Keywords for Aspects available anywhere?

I have been wondering what keywords would be used for the Aspects.

Conjunction... Two become one.
Opposition...Night and day.
Trine...Team players
Square...(I keep hearing a game characture that would yell, BATTLE!)
Sextile...I find, I have, My peace.
Quincunx...Self made martyr.
Semisquare...No! Mine! Self confinment.
Sesquisquare...Monkey see, Monkey have.
Semisextile... To have, to grow.

Just a flip off the top of my head, here, but does anyone have any keywords they use?

Thanks,
Barb

Aspects are not always easy to understand

Aspects are not always easy to understand and to apply a useful meaning to them that is consistent for any combination of planets involved. That is because the nature of the planets in an aspectual relationship can modify the typical mainstream keyword meaning for an aspect.

If we consider a conjunction between Sun and Jupiter we get impressions of bright, happy, cheerful, optimistic, luck, good fortune, expansive visions, etc. In a general sense we see these two as being able to work together. On the other hand, if Saturn and Mars are conjunct each other we have a tug-of-war view of how there energies are expressed --stop and go, force or restraint, anger versus stoicism, movement or stability, alive or dead, etc. In this case the energies or expression of the two planets constantly undermine each other.

So what definition of a conjunction would you use? Symbols tend to express themselves at several levels, in as many ways as possible. So, its possible to see Mars-Saturn as also meaning focused action, restrained force, cautious progress, brutal agression, harsh opinions -- these "definitions" combine the planet's meanings into a singular sense, while the first definitions were "either or" statements.

Conjunctions can be the toughest aspect to understand.

Would it surprise you to know that I believe that I do not use a consistent meaning for any aspect, that I often take a fluid approach depending upon the nature of the chart. We need rules to start off with, we later refine those rules, then we learn to bend them -- and at some point we sort of forget all about them. Its a process of change that occurs as we learn more about astrology. We start off by knowing a little about a lot. That changes so that we know a lot about a lot. Then we get to a point where we know a lot about little. Then we sort of know everything and nothing at the same time.

I'm not playing with your head. I'm trying to suggest that we change as what we know increases in volume, then we change more as what we know increases in complexity, and we move to/towards a point where we know enough to be flexible and seemingly to change the rules or forget the rules or act like we are intuitive. So, given all of this, I'll offer some aspect meanings which may or may not be useful and which I, myself, may or may not use.

Conjunction: An intensifying of two/more planetary expressions in that they may blend or bend each other.

Opposition: A separative expression of the planet's meanings when stressed, a projective force when one planet is supported more than the other, a negotiated expression when both planet's expressions need an outlet, otherwise a pull-pull, seeking to re-balance expressional values when other conditions don't seem to apply.

Square: Most often a challenging aspect wherein each planet's expression seeks to divert, dislodge or slice into the other's level of influnence.

Trine: These two planets do not challenge or separate their expression but instead use their particular energies to support a "movement" from one form of expression to another. When a grand-trine is involved, it acts like a motor that just runs and runs, the subject goes from one form of expression to another to another and then repeats the cycle like it was a compulsive habit.

Once we get to the minor aspects we find both variations of the major aspects as well as nuances being (often but not always) expressed.

Sextile: Nat an ease of application and energy like the trine, but certainly an ease of communication and understanding and movement.

Semi-square and sesquiquadrate: Both act like a combination of the square and the conjunction to some degree. The semi-square tends to find one planet trying to undercut or diminish the expression of the other. The sesquiquadrate tends to make adjustments in terms of how the two planets can work together rather than fight each other. Its a forced cooperation that permits each to work in cycles; first one than the other.

The inconjunct aspect often results in the two planets making changes in small increments rather than go to into a whole cooperation mode or to do a "first me, then you" type of approach.

The semi-sextile is, at best (in my opinion) a suggestion or prompting for making a change -- but it needs additional input from other forces such as one planet also having another aspect to help it along.

Hope this helps. Dave

I agree, aspects are easier to have keywords when you are thinking of specific planets. A great guy for this is Reinhold Ebertin who doesn't deal with aspect angles, but just a blend of planetary energies.

Sometimes I think of quotes from ppl I've run into that seem to exemplify an aspect. e.g. A Venus-Jupiter square once asked me something to the effect of: have you ever, when eating a really delicious cookie, find you're already thinking about the next one? lol.

