THE ASPECTS IN ASTROLOGY

Together with the signs and houses of the Zodiac, aspects are essential for the analysis and interpretation of an Astral Map.
The aspects are the angles that the planets make between themselves and the zodiacal points. It sounds complicated, but it’s actually quite simple. Let’s imagine that the circle of the Zodiac is divided into 12 parts, each with 30º (one circumference has 360º, dividing it by 12, we have 30º).

The planet Earth lies at the center of this circle, and all aspects that will be formed on the Map will be in relation to it. As Mercury and Venus are closer to the Sun than Earth, they can not form any angular relation to the Sun, only conjunctions, which is the aspect that occurs when two planets are at the same angle. Aspects may have negative or positive influences, depending on their characteristics and the planets involved. It is important to note, however, that a planet never makes an angle aspect larger than 180 degrees. This is because one aspect is always defined by the smallest angle that exists between two planets.

Conjunction – 0º: It is the most powerful aspect, indicates two planets in the same degree and sign. It indicates a creative force for expressing planetary dynamics, and people with that aspect are optimistic and have great energy to make their projects work, no matter how many obstacles come up along the way. It also indicates rejection by any kind of criticism and that usually, the person is quite stubborn.

Sextile – 60º: The sextile reflects the dynamics of planets separated by 60º and their influences on a Map appear mainly in the intellectual world of the individual. It shows how a person thinks and what interests them. The sextile still has many qualities related to the signs of Gemini and Aquarius, and the main ones are the ease of communication, the ability to understand complex subjects, intelligence and creativity.

Quadrature – 90º: This is the aspect that reflects the action and the reaction. The planets involved in quadrature are almost always in signs that are naturally incompatible, which can cause many conflicts if the person does not know how to give and accept. This aspect shows how these differences can be used in a constructive way and, once overcome, help build the personality, and character of the native.

Trine – 120º: The trine is a positive aspect, it has the natures of Sun and Jupiter and the qualities of Leo and Sagittarius. Although benign, we must analyze it with seriousness and realism, since the trine cannot compensate for other very negative aspects, only soften them. But in general, the trine is a good aspect and integrates the qualities of the planets involved.

Opposition – 180º: This aspect represents polarities and differences between two planets. They may be of opposing but complementary qualities or elements. As the name itself says, this aspect indicates opposition of forces. The challenge, then, is for the person to recognize the conflict and work to resolve it or at least minimize it. That is why we must see this as a sign of the changes and learnings we will have to go through.