees, the more prominent this aspect is expressed).
Training planets are often in the same element.
It is a easy, flowing aspect whereby planets interact with ease, often providing the native with a ‘talent’ or strength in and between characteristics and energies.
This aspect is so easy, the native will not notice this aspect in their own personality, and are often puzzled by others who can not express the planets training in the same way they do.
This aspect holds a lot of potential, though because the nature of the aspect is so natural and laid back, a transit or interaction with another who activates the trine in synastry may be needed for the potential to be manifested.
Acknowledging this aspect in your chart will help you better understand and utilise this talent/gift.
EXAMPLE:
Sun trine Mars: This will show a native who’s self-expression and self-drive flow together with ease. This person will have no problem expressing who they are and what they want, and have a great amount of personal drive to achieve goals. This can also give the native an aura of sexual magnetism and a heroic and stand-out presence.
Square (Hard)
This aspect is formed when two planets are 88-92 degrees apart (the closer to 90 degrees, the more prominent this aspect is expressed and felt).
Planets squaring one another will often be a planet with the same modality but with an incompatible element.
The tension caused by this aspect is described as a type of ‘friction’ – two planets having the same aim (modality) with a different style/method (element).
This aspect can force and issue/compose a challenge externally as the aspect is projected outside the self onto the outside world to be dealt and resolved with.
This aspect can pressure to to find a resolution based on the lessons of the planets (in signs) that are involved.
A lot of effort is required to resolve the issues proposed by this aspect.
EXAMPLE:
Mercury square Neptune: This native may have difficulty in differentiating facts from reality. There may be a lot of mental confusion with this aspect and a tendency to get lost in conversation, being spoken to and to transverse into a world of daydreaming and fantasy. Their concentration may be short, and may also be delusional in their thought. This aspect could also manifest a lair, or through a more positive manifestation, someone who can express their mental confusion through creative writing and materialising their fantasies into words/poetry.
Sextile (Easy)
This aspect is formed when two planets are 58 – 62 degrees from one another (the closer to 60 degrees, the more prominent this aspect is expressed and felt).
This aspect links planets of different modalities and elements, though the elements will be compatible (Earth/Water – Air/Fire)
These planets have compatible styles of expression and will ‘encourage’ one another in their form of expression
They can excite/stimulate one another, feeding each other productive energies
This aspect can manifest opportunities, but it is up to the native to decide whether or not they chose to use them. More to gain if taken, and if ignored or declined, nothing is lost.
This aspect is also another indicator for talents, possibly more active than the trine. You are more likely to notice and work on these talents.
EXAMPLE:
Mars sextile Pluto: This aspect would give the native formidable ability to incorporate raw plutonic power into their will power and drive. This can give great ability to put a lot off personal power into tasks and to achieve goals. This natives drive would be persistent and they would possess tremendous durability. This native may posses great physical power and have a large sex drive, not to mention quite sexually skilled and magnetic.
Inconjunct/Quincunx (Hard – often debated as a major or minor aspect.)
This aspect is formed when two planets are 148-152 degrees apart (the closer to 150 degrees, the more prominent this aspect is expressed and felt).
This is a point of major conflict between planets. Two planets that have no compatibility by sign or modality, yet are forced to interact with each other.
This aspect must be balanced and adjusted (either by escape rout via sextile or trine to one of the planets involved).
Those who poses this aspect in a tight orb (0′-2′) between planets often tend to compartmentalise the two areas of life indicated by the planets and points involved, acting out one planet at a time until the other planet becomes frustrated and takes over and is expressed.
Through the inflexibility of this aspect, it can manifest as an either ‘make or break’ situation.
A new, inventive and personal outcome can be created with this aspect.
EXAMPLE:
Venus inconjunct Saturn: This aspect can indicate a native who’s ability to express love and tender affection clashes with their sense of authority, structure and patriarchal nature. This person may give excessive amounts of affection and love and may begin to feel like they aren’t getting the same amount in return, thus resorting to becoming cold and rejecting any affection that the partner tries to give. This person may also try to be patriarchal and directing in a situation that really requires gentle affection and care.
The Thema Mundi or “World Theme” is
the mythical horoscope of the creation of the world used by ancient Hellenistic
astrologers. The chart shows the supposed planetary configuration that
coincided with the birth of the universe. Through the use of this chart some
explained the logic behind the rulership of the signs and the meaning of some
of the 5 Ptolemaic Aspects. It is highly symbolic in nature, and though the
true origins of astrology are a bit more complicated it gives us a glimpse into
the mind of some of those ancient astrologers.
The Ascendant of the chart is Cancer The Sun
☉
is in the Sign of Leo The Moon
☽
is in the Sign of Cancer Mercury
☿
is in the Sign of Virgo Venus
♀
is in the Sign of Libra Mars
♂
is in the Sign of Scorpio Jupiter
♃
is in the Sign of Sagittarius Saturn
♄
is in the Sign of Capricorn
Some personal notes:
With the chart ruler being the Moon due to its Cancer
Ascendant we can see a belief that nature is essentially nurturing and kind,
and from this line of thinking we can see correlations with the idea of “Mother
Nature” and primordial goddesses such as Gaia.
The first aspect in the chart is that of the opposition of
the Moon and Saturn, which in turn indicates the difficulty of the aspect due
to the association with Saturn and blockages or delays.
The next aspect would be the square of the Sun and Mars,
squares are highly energetic aspects like the two planets involved.
Following that we see the trine from the Sun to Jupiter,
which represents “God-given” talents and blessings, or an easy and flowing
relationship that comes naturally
The Sun is sextile to Venus, and we are shown a relationship
in which you must reach out and make effort (as one does in relationships) to
see benefit. The potential is there for the taking, but does not come with the
same ease as the trine.
The Zodiac is an imaginary belt of the Heavens, within which are the apparent paths of the Sun, Moon and Planets. The belt contains twelve Constellations of Stars (hence the twelve Signs of the Zodiac) and each of the twelve Signs are governed by one of these four Elements: Earth, Fire, Air or Water. Astrology plays a big part in the Zodiac, as it is the actual study of influence that the Sun, Moon, Stars and Planets have on an individual at the time of their Birth (which creates all the Sun/Moon/Rising Signs of the Zodiac).
