Large-Scale Patterns Astrology

Large Scale Patterns

Large Scale Patterns

We have been considering what orbs to use when looking at planets in aspect, and more or less taking them a pair at a time, such as “Moon Sextile Venus,” and so forth. More important than single aspects are aspect patterns. An aspect pattern occurs when various aspects link up to form a larger pattern than just a single aspect. In particular, when aspects link up and create a “Whole-Chart Pattern,” they are of special importance. A whole-chart pattern is a series of aspects, linked one to another, that add up to 360 degrees. In other words, the extend all the way around the chart wheel. An example of whole-chart patterns would include such traditional patterns as the Grand Trine (three trine aspects linked together), the Grand Cross (four square aspects linked together), and the T-Square (an opposition, linked to two square aspects.)

Standard Aspect Set Astrology

Standard Aspect Set

Here is a set of orbs for what might be considered the standard set of aspects used most by astrologers. Let’s go through them.

As you can see, the Sun and Moon get the widest orbs, in decreasing size, from the Sun to the Moon to the planets. And certain aspects (in particular the conjunction and opposition) deserve wider orbs. When any to planets are considered, such as, for example, the Sun and Mars, use whichever orb is widest for that pair. In this case, we would use 9 degrees for the conjunction aspect, if we were looking at the Sun and Mars. This table should be clear.

Planets, Bodies and Points Astrology

Planets, Bodies, and Points

Different orbs are used depending upon what planets or bodies are involved. The Sun and Moon (The Lights) are the two most important bodies and wider orbs are generally used when working with them. Their influence is greater, and we make allowances for that, by giving them a wider orb. For example, with the Sun, we might use an orb as wide as 10 degrees, while using a 9-degree orb for the Moon, and 7 or 8 degrees for the other planets. This would be when looking at a natal chart.

If we were looking at transits (what is happening in the sky right now), using too wide of an orb would give us so too many transits, then the list of them could be longer than our attention span. What we want are manageable lists of things. Having a list of 200 aspects may be very nice, but how often are you going to sit down and count through 200 aspects, when all you want is a quick picture of what is happening today?

So, in actual practice, we tend to limit our orbs and the list of aspects we use to something manageable, to what we will actually use, what we find helpful in day-to-day work. As I like to tell myself, I want astrological techniques that work for me, and not vice versa. There are thousands of possible techniques you can experiment with, but which ones give you back enough return for your investment in time to make them valuable to you? Each of us will have to answer that question for ouselves.

Entering and Leaving Orbs Astrology

Entering and Leaving Orbs

When looking at transits or transiting aspects (in the sky) to our natal planets, most astrologers use fairly tight orbs, often as small as one degree. And the orb used extends before and after the aspect, one degree before and another aspect. For example, if we are looking at the sextile aspect (60 degrees), with a one-degree orb, then we would be looking for an angular separation between the two planets that ranges from 59 degrees to 61 degrees.

However, astrologers have found that the effect of the aspect tends to precede the event, rather than follow it. In other words, from the orb before the aspect is exact to the point of exactness is when we most feel or experience the effect of that aspect, and not afterward. This is not always the case, but it is the general rule. The old astrological saying, “Coming events cast their shadows” is very true here. The time before an aspect, what is called the “entering orb” is considered the most important. After the aspect is exact, and what is called the “leaving orb” is not so important, and usually is not given a lot of attention by astrologers.

In the diagram, we are showing the point where the aspect is exact, and a 1-degree orb before and after that aspect. The red line shows how the importance of the aspect as it is forming or entering is much greater than the aspect after the “exact” point is reached.

Tight or Wide Orbs Astrology

Tight or Wide Orbs

When we ask what orbs we should use, we’re getting into disputed waters, Astrologers are just like people (in fact they are people), in that some use very fussy and tight orbs, while others consider anything remotely in the ballpark to be an aspect. Let’s look at this.

Astrologers tend to use different orbs for different purposes. When we are looking at a static natal chart, wider orbs are generally used, as we are trying to get an overall picture as to the nature of the person or event. On the other hand, if we are looking at today’s transits in the sky, we may use much smaller orbs. The same goes if we are looking at today’s transits in the sky as they relate to your natal chart, tighter orbs.

For example, here is my helio natal chart. Everyone could agree that Venus and Neptune are within orb of a conjunction. Also, most astrologers would agree that Saturn is conjunct Uranus and Uranus is conjunct Jupiter, but few would agree that Saturn is conjunct Jupiter. However, Jupiter has recently completed a conjunction with Saturn, so it is not that far from a conjunction. And finally, some astrologers would say that Mercury and Mars are in conjunction (some 9 degrees), but most probably would say it is not, since Mercury is moving away from that aspect.

Exact Aspects Astrology

Exact Aspects

Astrologers appear to be in agreement that when aspects are exact, they are more powerful. Sometimes the analogy of a lens has been used to illustrate how an aspect works. Like focusing a pair of binoculars, as an aspect between two planets approaches its exact point, it resolves itself increasingly into focus. I believe that most astrologers would consider this resolution to be exponential, and not linear in nature. In other words, the closer you get to the exact aspect, the more powerful is its nature, exponentially. Meaning, an aspect that is one degree away from being exact is not twice as powerful as an aspect that is two degrees away from being exact, but even more powerful. There is a sharp curve, and not just a straight line. Some astrologers might disagree, but this has been my experience. It is like focusing a lens.

