7 Secrets You May Not Know About The 12th

7 Secrets You May not Know about the 12th House
The 12
th
house is one of the more mysterious territories of the birth chart, and possibly the least understood. As
you probe its secrets, you may find hidden gold. Or, as well see with the chart of former senator John Edwards,
you may find dirty laundryor both. For people on a path of self-discovery, pondering your 12
th
produces
important insights into your shadow side and into the ways you shoot yourself in the foot.
As an astrologer, counselor, or healer, the clients 12
th
may shed a great deal of light on sources of compulsive
behaviors and self-sabotage that your work together can address. Probing it sensitively when a client is ready for
change can result in a deep healing.
However, you should never, ever force such revelations on clients who resist them, for you can force their secrets
even deeper into hiding and increase their resistance to going for help in the future. Trust that their resistance is
the psyches wise way of protecting itself until all the ingredients are present for a healing.
The 12
th
house reveals a Rising Signs hidden agendas. My early mentor, Rod Chase used a technique of
studying the 12 signs in which he placed each one in turn on the 1
st
house and the following signs in turn around
the 2
nd
, 3
rd
, and so on. The 12
th
house sign would be the one immediately before the sign on the first.
For instance, with Sagittarius Rising, Scorpio would be on the 12
th
. Thus you might discern that Sagittarius
preaching about morality, ethics, or religion may conceal a desire to control others or the self. Leo Rising puts
Cancer on the 12
th
, and behind the show of seeming confidence and even conceit lies a great deal of shyness and
insecuritythats why they need so much applause. You can learn a great deal about any Rising sign by using his
technique.
The 12
th
house is the house of secrets. In your birth chart, this house shows what you keep hidden from the
worldthe things youd rather people didnt know about you. If theres nothing placed in the 12
th
, you probably
dont have any major secrets, just some of the less wonderful traits of the sign on the cusp that you try to keep
from showing others. However, any planets in that houseincluding their sign and aspectscan show major
sources of difficulty. There can be a good deal of shame attached to matters depicted by that house, and thats why
youd rather not reveal them.
There lie the secrets you hide from yourself. Along with the Moon and the planet Neptune, the 12
th
shows
things about yourself that are unconscious and thus not readily dealt with. In these unconscious urges, emotions,
and memories lie the seeds of neurosis.
Your Secrets can be the source of self-undoing. When it comes to shooting yourself in foot, the 12
th
house
should be #1 on your suspect list. Whenever you get to the point of asking yourself, WHY, WHY, WHY do I
keep doing that to myself, thats the time when you need someone wise and knowledgeable about astrologyand
human natureto take an unbiased look at your chart. We can seldom be that objective about our own charts and
especially about the 12
th
house.
The closer a 12
th
house planet is to the Ascendant, the less of a secret it really is! A 12
th
house planet that is
conjunct the Ascendant within 10 is much more apparent to people around you and the world at large than you
believe. Youre probably not fooling anyone but yourself, even if they dont call you on it. An example would be
the flamboyantly gay but closeted person who believes that if they dont talk about it no one will know.
During a transit to 12
th
house planets, the secret will come out. When politicians dirty secrets are revealed,
their careers usually go down in flames. A recent example was Senator John Edwards, a promising Democratic
candidate in the 2008 presidential campaignI was all prepared to vote for him in the primary. The
AstroDatabank Record for Edwards, John notes that he was born June 10, 1953, in Seneca, SC. His mother gave
his time of birth to a campaign staffer as 7:02 AM EST, but his wife later gave it as 7:23 AM. In either case, the
resulting chart shows a 12
th
house trio of planetsthe Sun and Mars conjunct in late Gemini and Mercury in
Cancer.

He withdrew from the presidential race on January 30, 2008. That summer, when the National Enquirer began
publishing rumors of an illegitimate child, he finally revealed (on 8/8/08) an affair he had 2 years earlier. His 12
th

house Gemini Sun and Mars were prominently featured in transits in that two-year intervalas Pluto went through
late Sagittariusand continue to be prominent in the aftermath, as the transiting Uranus-Saturn opposition from
Pisces and Virgo square them. As of March, 2010, details of his affairs continue to surface and to make tabloid
television news.