The
historical purview of what came to be called alchemy includes an
undeniable current of influence stemming from Pharaonic and Hellenistic
Egypt on one hand, and another stemming from ancient China, medieval
India and Tibet on the other―currents that appear to have
cross-fertilised before converging in Arabic alchemy, whence the term
proper: al-kīmiyā. Scholars have long known that the word alchemy points to an Arabic transmission (alkīmiyā becomes Spanishalquimia, Latin alchimia, French alchimie, German Alchemie, etc.) [The Arabic definite article al- points clearly to this, yet the precise origin of the lexeme kīmiyā is far from certain. Academic consensus has generally favoured Greek sources, notably those published by Marcellin Berthelot, suggesting an origin from the term chyma(‘that
which is poured out’; ‘flows, fluid’; ‘ingot, bar’; metaphorically,
‘confused mass, aggregate, crowd’; ‘materials, constituents’), whence chymeia, ‘the art of alloying metals’) named from its supposed inventor, Chymēs. As Harris observes in his 1704 Lexicon Technicum:
Chymisty,
is variously defined, but the design of this Art is to separate
usefully the Purer Parts of any mix’d Body from the more Gross and
Impure. It seems probably to be derived from the Greek word chymos, which signifies a Juice, or the purer Substance of a mix’d Body; though some will have it to come from cheein, to melt. It is also called the Spagyrick, Hermetick, and Pyrotechnick Art, as also by some Alchymy.
The
idea of fluid essences, extracts or elixirs is clearly central to the
alchemical purview, and as will be seen throughout this volume, it is
also inherent to the very names for alchemy in Chinese and Indo-Tibetan
traditions (Chinese dao jindan, Sanskrit rasāyana, Tibetan bcud len).
In addition, the Greek etymology distinctly emphasises the idea of
metallic fusibility, and the idea that metals are fundamentallyfusible entities proves central to the alchemical perception. The word ‘metal’ itself (metallon, metalleion) is homophonous with—and most likely derived from—a whole series of words indicating ‘transformation’, such as metalloiōsis, which is formed from the preposition meta– (‘between, with, after; taking a different position or state’) and the substantive alloiōsis (‘alteration’ or ‘change’).
Whether derived from chyma, chymeia, Chymēs, or chymos, the term alchemy appears to
come to the Latin west from late Greek sources through the same kinds
of channels that preserved Platonic and Aristotelian texts, in Arabic
translation, after the fall of the Greek Academy. While the lines of
historical transmission are well known, matters are not quite as simple
as they first appear. Egyptologists and Sinologists have both brought
forward diverging evidence that the origins of alchemy lay not in Greece
but in the Ancient Near or Far East.
The Egyptian Etymology
In addition to the Greek etymology, the root kīmiyā has also been traced to the Egyptian name for Egypt, km.t (Coptic keme, kēmi), which Plutarch gives as chēmia,‘the blackest earth’ (malista melangeion). The implications of this etymology are explored in detail elsewhere in this volume. Suffice
it to say for now that a wealth of theological and cosmological
significations deeply pertinent to alchemy emerge from Plutarch’s
identification of the name of Egypt with not only the blackness of the
soil, but also with the blackness of the pupil of the eye. On a basic,
symbolic level, this coheres with the fact that the Nilotic black earth,
which literally (and geographically) defined Egypt, was fertile soil—the
perfect receptor of life-giving seed; in the same way, the transparent
openness that forms the pupil of the eye is the perfect receptor of
light.
As will be seen,
these significations directly tie the early conception of alchemy to
genuine Egyptian theological conceptions on one hand, and to the Greek
Hermetic corpus on the other, a point that has already been articulated
in some detail by Erik Iversen with regard to the Memphite cosmology of
the Shabaka stone and its clear recapitulation in the Corpus Hermeticum itself. Furthermore,
as the late Algis Uždavinys makes abundantly clear, this current of
alchemy cannot be divorced from the numerous morphological continuities
that exist between Egyptian mortuary cult on one hand, and Homeric,
Orphic, Pythagorean, Platonic and hieratic Neoplatonic traditions on the
other. And as scholars such as
Peter Kingsley have shown, these morphological connections are not
merely apparent: they are deeply rooted in a fine web of mutual
historical and geographical interactions between the initiatic
traditions not only of Egypt itself, but those of southern Italy and
Sicily (whence the Pythagorean current that would retain such a strong
presence in the Hermetic tradition down through the centuries, from
Bolus of Mendes to the Turba Philosophorum).
The Chinese Origin of the Chem- Etymon
Joseph Needham, in the alchemical volumes of his magisterial Science and Civilisation in China, makes a very plausible case for the Greek and Arabic borrowing of the Chinese term jin (‘gold’) or jin i (‘gold
juice, gold ferment’), terms explicitly linked to aurifaction,
aurifiction and elixirs for perfecting bodies, all of which appears to
place kīmiyā in an original context not only of Taoist
metallurgical practices, but also of traditions of physical immortality
(macrobiotics). After one of the most lucid and thorough surveys of the existing etymological evidence for alchemy, Needham, concludes:
If some have found an influence of jin (kiem) on chēmeia (chimeia, chymeia) difficult to accept, there has been less desire to question its influence on al-kīmiyā.
No Arabic etymologist ever produced a plausible derivation of the word
from Semitic roots, and there is the further point that both jin i and kīmiyā could and did mean an actual substance or elixir as well as the art of making elixirs, while chēmeia does
not seem to have been used as a concrete noun of that kind. We are left
with the possibility that the name of the Chinese ‘gold art’,
crystallised in the syllable jin(kiem), spread over
the length and breadth of the Old World, evoking first the Greek terms
for chemistry and then, indirectly or directly, the Arabic one.
