otterspaceastrology

UNDERSTANDING THE NATAL ASPECTS IN YOUR CHART

Back again, dear Friends and Readers…OK, you guys, by now you should have memorized the order of the signs and the planets that rule them.  If you have the alphabet memorized you’re ready to begin forming words.  Your natal chart is a blueprint of your life and contains an unending wealth of information to help you guide your life.  Even the transit interpretation needs to be based on a thorough understanding of the natal.  For example, someone with an afflicted Jupiter in the natal would have more of a challenge extracting the luck of a Jupiter transit.

The basic aspects, the angles planets make to one another in the natal, are as follows:  Conjunction means union — one planet within 7 degrees of another planet.  Some conjunctions are easier than others, all of them are powerful.  This is where understanding the energy that each planet symbolizes will come in very handy.  Semi-sextile — 30 degrees apart and use a smaller orb, maybe 2 to 3 degrees.  Semi-sextiles are mild, usually helpful. Sextile — 60 degrees apart, means luck or opportunity with some effort, some elbow grease required to make the most of it. Square means 90 degrees apart and use the wider orb, 7 degrees.  Squares symbolize challenge, frustration and the need to make adjustments.  Squares can also symbolize hard work and big accomplishments.  It takes a square or two to get anything done with your life, and squares build character — so don’t shy away from studying it and looking for the positives beneath the challenges.  IF you say, “Oh, I have a Sun-Moon square and my parents didn’t get along and I’m an emotional  mess” that’s a total cop-out and you’re not going to get anywhere spiritually.  Do you think when you die that your guides are going to say, Oh, you poor dear you had such a hard time?  NO, they’re going to say, it wasn’t easy BUT WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE?  So might as well start working with those squares now and figuring it out.  An astrologer can be very helpful by pointing you in the right direction, but ultimately YOU have to do the work.

Trines are 120 degrees apart and they symbolize luck and a nice flow of energy that comes easily, without a lot of effort.  Maybe trines are good karma coming home from the past efforts.  But a person also has to be careful with trines — I’ve seen a lot of addicts with Jupiter trine Neptune — just a little TOO easy to slide down that path.  Of course not every person with Jupiter trine Neptune will manifest addiction; I’m just using that as a brief example.  Jupiter trine Venus is one of the luckiest aspects in astrology.  IF you have that aspect in your natal, begin by studying the signs and houses involved for clues.  Inconjuncts are 150 degrees apart, and use a 3 degree orb.  These are interesting; they symbolize something that we misunderstand and need to clarify.  They also have a lot to do with clear intentions versus ambivalence, and what is the root motivation of why we do certain things.  Oppositions are 180 degrees apart and use the wider orb.  Oppositions symbolize gaining awareness through close relationships.  Sometimes they flow and sometimes they symbolize problems.  Again, understanding the basic energy of the planets involved will help you make the most of any oppositions in your chart.

There are other, more obscure aspects.  I like to keep it simple.  The only minor aspect I really like to take a look at is the quintile — 72 degrees apart, and use a tight orb, no more than 3 degrees.  This one denotes  real creativity, sometimes genius.  I read a great definition of creativity — applying knowledge from one area to another in a new way.  So a quintile could mean applying music to cooking, or math to composing, or language to  horse-grooming, etc. etc.

So there you have it… a simple primer to help you understand your natal…Blessings, Jenae