Touched by the Planets: A Look at the Traditional Aspects in Astrology
As folks progress in their astrological studies, beyond just placements, aspects can be one of the trickier elements.
For a good while I used to view aspects as relationships between planets, and in a way, they are somewhat like that, but I’m learning through my studies that the aspects are also SO MUCH MORE.
In traditional astrology, we view an aspect as a way for one planet to extend and reach another space. It’s about how far its energy can reach.
For example, an aspect can actually be viewed not just from one planet to another, but one planet to another space. So a planet can aspect an empty house, a point, a body, and so on. When we view the aspects this way, we can begin to see it as a manifestation of one aspect of the planet.
While many like to categorize the aspects as beneficial or malefic, I want to try to stray away from that as it truly depends on the energy of the planet and where it is located. In learning about the aspects, some may read that “a trine is genlte, and easy energy” but that’s a very simplified version of it. We want to consider that as applying more to how the energy reaches. Instead of being a forceful flow of the planet’s energy, a trine can be seen as a smoother flow versus a crashing wave. I’ll talk more on each aspect below. Just to inspire thought, consider how an easy flow from Saturn to another planet may differ from an easy flow from Jupiter, for example.
The reason we want to avoid categorizing is that it simplifies and places less emphasis on the planet, and more emphasis on a category or label. When we’re learning and expanding on our studies in traditional astrology, the emphasis should always return back to the planets and where they are located. They direct whether something can be simple, gentle, forceful, and so on.
As we move through the explorations of each aspect below, we’ll learn that some aspects may push us towards action, while others are simply about letting go of control and going with the flow. That’s how I’ll explore the energies of each aspect below, by putting the focus on how we can navigate these energies from our natal charts.
Delineating Aspects
Before we dive in, the final thing I’ll say is that there is usually a 10° or so range for each aspect. As we first study aspects, this is a good range to lean into. The more you dive into your studies you’ll learn that some planets have smaller or wider ranges you can lean into. I also suggest you place less emphasis on the outer planets and focus on less than 5° for aspects. There are some cases where we can discuss a whole-sign aspect, meaning that we ignore the degrees and focus on the aspects between the entirety of the chart. But this is something to learn about on another day.
Before we dive into each individual aspect, let’s discuss how we will go about delineating each of the aspects between bodies in our natal charts.
The first thing we want to explore is the general energy of a planet. What does each planet teach us? What themes do they bring up for us? Make sure you understand the core energy of the planet.
Once we explore the general energy, you’ll want to place the planet in each sign and consider how the dignity of the planet in that sign may affect it. How might Venus in Virgo (the sign of its fall) differ than Venus in Pisces (the sign of its exaltation)? If Venus is more able to express itself, how would it manifest for this person or for yourself? Aside from dignity, what qualities, themes, ideas, pop up for Venus in Virgo, versus Venus in Pisces?
Finally, we will take a look at the aspect. Continuing with the example from above, if Venus is in Pisces, it is able to more easily express itself. It’s giving, values blurring the line between one and another. It is willing to go to love against all fears. Now, if Venus is in trine with Jupiter, how will that affect each of those planets? How might this differ than a square to Saturn from Venus? Now, hopefully, it’s easier to see why it’s important to understand the core elements of a placement first.
Conjunctions
A conjunction can occur in two ways: by degrees based on the planets involved, or we can also consider whole sign conjunctions. A conjunction occurs in the same sign, modality, and element unless it’s at the end/start of a sign. But that is a whole other beast and some traditional astrologers don’t talk too much about them. The same “blending” we discuss below still applies. A whole sign conjunction can be useful when we look to transits and how they may impact us. A conjunction occurs when two planets or bodies are close to each other. They are conjoining in a space. When we aim to delineate conjunctions, we want to consider how the energies of two bodies can blend together and how that may manifest for us. The energies of the planets involved influence each other and blend to manifest through the sign they are placed in.
It’s important to consider whether the conjunction is with the sun as well, as in this case, the planet may be combust thus being “burned up” by the sun rather than infused with it (this is under 8 degrees). We also want to define a stellium versus conjunction. A stellium occurs when 3 or more planets are within 10° of each other. Outer planets don’t generally count as much in this space as we tend to occasionally have these as generational signatures. For example, many Millenials have Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn in Capricorn. Folks who were born with this and have the Sun, or Mercury, or Venus close to these, may feel the effects of the stellium a good deal more than folks who only have Uranus and Neptune.
Here are some examples of how conjunctions may manifest:
Mars and Moon conjoined - A person is driven most by their emotions and gaining security. Place both of these in Virgo, and this person may be willing to sacrifice to work towards this security. They may sacrifice so much it may lead to issues of perfectionism or an inability to stray from their drive.