Needham
makes it saliently clear that alchemy is not simply a product of
Hellenistic culture. Although it is difficult to accept an exclusively Chinese
origin for alchemy, the copious evidence adduced by Needham and his
collaborators over four large volumes irrevocably transforms (and
complicates) the overall picture of the genesis of alchemy. In short,
not only must one come to terms with the Ancient Near Eastern influence
upon Hellenistic and Islamicate alchemical traditions, one must also
contend with the Ancient Far Eastern influences upon the intellectual
and technical history of alchemy. This is especially pertinent given the
attested lines of cultural exchange between the Asian, European and
African landmasses along the Silk Road, which were established during
the Han Dynasty (206 bce – 220 ce).
The most important Chinese term for alchemy was jindan,
or ‘golden elixir’, which was conceived in both an external sense (as a
macrobiogen) and an internal sense (as a spiritual embryo). Jindan also
referred especially to cinnabar, the red salt of sulphur and mercury,
and the raw ingredient from which mercury was refined. As such, cinnabar
points to one of the most ancient and pervasive mineral theophanies of
the world’s alchemical traditions: the marriage of mineral sulphur and
metallic mercury to form a red crystalline stone (mercuric sulphide).
Around this naturally occurring substance, multiple layers of
historical, cultural and mythological meaning would accrue not only in
Chinese and Indo-Tibetan but also in Islamicate and European alchemical
traditions.
With regard to
our previous remarks on metal as a quintessentially fluid substance, it
may also be added here that in ancient Chinese cosmology, metal (for
which jin was also a generic term) was regarded as one of the five elements (wu xing);
not only was it regarded as the ‘mother’ of the water element, the
metal element itself was defined precisely by its double capacity to melt and to solidify into new form (as in a mould). This
ability to revert from a solid form to an amorphous or liquid state,
and back again, is a very important principle. In the western alchemical
canon it would inhere in the formula: solve et coagula,
‘dissolve and coagulate’, a formula that possesses deep symbolic value
in regards to ontologies of ‘flux’ and ‘permanence’ (pointing to a more
paradoxical ontology embracing both ‘permanence in flux’ and ‘flux in
permanence’). It also underscores the universal value almost unanimously
given to mercury as the ‘essence’ of metals. For next to gold and
cinnabar, mercury figures as the most universal of all alchemical
substances in eastern and western traditions alike. When alchemically
refined, moreover, it came to be regarded less as a ‘substance’ per se, as more as the underlying principle of pure sublimity—of absolute volatility—with the unique power to penetrate and transform all things, especially minerals and metals (the most dense things).
I had an old posts on aspects that quite honestly I hate now that I look back on it, so I’m making a new one.
Firstly, aspects are made when two planets or points are a certain amount of degrees away from each other. As in, the aspect itself is not a physical thing, but a measurement of an angle between planets that shows a dynamic between them. Aspects don’t have to be exact and rarely they are, they can actually be a few degrees off which is called an orb. Chart calculators such as those on astro.com automatically have their aspect orb set up to 10˚ but you can change the settings to be exact or even up to 15˚. But most astrologers use no more than 10˚ and often times they will use a maximum orb lower than that. The smaller the orb, the stronger the aspect. But that’s not the only way you can tell how strong an aspect is. Aspects are also categorized into separating and applying aspects. Separating aspects in the natal chart are aspects that have been exact just before you were born, and applying aspects are ones that became exact after you were born. It is extremely rare that someone would be born with an aspect completely exact (as in 0˚00′). And of course with applying and separating aspects, the faster moving planet is the deciding factor as to if it’s applying or separating, also make sure to check if this planet is in retrograde to make sure of the status of this aspect. Applying aspects are generally considered to be stronger than separating aspects in the natal chart. Especially because they can be exact in your progressed chart.
Of course there are many kind of aspects, some stronger than others. The stronger aspects are major aspects, they include the conjunction, opposition, trine, and square. Arguably conjunctions are the strongest and oppositions are a close second, although trines and squares are still both quite strong in the chart.
So, starting with conjunctions these aspects are exact when two planets are 0˚ away from each other. This aspect helps join or fuse the qualities of the two planets or points together. They make a bond between the two planets. Conjunctions are generally thought of as a neutral aspect, and it can either have a more disharmonious or harmonious effect on someone depending on a) what planets are involved and b) how much the person has developed the aspect. Conjunctions are widely regarded as the strongest aspect and thus more astrologers are likely to use a larger orb with it. If your only conjunctions have a really wide orb then you may find that oppositions feel stronger to you.
On that note, oppositions, while being considered a strong aspect alongside conjunctions are quite different that the former aspect. Instead of bonding the two planetary energies, this aspect puts them against each other. There is a push and pull between them but they’re still strongly connected. Oppositions are just that, two planets opposite each other in the chart as in it is exact with two planets 180˚ away from one another. This aspect is generally considered disharmonious, and one of the most disharmonious aspects. But with enough development of an opposition it is possibly to use this push and pull to get the planetary energies to work together.
Next, there are trines. Trines are formed when two planets are 120˚ away from each other. Not as strong as the conjunction or opposition but still quite strong. These two planet’s energies work together to enrich each other. This aspect can been seen as some sort of “cosmic gift” placed in the chart. A lot of trines can indicate a lot of positive karma. This aspect is usually easy and helpful for someone without needing any development, but can also cause apathy and laziness in a person if it has too much presence because of it’s calm nature. But overall it is seen as a very harmonious aspect, and arguably the most harmonious aspect.
Finally, the last of the major aspects is the square. And as each angle in a square is 90˚, this aspect is exact when two planets are 90˚ away from each other. This has about the same strength as a trine. This aspect has a lot of tension and is often very disharmonious, and can cause conflict due to mutually exclusive desires and needs from the uncooperative planets. These as[pects can cause a lot of pressure but it can be worked with and at it’s best it can be very motivational for a person and can help with growth. A lot of squares can indicate having a lot of negative karma.