Wow.
Thats a lot of information to digest, & it was completly fascinating.

Yes, you are right. You start out with rules, then learn to bend them, then learn to forget them to work with them in different situations. Very nicely put. Made me think of our legal system. LOL. Its true, though.

Eating a cookie, and thinking about the next cookie made me laugh. I like that definition.
Awesome relplys with tons of information! Thank you both!

Barb

Hm...so if that's a Venus-Jupiter square, then what's a dissociate Venus-Jupiter conjunction?

Dadsnoos, that was pretty fascinating reading. I've learned that in Tarot cards, you start out by memorizing keywords, then expand those keywords to mean other things, then just change the meaning completely after you've become experienced. With astrology, the best I can do is guessing people's Sun Signs a little under half the time.

Aspects confuse me, plain and simple. Mostly because there are so many varying factors...sign and hour placement, other aspects, etc. You'd think my friend with a Venus-Sun conjunction would be a very charming and sociable person, but he's about as introverted as they come and also has serious mental problems. Meanwhile, his chart is filled with sextiles and trines and he has only two bad aspects: Sun square the ascendant and Jupiter Square Pluto. A more experienced astrologer would be able to pinpoint the exact root of his issues, but I'm totally lost.

I just like going onto websites and reading their "cookbook" definitions...hehehe

~Nicky

For Gemini Rising and others -- more on aspects.

Yes, aspects can be confusing -- if you make them so. Let me expand the earlier comments I made.

PLANETS CAN BE GIVEN SPECIFIC MEANINGS FOR INTERPRETATION:

If you read R. Ebertin's CSI (Combination of Stellar Influences) you will realize two things: First he advocates the use of mid-points which is a technique that initially ignores house and signs, and second that his book primarily addresses the meanings of planets in various combinations (two's and three's) that are structured strictly around the planet's astrological characteristics.

In other words, you can use his book to determine the meanings of a combination of planets based strictly upon specific planets and their combined expression. No signs. No houses. No aspects.

You can't get more basic than that. And, some would say, you can't get more accurate in your interpretations than that! Now, this ins't to say his meanings are the "end-all and be-all" of interpretation. But, you will be very surprised how appropriate they most often are. And, sticking with these basics will soon teach you the core meanings so that you can then refine your own readings and interpretations for a richer understanding.

IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE TO READ A CHART WITHOUT SIGNS, HOUSES, ASPECTS OR EVEN THE CHART ITSELF.

You don't believe it? I've done it several times here on AT in the past, a few years ago with Minderwiz who lives in the UK and who used to be very active here on this list. This methodology is captured in a book, Planets in Containment by John Sandbach and Ronn Ballard. This book can be somewhat compared to Ebertin's CSI in that it addresses 990 combinations of planets. Again, no signs, no houses, no aspects. And it works very nicely.

THE POINT:
In astrology, its all about the PLANETS. I laugh at the continuing dribble I read here about this planet in a sign or that planet in a sign. It adds so little to an initial reading, and it can be so distracting to those learning about astrology.

Just what does anyone think a "sign" is. Its a means of measuring position on a circle about the earth. There are many zodiacs, did you know that? Which is right? Signs are "space", empty areas.

Aspects are what you measure along the measuring-reference circle. But the planets may be above or below that circle by several degrees. In some cases your software tells you the planets are within a degree of each other (this is a conjunction) but if you look in the sky you will see that they are several degrees apart (perhaps 6 or 7 degrees) due to declination or "up-down" distance. One might rise over the horizon or Ascendant twenty five minutes before the other -- is this a conjunction.

For a student beginning their astrological studies, I would FIRST suggest learning about the planets (reading about them, their aspects, and also reading CSI for its combinational meanings). SECOND, I would learn about houses and their meanings. Houses are very personal as they relate to where you were born and the time of day you were born. THIRD, I would learn about signs which are not personal but are shared with everyone in the world and which can be considered as cultural and generational trends and tendancies.

As soon as I had just a basic understanding of these factors, then I would study mid-point usage. After I had that down, I would explore Secondary Progressions as these help you appreciate incremental changes in planetary aspectual changes as they slowly seperate and come closer together. This is good practice before you go to exploring transiting planets relative to the birth chart. All the while, you need to run charts. Hundreds of charts. Even after thirty five years, I probably calculate and read 20 or 30 charts a week.

Dave.