Aspects in the Birth Chart

There are 12 zodiac signs in a birth chart and each sign occupies an equal chunk of 30 degrees—this makes our 360 degree chart. We can analyze the chart, like any mathematical + scientific discipline, in a multitude of visual manifestations.

The token “birth chart,” one may find overwhelming or confusing, is the zodiacal circle broken into 12 slices, with glyphs + numbers + lines creating an infographic of layered meaning. We can digest the chart in the form of tables, telling us the same information in a compartmentalized + straight forward fashion—here we miss the added visual benefit of seeing lines that connect the planets. We can simply read a long explanation of our chart, a summary provided by a paid astrologer or from an online database like cafe astrology, to see our chart more like a story we emotionally connect to instead of a graph or table of glyphs + numbers.

There is value added or lost in each of these natal representations, so I encourage a beginner, like myself, to analyze their chart in all three ways. Use the table to make sense of the pie chart, and to memorize the meanings of the glyphs, use the pie chart to catalogue aspects / placements within the true 360 degree wheel, and then use provided summaries to understand what the hell it all actually means for you.

We’ve been studying the birth chart on a micro level: getting to know the zodiac signs, the planets, the lunar nodes, the modalities, the elements, and the houses. Now that we understand the pieces, it’s time to go macro and start building the puzzle.

This task is far less daunting after we’ve put in the time to learn the moving parts of the cosmos, the bigger picture—the birth chart—is now a fun summary of everything we understand about ourselves + our placements.

What’s even cooler is that reading the chart + connecting the dots is where astrology gets even MORE personal. You thought all of those sign / planetary placements from before were eye-opening? Just wait until you see how all these cosmic characters interact with each other on stage. Reality TV could never.

No element of the chart is an island and the relationships between all of the pieces is identified via their aspects: the numbers (degrees) in the chart that define the spatial and energetic relationship between planets.

There are 5 Aspects in total: Conjunction, Sextile, Square, Trine, and Opposition. We identify the aspects in the birth chart by looking at the angles (degrees) created between planets. Before all of these databases were available to visualize + explain the planetary relationships in a click, astrologers would calculate these relationships by hand—protractors, compasses, steady hands. Thankfully we can identify all of the major + minor aspects in our charts online, although it would be kind of sexy and academic to try to draw your own birth chart by hand—adding this to my 2021 goals now.

If the cosmos is the playground, the aspects are the narcs with all the latest gossip: who’s holding hands by the swing sets? Who’s joining which cliques? Who’s gonna meet for a fight by the flagpole at 3 o’clock? You get the picture, planets are gonna be making magic or stirring up some shit for us throughout our lives, and all of their interactions have a lasting impact—positive or negative—on our trajectory.

Now let’s break down the Aspects, and use this info to understand the complicated + meaningful planetary relationships in our charts.

Conjunction—Fusion

0 degrees in the Chart

A conjunction occurs when two or more planets are side-by-side in the birth chart. When planets are conjunct, they will join together + amplify the negative or positive qualities of the bodies involved.

For example, any planet that is conjunct with the sun will be prevalent in your immediate personality because the sun rules your identity, your ego, and your outer self. Neptune, an intuitive + whimsical planet, conjunction the sun would be visible in your aura as a sensitive + empathic energy.

Here’s another fun layer: remember I said a conjunction occurs between two or more planets—like a squad of bodies feeding off of each other's energy. When three or more planets meet up in the chart, it’s called a stellium.

A stellium results in a pack-mindset, where the string of planets will fuel each other toward a singular area of the chart—your life + self. A stellium of planets in the 9th would indicate a focus of energy moving toward higher education or world travel, just two examples of intellectual enterprises governed by the 9th house.

Sextile—Chemistry

60 degrees in the Chart

Where a conjunction could cause amplification of positive OR negative qualities of every planet involved, sextiles are, well, sexier. Sextiles are harmonious and only deliver the best of every planet involved—they make each other even stronger by combining positive forces and the action is effortless.