Besides the major aspects, there are also minor aspects. But before I get to those there are two aspects which astrologers disagree on if they are major or minor. Thus I think of them in their own in-between category. These two aspects are the sextile and the quincunx or inconjunct.
The sextile is when two planets are 60˚ away form each other. This is a very harmonious aspect and the two planets help to inspire each other. This aspect creates motivation and excitement. But it’s also a halved and thus weaker version of a trine, as in this gift is less present than that of the trine. And it does contain a slight bit of square-like tension which can especially be seen in the aspect pattern of a yod (will be discussed later). This aspect may aslo show some area of talent in a person’s life, but they may miss some opportunities with this due to lack of pressure to.
Then there is the quincunx, also known as the inconjunct. This aspect if exact when two points are 150˚ away from each other. This aspect is generally seen as neutral. This is because it is an aspect that holds a lot of potential but is hard to release. It is difficult to release since the two planets are often in signs of both differing and inharmonious elements and modalities which makes this potential hard to adjust to. This difficulty to adjust to can cause some tension, and there is also no promise that the potential of this aspect will be tapped into, but it can be very rewarding if it is.
Now, for the minor aspects. These aspects generally don’t stand alone to show something in the natal chart but rather stand to support something that is already shown otherwise in the natal chart and are thus very useful to interpreting a chart accurately. But these aspects generally include a much smaller orb and often must be exact or less than a 1˚ or 2˚ orb in my opinion. Minor aspects include quintile, bi-quintile, semi-sextile, semi-square, sesqui-square, semi-quintile, nonile, septile, and to even less importance than those semi-octile, squile, squine. tri-decile, and quindecile.
Quintiles are a harmonious aspect with an angle of 72˚. Quintiles can help indicate talent in the chart, as well as aspiration and ambition in certain areas. These often assist in showing talents already seen in the chart but these help pick out the talents that will be most worked at, and often these are more focused on artistic talents.
Bi-quintiles are also harmonious aspects such as a quintile and as the name states they are double the angle of a quintile so 144˚. These aspects mostly help to serve quintiles, but with even more of a focus on the arts. It can also help one become more aware of their quintiles.
Semi-sextiles are half of a sextile so 30˚ and is somewhat harmonious. It shows a potential that is hard to reach due to the complete difference in the signs of the two planets. This creates somewhat of a positive connection between two planets that otherwise would be difficult interacting with one another due to being in neighboring signs.
Semi-squares are just half of a square aka 45˚ and is seen as somewhat disharmonious. This aspect causes unapparent tension that can thus be hard to address and work on. This are tensions most people would rather ignore, maybe something you’d address momentarily but never reach a long-term solution for.
Sesqui-squares or otherwise known as sesquiquadrates are a square and a half so 135˚ and are somewhat disharmonious. Just like the square this causes conflicts and some tension, and possibly more apparent than the semi-square but even easier to suppress. This aspect if also very stubborn and indicates an issue that is very hard to work on.
Semi-quintiles or a decile is 1/10 of the circle of the natal chart as in a 36˚ angle. This is very similar to but much weaker than a quintile. But it also includes a bit of tension, although this is really hard to address both the talents and tension of this aspect and is most definitely just supporting something already shown in the chart.
Noniles or also known as noviles have a 40˚ angle. This aspect is somewhat harmonious and help make an idea, or make an already thought of idea in the natal chart a reality. It can also indicate a beginning of a new phase. One can barely notice this though and it requires a great deal of sensitivity and observation in order to.
Septiles have an angle of 51˚26′ and are a harmonious aspect. This can help show spirituality or religion in the chart. Many of these can help show what someone experiences and feels on a deeper level. It can also help show wisdom gained.
Semi-octiles are exact with an angle of 22.5˚ and is slightly harmonious. Not much else is known about this aspect and it has very little meaning in the horoscope.
Squiles have an angle of 75˚ and there isn’t much information on the specific of this aspect, but it is good to look at it in progressions to see if it seems to support anything else shown.
Squines have an angle of 105˚ and just like the Squile there is little to no information on it, but it is useful for progressions.
Tri-deciles are three times a decile as in 108˚ and is harmonious. It has a unique energies that complements any gifts shown in the chart. It symbolizes a divine motherly energy. And it can help show something that needs to be fulfilled.
Quindeciles have a 165˚ angle and are disharmonious. It can help support where in the chart one can become obsessive over something to the point of irrationality. It can show compulsivity and some sort of separation from reality.
Aspects can form aspect pattern. These have their own meaning and can be very important in the chart. Aspect patterns include a grand trine, grand cross, grand sextile, T-square, mystic rectangle, yod, and kite. Not everyone has an aspect pattern, and some are more common than other.
Grand trines are created when three planets are trine each other to form the shape of an equilateral triangle. This is a very harmonious aspect pattern and can increase the influence of the trines, as well as usually gives the person some sort of gift or talent. Nicknamed the “triangle of grace” quite appropriately. But, like the trine this aspect pattern can lead to some apathy or lack of motivation or care. This has a calming feeling to it but it’s talents may not be used if ignored due to lethargy.
Grand sextiles are formed when six planets are around the chart in sextile to one another which creates the shape of a hexagram. It is a very harmonious aspect pattern. This may also look like two grand trines upside down from each other. This is a rare aspect pattern and it strengthens the sextiles to make them more like a major aspect. Unlike a grand trine this pattern helps motivate and invited productivity.
T-squares are formed when two planets are opposite each other and square a third planet, this is a disharmonious aspect pattern. I’ve found this to be a very common aspect pattern, but many of them in one chart can indicate a lot of karma. The tension of the opposition in addition to the tension of the squares is all channeled through the squared planet. This is very intense and is nearly impossible to ignore. But T-squares, if worked with, can offer a lot of growth and help make you a stronger, better person.
A grand cross also called a grand square is created when four planets are square each other giving the shape of a square. Another way ot think of it is two T-squares forming a whole square. This can be disharmonious due to challenges and the stubborn nature it can cause. If these challenges are overcome, however, it can really help with stability. Often times these challenges may be triggered by transits.