Probing your secrets is a good thing. In the 12-step programs, they say, youre only as sick as your secrets.
One of the major sources of healing and reclamation for a person in recovery from an addiction is the process of
writing it all out in an inventory and telling that inventory to a trusted person like a sponsor. Secrets can fuel
addiction like nothing else! In the case of John Edwards 12th house Sun-Mars conjunction, the secrecy of the
affair(s?) apparently added extra thrills to the sexual compulsion. However, dealing with hidden issues can be a
huge release and relief for anyone with a strong12
th
house.
One caution: it isnt wise to confide your secrets to just anyonepick the person and the timing very carefully.
Often a professional counselor or spiritual advisor who is sworn to confidentiality is the best place to start sorting
things out. And, so you know, theres no such thing as a secret in emails or on the internet.
Skywriters Complete Miniseries on the 12
th
house:
Doomed by a 12th House Stellium? Think Again!
A Sensitive Guide to Planets in the 12th HouseGuest Blog
12th House People as Introverts: the Power of Solitude
Readers Ask: Q & A about the 12th House
New Insights into the 12th House from our Q&A Session
A Tool for Analyzing Your 12th House Sign
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the 12thbut Were Afraid to Ask
The 12th HouseComparing Ancient and Modern Views
Daybreak and the 12th House Sun
12 Famous People with 12th House Suns
80 Qualities of Venus in the 12th or other Venus-Neptune Combinations
Jupiter in the 12thWhen Does Good Luck Turn Bad?
Transits from the 12th House to the 1stLike Night and Day
More Posts in the Things You May not Know Series:
10 Things You May not Know about Uranus
6 Things You May Not Know about Pluto
FREE EBOOKLET FOR SKYWRITER SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: If youre a subscriber, you are eligible for a
copy of Donnas 87-page e-booklet, Astrological I nsights, which includes excerpts from her no longer available
Mothers, Daughters, and the Moon plus excerpts from all 0f her available books. If you want to subscribe, go to
the box at the top right hand corner of the page. To get the booklet, send the email confirmation or an email
notifying you about a recent Skywriter post to moonmave@spiritone.com.
Full Houses vs. Empty Houses in your ChartWhat to Expect
2011 by Donna Cunningham, MSW
The following is an excerpt from my hard copy book, How to Read your Astrology Chart, available from the
publisher, Red Wheel/Weiser.
When you scan a chart, some houses are empty while others are relatively full. Here, I pay attention only to the
basic ten planets, not to a dozen asteroids or the Arabian parts, because those basic planets represent major focuses
and expenditures of energy. What factors you include in your scan, of course, are up to you.
Given twelve houses and only ten planets, at least two houses will be vacant. However, when several planets
clump together in a single houseas often happens with the Sun, Mercury, and Venuseven more houses are
unoccupied.
This is as it should be. We can only scatter our energies in so many directions before we become as fragmented as
the asteroid belt. The person whose planets are deployed in many different houses tends to have many interests and
to try to juggle (Deal with simultaneously) many responsibilities and connections. Whether they are successful at it
or whether they become ineffectual dilettantes depends on other factors in the chart.
Full houses depict highly significant areas of life, where we put lots of eggs in a single basket. Where we expend
our energy is where we tend to get results, so a full house is an area where meaningful people, situations, and
events are clustered.
If you have several good planets in the eleventh house but nothing in the fourth, friends will be major supports and
may outweigh family in importance in adulthood. Likewise, club officers often have significant eleventh house
placements.
The matters associated with a house with a stellium or the Sun and one or two other planets can even be a career
indicator. For instance, a friend with a stellium in the third house started a very successful answering service. A
travel agent had several planets in the ninth house. Many academics or spiritual teachers also have a ninth house
emphasis. The eighth house can show mediumistic tendencies, when strong, and also is one indicator of the
potential for wealth.
Empty houses or sectors indicate that major planetary energy isnt being deployed toward matters of that house,
but instead is focused elsewhere. Therefore, matters of that house are apt to take a back seat to matters of houses
where planets are massed. A woman with no planets in the fourth or fifth but the Moon in the tenth is likely to be
more fulfilled as a career woman than as a traditional homemaker.
