Planetary placements....?

Question

I just can't seem to understand the astrology 'lingo' -lol...what exactly do the words - trine, sextile,square, conjuct, etc., mean in reference to alignments?

LOL! take it easy on me (please) - I am still a beginner and am looking for a little help here! :)

Answer 1

I would say that if you see the word alignment it more than likely refers to simply how things are lined up or positioned.

Trine, sextile, conjuncts, squares, oppositions are the aspects and they do represent how the planets are lined up with each other ;)

You are not alone - Astrologer's are Geeks in a way and have a lingo that can bore me to death and confuse. Ironically, it turns a lot of people off to advanced astrology - that's why I like 1:1 instruction. I also try to explain it in terms that most people can understand instead of the Astro - Geek speak - LOL

Answer 2

The angular relationships between the planets in a horoscope, measured as angles within the ecliptic circle, are termed “aspects”. Usually this includes angles to the ascendant and MC. Only certain angular relationships are regarded as aspects, and these are said to have intrinsic qualities – they are said to be “harmonic”, “dynamic” or “neutral”. These relationships influence how the planets work together. There is also a certain amount of “play”, which means that an aspect is said to “work” or be operative within a few degrees either way of being exact. This margin of “play” is defined by the orbs. (see below)

Here are some of the major aspects:

Conjunction - 0°

The conjunction tends to be a harmonious aspect. Its quality depends greatly on the planets involved, as well as on how close the aspect is. For example, a conjunction between the Sun and Mercury is generally regarded as harmonious. If, however, the distance between them is less than a few degrees, Mercury is said to be “burnt” or “in combustion”, with corresponding results. In general, the conjunction shows an immediate connection which usually works in one way or another.



Opposition - 180°

Although the opposition is generally regarded as “disharmonious” or dynamic, it often has quite a motivating and energizing effect. Here too, the quality of the aspect depends on the planets involved, and on what one makes of it. On the whole, an opposition between two planets creates tension between them, often with positive results.



Square - 90°

The square is regarded as a disharmonious aspect, the planets involved seem to be “blocked”. The problems that arise from the square keep on turning up, like a bad penny. The difficulty lies in trying to reconcile two forces that are trying to move in completely different directions. Usually this takes the form of desires and needs which are mutually exclusive.



Trine - 120°

The trine is a harmonious aspect, the planets involved work together in a complementary fashion, enriching one another. Trines show where our natural talents lie, whether we actually make use of them or not is up to us.



Sextile - 60°

The sextile tends to have a harmonious effect, depending of course on the planets involved.

Minor Aspects

Besides the major aspects mentioned above, there are also quite a number of “minor aspects”. Most of these are subdivisions of the major aspects. The minor aspects add depth and detail to the general picture. The orbs permitted for the minor aspects are much smaller than those used for the major aspects. (see table below)

The most common minor aspects are



Semisquare Semisquare - 45°, disharmonious

Sesquiquare Sesquiquare - 135°, disharmonious

Semisextile Semisextile - 30°, neutral

Quincunx or Inconjunct Quincunx or Inconjunct - 150°, neutral

Quintile Quintile - 72°, harmonious

Biquintile Biquintile - 144°, harmonious



Orbs

Orbs for  Astrodienst chart drawing type 2.A

Orbs for chart drawing type 2.AT, 2.GW or 2.GR. These orbs are used by Liz Greene, and used in our web server as default setting.

Answer 3

Hi:) You're talking about aspects, here. Sextile, trine and all the rest of it are referring to how many degrees apart the planets are. So:

Trine: Planets 120 deg. apart. A trine is a very harmonious influence, the two planets in question are in signs of the same element, so they tend to work quite well together. For example, if someone had Sun trine Moon, this would be an individual whose expression of self was in harmony with their expression of emotion.

Sextile: Planets 60 deg. apart. Another harmonious influence, similar to the trine, but not as powerful. The objects in question are in signs of complimentary elements, i.e. fire/air or earth/water. Some think that sextiles are actually better to have than trines, as trines are easily taken for granted in the birth chart. With sextiles, you have to be more aware to use them to their full potential.

Square: Planets 90 deg. apart. A challenging influence. The objects in square aspect to each other work at cross purposes and their energies conflict with each other. These influences will not harmonize, so IMO, the best one can hope to do with a square is to come to terms with the fact that those elements of their personality are going to conflict and just make peace with it.

Conjunction: Planets 0 deg apart. A powerful influence. The energies of the objects in question are fused, so that they express themselves as one.

Opposition: Planets 180 deg apart. Another challenging influence. The objects in question are reaching in opposite directions, and going about things in opposite ways, but they're seeking the same thing, really, so resolution of the opposing influences can be found by compromise and adaptation of these aspects of the personality so that they meet somewhere in the middle. With planets in opposition it's common for the individual to see saw from one extreme to the other until they learn to balance that energy within themselves.

There are other minor aspects as well, but those are the biggies:)

EDIT: An abundance of squares would indicate a challenging life. But whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right:)

EDIT2: Understood. I can relate to that.

Answer 4

Try Skyscript.