The aspects the conversations between planets.

An angle, a relationship

Lay your chart out flat: a circle of 360 degrees, planets placed at precise spots. Measure the angle between two of them. When that angle lands on certain values (0, 60, 90, 120 or 180 degrees), the two planets enter into a relationship: that is an aspect. Depending on the angle, the conversation is flowing, stimulating or tense; with no aspect, each one talks in its own corner.

We tolerate a gap of a few degrees around the exact value: that is the orb. A square at 91 degrees works fully; at 98, it fades. The tighter the orb, the more the aspect is felt in lived life. As a beginner, stay with short orbs: you will read fewer lines on the map, but the right ones.

The five major aspects

The conjunction (0°) fuses: two planets in the same spot become inseparable, for better or for intense. The sextile (60°) links gently: an affinity that asks a small gesture to switch on. The trine (120°) makes things flow: the two energies understand each other on instinct, the register of easy talent.

The square (90°) grinds: two needs pull in perpendicular directions, and that friction forces you to invent a solution. The opposition (180°) strings a see-saw: two poles face to face, often lived in alternation before you learn to hold them together. Five angles, five registers of dialogue: everything else is a matter of which planets are involved.

Tension is not a punishment

Resist the urge to sort aspects into good and bad. Trines bring ease, but an ease that can fall asleep: what flows by itself does not push you to grow. Squares are tiring at times, yet they are the ones that build: friction is an engine, and many remarkable lives lean on very tense charts.

A chart with no tension would be a story with no plot. When you meet a square in your sky, the question is not "how do I get rid of it" but "what does this friction teach me to build."

Your evening practice

Tonight, if the sky is clear, look for the Moon: when a bright point sits right beside it, you are watching a conjunction live, the same geometry as in your chart, at full size. The close passes between the Moon and Venus or Jupiter happen almost every month and can be spotted with the naked eye.

Next lesson: we put it all together. Planets, signs, houses, aspects: you are going to read a whole chart, step by step.

Frequently asked questions

What orb should I use as a beginner?

Stay tight: 6 to 8 degrees for the major aspects, up to 10 when the Sun or the Moon is involved. A short orb drops the debatable aspects and keeps the ones that are truly felt in lived life.

Is a chart full of squares a bad chart?

No. Squares describe internal frictions, and those frictions are often what push you to build, to stretch, to invent. A chart is never a report card: it is a dynamic, and tension is its engine.

Which aspects should I start with in my chart?

Start with the conjunctions: they are spotted at a glance (two planets side by side) and strongly structure the chart. Then come the tight oppositions and squares, then the trines and sextiles for the supports.