Just dont conclude that an empty house means nothing will ever happen in the areas of life that house
governs. One of Jeanne Dixons empty houses is the third, signifying communication, and yet her columns and
books have been the foundation of her success. We would look to Mercury and to Gemini, since they are related to
the third house. They more than compensate for the empty house, because she has Gemini rising and Mercury
conjunct the Midheaven.
Many novices (beginners) freak out if their seventh house is vacant, thinking it means they will never marry.
Consider what else in the chart may compensate. How strong is their Venus? Do they have major placements in
Libra, especially the Sun, Moon, or Ascendant? Librans tend to marry, whether their choices are sound ones or
not.
Where is the ruler of the seventh house? If the ruler of the seventh is in the fourth and the fourth is strongly
tenanted, then forming a family and maintaining a home life is a stronger drive than marriage itself. The marriage
may be a means to that end.
Another thing to consider is that houses that are empty at birth dont remain empty throughout life. Transiting or
progressed planets that move into an empty house tend to remain there for years. They stimulate (Cause to
be alert and energetic) new events and conditions in the matters of that house.
A long transit of an outer planet through the second house corresponds with a long series of developments in the
individuals finances. If there are no planets in the second natally, that transit means the individual will devote an
unaccustomed amount of attention to earning and managing money.
This is an excerpt from my hard copy book, How to Read your Astrology Chart, available from the publisher, Red
Wheel/Weiser.
Readers, are any of your empty houses being activated by transits? Is that house heating up, and whats
new there? Tell us about it in the comment section.
More Excerpts from Donnas Books:
Career Differences between the 10th, 2nd, and 6th House
Four Kinds of SmartWhich One Are You?
Donna Cunningham Introduces The Stellium Tool Kit
English for AstrologersNo Astrobabble Please
Hyperactive Jupiter SyndromeThe Down Side of an Upbeat Planet
Getting a Grip on Saturn-Neptune Aspects
Mars Mission 2: Angerthe Guard Dog of Denial

80 Qualities of Venus in the 12th or other Venus-Neptune Combinations
2010 by guest blogger, Victoria Bazeley of the Midlife Transits blog
Venus in the 12
th
house, Venus in Pisces, Venus-Neptune aspects and Neptune in the 7
th
house can manifest
in similar ways, because Neptune, the 12
th
house, and Pisces are all related energies and because Venus rules the
7
th
house of relationships. (Neptune in Libraa placement shared by a whole generationcan have some of these
qualities as well if its strong in the chart.)
Below, Im including a list of ways the combination may manifest, just to show you how a single natal placement
can have such a large variety of meanings over the course of a lifetime. Think about your own Venus, 12
th
house,
Pisces, and Neptune placements. What can you learn about your own nature from this list?
Venus in the 12
th
house, Venus-Neptune aspects, Venus in Pisces, or Neptune in the 7
th
house can be
expressed in any of the following ways, from undesirable to highly desirable:
Difficulty feeling loved
Hidden artistic and/or musical talents or interests
Being too nice as a form of self-undoing
Placing a strong value on compassion and sympathy
Problems with balance, hearing, or the throat (Venus rules balance and the throat)
Attracting Piscean or Neptunian people into your life
Hidden laziness
Hidden sensuality
Love of fantasy
Love of solitude or nature
Love of sleep as a Venus indulgence
Lack of possessiveness
Lack of interest in material goods or objects
The desire for unusual or open relationships
Dislike of relationship commitment (vague Neptune in the house of committed relationships)
Romantic attraction to artists, alcoholics, or people with drug problems
Romantic partners who keep secrets
Partners with strong psychic or intuitive abilities
Romantic attitude toward marriage
A strong relationship with God or spirituality
Projecting a halo or saintly aura (12
th
house influences near the Ascendant)
An empathetic or even empathic relationship toward everyone
Hidden mystical experiences
Intuitive people skills
Difficulty relaxing unless one is alone
Behind-the-scenes charitable acts
Falling in love with a person in prison or with a chronic illness
Satisfying and enjoyable work in a 12
th
house institution such as a hospital, hospice, mental health institution, etc.