Standard Aspects astrology

Standard Aspects

Any degree of angular separation amounts to some aspect. However, over the history of astrology, certain particular aspects or angular separations have been considered especially significant, such as the Conjunction (0 degrees), the Sextile (60 degrees), the Square (90 degrees), the trine (120 degrees) and the Opposition (180 degrees). These are the so-called Ptolemaic Aspects, since they were used by the Greek astrology Ptolemy. Some astrologers add more aspects to the list, and the diagram above represents what astrologers consider the standard set of aspects. But that is not the point of this lesson.

Here we want to take a look at when is a particular angular separation considered an “aspect,” and thus the subject here is one of “orbs.” We know when an angular separation is exact, so that is no problem. In other words, an exact trine aspect is 120 degrees, no more and no less. At that moment, there are no orbs. But the question here is, as we approach an aspect, at what point can we say that we are within reach or “orb” of the effect of that aspect? When does it affect us? As you might guess, astrologers agree to disagree when/where that point is.

And astrologers use different orbs, depending upon which planet they are considering, and also which aspect they are considering, so it can get a little complicated. In this lesson, I will stay away from the extremes and just present what are the orbs most commonly used by astrologers. Use any orbs you wish, of course

Aspect Orbs

Aspect Orbs

As we have presented elsewhere, aspects are angular separations (in degrees and fractions of a degree) between any two bodies or points, be it the Sun and the Moon, Mars and Jupiter, Saturn and the ascendant, and so on. Aspects can range from zero degrees (conjunction) and on around the full 360-degrees back to the next conjunction. The farthest angular separation is 180 degrees, after which the angular separation between any two bodies begins getting smaller again. Using Full-Phase Aspect analysis, we have seen that the waxing Square (90-degree aspect) is not the same (in interpretation) as the waning Square (90-degrees aspect), but that has been covered in another section. Here is a diagram of the Sextile or 60-degree aspect, in this case “waxing,” that is: the Moon is separating from the Sun, and moving toward the opposition.

Houses Are Three-Dimensional Beginner's Astrology > Astrological House Sys... > House Systems > Houses Are Three-Dimen... Astrological House Systems

Three-Dimensional

And although our two-dimensional horoscope chart is flat, the sections of the houses are not. They are three-dimensional, like the sections of an orange. Just imagine walking outside under the night sky, with the stars and planets twinkling around you, and dividing up all that space above you and below you (on the other side of the earth) into 12 sections or segments. From where you stand looking to the south would be the Tenth House, behind you and to the north (and below you) would be the Fourth House, at your left and to the east would be the First House, to your right and to the west would be the Seventh House, and so on. That is what astrological houses are like.

Meaning of the 12 Houses Astrological House Systems

Meaning of the Houses

Each of the 12 houses has a different meaning, and describes or points out a different area of our experience. Once we learn something about what each of these arenas of experience mean, we can begin reading astrological sentences like the one given above, “Sun in Cancer in the Eighth House.” And best of all, the wheel of the 12 houses is a unified whole cycle (like the zodiac signs, the phases of the Moon, etc.), such that each house is a phase in that cycle leading to the next. When you learn about cycles and cycles’ phases, you are automatically learning about the houses.

What Are Houses? Astrological House Systems

What Are Houses?

First of all, houses are part of your horoscope, your natal birth chart. Simply put, the houses are a way to divide the space surrounding our birthplace into sections of space as seen from the place on Earth where we were born, that is: the space above us, the space below us, the space to the east of us, the space to the west of us, and so forth. We divide the entire space into 12 sections, like segments of an orange. Once we have divided the space around us, we look to see in what house or section of the sky the various heavenly bodies can be found, like the Sun, Moon, and planets, but also, the stars and any other astronomical body that might interest us. And since the planets are plotted in the zodiac signs, most house systems show where the particular house is (intersects) the band of the zodiac.

Astrological House Systems

The Houses

You’ve probably seen an astrological chart wheel, divided into 12 roughly equal pie-shaped sections, much like how we would cut up a pizza. These 12 sections are called the “Astrological Houses” or usually just the “houses.” In each pie-shaped house, we might find one or more the planets or the Sun and the Moon. Just as someone might tell you they have the Sun in Aries, so they might also say that they have the Sun in the 11th house. And these 12 houses have specific meanings, just as the 12 zodiac signs do. The phrase “He’s a Taurus,” might just as easily be “He’s a Second-House Sun.” We will learn about what the houses mean, but first it will help to know something about what houses are, and where they come from.

Introduction to Astrology

Greetings!

My name is Michael Erlewine and I will be your guide through this course on astrology. As for my qualifications, I have been studying astrology for over 40 years, and during that time have worked as a teacher, programmer, author and counselor. You can read about my background elsewhere in this course, but right now let’s get down to it.

Astrology is ancient, probably as old as when people first measured time. It is present in some form in all countries and cultures, and always has been. In fact, the majority of the world’s population uses astrology at the day-to-day level, and not just for entertainment, as we do here in the West. Before we begin our study of astrology, it might be important to clear away two popular misconceptions about astrology.