Every astrologer has their own way of approaching natal chart analysis.  We may include something that other astrologers don't consider, or weight certain factors differently than others might.  For me, one of the measurements that I always take into consideration and weight relatively heavily is the closest aspect in the natal chart.

Those of you who have read my book, Midpoints, know that I'm a bit of a fanatic when it comes to orbs.  I strongly believe that the closer an aspect is to being exact, the more potent the interaction between the two planets or points.  Taken to the point of absurdity, an aspect that is precisely exact to the minute undeniably represents a stronger link than the same aspect that is 15 degrees away from being exact.

We theoretically could—and in fact some software packages actually do—create a hierarchical list of all aspects that list the closest aspects first.  Even for someone such as myself with Saturn in Virgo, this is a little over the top—in common parlance, "too much information".  But, however, I believe that the aspect at the very top of the list (i.e., the one closest to being exact) deserves and should be awarded some extra attention.

We can also determine the closest aspect by looking at the aspect grid where the form displays not only the aspect but the distance it is away from being exact.  The example used in the earlier series of articles analyzing the aspect grid (Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV) is shown below:

Next to each aspect symbol in the grid we see an "a" that indicates that the aspect is getting closer (applying or approaching) or an "s" that indicates that the aspect is getting further away (separating) from being exact.  As we determine the closest aspect it doesn't matter whether the aspect is applying or separating, but rather the absolute distance from being exact.**

We can then methodically look at the listings beneath each aspect and find the one that is closest to 00 Degrees 00 Minutes.

In the example above, as the closest aspect in the grid, Saturn forms a Quindecile (a 165 degree aspect within just 4 minutes of being exact) with Mercury, suggesting a compelling need for thoughts, ideas, and communications to be clearly presented.  A secondary, health-related interpretation may represent a vulnerability to depression.

Which aspects you consider is a matter of personal preference, but I suggest you restrict your considerations to the aspects that you normally use.  Personally, I use the major (Ptolemaic aspects - conjunction, opposition, square, trine, and sextile), as well as some select minor aspects (quincunx, semisquare, sesquiquadrate, quintile, and quindecile).  The closest aspect you would select would be chosen from the aspects that you normally use...and the closest one being selected without regard to whether it is a major or a minor aspect.

Once this closest aspect is identified, I assign it a significantly greater importance than otherwise.  On some occasions, there may be a tie between two (or more aspects) for the honor of the closest aspect.  In these cases, I assign an amplified—but equal—importance to each.

Next month, we'll look at some specific examples of the closest aspect in some famous charts.

** In fact some astrologers do alter their general orb considerations, allowing a wider orb when an aspect is applying than when it is separating.

May 2004

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Mar. 2005