Mystic rectangles are formed when two pairs planets form an opposition to each other and then each pair on each side also forms a sextile, creating the image of a rectangle. This is a harmonious aspect pattern and helps one figure out and deal with their oppositions. It helps the sextiles and trine work together to channel their harmonious energy through the oppositions.
Yods are formed when two planets are sextile each other and then both quincunx a third. This is a rare and disharmonious aspect pattern. It creates a desire to do something powerful or important (thus nicknames the “finger of god”) but it often doesn’t lead the person in the right direction to do so. This aspect pattern intensifies the quincunx and makes it act more like a major aspect. Yods can be thought of as channeling the worst of the sextile through the apex. This is a very stressful aspect to have and is very hard to ignore.
Finally, kites are formed when a grand trine has a fourth planet opposite one of the ends and sextile the other two. This is harmonious but like the grand trine can cause a lack of motivation. Although there is a great ease in the flow of energy between these planets. This aspect pattern helps encourage constructive ways of expressing the grand trine.
There are a few other things related to aspects that I might as well note…
Such as it being very favorable when a planet is conjunct the sun within 0′17˚ and it strengthens it, this is called cazimi. On the other hand a conjunction to the sun can be seen as combust if in the same sign and within 8° 30’ which can weaken it. Beyond combustion, yet within 17˚ of the sun is considered under the sun’s beams which still weakens a planet but not to the same extent as a combustion.
Aspects can occur outside of the signs they were suppose to, for example if a planet is near the end of one sign and another planet near the beginning of another they could form a trine but not in the same element. This is called dissociate aspect.
There are also parallels and contraparallels. This is working with the declinations of planets. Parallels are when two planets are of the same declination and the interpretation of this is considered similar to a conjunction, although probably not as strong. A contraparallel is when two planets have the same degrees of declination but are on opposite hemispheres. This is interpreted similarly to an opposition but is less potent in the chart.
If you are new to numerology, please see the earlier articles in the archive – for a menu of the detailed information behind this.
Sometimes it is helpful to access the link between numerology and
astrology, to call on the additional symbolic vocabulary which
astrologers have developed to a very sophisticated level.
If we are working in pure number – for the story told by numbers, or
for their manifold interrelationships, or even working with dates – we
can use the astrological linkages (see below) directly. However, if we
are working with words or names then we have an intermediate step to go
through.
The astrological vocabulary of numerology was brought in by the
Romans, and further developed in mediaeval times. So we have to work
with the number-values of letters which traditional European numerology
has used since Roman times:
1 is the value of A, I, J, Q, and Y
2 is the value of B, K, and R
3 is the value of C, G, L, and S
4 is the value of D, M, and T
5 is the value of E, H, N, and X
6 is the value of U, V, and W
7 is the value of O, and Z
8 is the value of F, and P
No modern letters are evaluated at 9
This is very different from the “normal” sequential values used by
modern numerology. It actually arose out of the letter sequence of the
pre-roman Etruscan alphabet. The Romans kept the old values when
working in Latin, and modern letters such as J, U, W, and Y were fitted
in later as they arose. So it looks a bit of a mess now, but a lot of
powerful people have been energising it for over 2,000 years. You may
sometimes find this called the “Chaldean System”, but the Chaldeans
wrote in cuneiform characters, so that name does not really stand up.
If we were to use the astrology with the much easier direct
letter-values which are normal in modern numerology, we would usually
get complete rubbish in the interpretation. Please stay with the
Aura-Soma Equilibrium Bottles as your deep vocabulary when working with
sequential modern letter-values.
The astrological linkages are:
ZERO was a concept unknown in Europe until about 1300, so it has no
old attributions, but has latterly been associated with the element
aether, and by some people with the planet Pluto.
ONE has positive polarity, and is associated with the fire element and the cardinal quality. It is ruled by the Sun.
TWO has negative polarity, and is associated with the water element and the fixed quality. It is ruled by the Moon.
THREE has positive polarity, and is associated with the air element and the mutable quality. It is ruled by Jupiter.
FOUR has negative polarity, and is associated with the earth element
and the cardinal quality. In Roman times it was ruled by Saturn, but
the Mediaeval revision (see below) gave it to the Sun, now in modern
times it is ruled by Uranus.
FIVE has positive polarity, and is associated with the air element and the fixed quality. It is ruled by Mercury.
SIX has negative polarity, and is associated with the air element and the mutable quality. It is ruled Venus.
SEVEN has positive polarity, and is associated with the water element
and the cardinal quality. In Roman times it was ruled by Jupiter, but
the Mediaeval revision (see below) gave it to the Moon, now in modern
times it is ruled by Neptune.
EIGHT has negative polarity, and is associated with the earth element and the fixed quality. It is ruled by Saturn.
NINE has positive polarity, and is associated with mutable quality.
It is ruled by Mars. Its elemental attribution is less clear.
Originally it was given the fire element, but the Mediaeval revision
suggested that it related to all elements, and some more recent
authorities associate it with aether.
The Mediaeval Revision
In Mediaeval times they thought that it was unfair that Saturn and
Jupiter should have two numbers each (although that can be traced back
to Chaldean astrology); so they decided that the “two great luminaries” –
the Sun and Moon – should have two numbers each and ordinary planets
only one. Likewise the fire element was identified as unfairly having
three numbers rather than two, so they associated the NINE with “all”
elements.
Identifying the Signs which will be revealed
Aries is positive cardinal fire
Taurus is negative fixed earth
Gemini is positive mutable air
Cancer is negative cardinal water
Leo is positive fixed fire
Virgo is negative mutable earth
Libra is positive cardinal air
Scorpio is negative fixed water
Sagittarius is positive mutable fire
Capricorn is negative cardinal earth
Aquarius is positive fixed air
Pisces is negative mutable water
In analyses, the elements and qualities are more important than the
polarities, as it is possible to have a result showing such as “negative
cardinal air” – a combination which does not exist in a real sign. In
such cases we would ignore the polarity.
How can we use this?
