The Meaning of Planetary Aspects in Astrology

How to Interpret the Aspects: Conjunction, Semisextile, Sextile, Square, Trine, Quincunx, and Opposition

If you’ve ever looked at an astrology chart, you’ve noticed that it consists of a circle with lines connecting the various glyphs. These lines are called aspects. In this post we’ll discuss what aspects mean symbolically and how to apply their wisdom to your soul’s evolution.

Aspects are technically angles describing the location of planets and other elements in the twelve sections, by zodiac or house, of the chart relative to each other. We’ll focus on planets throughout this post for simplicity’s sake, but just keep in mind that anything on the chart can aspect another, from planets, asteroids, or special angles like the Vertex point.

(If you’re already lost, you can review our posts Astrology 101 and How to Read Your Birth Chart to get up to speed.)

Just like two people can experience a relationship with each other that ranges from harmony to discord, planets relate to each other along the exact same spectrum. Each aspect symbolizes a stage in the evolution of relationships between the various elements of your chart.

Aspects start with the conjunction, meaning that the planets are in the same sign or house and symbolize unity, and progress all the way to the opposition, meaning the planets are six signs apart, on opposite sides of the chart, representing polarity and balance.

Aspects are described as “soft” and “hard” depending on the quality they represent, and aspects alternate from soft to hard before culminating in the opposition.

Here are seven important aspects in astrology and what each represents:

Conjunct (Same sign): Union Semisextile (1 sign apart): Growing Pains Sextile (2 signs apart): Ease Square (3 signs apart): Tension Trine (4 signs apart): Harmony Quincunx (5 signs apart): Discord

Opposite (6 signs apart): Balance

Conjunct: Unity

When two planets are in the same sign, they are said to be conjunct one another. A conjunction has a unifying effect between the planets. They have the same modus operandi.

A conjunction is a soft aspect, but it can become overbearing depending on the context. Imagine two people singing the same song at the same time — the effect depends on the quality of their respective voices.

When three or more planets are in the same sign, they’re called a stellium. We’ll get more into stelliums in a future post on multi-planet aspects.

Semisextile: Growing Pains

Planets are said to form a semisextile when they are one sign apart.

Just as the sequence of aspects represents the evolution of energetic relationships, the sequence of signs represents the evolution of the soul. In other words, each sign grows from the energy of the preceding sign. Semisextiles are the growing pains of astrological evolution.

The semisextile, sextile, and quincunx are considered minor aspects compared to the conjunction, trine, square, and opposition which are the major aspects — and represent the potential and opportunity of energetic development.

A semisextile is a hard aspect and manifests as friction between the planets. This is because signs next to each other are very different from one another. However, this friction can also be experienced as the potential for growth.

Sextile: Ease

When two planets are two signs apart, they form a sextile. A sextile is a 60° angle and a soft aspect, invoking an easy cooperation between two signs.

This harmony arises because planets sextile one another are necessarily in the same-polarity sign. Polarity is the concept of yin and yang, two sides of a spectrum — the yin planets are earth or water signs and the yang planets are fire and air signs.

Like semisextiles, sextiles are not super powerful aspects, but they will promote ease and flow between the planets.

Square: Tension

Planets are described as being square to one another when they are three signs apart. These planets form a 90° angle. Squares produce tension — either in the form of stress or motivating action.

This is because signs that are square to one another have nothing in common except being of the same quadruplicity, or the quality of being a cardinal, fixed, and mutable sign. In brief, quadruplicities describe the sign’s action style. Cardinal signs initiate, fixed signs build, and the mutable signs adapt. We’ll elaborate on quadruplicities in a future post, but here’s a good primer in the meantime.

Planets that are square to each other can manifest as conflict because they have different interests and objectives, but similar styles of achieving them thanks to being of the same quadruplicity. For example, Aries is square Capricorn. One is a fire sign; the other is earth. They are both cardinal signs, meaning both like to take initiative. It’s like two equally bossy people with very different taste trying to redesign a house together. Conflict is inevitable, but a square can also force creative innovation.

Trine: Harmony

When planets are four signs apart, they form a 120° angle to each other known as a trine. Trines are always in the same element of fire, earth, water, or air, and they are almost universally considered the best possible relationship between two planets.

Trines are harmonious and fortunate. The only downside is they can manifest as a laziness born of not having to work very hard in the areas where the trine exists.

Quincunx: Discord

Planets are said to be quincunx or inconjunct to one another when they are five signs apart. It’s a hard aspect and manifests like a harsher version of a semisextile. If a semisextile is a child’s growing pain, a quincunx is the angst of a teenager at odds with the world.

Quincunx signs have nothing in common with each other — they are of different polarities (yin and yang), elements (fire, earth, air, and water) and quadruplicities (cardinal, fixed, mutable).

A quincunx in the birth chart can feel like having multiple conflicting personalities. If an astrology chart was a musical score, a quincunx would be the discordant minor-key note that builds toward the crescendo found in our next aspect, the opposition.

Opposite: Balance

When planets are six signs or 180° apart, they are opposite each other. Oppositions have a polarizing, mirroring or balancing effect, depending on the level of awareness achieved in those areas of life where the opposing planets exist.

A polarizing opposition feels like two conflicting forces. Two people with opposing aspects may have the tendency to create an enemy of the other, based on the projection of their own subconscious issues onto the other person.

When the two forces get to know one another better and recognize their similarities or shared goal, they evolve into a mirroring opposition. This can manifest as you looking for the traits of an opposing planet in another person, rather than seeing or developing it in yourself.

As the two forces cooperate and form a balancing opposition, they become integrated into a coherent, functional whole.

Astrological aspects are all about the nature of relationships — between planets, asteroids, angles, or any other element that can be read in an astrology chart. The progression of these astrological aspects can be read as the energetic evolution of relationships, from union to conflict to the integration of polarities.

In a future post we’ll also discuss more nuanced aspects, like quintiles and noniles, and multi-planet aspects, which is when three or more planets align, such as the T-square, Grand Cross, and Yod. In the meantime make sure to check out our other introductory posts, including The Planets and Their Meanings and The Meanings of Asteroids in Astrology.

Originally published at dreamingsouls.com on September 25, 2018.