Feeling loved by God or the universe
A love life or financial life that improves with time as one taps into the 12th house gifts
A lifelong quest for love, money, or spiritual satisfaction
Secret admirers
A willingness to embrace a wide range of spiritual practices or beliefs
Placing a strong value on a holistic approach to lifes problems
Love of the ocean, sailing, or water sports
An affinity for hypnosis and/or working with the subconscious mind
Love of photography
Preferring to play a back-up or behind the scenes role rather than being front and center
A soft voice
Lack of discriminating taste
Feeling one loves all things equally
Addiction to shopping
Spending money on spiritual or artistic pursuits
Idealism about love or money
Attracting a soul mate
Money from working behind the scenes in film, dance, or an artistic field
The desire to keep ones relationships private
Not being aware of who is attracted to you
Attracting others as a downfall
Being perceived by the public as spiritual, spacy, or artistic
Being addicted to love
The ability to express love through artistic means
Associating love with sacrifice
Becoming a victim of people who say they love you
Saving someone you love
Carelessness in relationships or the opposite, excessive caring
Impracticality as a downfall
Lack of greed
Placing little value on common sense
Idealizing spiritual currency or spiritual values over worldly success
Preferring contemplation to action
Tendency to give in
Desire to go with the flow
Belief in universal values rather than individual differences
Being too flexible as a downfall
Seen as being hard to define
Glamorous image
Deceptive image or feeling you are not seen accurately
Being idealized by others
Subconsciously seductive
Having a relaxed appearance
Appearing to be casual or relaxed about relationships
Taking an easy come, easy go attitude
Immersive, all-consuming relationships
Looking for a spiritual rather than sexual partner
Detachment about possessions
Spirituality as a resource
Diffuse or muted emotions
Carelessness with money
Lack of concern with financial security
Believing God will provide
Denying oneself material comforts
Refusal to play favorites
As it happens, I have all three of these placements! In keeping with the 12
th
house desire for privacy, I wont tell
which of these manifestations apply to me.
(This is an excerpt from a longer article on the Midlife Transits blog: 12th House Extravaganza! )
Career Differences between the 10th, 2nd, and 6th House
7-18-11 by Donna Cunningham, MSW
This is an excerpt from my ebook, The Outer Planets and Inner Life, Volume 1: The Outer Planets as
Vocational Indicators, available at Moon Maven Publications.
People with the 10
th
House Dominant: The 10
th
house represents the career, long-term goals, lifetime
achievements, and ones ultimate status in the world. People with a strong 10
th
house emphasis are very career-
oriented, rather than necessarily focused on money (2
nd
) or on work for its own sake (6
th
). If money is important to
them, its more for the status it confers.
These individuals are intensely motivated by long-range goals and by accomplishing something meaningful in the
world. They yearn to make an impact on their world and often seek recognition.
The career track would seldom be traditional when the 10th house features Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto or the signs
those planets ruleAquarius, Pisces, or Scorpio. Typically, it takes people with these chart placements longer to
find their true vocation, since they are challenged to integrate the energy of that outer planet into the workplace,
merging the transpersonal with the vocational.
For instance, people with Uranus near the Midheaven might gain recognition by shocking us and shaking up the
status quo. People with Neptune near the Midheavensay within 10of itmight yearn for a career that is artistic
and creative.
The 2
nd
house is similar in nature to the sign Taurus. Those with a strong emphasis on the 2
nd
are often
motivated more by desire for money and what money can do for them than by long-term goals (the 10
th
) or by
work for its own sake (the 6
th
).
Many people with the outer planets strong in the 2
nd
would object vehemently to such an interpretation, insisting
that they are not materialistic at all. (Pisces, for instance, can be otherworldly, as can its ruling planet Neptune.) No
matter how much they may dislike the emphasis on greed and possessions in todays world, however, these people
are confronted with the necessity to earn money for basic needs, so earning a living takes up more of their energy
than they might like.
The question of Right Livelihood becomes very complex when the special issues and concerns the outer planets
represent are balanced with realities like paying the rent and making sure the children are fed.
