Astrology · the aspects
The conjunction when two planets merge.
The conjunction is the simplest and most powerful aspect: two planets sit at the same degree of the zodiac, give or take a few degrees. Their energies fuse and become inseparable, neither good nor bad in themselves, since everything depends on the planets involved. It is the aspect of beginnings, of concentration, of things that feel obvious, the one you spot first in a chart.
The essentials
- Angle
- 0°
- Usual orb
- 8 to 10° (Sun and Moon), 6 to 8° otherwise
- Nature
- fusion, neutral: depends on the planets
- Keyword
- concentration
What exactly is a conjunction?
Picture two instruments playing the same note at the same moment: you no longer hear two voices, you hear a single, denser one. The conjunction does this in a chart. When two planets stand in the same spot of the sky, their registers blend so thoroughly that it becomes impossible to live one without calling up the other.
That is why tradition treats it as the major aspect par excellence: nothing is up for debate, nothing is negotiated between the two planets. They form an alliance, whether that alliance is comfortable (Venus and Jupiter) or demanding (Saturn and the Moon).
How to read it in your chart
Start by naming the two planets: the slower one sets the underlying tone, the faster one tells you how that tone plays out day to day. A Moon conjunct Saturn speaks of emotions that structure themselves, sometimes hold themselves back; a Mercury conjunct Mars speaks of a mind that cuts sharply and words that fly out fast.
Then look at the sign and the house: they set the backdrop and the stage. The same conjunction does not tell the same story in Aries in the first house as in Pisces in the twelfth. That is the whole point of reading a full chart rather than an isolated aspect.
Its strength, and its blind spot
The strength of the conjunction is its obviousness: what it describes is lived intensely and head-on. Its blind spot is precisely that obviousness. When two energies have been fused forever, you stop seeing them separately; you assume everyone works this way. The mirror’s work is to tell them apart again, and to recover some room for choice.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a conjunction good or bad?
- Neither: it amplifies and fuses. A Venus-Jupiter conjunction feels like natural generosity, a Mars-Saturn conjunction like a force that brakes and endures. It is the pair of planets that sets the climate, not the aspect itself.
- What orb should you use for a conjunction?
- Most astrologers accept 6 to 8 degrees of separation, and up to 10 degrees when the Sun or Moon is involved. The tighter the orb, the more pronounced the fusion feels in lived experience.