4. Planetary Aspects & Keywords

The sky chart is a circle – 360 degrees, and each of the twelve signs is divided into 30 degrees. Aspects are the angles between planets and depending on which planets (as well as their energies) involved, some aspects can last a few hours, a day, several weeks or years. Many effects of the planetary alignments could be barely noticeable and others can be apparent as a Mack truck. Some are considered to be beneficial (or easy), and some detrimental (or difficult). In layperson’s terms, the aspects are referred to as soft and hard aspects. Aspects are used in natal astrology when constructing charts and when looking at transits which are when current planets aspect the natal planets.

The major aspects are the conjunction, sextile, square, opposition and trine. There are minor aspects such as semi-sextile, quintile, decile and biquintile, etc., but are used to shore up the major aspects and help to balance out the energy.

The conjunction can be considered a variable influence depending on the planets involved in the conjunction. The acceptable “orb” (or variance) between these two conjuncting planets can be anywhere between 0° to 3°. Because of the important influence of the Sun and Moon in an individual’s chart, the orb between these luminaries and another planet can range from 0° to 6° on either side of the placement. Say if a planet is at 29° Libra, and another is nearby at 2° Scorpio (which is another sign), this is just as much a conjunction as say, a planet at 26° Libra. 

The sextile is one of the easy aspects with two planets being 60° apart. The planets involved are usually situated in elementally compatible signs and represents talents, affinities or opportunities which can be well utilized.

The square is a 90° angle and can be a tension aspect when you consider which planets are involved. One thing about the square, it can be a ‘lesson learned’ aspect where you grow from the results whether positive or negative.

The trine, one of the most harmonious aspects, is when two planets form an angle of 120° and usually form within the same element, which are earth, air, fire and water. It also shows the creative talents and opportunities available when the person is motivated to succeed.

A minor aspect which many astrologers use to show complexity is the inconjunct (also known as quincunx), at 150° apart. It can also show stress and tension so on occasion it is used to back up the square. It can also show creative genius.

The opposition, 180° shows planets exactly opposite and the polarity creates variable degrees of tension. Like the conjunction, the orb of 3° between planets or 6° between luminaries and planets is the standard.

3. Astrological Sign Keywords

Here are some keywords you can keep in mind for the Sun signs and the Rising signs. All twelve are listed by sign, dates*, motto, quality, element, traits (positive and negative), what the sign stands for in the chart, and parts of the body ruled by each sign. *A note about the dates, although they seem fixed, you need a natal chart constructed if you were born between two signs (cusp).

ARIES  3/21 - 4/20  “I AM”  QUALITY:CARDINAL  ELEMENT: FIRE. Traits: Courageous, passionate, violent, quick-tempered, impulsive, dynamic, defiant, hyperactive, domineering, self-centered, warlike, competitive, impatient, daring, thoughtless, impulsive, rash, enthusiastic, rebellious, sensual, hostile, bold.  In the chart: where you need to be independent. Rules the head.

TAURUS  4/21 - 5/20  “I HAVE”  QUALITY: FIXED  ELEMENT: EARTH. Traits: Humane, realistic, faithful, compassionate, loud, focused, holds grudges, spiteful, cautious, calm, friendly, indulgent, refined, serene, perceptive, hopeful, sturdy, tenacious, patient, tough, materialistic, possessive. In the chart: where you most desire luxury and comfort, most stubborn. Rules the neck and throat.

GEMINI  5/21 - 6/21 “I THINK”  QUALITY: MUTABLE  ELEMENT: AIR.Traits: Perceptive, clever, intellectual, imaginative, quick-witted, humorous, indecisive, forgetful, crafty, good memory/mimicry, restless, fault-finding, shallow, inquisitiveness, flexible, sociable, sarcasm, unconcerned, charming, ironical. In the chart: where you learn, how you communicate or confuse. Rules the arms, lungs and thorax.

CANCER 6/22 - 7/22  “I FEEL”  QUALITY: CARDINAL  ELEMENT: WATER. Traits: Reflective, receptive, psychic, passive, mediumistic, vulnerable, romantic, anxious, evasive, cautious, changeable, domesticity, nostalgic, poetic-minded, touchy, emotional, protective, indolent, moody, adaptability. In the chart: where you are most nurturing as well as secretive. Rules the stomach and breasts.