Uranian types who are strongly motivated by a need for freedom and autonomy may earn a good living for the
freedom that money buysand not so much for the worldly possessions money allows them to have. Uranus-in-
the-2
nd
natives can take or leave the attention, so long as it gives them the moneyand thus the freedomto do
what they want.
People with Pluto or Scorpio planets in the 2
nd
often get hooked into destructive games where money is concerned.
Money is fraught with hidden agendas for them and often represents power and control in their relationships. Well
go into the distinctions between these three planets and their signs in the chapters devoted to each of them.
The more planets that fall into the 2
nd
, the more complex the financial pictureand yet the more potentials for
earning a living. If the Sun is in the 2
nd
along with these outer planets or their signs, self-worth issues are intricately
woven into how much these individuals makeor dont make. If the Sun were in Pisces or Virgo or making
difficult aspects to Neptune, low self-esteem might contribute to not charging as much as they should for their
services, but then the low income reinforces a sense of not being worthy.
6th house types are interesting, in thatlike natives of the associated sign, Virgothey can be intensely involved
in work for its own sake. Much of their energy is bound up in work and the workplace, whether that is a happy and
fulfilling venue or the source of frustration. The particular 6
th
house planets, signs, and aspects tell us about their
work and how they seek satisfaction in this area.
When the Sun is in the 6
th
house, self-esteem is bound up in the quantity and quality of their work. When the 6
th

house is stronger than the 10
th
, the person usually has a Virgo-like reluctance to be in the spotlight.
These folks are often indispensable employees who do much of the important work in a firm yet get little of the
credit. People with several planets in the 6
th
are sometimes workaholic, for work comes to serve many basic drives
and needs.
This has been an excerpt from my ebook, The Outer Planets and Inner Life, Volume 1: Outer Planets as
Vocational Indicators, available at Moon Maven Publications.
Readers, which of your vocational houses is strongest, and do you fit the pattern? Share your experiences in
the comment section.
More Excerpts from Donnas Books:
Uranus In The Career HousesYoure Not The Boss Of Me!
Full Houses vs. Empty Houses in your ChartWhat to Expect
Four Kinds of SmartWhich One Are You?
Donna Cunningham Introduces The Stellium Tool Kit
English for AstrologersNo Astrobabble Please
Hyperactive Jupiter SyndromeThe Down Side of an Upbeat Planet
Getting a Grip on Saturn-Neptune Aspects
Mars Mission 2: Angerthe Guard Dog of DenialMore Career Related Articles:
Readers Ask: Q & A about the 2nd House
Astrologers Hang-ups about MoneyHow they Hurt our Clients
Readers Ask: Q & A about the 6th House
The Sixth House and Working Relationships
Readers AskQ & A about the 10th House
Readers AskQ & A about the Midheaven
Excellent Examples: Readers Examine their own Out of Sign Conjunctions
(c)7-5-2014 by Donna Cunningham, MSW
An often-missed aspect in astrology charts is the out of sign conjunction, which consists of two planets 8
degrees apart or less, but placed in adjacent signs rather than the same sign. Several days ago, I asked
Skywriter Readers who had out of sign conjunctions to share their observations of how those aspects played
out in their lives. Here are some excellent examples.
One Reader observes, I have my Sun at 5 57 Virgo and Mars at 27 09 Leo, both in the 7
th
house with my
South Node sitting between them. Its a bit wide not sure it counts (Virgo nit picking?!) I get a lot of push and
pull between wanting to hide out in the background and not be noticed or make a fuss, and being more forceful and
direct.
I always attract and am attracted to very creative men, often with Leo in their charts or other fire signs. I have my
moon in Leo too, right on the descendent. There has been a dynamic of me being the practical, sensible one and
my partners being the creative one. And then I would get resentful that they seemed to be having all the fun while I
was stuck making sure the bills got paid. Im managing to express more of my creativity now but that seems to
have been at the expense of my relationships to date, at least.
I assured her, No need to let those few minutes deter you from looking at that conjunctionespecially since
aspects to the Sun (or Moon) get a wider orb.
