Aspects are the ‘geometry’ of your chart. They are the relationships between planets and points in your chart based on their geometric angle. So, for example, two planets at a 60º angle to one another are said to be ‘sextile’. ‘Sext’ is the Latin numeral prefix for the number six. Within a circle there are six points at 60º angles to each other and if we drew a line between them we would get a six-sided shape: a hexagon (see picture above).

The term aspect refers to an angle between two planets, points (like your rising sign or MC) or a planet and a point. Where more than two planets or points are involved they can form an aspect pattern. In Esoteric Astrology the Tibetan Master places huge emphasis on the science of triangles. Triangles are indeed one of the patterns formed by aspects, and aspects can also form other shapes. It is quite rare but if we found six sextiles in a chart it is possible they could form a hexagon shape. In astrology this is called a Grand Sextile (these often go by other names such as the Star of David. See this earlier newsletter for an example of this).

But now we’re getting ahead of ourselves! Aspect patterns are quite complex and getting to know the meaning of the major aspect patterns in your chart can take many years of study and self-observation, but you can begin by knowing what the major aspects are, and what they mean.

How You Flow Your Energy

Aspects affect how light and energy flows. In terms of your own Soul Astrology, aspects are an important factor affecting how your energy flows into the world. We can understand a lot about aspects if we know how water flows (or not). 

Nature always takes the path of least resistance. So as water flows down a mountainside on it’s journey back to the ocean, it will form tiny streams which eventually become raging rivers and open meandering plains. The journey of water takes many shapes because water simply flows around things. Water always gravitates to the lowest point, and just flows around any obstacles in it’s way.

In addition to thinking about physical energy flowing like water, it is also important when considering aspects, to have some understanding of how light behaves and how angles affect light. For example a prism is an object with polished sides that changes the angle of the light passing through by a process known as refraction. Some prisms are also able to disperse light, which means they can separate visible white light into it's component colored rays.

Bouncing Light

Photographers among you may be familiar with the technique of bouncing light , whereby light is 'bounced' of an object to illuminate the subject. We do not need to go too much into the mathematics of these processes, but it is simply enough to understand how different conditions will affect how light flows and is received. When considering aspects it is important to remember that we are dealing with light and energy, and to remember the various ways light and energy will react and respond in different environments. Aspects in astrology create an environment that affects how light and energy flows. When you become familiar with your aspects, you'll literally know how light 'bounces' around in your life (or not)!

If we look at a birth chart we can see how some angles would be more conducive to the flow of energy and light, while others would make it more difficult for the energy to flow easily. There are many possible angles in a 360º circle but for astrological purposes some are considered more important than others. Therefore aspects are divided into ‘major’ and ‘minor’ aspects - the ‘major’ aspects being those that are considered to be of most significance.

Allowed Orbs

Before going further you might also hear astrologers talking about an ‘allowed orb’. This is where we look at how close an aspect can be before it is really considered valid or not, in terms of it's ability to influence the energy. So with a sextile for example we can usually allow about 4º and still consider it valid. With oppositions and squares we might allow 8º or more and they can still be valid in terms of their effects on the individual’s life experience.

Major Aspects

Now let’s look at the major aspects that you might find in your birth chart and see whether they are considered ‘easy’ or ‘difficult’ in terms of the energy flowing between them:

Conjunction (0-8º): This is where two planets or points are so close that their energies blend and merge. This can be positive or negative effects depending on the nature of the planets involved.

Opposition (180º): This is where the two objects are directly opposite each other in the chart. The energy can swing between the two like a pendulum. It is considered challenging for the personality because the task ahead for the individual is to integrate the energies involved. Although from a Soul-Centered perspective this can be a very positive experience, because one learns to address and integrate polarities!

Square (90º): This is considered a challenging aspect. On a personality level we may experience obstacles, setbacks, feeling stuck, or like Murphy’s Law* things just don’t turn out the way we would want. From a Soul-Centered perspective, rising to the challenge of our squares can be an amazing catalyst for our Soul’s growth.

Trine (120º): This is considered an easy aspect where the energies flow easily. This is considered easy for the personality because we can find that things turn out as expected or people show up that support us and we can make easy progress in the areas concerned. From a Soul-Centered perspective this can be a good thing if we stay focused and determined, but it can also lead to a lack of Soul growth. If things always come to us easily we may never be challenged to develop new skills, seek new horizons or use our creativity!

Sextile (60º): This is also considered an easy aspect where the two planets or points work harmoniously together. A keyword for sextiles is harmony and the two objects concerned will find it relatively easy to harmonize.