LEO  7/23 - 8/22  “I WILL”  QUALITY: FIXED  ELEMENT: FIRE. Traits: Ambitious, loyal, pompous, creative, proud, determined, arrogant, dignified, lover of form and ceremony, confident, egotist, quick-tempered, honorable, charismatic, stubborn, self-sufficient, vital, influential. In the chart: where your pride is, your ability to grow, creatively. Rules the heart, spine, and according to many astrologers – eyes.

VIRGO  8/23 - 9/22 “I ANALYZE”  QUALITY: MUTABLE  ELEMENT: EARTH. Traits: Industrious, anxious, intellectual, nervous, modest, attentive to details, shrewd, obstinate, well-organized, perfectionist, profuse, forgetful, critical, versatile, flexible, sarcastic, sensible, artful, skeptic, irritating, petty, restless. In the chart: where you deserve recognition, and work the hardest. Rules the intestines and bowels.

  

LIBRA  9/23 - 10/22  “I BALANCE”  QUALITY: CARDINAL  ELEMENT: AIR. Traits: Harmonious, sympathetic, humane, fair, charming, seductive, refined, romantic, thoughtless, learned, vain, calm, diplomatic, hesitant, flirtatious, poised, loud, perceptive, cool or even insensitive, popular, tolerant, indulgent. In the chart: where we are most involved socially and creatively. Rules kidneys, bladder.

SCORPIO  10/23 - 11/21  “I CREATE”  QUALITY: FIXED  ELEMENT: WATER. Traits: Conscientious, incorruptible, tenacity, domineering, sadistic, tyrannical, intense, creative, cunning, self-centered, suspicious, destructive, violent, stubborn, arrogant, defiance, fanaticism, intuitive, lewdness, passion, sensuality. In the chart: where we are the most insecure emotionally or sexually. Rules the sex organs, anus.

SAGITTARIUS  11/22 - 12/20  “I PERCEIVE”  QUALITY: MUTABLE  ELEMENT: FIRE. Traits: Benevolent, honest, moral, freedom-loving, charitable, sincere, jovial, bold, energetic, exuberant, wasteful, hypocritical, independent, stubborn, devoted, self-sufficient, sociable, straight-forward, spiritual, prophetic. In the chart: where our wisdom, spiritually and holistically lies. Rules the thighs and liver.

CAPRICORN  12/21 - 1/19  “I USE”  QUALITY: CARDINAL  ELEMENT: EARTH. Traits: Cautious, prudent, calculating, reserved, skeptical, serious, melancholic, honest, responsible, persistent, moralistic, secretive, aloof, disciplined, faithful, petty, cruel, cold, focused, hard-working, patient, frugal, inflexible, stubborn. In the chart: where we show leadership and the fatalistic. Rules the bones and skin.

AQUARIUS  1/20 - 2/18  “I KNOW”  QUALITY: FIXED  ELEMENT: AIR. Traits: Original, inventive, contradictory, generous, impassive, unconventional, humanistic, grotesque, destructive, erratic, detached, idealistic, intuitive, curious, impulsive, charitable, elusive, eccentric, versatile, sarcastic, aloof. In the chart: where you are the most rebellious inventive or progressive. Rules the ankles and the legs.

PISCES  2/19 - 3/20  “I BELIEVE”  QUALITY: MUTABLE  ELEMENT: WATER. Traits: Absent-minded, psychic, intuitive, wild, romantic, inspirational, irrational, vacillating, moody, super sensitive, scheming, duality, poetic, seductive, secretive, unpredictable, musical, artistic, weirdness, mystical. In the chart: manifestation of dreams, fantasies, beliefs, imagination. Rules the feet and blood circulation.

2. Planets in Astrology

Planets in Astrology, What Do They Mean?

The Sun and Moon are luminaries, and considered the most important parts of the planets in astrological chart interpretation. The planets are split into two categories – fast moving through the signs: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars and slow moving – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. As planets move through each of the zodiac signs, their energies affect individuals in different ways. The easiest way to associate certain traits to each planet is to give them keywords. Even though there are positive and negative traits, it will be easier to balance them when describing the signs that each planet rules.