My rule on orbs is that when an aspect seems like it might be a bit wide, I describe the aspect to the person
to see if they relate to it or not. They often respond strongly to even a bit wider orb than youd think,
especially with the Sun or Moon.
Another reader contributed, Ill be glad to add my out of sign aspects.my chart is almost all conjunctions of the
early 1940s type. Theres an end of the 7
th
house 28 Taurus Mercury conjunct 8
th
house 5 Gemini Uranus. I get
so much info from other realms and cant explain why I know things.then my astrology teacher told me why. I
have a life long awareness of past lives.
A mother writes, My teenage daughter has Venus in Libra at 28 and Moon in Scorpio at 3, both in the 12th
house. She is kind, gentle, genial, and courteous in social situations, but she is also intensely emotional and shy to
the point of secretiveness. Already, I see that she utilizes her Venus as a handy social persona, though she lives
from her Scorpio moon. She is interested in becoming a child psychologist; a 12th house Moon/Venus conjunction
career choice, for sure.
Another mother reports, My sweet Pisces son was born with an out of sign conjunction of Pluto and Saturn in his
important 9
th
house. His Pluto is 29 22 minutes of Libra Retrograde and his Saturn is at 4 19 Scorpio
Retrograde. Im patiently waiting for the universe to surprise me and also to surprise my son I view Pluto as the
most Powerful Planet so that makes sense to me that it would completely merge with Saturn. Very interesting for a
young man who is hoping for a dynamic career. My vision of my son is for him to become an extremely dynamic
and very Powerful Spiritual Leader and Teacher!
One of several who reported on conjunctions involving the Sun or Mercury shared, I have a conjunction of my
Aries Sun at 28 and Mercury at 1 Taurus, both in the 10
th
house. While at work, I was very nimble minded and
quick to act upon those thoughts, but in my private life, my think-it-out-slowly Mercury takes over, often to the
point of being unable to get started. I guess the situation/atmosphere is a part of how I deal with this.
Astrologer Kat Starwolf notes, Having practiced astrology for 40 years and having had many clients with out of
sign conjunctions, Id have to say that it DOES pay to interpret these aspects, since theres quite a bit of
significance as a result of their proximity. Regardless of the fact that the two planets are in two different signs,
they interact with and affect each other, and therefore add a nuanced complexity to the expression of the natal
chart and ultimately the individual.
She adds, One in my own chart is an out of sign conjunction between Uranus in Cancer and Moon in Leo
combination. My emotions in general as well as sudden emotional upsets were always a surprise to me as well as
others, and could (and did) often create challenging and unpleasant situations within relationships when I was
younger. Fortunately, Ive learned to be more cognizant of my emotions and the directions they take, and have
learned to moderate and tweak them as necessary in order to keep the peace.
However, I feel that the most significant effect of this combination is the out-of-sign effect, and that is that the
nurturing and caring-for-others trait of Cancer has offset the egocentric me-ness of the Leo Moon tremendously;
that is, its softened the harshness that the Leonine tendencies typically express.
A Reader analyzes her husbands out of sign conjunction, He has the moon at 29 Virgo conjunct Mars at 1
Libra, and its in a wide conjunction with the MC. The Virgo and Libra help make this a less explosive
combination that it could be, but Ill say he certainly has a knack for infuriating people with a smug smile, and he
found provoking his father into an explosion hilarious as a teen. I suppose in this case it seems like the Libra Mars
charm-them-to-death approach is quite supportive of the Virgo Moons sensitivities. So, he doesnt have to get too
down and dirty with peoples anger. BUT he is quite a worrier, and holds passionate opinions.
Hes very good at babying a sick or melancholy wife, but simultaneously will not abide anything he sees as a
philosophical misstep. For example, if Im upset about some perceived wrong done to me, he does not hesitate
to tell me why the other person has a valid position, or that I am the one who is wrong. And, of course, hes
smiling (smugly or sweetly, I cant decide) when he says this. Sigh.
