Aspects to Planets

Aspects to the Sun

The Sun is the most important planet in the birth chartand so must always be studied closely in regard to the aspects. Any aspects to the Sun have a profound influence on our individual psyches.

The Sun's energy is naturally warm, enthusiastic and ego-centred, and easy aspects promote these qualities in a generous, likeable, confident manner. However, difficult aspects may produce too much ego, pride and overconfidence. An over emphasis of difficult aspects to the Sun promotes tension and may lead to stubbornness or depressions. A person with no difficult aspects to the Sun but an abundance of Sun trines is usually popular and agreeable but may lack drive or self-confidence.

Aspects to the Moon

The Moon is the most trusting and sensitive planet in the birth chart and all aspects to it influence the way in which we express our emotions. The house and sign position of the Moon affects how we reveal these emotions - inwardly, in private, or outwardly, for the entire world to see. Moon reactions can be immature, obstinate, tearful and illogical. Harmonious aspects, however, encourage the nurturing, considerate and caring qualities of the planet.

The Moon is one of the main representations of the Mother in the birth chart, and so any aspects it makes will have great influence on the maternal relationship. Easy aspects produce caring and loving feelings from or toward the mother, whilst difficult aspects often produce detachment, dislike, coldness or anger. Children of the same family may experience the mother in totally different ways - Moon square Saturn in a chart may suggest the mother cold and indifferent, whereas a sibling's chart may have Moon conjunct Venus and find the mother is warm and caring. In general, children with Moon in a difficult aspect suffer traumatic childhoods, the effects of which often reach into adult years.

Aspects to Mercury

Aspects to the planet Mercury affect the manner in which we communicate - how we write, how we talk, what we talk about and the way we deal with everyday activity. Mercury on its own is adaptable and likeable but it takes on the energies of other planets directly it makes contact with them. Mercury-Mars aspects speed up and energise all forms of communication whilst Mercury-Saturn aspects slow down and stabilise them.

Easy aspects can produce outstanding skills in speech, writing, or communication, but it is the difficult aspects which are often more stimulating to Mercury and drive it into action, especially when connections involve masculine planets such as the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus. However, the skills and talents of Mercury in difficult aspect rarely attain the success and recognition they deserve. Difficult aspects fight back, often to their own disadvantage, and hard Mercury aspects often produce anger, conflict, rudeness and written or verbal abuse. These people find it hard to stop themselves once they are challenged and are often their own worst enemy. Difficult aspects to Mercury need to be controlled so that the qualities they produce can be used to the subject's benefit.

Aspects to Venus

Venus aspects enhance the fortunes of all but the most difficult birth charts, softening and moderating even in difficult aspect. All aspects to Venus represent love and sometimes materialistic concerns.

The expression of Venus in a birth chart always calls for careful study because both facets of this planet will often show at the same time; for example, a person with a beneficial Venus-Jupiter contact is likely to easily attract the attention of others and be open in displays of love, but may also enjoy spending money and acquiring the luxuries that money can provide.

Difficult Venus aspects are always harder to show on a positive level. Good fortune and charm are there, but not for the taking - challenging aspects have to work twice as hard to attain half the results. With the difficult aspects, the beneficial charm of Venus may be less easy to show and subjects may find material wealth harder to acquire.

Aspects to Mars

Mars symbolises pure physical energy which needs to be channelled constructively by forming contacts with other planets. The energy of Mars is unrestrained, raw and headstrong and although easy aspects help to refine this energy, difficult aspects can encourage Mars to head towards disaster. Beneficial aspects to Mars usually give great strength, a drive to succeed, and athletic prowess. Difficult Mars contacts to Sun, Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto produce tremendous physical energy which can burst forth as hostility, anger or aggression, showing either outwardly by the subject or in projected form from other people actually attracting aggression.

Aspects between Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto

Any aspect between these planets is long lasting and can take generations to work through when the major aspects are involved. The conjunction can be remarkable in its effect and dominate the whole chart. The lesser aspects rarely seem to produce any obvious effect, whereas the square, opposition and trine are mildly effective. Neptune and Pluto aspects arise only once every few hundred years and when they do happen, they usually herald an important event, milestone or catastrophe somewhere on the earth.