Let’s try an example of finding the astrological vibrations in the name of “Fred Smith”:
FRED SMITH
8254 34145
using the traditional letter-values.
First we count the occurrences of each factor:
Positive has 4 occurrences, from 5, 3, 1, and 5
Negative has 5, from 8, 2, 4, 4, and 4
Fire has 2 occurrences, from 3 and 1
Air has 2 from the two fives
Water has 1 from the single 2
Earth has 4 from the 8 and three 4s
Cardinal has 4 from the 1 and three 4s
Fixed has 3 from the 2 and two 5s
Mutable has 1 from the single 3
Sun has 1 occurrence
Moon 1
Jupiter 1
Uranus 3
Mercury 2
Venus <none>
Neptune <none>
Saturn 1
Mars <never occurs on an individual letter>
The total value of “Fred Smith” is 36, which reduces to (3+6=) 9, so the overall ruler is Mars.
Within the detail above, we have Negative slightly greater than
Positive, Earth out-ranking the other elements, Cardinal out-ranking the
other qualities, and Uranus (followed by Mercury) out-ranking other
planets.
Result
The Cardinal Earth sign in astrology is Capricorn, and it happens to be negative. So the dominant astrology is of Uranus in Capricorn. This could be refined to be seen as a Uranus-Mercury conjunction in Capricorn, with Uranus the stronger.
So words and names and pure number carry astrological influences.
Their vibration resonate to a harmonic in sympathy with normal planetary
astrology. If you are doing a personal reading, this enables you to
use numerology and astrology together. If you are working with the
symbolism of pure number, the astrology will bring out additional subtle
tones.
Details when using traditional letter-values
Accents
Umlaut = 5
Circumflex = 3
Cedilla = 3
Other accents = 0
Double letter ß = 10
The rationale here is that the umlaut represents a missing letter
“e”, and circumflexes or cedillas represent a missing letter “s”.
Whilst “ß” now represents “ss”, it originally represented “sz”. Other
accents are pronunciation indicators only.
Abbreviations
Spell out all abbreviations: including
“&” becomes “and”, or “et”, or “und”, etc.
“@” becomes “at”, or “à”, or “zu/bei” etc.
“U.N.” becomes “United Nations”
Extra information on number, unrelated to the use of astrology
In the middle ages, the meaning of the term ‘salt’ was widened to
include substances that were seen to resemble common salt (e.g. in
appearance, solubility and so forth). Chemically speaking, a salt
is a neutralisation reaction between an acid and a base. The two have a
natural affinity for each other, one seeking to gain an electron (the
acid), the other seeking to lose one (the base). When this occurs, the
product is a salt. While more complex chemical definitions of salt can
be given, this one, advanced by Guillaume Francois Rouelle in 1744,
allows one to perceive the broader principles that motivated the
alchemists to select salt as the mineral image of the interaction of
sulphur and mercury (cinnabar, HgS, a salt in the chemical sense formed
from sulphur and mercury). As Mark Kurlansky points out:
It
turned out that salt was once a microcosm for one of the oldest
concepts of nature and the order of the universe. From the fourth
century BC Chinese belief in the forces of yin and yang, to most of the
worlds religions, to modern science, to the basic principles of cooking,
there has always been a belief that two opposing forces find
completion—one receiving a missing part and the other shedding an extra
one. A salt is a small but perfect thing.
More precise
chemical definitions specify that a salt is an electrically neutral
ionic compound. Here, the same principle of perfect equipoise between
opposing energies prevails. Ions are atoms or molecules whose net
electrical charge is either positive or negative: either the protons
dominate to produce an ion with a positive electric charge (an anion,
from Greek ana-, ‘up’), or the electrons dominate to produce an ion with a negative electric charge (a cation, from Greek kata-,
‘down’). When anions and cations bond to form an ionic compound whose
electric charges are in equilibrium, they neutralise and the result is
called a salt.
The chemical definition opens up the conception of
salt beyond that of mere sodium chloride. Chemically, the coloured
oxides and other reactions of metals—of especial significance to the
alchemical perception—are often salts (the metal itself taking the role
of base; oxygen the acid). Alchemically, or at least
proto-chemically, because the reactions of metals were coloured, they
were important signifiers of the metal’s nature, often seen as an index
of its spirit or tincture (ios, ‘tincture, violet/purple’). The
seven planetary metals were often signified by their coloured salts or
oxides: e.g. lead is white; iron, red (rust); copper is blue/green;
silver is black. Gold remains pure (unreacting) but its tincture was
identified with royal purple (seen in the red-purple colour of colloidal
gold, gold salts, ruby glass etc.)
The Homo Signorum, or Man of Signs, is a curious figure which appears in medieval astrological manuscripts. Known as the Melothesic Man or Moon’s Man in astrological medicine, it shows the Signs of the Zodiac on the specific parts of the body over which tradition has given them rulership. In practice, the Melothesia was consulted in order to know which part of the body to avoid “touching with iron” or applying medicine thereunto when the Moon was in that specific Sign. Such figures were depicted in Almanacks intended for astrological, agricultural, and meteorological prognostications. One such Almanack, printed for Daniel Brown in 1628, translates the original Latin of Manilius’ poem about the Melothesia into Hexameters, the verses indicating the proper placement of the Signs on the human frame:
Head and face Aries, necke and throate Taurus upholdeth, To Gemini th’ armes, to Cancer brest stomach and lunges: As Leo rules the backe and heart, so Virgo delighteth In guts and belly: reignes and loynes Libra retaineth. Scorpio the secrets and bladder challengeth: of thighes Only Sagitarius the governour is: Capricornus The knees as subjects doth guid, but Aquarius holdeth The legs: and Pisces maintaine the feet to be their right.
Microcosmus Melothesia demonstrates the Hermetic ‘As Above, So Below’ motif wherein the Microcosm has correspondence with the Macrocosm. The emblem further reflects this with the Serpent biting its Tail, bringing to mind the Ouroboros in the Codex Marcianus, which is accompanied by the Greek phrase “En To Pan”, or “All in All”. Finally, we see here the graphic manifestation of the sentiment behind the saying ‘from head to toe’, wherein we arrive at the whole matter of a subject by travelling across the length of the Melothesia‘s form.
