The Aspects:

“The Sun is the center of the solar system and is the force which gives life to all the planets. The planets, in turn, rechannel this energy back to the Sun through the nature of their own reflected light. They also share the Sun’s energy by means of the planetary Rays which extend in all directions into space. Thus, the vibrations of all the heavenly bodies have an influence upon the Sun and upon one another. The geometric angle at which these electromagnetic Rays strike each planet is very important in determining the nature and effect of these planetary emanations on terrestrial life. These angles of relationships are termed aspects, and each one carries its own characteristics.”

from Alan Oken’s Complete Astrology

General Overview:

In our geocentric astrological study, the Earth is the focal point for all planetary Aspects. An angle between two planets also creates a triangular relationship to the Earth, which is considered the midpoint between the two planets involved. All Aspects are formed by natural divisions of the 360° natal map ~ divide by 2, there are 2 angles of 180°; by 3 there are 3 angles of 120°; by four there are 4 angles of 90°; etc.

As the planets move along their orbits at widely differing speeds, from our standpoint on Earth they appear to engage in a cosmic dialogue with one another. This imaginary exchange of views takes the form of a constantly changing pattern of angular relationships – or distances – between the planets, which are measured in degrees and minutes of longitude (there are sixty minutes to a degree). The Aspects, which are always measured by the shortest distance between the planets concerned, are assumed to correspond to prominent character traits in our psychological make-up that are in a more or less permanent state of interaction.

When a chart is drawn up for a certain time and place, the relationships between the planets are “freeze-framed,” giving us a snapshot of the planetary “cross-talk” for that particular moment in time … however, Astrology is only interested in certain types of angular relationships because they are considered to stand out above the general hubbub of planetary chatter going on in a chart. These particular angular relationships form the basis of the planetary Aspects in the birth chart.

Another perspective on the Aspects is that the planets are the dynamic, active principles in the birth chart and represent the many “people” or “sub-personalities” that reside in our psyches. Therefore, how they [the planets] interact among themselves has a major impact on your personality and well-being. The Aspect describes a particular kind of interaction or relationship that the planets share with one another. See both Astrology for Yourself, [p.157-159] and The Instant Astrologer [p. 107-114 and 171-183] for more complete information on Aspects, Aspect Patterns and Chart Shapes.

Also, in choosing which House activity to consider, try to approach this with Intuition … if your initial selection doesn’t yield much insight, choose another area from the list from Appendix B [in Astrology for Yourself].

In one definite respect, you could continue to examine these Aspects repeatedly and find something new and insightful each time… Or, if you changed your Orientation [Perception] or even just used synonyms for words you more commonly use, you may find that it yields some never-before-seen information about yourself … so where does it end? For now, just try analyzing what you consider to be the most essential or pertinent to your overall growth at the time.

Although there is much controversy among astrologers over which Aspects should be considered as minor and what their significance actually is in the birth chart, there is a general, uniform acceptance of the following major aspects: Conjunction, Opposition, Sextile, Square, and Trine. Additionally, we’ve decided to follow Karen Hamaker-Zondag’s and Alan Oken’s lead and include the Quincunx, also called the Inconjunct, as a Major Aspect.

In addition to the two categories of Major and Minor Aspects, they can also be divided into two other categories: those which indicate an easy, harmonious relationship and those which show blockages and tense relationships. We can also call them Aspects of flow and Aspects of challenge. Those Aspects of flow, formed by divisions of 120°, the Trine, are symbolic of the abundance of creativity and creative potential of the Universe, coming from the interchange of Spirit-Soul-Matter. Divide 120° by two and you have the 60° Sextile, which is also considered an easy Aspect.

Aspects of challenge on the other hand, are represented by dividing the natal map into two equal parts, 180°, the Opposition, representing duality or the separation of the Absolute into the Finite. Dividing again by two yields four 90° angles, i.e., the Square, which is symbolic of the crystallization of matter and contains locked energy which can only be released through intelligent, skillful use of that energy.

When two planets are in aspect, there is a minimum of three forces at work at the same time ~ increased when more than two planets are involved ~ the energy of each planet and the nature of the Aspect/angle which joins them. It is rather like a chemical reaction, such as that between an atom of oxygen combined with 2 atoms of hydrogen, resulting in water, which expresses characteristics of both oxygen and hydrogen, but also having characteristics solely its own.

