Once again, as in past articles about which House system is the best, what Planets & Points are important, I decided to pursue the question of aspects this month.  I'd like to re-emphasize that these type questions often identify what works best for us.  Although it's not likely that any of these preferences are totally perfect, I strongly feel that it is very important that our choices be relatively static, since otherwise we risk perpetually jumping from system to system and confusing ourselves or others in the process.  Far from saying that we should not explore new ideas or concepts, I think we eventually have to bite the astrological bullet and decide the basics of what we feel is most relevant.

I'd guess that astrologers most frequently use the Ptolemaic aspects -- the Conjunction, Sextile, Square, Trine, and Opposition -- in their practices to varying degrees.  But before I stir up another astrological controversy, lets talk about these generally accepted and most-used aspects.

Even among these "major" aspects there exists considerable difference in how an individual astrologer applies them.  The natural tendency for a beginning student is to feel obligated to look at every Planet/point in its Sign and House, and every aspect (certainly Ptolemaic) between all these Planets/points.  Even when using only the major aspects it's easy to get bogged down by the sheer volume of data we're evaluating.  I remember that's how I felt at that point in my astrological education.  I found that I was accumulating a tremendous amount of knowledge, but to try to put it all together in a meaningful way was confounding and too often not very rewarding.

I recognized I needed a more structured, organized system.  Then I was exposed to Noel Tyl's approach.  His Master's Degree Certification Course uses Synthesis and Counseling in Astrology as its text.  By using this approach, chart analysis began to take on a structure and organization that was previously lacking.  This change in my approach to natal analysis was far-reaching, but for the purposes of this article, I'll focus on aspects.

Soon, I recognized that the Trines and Sextiles didn't really justify the degree of attention that I had been giving them.  Sure, there was an element of ease or luck involved with these "soft aspects".  But I also vividly recalled seeing charts of individuals with lots of trines and sextiles that were totally unmotivated.  Then, thanks to Noel's guidance, I realized that it's the "hard aspects", the Squares, the Oppositions, and sometimes the Conjunctions (depending on the specific planets involved) that cause friction in our lives and the resultant response is that we are compelled to try and make the situation less uncomfortable.

My favorite analogy is that these Hard Aspects are "like a rock in our shoes".  They demand our attention.  We're motivated to take action so that we're able to focus on something other than this constant negative stimulus in our lives.  

In natal chart analysis I now focus almost exclusively on the "hard aspects".  The soft aspects may add rather subtle nuances, but they generally aren't a measurable influence in the person's life.  A notable exception is the Grand Trine, but I've also learned that this "wonderful" formation isn't a money-back guarantee a life filled with luck, ease, and unsolicited rewards as I once believed.

Beyond the Ptolemaic stalwarts, there are a multitude of "minor" aspects from which to choose.  Are there any worth routinely including in our analyses?  

Please tune in next month for Minor Aspects -- a Major Misnomer?

Last month's (September's) astrology article discussed the major (Ptolemaic) aspects.  This month we'll explore some of the less commonly used and less understood "minor" aspects.

Most every astrologer and serious student uses the Ptolemaic aspects (the conjunction, opposition, trine, square, and sextile).  But as we reach beyond the staples of analysis, we quickly get into murky territory.  Are the "minor" aspects really less important?  Can we just ignore them?

First, let's consider the inconjunct or quincunx.  This 150-degree aspect is probably the most used of the "minor" aspects.  Just 30 degrees (+ or -) from an opposition, it generally is interpreted as a difficult aspect requiring some sort of adjustment in order for the planetary energies to be well integrated.  Probably the single one of the lesser aspects to be routinely used, it deserves consideration in the overall chart interpretation.

The quindecile [pronounced quin-deh-chee'-ley] (165 degrees) is just 15 degrees short of an opposition.  This aspect, rediscovered by Noel Tyl and further researched and expounded upon by Ricki Reeves in her recently-published book, The Quindecile  (see the recommended books section of this Web site) is certainly not to be ignored.  It is an indicator of obsession, compulsion, disruption, separation, and upheaval.

The quintile (72 degrees) is thought to contribute an element of creativity based on the involved planets.  Especially useful when evaluating career potential or artistic abilities/talents.

The semisquare (45 degrees) is recognized as a tense or challenging aspect.  Certainly not as challenging as the square, this aspect can sometimes provide very useful information, especially in a chart comprised of very few Ptolemaic aspects.

The sesquiquadrate (135 degrees) -- equal to a square plus a semisquare -- is another hard aspect that proves useful in charts where there aren't enough Ptolemaic aspects to give us a solid analytical feel for the chart.

The semisextile (30 degrees) seems to be an even further dilution of probably the least exciting of the Ptolemaic aspects, the sextile.  Perhaps mildly benefic, this one can probably be ignored without losing anything significant in interpretation.  

I'd also have to group the novile (40 degrees), the decile (36 degrees), the septile (51 degrees, 25 minutes, and 43 seconds), and the vigintile (18 degrees) and others in this category of "safe to ignore".  There are many theories -- but little agreement -- as to the effect of these most minor of the "minor" aspects.

So in summary, I use some of these aspects routinely -- namely the Quincunx, Quindecile, and Quintile.  Others of these "minor" aspects  -- especially the semisquare and sesquiquadrate -- can at times be of immense help.  This certainly applies to unaspected or Peregrine Planets (meaning no Ptolemaic planet-to-planet contact) where the impact of these lesser aspects can contribute information that otherwise might elude us.  

The following table represents both the major and minor aspects, the number of degrees in each, typical interpretive guidelines, and how to recognize the aspect more easily.  Listed orbs are those suggested by Noel Tyl for use by students in his Master's Degree Course.