aspects are, plainly put, the angles the planets within a natal chart form (or, the angles these planets form between two people in synastry charts, during transits, etc). to make it more simple, aspects are like the relationships between the planets. these aspects give us insight as to how our planets communicate with one another. planets are rarely unaspected, they nearly always form an angle to another planet which effects how both planet’s energies are expressed.
why are aspects important?
ever met someone who has the same placement as you but it seems to be expressed completely differently? check out the aspects your placements form, and that will probably explain why. the connections a planet makes with other planets in your chart changes how it expresses it’s energy.
i like to describe the orb of an aspect as the exactness factor. aspects, because they’re angles, have a certain degree they’re supposed to be. but astrologers allow for some deviation from this exact degree. that’s where the orb comes in. let’s say your aspect is five degrees off from being exact, it will have an orb of five, which is less intense than an exact aspect but still important nonetheless.
what are the types of aspects? what do they mean?
there are a lot of types of aspects, but i’m going to touch on the MAJOR five. if you’re interested in the minor aspects, you can check other sites, i believe astrolibrary covers them all or at least quite a few.
🌱 trine: a nice, harmonious aspect! this aspect comes about between planets in a sign of the same element (air, water, fire, earth), so the energy is said to flow a little easier. planets that trine one another tend to work together very well and share their energy fairly. the only downside is, unlike a square or opposition, the energy flows so easily that the planets may not be “tapped into” enough, or may be taken advantage of. this could generate a laziness, or someone who relies on luck in these areas of life. but overall, a very peaceful aspect to have that gives the planets easier expression (ie: if your moon trines your partners venus, you both will likely be able to communicate your romantic & emotional needs with comfort and ease. or if your own sun trines your moon, you will find your wants and your needs are quite aligned and you feel emotionally connected to your ego/expression/etc).
🌱 sextile: another harmonious aspect, energy tends to flow quite easily between these two planets (although i don’t find it’s as harmonious as trines by any means). like the potential laziness trines can bring, sextile aspects can sometimes bring a lack of action that needs to be watched out for. besides this, sextiles allow the planets to interact and communicate very peacefully and easy with one another. their energies combine together nicely and tend to not create many problems for one another. (ie: sun sextile moon can, like sun trine moon, create someone where their emotional needs very much connect/fit well with their wants and desires in life. the inner and outer self seem to match very well. however, this sun sextile moon individual may make someone so at ease that they don’t try to grow themselves outside of their comfort zone, and may lack the drive to go after new paths/exciting opportunities)
🌱 square: this tends to be the most “obvious” inharmonious aspect, as it’s often very harsh (from what i’ve noticed). quoting astrolibrary, “the challenges pressure you to work on the issues represented by the planets involved”. these aspects tend to produce a lot of problems if they aren’t confronted and dealt with. for example, venus square saturn often creates issues stemming right from childhood surrounding self-worth and self-love. it can bring up issues of stability in romance and problematic partnerships if one doesn’t confront these issues of self-worth and work on them. if worked through, this aspect can turn into a very powerful, action-driven one; creating a person who knows exactly what they want in love and a person who refuses to settle for less. don’t look at squares as something fating you to doom! squares often bring us lessons so we can reach full potential and experience great success with the energies involved.
🌱 opposition: this is one of the inharmonious aspects. the thing about oppositions is that opposite signs are actually quite similar in many ways (gemini-sagittarius, taurus-scorpio, cancer-capricorn, libra-aries, leo-aquarius, pisces-virgo), but they’re different in some key ways, which is what makes these aspects quite frustrating. for example, moon opposite mercury is someone who feels differently from how they think. their emotions and their logic are completely out of tune. they have some overlap and similarities (ie: gemini moon opposite sagittarius mercury? they have a lot in common such as love of wit, sarcasm, natural humour, etc. but they have many big traits/views that completely oppose- gemini’s overanalyzing, detail-oriented nature versus sagittarius’ bigger picture/let things slide thought process, etc). seeking a balance is key with this aspect. again, don’t inherently look at these as bad/doomed aspects! oppositions, when balanced, bring two different points of views harmoniously into various areas of life, giving someone a wider perspective and unique way of thinking/approaching situations/etc.