No one Aspect should be taken by itself without seeing its relationship ~ by significance, potential flow, and strength ~ to all other Aspects in the chart.

Orbs:

Aspects in a chart are rarely exact and their effects are considered to operate within a margin of several degrees to either side of exactitude. This sphere of influence is known as an orb. For the purposes of this summary, we’ve used a synthesis of the range for orbs presented in the various books and other sources we’ve studied … using the more stringent lower numbers found on Rajuna’s Refuge and the more generous ranges from the ACS as given in Astrology for Yourself. We’ve also included interpretive factors suggested by Theos anent the Orbs.

Sometimes, with the larger orbs, planets can be in aspect with one another and be neither in complementary Elements nor in the same Quality. For instance, Moon at 28° Aries and Mars at 2° Scorpio is still an Opposition. Here the possibility exists that the Opposition is made more indirect and therefore “weakened” in its effect or even nebulous in its influence because the Elements and Qualities are not the same, they don’t cooperate as well or as easily as in a “typical” Opposition.

Applying and Separating Aspects

When an Aspect is not exact, it is either “applying” … yet to reach exactitude … or “separating” … past the point of exactitude, past its point of greatest intensity. There are conflicting opinions about the effects of either, but there is a consensus among astrologers that the closer an Aspect is to being exact, the more potent its effects will be.

Theos feels that applying Aspects are stronger than separating ones and gives the applying Aspects a correspondingly larger orb … He says that when an Aspect is Applying, it means that full integration of that Aspect is yet to be achieved and is, therefore, a form of a Soul goal … to reach the point of integration and full use of the energies of that Aspect … if the Aspect is separating, it means that Soul-Self has basically mastered the energies of the Aspect and in future lives will probably not have it as an objective in the basic wheel. That doesn’t mean, however, that the separating Aspect is of no importance in this lifetime.

Dissociate Aspects:

This is another area of controversy among astrologers … a Square, for instance, is usually formed between Planets in Signs of the same Quality, but incompatible Elements … the Qualities group together Signs with similar tendencies but very different energies, which makes them mutually ‘unsympathetic’ and results in the feeling of tension produced by the Square. When one Planet at the end of a Sign forms a Square with a Planet at the beginning of another Sign of the same Element, these Signs are supposed to get along, so it is hard to justify how planets that fall in compatible Signs could be simultaneously forming a challenging Aspect and this kind of dilemma can arise with all of the other major Aspects. There are apparently many different opinions about how Dissociated Aspects play out in our charts.

For our purposes, Theos feels that we should treat a Dissociate Aspect as a kind of ‘rebellion’ by Soul-Self against the harsher experiences one might normally expect from the combination, if the Aspect is a challenging one … and we might experience a bit more tension if the Dissociate Aspect is a soft one. The same holds true with respect to Dissociate Aspect Patterns.

Planetary Protocol:

When interpreting Aspects, the traditional approach is to follow a planetary pecking order whereby the further a Planet is from the Sun, the more weight it is given. In this hierarchy, the Moon always follows the Sun. For example, when the Moon is in aspect to Pluto, it is Pluto’s “influence” that is believed to dominate. While this is a helpful way of learning the relative “weight” of each Planet, it is essential to look at the overall strength of each Planet in the chart. For example, the Moon or its Sign, Cancer, may be prominent in the chart, in which case the Moon’s qualities could easily hold sway over Pluto. By the same token, if Scorpio or Pluto are strong, then Pluto’s energies are likely to prevail.

Unaspected Planets:

When a planet in the chart forms no aspects at all, such a planet can acquire a magnified role as its energies seek to become integrated in the psyche. An unaspected planet usually behaves unpredictably, its energy suddenly bursting into life, for no obvious reason and then equally inexplicably disappearing from view. People with an unaspected Sun, for instance, can veer from a lack of any sense of purpose in life to suddenly being fired up with a mission, etc. There’s an excellent subsection discussing this subject in The Yod Book, by Karen Hamaker-Zondag, which we highly recommend.