Aspects in Astrology
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93
What is meant by aspects which a planet makes?
In vol.1,n.4 of I.T.C. a letter by Soror Meral is instructing a student in how to read your horoscope and she says "If all planets are in close aspect to each other; that is, if the aspects are not wider than 2 or 3 degrees for the planets, and about 5 degrees for the lights, then we can expect a near genius, or one who is capable of accomplishing much, provided the planets do not say the reverse due to overwhelmingly bad aspects or poor placements in Signs."
Can someone break this down for me?
93's
A.
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Aspects are about the relationship between two objects, based on their positions in the sky.
If you imagine the sky being a circle with 360 degrees around it, then you can have the following aspects:
conjunction: objects are within a few degrees from each other
opposition: objects are within a few degrees of being directly opposite each other (180 degrees)
trine: objects are about 120 degrees apart (in other words, 1/3 of the circle apart)
square: objects are 90 degrees apart (1/4 circle)
sextile: objects are 60 degrees apart (1/6)The hypothesized effect is that the effect of the two planets either reinforce, modify, or thwart each other. Someone else can give specifics about the effects of some combo of planets in aspect... but for now, an example would be someone with a sun opposition moon vs a sun conjunct moon. In the first case, we would guess that the person might feel pulled in opposite directions between their inner wants, and their outer needs. In the second case, the person might be more focused and decisive.
Of course, this would be further flavored by what sign each planet is in, and what house each planet is in.
Check out the chart in the link:
marklipson.com/jastroIt draws a line between any two objects that have an aspect, and you can hover over the line to see what kind of aspect it is.
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@Allogenes said
"93
What is meant by aspects which a planet makes?
In vol.1,n.4 of I.T.C. a letter by Soror Meral is instructing a student in how to read your horoscope and she says "If all planets are in close aspect to each other; that is, if the aspects are not wider than 2 or 3 degrees for the planets, and about 5 degrees for the lights, then we can expect a near genius, or one who is capable of accomplishing much, provided the planets do not say the reverse due to overwhelmingly bad aspects or poor placements in Signs."
Can someone break this down for me?
93's
A."
Avshalom did a good job of explaining the aspects, so I won't go into that, but as far as the actual application of the above statement, a large number of planets conjunct in one sign does not necessarily mean genius or imbecility. Usually it just means that there is an over-balance in the subject's nature. In most cases it is good to have a spread of planets in a varied configuration (trines and squares.)
An excellent example of what S. Meral describes (for both the negative and positive) is Charles Baudelaire, the French poet. He has every planet splayed throughout Pisces (with one or two in Aries), with Uranus and Neptune conjunct and square to these. Accordingly the man was brilliant, keen, and a master artist, but also utterly vain and lazy.
Hope that answered your question.
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@JPF said
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@Allogenes said
"93What is meant by aspects which a planet makes?
In vol.1,n.4 of I.T.C. a letter by Soror Meral is instructing a student in how to read your horoscope and she says "If all planets are in close aspect to each other; that is, if the aspects are not wider than 2 or 3 degrees for the planets, and about 5 degrees for the lights, then we can expect a near genius, or one who is capable of accomplishing much, provided the planets do not say the reverse due to overwhelmingly bad aspects or poor placements in Signs."
Can someone break this down for me?
93's
A."
Avshalom did a good job of explaining the aspects, so I won't go into that, but as far as the actual application of the above statement, a large number of planets conjunct in one sign does not necessarily mean genius or imbecility. Usually it just means that there is an over-balance in the subject's nature. In most cases it is good to have a spread of planets in a varied configuration (trines and squares.)
An excellent example of what S. Meral describes (for both the negative and positive) is Charles Baudelaire, the French poet. He has every planet splayed throughout Pisces (with one or two in Aries), with Uranus and Neptune conjunct and square to these. Accordingly the man was brilliant, keen, and a master artist, but also utterly vain and lazy.
Hope that answered your question."
I just finished reading Crowley's "The General Principle of Astrology" and he devotes an entire chapter called, "The Master Key to Astrology" where he discusses just this point:
"A glance at the horoscopes of the greatest men of whom we have record shows that, generally speaking, the planets form exact or very close aspects, and also-this is the important point-that all, or very nearly all, the the planets are interwoven."
Crowley then discusses famous natal charts where they all have many aspects, in contrast to less famous individuals with fewer aspects. I wouldn't be surprised if S. Meral got her ideas from some of Crowley's previously unpublished works on the subject.
In addition, as in all of Crowley's writing, there are little gems in the side notes etc, such as the 6th house is connected to the K&C of the HGA for example, or a certain opposition indicates an Adeptus Major....
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@Allogenes said
"To clarify, a person with close aspects is or has the potential to be a genius in the area that the house they are in represents?"
No, you can't particularize it that way.
True genius finds its own way.
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93
Granted, but isn't that what Sor. Meral is stating when she says that "If all planets are in close aspect to each other... We can expect a near genius," that the greatest capacity for this genius is where the aspects lie? 'True genius' aside, of course.
93's
A.
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@Allogenes said
"Granted, but isn't that what Sor. Meral is stating when she says that "If all planets are in close aspect to each other... We can expect a near genius," that the greatest capacity for this genius is where the aspects lie? 'True genius' aside, of course."
She was primarily citing the Crowley principle of intimate connection of all the planets through aspects. - Yes, as a separate issue a pile-up of planets in one sign or house will mark a characterological (sign) or circumstantial (house) emphasis in the life.
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@Jim Eshelman said
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@Allogenes said
"To clarify, a person with close aspects is or has the potential to be a genius in the area that the house they are in represents?"No, you can't particularize it that way.
True genius finds its own way."
Yes.
And to add what Jim was saying: close aspects between planets indicate a more integrated personality, and thus a greater potential for genius--but there is really no set formula by which genius might be apprehended. Such is the nature of genius.