An interesting case from a twin: My twin sister and I happen to have an out of sign conjunction involving our
Moon at 26 Sagittarius conjunct Jupiter at 0 Capricorn. This conjunction doubly emphasizes the Jupiterian nature
of our Sagittarius Moon, and Ive come to regard this out of sign conjunction in itself as a blessing. Jupiter in
pragmatic Capricorn has seemed to give our Moon an Earthling supportive role. almost like a sensible
benefactor, prompting us to balance, ground and integrate some of the more exuberant, restless and pleasure
seeking qualities of our natal Moon in the 5
th
house!
Id asked for these conjunctions in the charts of famous people as well, and one subscriber wrote about
Louise Hay, a writer and teacher of metaphysical principles:
A great example of a Mercury/Moon out-of-sign conjunction would be Louise Hays Mercury at 27 Libra and
the Moon at 0 Scorpio in the 4
th
house. Much of her life has been about promoting the use of affirmations to heal
your life. The affirmations take on the quality of the Libra energy (positive, beautiful and even somewhat
flowery) but also have the Scorpio power of emotional release and transformation. Her birth data is: October 8,
1926 at 12:30 PM Los Angeles, CA.
Our research is continuing, and the more examples we get, the clearer the picture of these often-ignored
chart aspects will be. The comment section is still open, so feel free to add examples you know about here:
Out of Sign Conjunctions: Your Input Needed.
Out of Sign Conjunctions: Your Input Needed
Any time you find one planet in the last few degrees of a sign and another in the first few degrees of the
next sign, it may be an out of sign conjunction. If the two planets are within 8 of one another, theyre conjunct.
Many astrology students and practitioners ignore them, most likely because theyre complicated to interpret.
Ive started to research out of sign conjunctions, and Ive come to the conclusion that not only do they work;
you run a risk in ignoring them, because they can represent an important dynamic in your life.
Suppose that you had a Sun-Neptune conjunction. Its hard enough to understand these two planets merged in a
single signlots of confusion and denial about who you really are. If they were straddling two signs and you
ignored the aspect, youd have an even harder time seeing your true self clearly and realistically.
Or, lets say you had a conjunction between Mars in Libra and Pluto in Scorpio that youve basically ignored. You
own up to Mars in Libra, thinking, Mars has a couple of drawbacks in Libra, sureits indecisive and has trouble
taking the initiative. But its so charming and agreeablea lover, not a fighter. Altogether, its a nice little Mars.
I cant agree with all those rose-colored interpretations, because Mars in Libra people can subtly provoke others
until they explode. Then the Mars person blames the fight on the other person, saying something like, You started
it, but Im going to finish it!
In addition, when you leave Pluto in Scorpio out of the equation, youre leaving yourself in the dark about
major issues around conflict and control that can cause serious difficulties in relationships of various kinds.
Pluto is the ruler of Scorpio, and with Pluto IN Scorpio, its not just Pluto plus Pluto, its more like Pluto times
Plutoa powerful placement!
To team it up with Mars and pretend the conjunction isnt important leaves you in denial about parts of
your personality that need tending to. It also prevents you from capitalizing on the greatest strength of
Mars-Pluto conjunctions, something I call Manifestation Mojo. (Read about it here: Mars-Pluto Aspects? Use
your Manifestation Mojo!)
By glossing over out of sign conjunctions, you might also miss out on strengths of some choice combinations
of planets. Imagine that you have Venus in the latter degrees of a sign and Jupiter in the early degrees of the next
sign. Wouldnt that be a great aspect to capitalize on?
Embrace your out of sign conjunctions, then, and deal with their strengths as well as their drawbacks to
realize more of your potential.
Im working on a new book about aspects, and am going to include a chapter on out of sign conjunctions.
Id like to have examples of how they work. The ones I use will be brief vignettes, no more than a
paragraph, and there will be no identifying or birth information. Id need to know the planets and their
degrees, then the house and the two signs involved. Then explain how you see the aspect working.
So, Readers, will you join me in gathering information about how out of sign conjunctions show up in the
lives of people who have them? If you or people youre close to have one, share about it in the comment
section. (Or, it could be the chart of a famous person, in which case, include the birth information). Your
input would help all of us to understand these often-ignored aspects better.