Philosophical
Astrology consists of the links between philosophy and astrology, from
the mysticism of ancient religions and cultures based in part on
astrology to the mathematics common to both astrology, numerology and
Sacred Geometry, and to the curious aspects of astrological Symbolism which have profound philosophical implications.
The Ha QabalaandTree of Life,
for example, are fundamental to Jewish, Christian, and a host of other
ancient, medieval, and modern mystical traditions and/or mystery
schools. Together with Numerology and the Tarot, Astrology describes and identifies the characteristics of the many pathways between the Sephiroth in the Tree of Life. Everything
from the “dark night of the soul” (usually referred to as the 32nd
path) to all the varied manifestations of processes contained within the
Tree come within the purview of the so-called occult arts. Astrology provides one tool for identifying the meaning of the multiple transformations and transitions of life, all a part of The Fool’s Journey – the latter one of the better examples of a philosophy of living.
Astrology’s connection to the Tree of Lifecan also be seen in such things as the Tree’s column of severity, which is represented by the astrological planets: Uranus, Saturn and Mars. Uranus is revolutionary and sudden change, Saturn, limitation and boundaries, and Mars, aggressiveness and war). Meanwhile the Tree’s column of mercy is composed of Neptune, Jupiter and Venus (illusion and fantasy, benevolence and generosity, love and romance). In
essence, the attributes of the Sephiroth reflect what we know of the
astrology of the applicable planet being assigned to the Tree of Life. Saturn,
for example, is about government, citizen responsibilities, societal
rules, boundaries and limits; while the Sephiroth corresponding to
Saturn – Geburah – is about severity and strength, justice, strife,
loss in pleasure, and earthly trouble. Clearly a good definition of earthly trouble can be found in such government troubles as the IRS, FBI, CIA, DOD, ETC! Other
examples include the Sephiroth, Yesod (foundation), which is amply
personified by Mercury (communications, analysis, thinking, and so
forth).
Astrology shows up elsewhere in the cultural and philosophical traditions of everything from
ancient Egypt – where an astrology very similar to modern day
astrology is carved into the Temple of Denderra – to ancient Babylonia
– where Berossus predicted and wielded an astrology sufficient to grab
anyone’s attention. Astrology was
also a primary tool of Nostradamus (1503-1566 A.D.), who used astrology
as the basis for the timing of his many prophecies (many of which
profoundly affected royalty and influential leaders and whose validity
could thus be determined).
On a yet more fundamental level, astrology is based upon Sacred Geometry, which is in turn based on the Golden Mean (represented by the Greek letter, phi). Philosophy
can be written: phi-lo-sophia – wherein sophia (sophy) is “the study,
wisdom, or knowledge”, lo, “the amazing sight” (as in “lo and behold”),
and phi… just phi. Thus philosophy is “the study, wisdom, or knowledge” of “the amazing sight” of… phi! Sacred Geometry may then be said to connect astrology and philosophy. The latter can be said to be wholly within the purview of Sacred Mathematics, i.e. the universe is based on numbers. This
is not a definition of philosophy that many philosophers would accept,
but this is probably due only to their lack of mathematical acuity.
A philosophy of astrology, per se, is less obvious, but can be described by alluding to what are known as “Sabian Symbols.” These
symbols, according to Dane Rudhyar, “take events from the realm of
the fortuitous, the unprecedented, the unique and the incomprehensible
to the realm of ‘universals’.” “Expressed through symbols, life becomes condensed into a relatively few interrelated units of experience. Each unit is a concentrate of the experiences of millions of people.” Symbols
use “an imagery that is close to the foundations of the natural life –
and these foundations are still very real and active in the immense
majority of human beings.” The
Tree of Life, for example, is replete with symbols, and it is those
symbols which constitute its meaning – even when discussion and mere
words prove to be wholly inadequate.
The history of astrology’s Sabian Symbols is critical to their understanding. It
began in 1925, when Marc Edmund Jones (an astrologer) approached Elsie
Wheeler (a clairvoyant medium, who happened to be crippled by
arthritis). Jones had a novel idea. He
provided a deck of 360 cards, each card representing one degree of the
Zodiacal circle (and identified, for example, as one degree Aries, ten
degrees Scorpio, and so forth). In
Miss Wheeler’s presence, Jones shuffled the deck (and reshuffled many
times during the process), and then began pulling one card at random –
without his or her seeing what the card was. Miss Wheeler responded by describing what she saw. Apparently,
a scene flashed in her inner vision, which she quickly described, and
which Jones made a brief pen notation on the card of what she said. Not
only was the procedure entirely aleatory as far as the normal
consciousness of the two participants was concerned, but the amazing
thing was that the 360 symbols were obtained during a few hours in the
morning, and later in a few hours during the afternoon – at a rate of
roughly one symbol every ninety seconds.
What made the resulting Sabian Symbols
so incredible is that while the two individuals had proceeded at
fantastic speed and had operated purely at random, the result was a
series which, when carefully studied, yielded a definite and complex
internal structure. The entire 360 cards matched with one another in geometrical pattern. Dane
Rudhyar, for example, found that the symbols formed, among other
possibilities, a pentagonal five-step process – much in accord with
Sacred Geometry. Apparently, there was some kind of Consciousness at work. For
the symbols were not only operating at both an existential and
archetypal-structural level, but they could be considered as “phases of a cyclic process rather than as isolated images
– that is, when the possible interpretations are considered in the
light of preceding and following phrases in a characteristic five-fold
sequence, and in terms of wider relationships – any ambiguity usually
disappears.”