🌱 conjunct: this is two planets in the same sign. whether it is harmonious or not really depends on other energies & aspects in the chart. some people say it’s inherently dependent on the two planets involved, but i slightly disagree, i’d say the signs are more important as well as the rest of someone’s chart. just think of the pros and cons of having a lot of focus on one sign between two planets. a conjunction highlights and intensifies this sign’s energy, it gives it more power and freedom of expression. this can be a good thing, as conjunctions i find can increase someone’s energy, drive & confidence in those planet’s areas of dominance. (scroll down a bit to my ‘do signs matter’ answer to see an example of conjunctions and how they may manifest)
how can i interpret aspects?
i promise it’s easier than it seems! think about the planets and their energies. what do they represent? what areas of life/the self to they dictate? when you put those two energies together, what do you think would happen? given the type of aspect (harsh or soft), what do you think would happen? consider the signs involved too once you get more comfortable. i answered a question like this before, and i’ll just copy/paste my answer:
“the easiest way to start interpreting them yourself (imo) is to just think of the energies the planets & signs give off and how you personally think they’d work together (or against one another) when paired up. definitely important to note the type of aspect (ie: sextiles & trines tend to be more harmonious, squares and oppositions a little less so, conjunctions seem to be completely dependent but are always intense nonetheless - conjunctions are in the same sign so just think of the effects of having an abundance of energy expressed in one sign).
for example, we know the moon is all about emotions and inner needs, we know venus is about romance, love and connections. moon trine venus (trine being harmonious, blending energy) is going to combine these emotional and romantic natures. so we could safely assume someone with moon trine venus is going to be very emotional, romance-driven and have connections with others at the forefront of their needs. they may find romantic and emotional expression quite easy & natural with a partner. whereas someone with moon square venus, might struggle with romantic or emotional expression, may find their needs emotionally/personally are far different from their romantic needs/wants, etc.”
do the signs the planets are in matter when interpreting aspects?
YES! i think this especially matters when it comes to conjunctions, where their effect being soft or harsh really depends on the energies involved. sun conjunct moon is going to make someone who has ease of expression when it comes to their needs (since their ego and emotions are very in-tune), however, it’s still going to be more difficult for signs that struggle with emotional expression! a pisces sun & moon with sun conjunct moon is going to have a far easier time talking about their feelings & needs than an aquarius sun & moon with sun conjunct moon. the pisces sun/moon person is also likely going to get the soft effects of this aspect such as easier emotional expression, feeling in-tune with one’s emotions and intuition, etc. aquarians often struggle greatly with “just feeling” (and instead, focus on intellectualizing emotions) and expressing their emotions and true feelings. this sun conjunct moon aspect COULD give them ease when it comes to this, however, this conjunction would likely (in my opinion!) have the potential to give too much aquarian energy in the personals and result in even more struggle with emotional expression. rather, this conjunction could just manifest as them feeling the same both inside & out; their personality/ego matches their needs and emotions (which of course provides ease/comfort especially when compared to an aqua sun virgo moon, and would give them far less confusion over emotions than a cancer sun with an aquarian moon lol, but still not easy as the energy is very intense and focused).
where can i learn more about aspects?
about the concept of aspects? check out astrolibrary (they explain things far better than i do). astrolibrary also offers interpretations of aspects here (i believe). my favourite resource for aspects has always been astrologyking! but googling the aspect you’re looking for is sure to bring results, just make sure to take interpretations all with a grain of salt as different sites will likely vary based on personal opinion and experience. look at your own and your friend’s charts, see how you find the traits of those planets express and what aspects could be the cause of that, etc. it’s all about trial and error and honestly, to this day i’m still constantly changing my opinions on certain aspects and how they manifest! 💌
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