The goal of studying astrology is to fully understand how the chart plays out on real life. Theory is useful in order to begin to see things through the lens of astrology but in order to understand how the chart is “lived” one has to observe people closely. This is a post on major aspects on how they show up in people. I have a post on minor aspects here.
Conjunctions (0° - 10° depending on the planets involved, the planets are sitting “next to each other in the chart) are “merged planets”.
The planetary energies are so close together that they’re acting as one unit. Multiple planets can be in conjunction which means that they become one. The native usually experiences the planets as inseparable, for better or for worse. The conjunction is often considered to be “a hard aspect” but it depends on the planets involved. Sun conjunct Moon is generally considered a positive thing because the person’s self-expression and emotional-instinctual nature are merged and don’t contradict each other. However, to have the core personality be merged with the emotions can also be very intense.
For example – a person with Venus conjunct Saturn would be cautious and defensive in love, not showing true feelings and blocking them from coming through. Expressing love would feel awkward, stupid and mechanical. Love would have to be developed slowly and steady. Social interaction could feel like work. On a more positive note, great self-control and masking of feelings could be beneficial in some situations – especially at work or in serious situations that require cold judgment.
Another example – a person with Sun conjunct Jupiter would be a person that has a jovial and fun-loving personality. There’s not much that keep these people stuck in a rut, they seek adventure and want to live life in a big way. Because of the optimism of Jupiter and the disregard for limits, this person would take chances and risks that no sane person would ever do.
Squares (90°) are forced and frustrated.
They are essentially forcing a relationship between two planets (energetic principals) that don’t have the same way of behaving and expressing. They are usually present in people who seem to contradict themselves a lot. They usually say things like “I’m not like that” when it’s obvious to people around them that they are. They can begin to doubt themselves and feel like they can’t get a grasp of their “true” selves. This causes discomfort and frustration to build.
For example – someone with Neptune in Scorpio square Venus in Aquarius will have a lot of strong and all-encompassing feelings that are intense. There are passionate feelings in this individual that are overflowing (Neptune in Scorpio) but they’re not well translated when expressing love and fondness. It doesn’t seem genuine because it’s forced and sometimes these passions are nowhere to be found – there’s only cool-headed conversation taking place (Venus in Aquarius).
Another example – someone with Jupiter in Gemini square Pluto in Virgo will have a lot to say, casually chatty and eager to talk to people, open minded and funny. Nothing is taken too seriously (Jupiter in Gemini) until the person begins to take serious offense for something that was said in good humor (Pluto in Virgo) – all of a sudden there are attempts to overpower the other person in the conversation, to force them to pay for or control their behavior, to “shut them down”. Later on, there’s little recollection of this behavior and a completely different planet that is activated.
I have found that it’s difficult to confront people with a lot of squares with certain behaviors because they have such different modes of being that they themselves have a hard time understanding. It’s not that these people are lying – it’s simply that from one planet’s perspective, the other one isn’t “right” or “true”. In other words, the planets disagree. When one is out, the other one is nowhere to be seen or hiding in the background waiting to come out.
Oppositions (180°) work similarly to squares in the sense that the planets don’t agree – they could be going in the same direction but have opposing ways of getting there.
There is usually more consciousness of the planets at either end of the spectrum then there is with the square. Sometimes the person is living out one side of the opposition and then another, although they represent completely different ways of being. “I’m like this at home and like this at work” is a common statement for people who have opposing planets in the 4th and 10th houses. Or “I’m like this in my neighborhood and like this when I’m out traveling” (opposition in the 3rd/9th houses). The trouble with oppositions is that it’s possible to live one and abandon the other/projecting it and attributing it to something “other” then the self.
For example – someone with Sun opposite Neptune might be prone to see how other people or external factors tend to lure the person away from the self with promises of glory and bliss that turns out to lead the person into unreality, into illusions of joy and happiness that ultimately ends up spiraling into addictive and destructive behavior.
Another example – someone with Sun opposite Jupiter might be prone to exaggerate and go overboard in attempts to get something out of life, to feel expansive and alive. Other people could be seen to hold the promise of greatness and the person might trust that everything is going to work out only to find that all the luck and rewards never really provided any real sense of optimism.
The thing to remember with oppositions is that the person has to live both planets but one won’t satisfy the other. The planets live different lives in the same person.
Trines (120°) are considered harmonious aspects. They don’t provide any friction, which can be either beneficial or detrimental depending on the planets involved.
The trines provide effortless flow – the planets aspecting each other approve of each other and work in a similar fashion. It’s easy to take the connection between the trining planets for granted because the connection feels like second nature. Because of the ease and flow, there’s a risk for laziness, of not being pushed to act out the planets. Squares demand some kind of release, which makes them very powerful – pressure is building and something has to give in. With trines the planets involved are positively boosting each other rather than forcing expression. They are powerful, but in a gentle way. They allow, rather than force.
For example – someone with Sun trine Saturn would find that working and pursuing worldly goals boost individuality, self-importance and pride. This is someone who would be comfortable with commitment and responsibility because there’s no sense of being pushed to work in a manner that is at odds with one’s self-expression.
Another example – someone with Venus trine Pluto would find that love is a passionate and powerful, but also of great consequence. There’s fear and risk involved but both planets support each other effortlessly simply by being true to their own mode of being. This is different from Venus square Pluto – there’s similarly great passion and power to these people’s love-nature but Venus loves in a way Pluto can’t assert its power in. It’s difficult to say which aspect could bring the most destruction in relationships. On the one hand, the trine provides no blockage for the energies; on the other the square is more forceful and frustrated. I would say that both bring destruction in different ways. A person with the trine aspect might not even notice it, it's so easy. A person with the square will notice it and be a bothered by the feeling of it.
In people with the square you’re going to see “a switch” or “change of being”, a struggle taking place between two energy principals. In people with the trine, there is no struggle and no “switch”, the expression of love isn’t jerky or forced although it’s strong and forceful.
Sextiles (60°), like trines are considered harmonious aspects but they are a little bit more active.
The planets positively stimulate each other to activate, they “poke” each other a little bit – like they’re playfully teasing each other. When people feel like they “can’t help themselves” in a positive way, it’s usually a sextile that’s in the works. As stated with the trines, this can be beneficial or detrimental depending on the planets involved.
For example – someone with Saturn sextile Mars might be stimulated to concentrate more when taking action. Saturn could “poke” Mars to try a little bit more, to push a little bit further, to endure a little bit longer.
Another example – someone with Venus sextile Mars would be stimulated to go after the things that appeal to their taste. This is the aspect of “I just have to buy that thing I just spotted in the shop window” and “I just have to introduce myself to that good looking fellow”. These are silly examples, but you catch my drift.
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