Possibly
of all the Sabian Symbols, which might garner your attention, is the
symbol for the North Node (aka the “Dragon’s Head”, and which represents
destiny), taken from the chart of 2012 A. D. (i.e. the end of the Mayan Calendar, and potentially the “end of Time as we know it.”) The symbol for this most incredible of all dates is “An X-Ray Photograph.” Rudhyar interpreted this to mean, “The capacity to acquire a knowledge of the structural factors in all existence.” He goes on to say, “The true philosopher is able to grasp and significantly evaluate what underlies all manifestations of life. His
mind’s eye penetrates through the superficialities of existence and
perceives the framework that gives an at least relatively permanent
‘form’ to all organized systems. Thus
if the structure is weak, deformed by persistent strain, or unbalanced,
the basic causes of outer disturbances and dis-ease can be discovered. This
symbol… provides the conscience of the individual who refuses to obey
his society with a depth-understanding of what is wrong in the
situation he faces. Beyond the
powerful feeling quality of ‘peak experiences’, the mind can understand
the great Principles of which they were the manifestations. This is STRUCTURAL KNOWLEDGE in contrast to existential knowledge.”
Interpreted as the end of time as we know it, implies that there may be much to learn in the ultimate “peak experience” of 2012 A.D., a time when Novelty and the TimeWave go to infinity, and the greatest changes of all human experience abruptly manifest! Similarly,
another date – based on the TimeWave theory – is November 11, 2011
(just over 384 days prior to the perceived ending date of roughly
12-21-2012). The Sabian Symbols (and a brief interpretation from Rudhyar) for this critical “beginning of the end” are:
Sun – “A Woman Draws Away Two Dark Curtains Closing the Entrance to a Sacred Pathway – The revelation to the human consciousness of what lies beyond dualistic knowledge. Plunge ahead into the Unknown”
Moon – “A Peacock Parading on a Terrace of an Old Castle – The personal display of inherited gifts. Consumation.”
Mercury & Venus “A Flag turns into an Eagle; the Eagle into a Chanticleer Saluting the Dawn – The spiritualization and promotion of great symbols of a New Age by minds sensitive to its precursory manifestations. (An Eagle is the first living creature to perceive the rising sun.) Annunciation”
Mars – “In a Portrait, the Significant Features of a Man’s Head Are Artistically Emphasized – The capacity to picture to oneself clearly the salient features and the overall meaning of any life situation.
Jupiter – “The Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow – Riches that come from linking the celestial and the earthly nature. Communion” [Jupiter always was the Santa Claus of the Zodiac!]
Saturn – “A Butterfly with a Third Wing on its Left Side – The ability to develop, for inner strengthening, new modes of response to basic life situations. Original Mutation”
Chiron – “In a Crowded Marketplace, Farmers and Middlemen Display a Great Variety of Products – The process of commingling and interchange which at all levels demonstrates the health of a community. (…what is stressed is the coming together, in a final experience of community, of all factors previously experienced.) Commerce”
Uranus – “A Woman Just Risen from the Sea. A Seal Is Embracing Her – Emergence of new forms and of the potentiality of consciousness. Impulse to Be”
Neptune – “A Butterfly Emerging from a Chrysalis – The capacity to utterly transform the character of one’s consciousness by radically altering the structural patterns of everyday living and the types of relationships one enters upon. Metamorphosis”
Pluto – “Ten Logs Lie Under an Archway Leading to Darker Woods – The need to complete any undertaking before seeking entrance to whatever is to be found beyond. Threshold”
The more complete interpretation for Pluto is perhaps worth noting. “Number 10 is a symbol of completion; it symbolizes even more the revelation of a new series of activities just ahead. [i.e. Death and Rebirth] Yet
unless the concluded series is brought to some degree of fulfillment,
nothing truly significant is likely to be accomplished by a restless
reaching out toward the as-yet-unknown. Number 10 is a symbol of germination, but the seed (Number 9) must have matured well. No natural process can be accelerated safely beyond certain limits. It establishes a foundation for what will follow.”
It
rather as if we’ll each have about three weeks (November 11, 2011 to
December 3, 2011) to complete all our stuff, toss off all our baggage,
and prime ourselves for the last 384 days of the TimeWave. Or we can begin to do all that shedding, right about now!
The Sabian Symbols are just one aspect of the philosophy of astrology. Determinism and Free Will also play a major role, as does the basics of how anyone interprets the symbolism of astrology. Pictures
– and astrological charts – convey a thousand words, and perhaps more
than most things, demonstrate the limits of language (or rather, why,
perhaps, language is considered a curse during the time of the Kali Yuga). Symbolism, in fact, conjures understandings and emotions far beyond a written sequence of words.
According to Dane Rudhyar, an astrological “birth chart is a person-centered symbol. That is to say, it carries a ‘message’ – the symbolic formulation of the individual’s dharma [destiny]. It suggests how [the individual] can best actualize the innate potentialities of his or her particular and unique selfhood. It is a symbol, a mandala, or logos, a word of power. Astrology, seen from this point of view, is a language of symbols. It implies a process of unfoldment of an idea of feeling-response.” “…a process of unfoldment, as Carl Jung might have said, of ‘individuation’.”
A person’s experiences “basically repeat themselves [Cycles!], even though [the individual] might respond to them differently at each new encounter.” “There are only a certain number of basic meanings
to be gathered by a human being in his or her lifetime, and that these
meanings can be seen in terms of structural and cyclic sequence.” “An
individual, however, acting as an individual and having succeeded in becoming free from collective patterns,
may break through the circle of limitations and tap into a deeper
source of life and consciousness; this indeed is what true occultism is
about.”
Rudhyar goes on to say, “Man should not seek tensely and self-protectively to avoid or control events. Events do not happen to an individual person; he or she happens to them. An individual meets them, and imparts to them his or her own meaning.” “All truly constructive, creative, or redeeming acts are performed through the individual person by a focalization of the whole universe. This is the ‘transpersonal way’ of which I have spoken for many years.” Astrology is thus, in many ways, transpersonal. It is part of the Creating Reality and Intermingled Realities, in which we all have a part.
Astrology can also be used for the most mundane and trivial purposes. But then again, so can all really useful tools in the hands of men and women with limited intentions.
Occult Aspects 