Sextiles in the chart are natural strengths for you and should be acknowledged + bookmarked so that you may harness those gifts to work in your favor. The energy created will vary depending on the planets in question—but it is beneficial for you no matter the circumstances.

We’ve covered the positive + negative qualities of each of the planets in previous birth chart basics. When you identify any sextiles in your chart, refer back to those linked posts and take stock of the positive qualities each planet delivers, then combine those sweet benefits together—this energy can be amplified + utilized for your benefit moving forward.

Square—Friction

90 degrees in the Chart

Before you get nervous about this aspect, remember that challenges are simply lessons put into our path to help us evolve, so long as we remain conscious of conflict and work toward compromising the tension at hand.

That being said, squares between planets are areas where those cosmic bodies will be in conflict with each other—they’ll likely be fighting on the playground, or the more dominant planet of the aspect will bully + manipulate the other bodies involved.

Squares are the challenging situations which call for us to change, to stay alert, to learn how to compromise or shift our direction in order to grow. If there are four planets involved, it is called a grand square—a bit of a cosmic battle royale.

If the conflict between these planets is not addressed, they will be constantly holding each other—and you—back, and the friction will be disarming.

Look to the house placements in the aspect, as well as the sign placements, to identify what areas of your life you’ll experience the tension in and remain present + flexible + engaged when moving through those themes. This is only a signed, sealed, delivered guarantee for setbacks if you’re unaware or unwilling to resolve the friction at hand; you have the power to shift your perspective and integrate solutions that serve your expansion.

Trine—Flow

120 degrees in the Chart

Trines are beautiful because they are effortless. They signify areas of your life where ease + luck + good fortune are inevitable, the shiny nuggets of harmony you can embrace when life inevitably throws challenges or setbacks your way.

The placements of planets in a trine tells us the combination of forces which will be naturally positive for you. These will be situations where conflict is not necessary, where flow feels magnetic. These aspects are blessings, and they deserve to be celebrated!

But...be critical of just how many trines + where they fall, because there is value in the personal growth that comes from evolving ourselves in the face of adversity, discomfort, or change. You deserve ease and flow in your life, but finding yourself too comfortable in the peaceful, easy feelings trine’s provide could lead to a loss of spark or maybe even an unhealthy entitlement surrounding what comes naturally to you. Remain conscious of and grateful for your innate gifts + strengths, but do not use them as a crutch for stagnation or an excuse to mindlessly coast through your life.

Opposition—Disparity

180 degrees in the Chart

Oppositions manifest as a kind of duality in self + in your nature. Oppositions between planets signify energies that are polar opposites. We look to the sign + house placements of the planets in opposition to identify what areas of our nature + narrative will be split.

Navigating our oppositions means finding the sweet spot on the spectrum being created. We will find that we flip between the energy of each planet, a see-saw behavior which always leads to neglecting one area and over-investing in another.

To fully integrate the qualities of each planet involved, we need to split our focus equally between them. We must honor our dual nature, and remain mindful of chaotic swings + decisions that could tip our scales and cause us to miss out on—or over emphasize—the impacts + benefits of the opposing planets.

We’re officially 9 segments deep into the birth chart basics series, and honestly, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Moving forward with the series, I’ll be delivering overviews of niche astrology topics to help identify some common themes—which will be easier to understand + relate to now that we’ve had an overview of the foundational elements of the practice.

Saturn returns, moon phases, planetary profiles—all the juicy cosmic info is coming your way in 2021! I cannot wait to keep learning and expanding in this practice with all of you, so drop me a DM on instagram or comment below about what astrological topics you’re wanting to dive into next.

No topic is too large or too small to investigate because there sure is a lot going on in our cosmos and I find it all pretty damn fascinating. You probably do too if you’ve been keeping up with this series over the past few months. There’s so much more to learn, and my predominantly fixed chart is freaking stoked to research and regurgitate what I discover for you all to enjoy—wink, wink: be on the lookout for lunar + Spring equinox themed content dropping on the blog over the next month.

Stay curious, stay well, stay present.