Mercury and Venus conjoined in Pisces - A person may find that they communicate best when they are given freedom to say “I feel” or “This feels like…” referencing past memories or images from film, etc. They may be inclined to talk in a roundabout way but say very insightful things when given the space to do so.
Opposition
An opposition occurs when two planets are exactly opposite each other and the number of degrees will vary based on the planets involved (again, to start with, you can focus on 10° or less). An opposition occurs with planets of the same modality and polarity but often a different element. They are also always (in Whole Sign) signs on the same axis (Capricorn/Cancer, Aries/Libra, Pisces/Virgo). When an opposition occurs, these planets manifest as a NEED to blend the energies. While a conjunction automatically blends, an opposition asks that the person works to give and take with both planets. This requires consciously being aware of the energies of both planets, how they manifest, their needs, etc, then infusing both of these energies into one space or method. You can look to the houses to understand this further. To sum up, you need to allow both planets to work together. One way I like to describe oppositions is as two people walking towards each other on a cross walk. They both need to be aware, conscious, and looking to take notice of each other. They may both need to move with or away from one another.
Some examples of how an opposition can manifest in a natal chart:
Jupiter and Saturn opposition: Difficulty with give and take, lessons of learning to receive and give, themes of overindulging or limiting, etc. These two may require finding a happy medium. Knowing when to give limitations and boundaries, when to be strict and when to relax, etc.
Square
A square is all about tension, it is two points meeting at about a 90° angle which if we visualize, we can see that conflict meeting at the corner. This requires a bit of release to be worked with, learned from, or eased. A square happens between signs (in Whole Sign) of the same modality but different polarity and element (Aries and Capricorn, Pisces and Gemini) One way I describe a square is by talking about two people walking down a sidewalk, heading towards a corner. Depending on their speed, their energy, when they meet they may either just barely avoid each other or crash face-first into one another. If we want to avoid the crash, we need one of the people (or planets) to slow down, or to release some of their anxieties by calling in late to work for example. I’ll talk more about this release with the example below. One thing to remember for squares, however, is that aside from tension, they generally stir up conflict that needs to be dealt with.
Examples for squares:
Cardinal squares: Aries Moon and Cancer Venus - Aries moon wants to initiate new experiences, to create newness, to move towards things that are exciting. Cancer Venus wants to establish connections that are long-lasting and meaningful that are supportive. To ease this, the person needs to see which planet is overcoming the other. If the Aries Moon is always overpowering, they may need to learn how to establish roots and build long-lasting connection. If Venus in Cancer always wins, this person may need to force themselves into new experiences, to allow themselves to prioritize their own emotions over others’.
Sextile
When we have a sextile, the signs are approximately 60° apart from each other. In Whole Sign, this places signs in the same polarity but not the same element or modality. By having the same polarity, the placements have a general similar approach to situations. Polarity is about outward expression versus inner understanding and processing. A sextile generally brings about a mutual understanding between what is experiencing the sextile, but it’s an understanding that still takes some effort (through a blending of modality or elements). A sextile in transit, is generally more noticeable than a trine. When we acknowledge and work with our sextiles, we can generally gain more from them than a trine.
Example
A trine of Mercury in Virgo to Moon in Scorpio. Moon and Mercury understand that meaningful communication happens when the inner world is explored and understood. But to gain the benefits of this trine, there needs to also be a blending of elements for example. So the individual needs to also A. do tangible things to show that a person means something to them or B. Not just explore their inner world but also verbalize and be vulnerable.
Trine
Finally, we end with a trine. This is generally a very simple flow of energy. Because the signs (in Whole Sign) are both same element and polarity, there will be more ease and understanding between these planets. Trines are generally little gifts of ease that are so ingrained in us, that we are so used to, that we can often take them for granted. It’s a good practice to look to your trine and consider the privilege that comes with the ease you have between certain aspects.
Example:
A Moon in Aries with a Sagittarius Mars makes a trine. There is an ability to step out of your comfort zone to go after what you want, and your ideal vision both nourishes you and initiates a sense of drive within you that isn’t always easily accessible to someone who may have opposition or square between both of these planets.
I hope y’all found this post helpful and I hope it broadened your idea of what an aspect can be.
Resources: I was first introduced to the idea of aspects being one planet “shining a light outwards” from Liam Sofias via Twitter. Aside from this, my knowledge of aspects has come from chart studies, as well as learning from these authors/educators: Sue Tompkins and James Brahma.