Sun stands for ego, creative self-expression, pride, leadership, the expression of one’s own power, potential, will, father and men in general, loyalty, courage, aspirations

Moon stands for emotions, home, early childhood and the kind of attitudes instilled, feelings, mother, women in general; shows how one reacts to the actions of others. Also indicates how one eats and food preferences, unconscious

Mercury represents ideas, intellect, analytical abilities, thinking and thought processes, style of communication; what information one chooses to accept or ignore, learning ability

Venus stands for one’s affections, how one expresses emotions in love, love, seduction, creativity as well as what one looks for in a mate, also one’s attitude toward money and social values, artistic talents, sensuality

Mars represents what motivates one to action, one’s drive, energy, aggression, assertion, anger, arousal and temper; also one’s desires, sexual drive

Jupiter stands for your ambition to succeed, luck, adventure, opportunities for growth, adventure and optimism; philosophical beliefs, religious standards, where one is likely to benefit materially and financially, generosity

Saturn represents self-control and self-discipline; your duties and responsibilities, life-structure, your fears, inhibitions, restrictions, anxieties, and self-imposed limits, lessons learned

Uranus stands for unconventionality, freedom, eccentricities, the force behind liberation, inventiveness, independence

Neptune represents imagination, impressionability, style, creativity, illusion and disillusion, charisma and spirituality, mysticism, faith, religion, inspiration

Pluto stands for transformation, restructuring of self and life, obsession, power struggles, control, trust and the violation of trust, instincts, occultism and hidden sciences, death and reincarnation

Chiron, part of a comet found in 1977, is relatively new as far as astrological interpretation goes. Chiron represents what you can teach and be taught, how you can heal and heal others, wisdom, and patience.

The positive and negative traits to each of the zodiac signs as well as the parts of the body they rule will be discussed next. 

What is Astrology?

1. What is Astrology?

Astrology is a science, not a sideline or fortune-telling device.  As professionals, we have taken an oath to treat astrology with the respect given a science, not entertainment. Sciences such as astronomy, meteorology, and alchemy came from the study of astrology in the ancient world. For those of you willing to learn the proper way to construct a chart and interpret it, I will point you in the right direction by covering the basics.  Even after 2000+ charts, I am still learning; it is a fascinating subject and I hope you will find it to be quite enlightening.  You will learn what connects us, separates us, motivates us, strengthens and weakens us.  You may even find out something rather hidden in your own planetary setup that you may need to understand in order to realize your dreams. Childhood behavior patterns that have followed you into adulthood, traits picked up from people and experiences you should be learning from, not repeating.

            I will go through the basics about the planets, signs, houses and aspects, as well as their influences, then chart construction and finally – analysis and interpretation. I hope you will be able to understand them better after I explain them to you. If you read your daily horoscope in the newspapers, magazines or online, this is called Sun Sign Astrology and is extremely popular around the world. A simplified, newspaper version of predictive horoscopes was invented in 1930, by an astrologer named R. H. Naylor. It deals with the 30-day zodiac sign the Sun was in when you were born and the only luminary that moves in a 24-hour period is the Moon, so the daily horoscope incorporates the fastest moving solar and lunar influences. It is also very general, because there are at least 5,000,000 people born under any given sign, so how can a couple of sentences be very accurate with regard to your life? 

            Basically horoscopic astrology is the visualization of the celestial bodies (especially planets) and their aspects at a certain moment in time. In other words, a chart is a map. Horoscope comes from a Greek word – horoskopos – which is also the word for ascendant – the first house in a chart. Although there are a few different uses of horoscopic astrology, the most popular application is natal astrology, where a chart of an individual is constructed using the date, place and time of birth in order to reveal certain characteristics, traits, talents as well as the strengths and weakness of the personality. Natal astrology is practiced in both Western and Eastern (Asian) systems. There are branches of horoscopic astrology such as electional, mundane and horary, and they deal mainly with events, subjects, business and politics. Natal astrology is the branch I will hope to explain to those of you who want to learn.

            It’s good to know how to calculate a chart manually; computers can sometimes make errors and that can throw off the accuracy a great deal, the wrong planetary placement or the wrong ascendant or rising sign can throw it off completely.  When calculating a natal chart, the birth time is important because it places your planetary make up into environments called houses.  I ask for the exact time from birth certificates as well as witnesses to the occasions.  This is essentially your key to the universe, so in order to have an accurate chart, the time has to be as exact as possible.  Some people have no idea of their time of birth and have no way of finding out, so a solar (Sun) chart is constructed, using either 5am or 12noon as the estimated time of birth. Natal astrology incorporates all the planets as well as the luminaries (Sun and Moon) at the time you were born, as well as the day and place. I want to suggest a free chart site that will calculate your data and give you some insight to your own Natal chart, but you have to register. It’s called Astro Theme: http://www.astrotheme.com/ and it will at least give you an idea of what your natal chart looks like. Look for the Natal Chart and Ascendant under Personality in the left hand margin of the home page. If you were born during Daylight Savings Time, do not knock off an hour, allow the software on Astro Theme to do it. I will introduce the Planets in my next article.