Aspect
An aspect is the geometric angle formed between two planets in the birth chart, measured along the zodiac. Astrologers read it as the way two energies talk to each other: some angles are flowing and easy, others tense and stimulating. The five major aspects are the conjunction, sextile, square, trine and opposition, the foundation of any reading of a chart's dynamics.
The five major aspects
The conjunction joins two planets at the same point, the sextile and trine count as flowing and supportive, the square and opposition as tense and demanding. This flowing-versus-tense idea is not a verdict: tense angles often set things in motion, while flowing angles offer a talent that comes easily to you.
A dialogue between planets
Think of an aspect as a conversation between two parts of you. Depending on the angle, they get along, reinforce each other, or test each other's limits. It is not the planets alone that matter in a chart, but the way they speak to one another, and that is often where the most alive part of your chart sits.
Sources
- , Astrology, Psychology, and the Four Elements (1975)
- , The Inner Sky (1984)