In interpreting aspects we also have to take into account the sign and house positions of the two planets (or points) involved, and whether they have a natural 'affinity'. For example Venus and Jupiter naturally go well together and are both generally beneficial so even if you have a very challenging aspect such as a tight square, the worst that could happen is too much of a good thing, so you may get an exaggeration of their traits resulting in self-indulgence, or an over-inflated ego.

When the two planets don't naturally align with one another it's a different story. For example, Mars square Saturn. Mars is the planet of individual self-assertion, Saturn is the planet of limitation and responsibility. Mars says go, Saturn says no. A square is one of the most challenging aspects, so a Mars-Saturn square has been described as trying to drive with the brakes on. The specific signs and houses would tell you more about the energy involved and in what area of life the challenge is experienced, but the feeling is always going to be a sense of trying to move forward while at the same time being held back.



The Science of Triangles

In Esoteric Astrology the Tibetan Master emphasises the importance for astrologers of the future to understand what he refers to as 'the science of triangles'. What might he mean by this?

When we study 'aspects' we're simply looking at the relationship between planets and points** in your birth chart, based on the degree of the angle between them. We only need two planets or points in relationship to one another in this way to form an 'aspect'.

Aspect Patterns

In addition to that, where three or more planets or points are involved, aspects can also form patterns, and the most basic pattern of all is a triangle. Aspect patterns can also be considered harmonious or challenging, some examples you may have heard of are Grand Trines and 'T-squares'. Understanding and interpreting aspects and aspect patterns forms a large part of the astrologers art. I remember thinking the first time I saw the aspects and patterns on my chart, how it just looked like a ball of string that a cat has been playing with and tangled around the furniture!

It takes time and experience to begin to see the meaning of aspects and aspect patterns in your chart, and I believe the Tibetan Master is also referring to something much more than just interpreting two-dimensional patterns on a chart. As with everything else in Esoteric Astrology, he is talking about energy and energy dynamics. Remember, your two-dimensional birth chart is only a symbol of your energy field. So when we start looking at aspects and patterns in your chart, how does that relate to your energy field?

If we have two pegs in the ground and we tie a piece of string between the two of them, we have just that: two pegs connected by a piece of string! In astrology, it would be an aspect. But if we add a third peg, and run our string around all three, we have something else: an aspect pattern. Not only do we have three pegs connected by a piece of string, but we also have a field. We have created an area that is contained within the boundary of our string. We can move our pegs around and change the shape of the field, but as long as our string remains connected to all three pegs, the field remains intact.

When we have an aspect in our chart, we have an energy that is running between two planets or points in the chart. The harmonious or challenging nature of the aspect will tell us more about how we are running that energy in our lives. When we have an aspect pattern in our chart, we not only have the energy running between three or more planets or points but we also have the energetic field contained within their boundary. Understanding the nature of aspect patterns begins to make more sense when we can understand the nature of energy as a field, or 'container'. 

Animation For Contemplation

For an intuitive sense of how energy flows within aspect patterns, it may be helpful to simply gaze at this fascinating video.  Don't try and analyse or figure it out - just relax, allow yourself to become familiar with the flow of energy, and notice how different it feels when flowing within a triangle, square, hexagon etc. Just allow yourself to receive impressions, and feelings. Sorry, if you don't use Facebook - I looked for an alternative version but didn't find one.

Aspect Patterns as Karma

All aspect patterns are karmic in the sense that they are pointing towards an energy field that pre-existed in you at the time that you were born. When I say 'karma' I mean in it's simplest sense of cause and effect, for example the 'cause' of an apple tree is an apple seed, and it is the 'karma' of an apple seed to become an apple tree. In this way aspect patterns are indicating a pre-existing energetic field that you were born with.

I think the Tibetan's emphasis on understanding the science of triangles is an invitation for us to consider how these energetic patterns are formed in the first place. Esoterically it is said that all forms manifest initially from thought. Energy follows thought, but not necessarily conscious thought as we know it. In buddhist traditions there is a saying that if you want to know your past life, look at your present conditions and if you want to know your future life look at your present actions. (also read the section on "Karma and Magnetic Fields" in "The Foundations of Soul Astrology #9: Navigating The Depths of Karma")

Once you have some understanding of the aspect patterns in your chart, it is important to begin observing how they are showing up in your everyday life. Do you experience them as supportive or obstructive? Even though they may be karmic in nature, they are also 'sacred' in the sense that they are indicating deep energetic factors at work in your psyche that may be catalysts for your Soul's growth. Remember they are not a sentence that has been 'imposed' on you by anything outside of you. It is your own energy field, and you have the power to dissolve old patterns that no longer serve your Soul's growth, and replace them with more supportive patterns. This is done through clear intention and action.