More research into the Little-Known Aspects: Several summers ago, Skywriter Readers and I did research on
some of the so-called minor aspects and learned a great deal. The comment sections are where they shared their
experiences, and those sections are great to read. You can still add your own observations, for the more we
understand these aspects, the better we can interpret them.
Robin Williams Two Astrology ChartsOnly One Makes Sense
(c)8-12-2014 by Donna Cunningham, MSW
A reader wrote this morning and asked, Would you be willing to elaborate in your blog on the issue of predicting
suicide in charts that are so heavily impacted by this years astrology in light of Robin Williams suicide? I think
his death has torn up half the world, and shocked us all. I would love to hear your comments, as opposed to what
else Im seeing out there in the astrological section of the web.
Ive been devastated by these events and havent had the heart to venture out onto the web, but its easy to imagine
what she might have encountered in the blogosphere. Unfortunately, there are astrologers who glory in the
negativity and get a thrill out of making astrological interpretations that are terrifying to people whose chart or
loved ones charts have related natal or transiting aspects.
Back in June, Liz Howell created a guest post here about the charts of several young men who committed
massacres and then killed themselves. Eventually, there were so many comments that reveled in the negativity and
speculated on its origins that Liz and I agreed to delete the post and the comments. (Eventually, I put up some
posts on the ethics of the situation, and on predicting suicidesee the links at the end of this post.)
I find myself not wanting to put up this post or to open the comment section because it would be disturbingand
infuriatingto get comments like those.
I feel such a compassion for this man whose work so many of us have loved for decades. Having worked in
mental health settings and seen non-medicated manic people in action, I believe he was bipolar (manic depressive),
as his comedy was wildly manic and because he struggled often with a deep, bleak depression.
Both polarities are due to an imbalance in the brain, and the depressive polarity is a terribly black hole. Bipolar
people can swing between the two extremes, and for some of them, the higher the high, the lower the low.
His abuse of drugs and alcohol is well-known, but I see it as a way of medicating himself out of the terrible highs
and lows. I took an excellent course on alcoholism years back, and we learned that one of the genes for
depression and one of the genes for alcoholism are next to each other on the same strand of DNA. I have a feeling
he just got too worn down by a lifetime struggle to pull himself out of a soul-crushing recurring depression. That
the man was so wretchedly miserable to hang himself breaks my heart.
I looked up Robins chart in the middle of the night on AstroDataBank. Heres the link to that chart and his bio:
Williams, Robin. According to their data, based on a copy of his birth certificate, he was born July 21, 1951 at
1:34 PM, CST, Chicago, IL.
That gives a 22 Leo Midheaven with a close conjunction of Mercury at 22 Leo and Pluto at 18 Leo. Transiting
Saturn in the first has been back and forth between 17 and 22 of Scorpio for many months, including stationary
retrograde and direct intervals.
Unfortunately, theres a problem with the chart. When I entered the data into Solar Fire, a pop up message said
that Chicago was on CDT when he was born but that an Illinois state law said that CST should be used for the
birth certificate. When I recalculated the chart, the Midheaven and Ascendant were much earlier in Leo and
Scorpio.
That chart doesnt make sense, because neither the natal or transiting aspects fit his genius or the event. The
AstroDatabank Chart with 18-22 Leo placements of the natal Pluto/Mercury/Midheaven in the other chart fit both
his comic genius and the pressure of transits that erupted yesterday in ending his life.
The pressure of such depressing Saturn aspects to the
Midheaven/Pluto/Mercury conjunction alone could have worn him down. We need to keep in mind, however, that
transiting Saturn would have made hard aspects to these same points every seven years of his life, and he survived
to 63.
It would be helpful to know what was going on in his life during the last Saturn in Scorpio transit, some 28-29
years ago8/1983-11/1985and whether that was a low point too.
Adding to the pressure he was under, hed been through a long series of aspects of the transiting Pluto and Uranus
square to his close natal conjunction of Mars and Uranus in Cancer in the 8
th
. ( Dont get alarmed. Many of you
out there have also had transits from this long-lasting PlutoUranus square, and its been a tough one, but youve
survived it.)
The sadly ironic thing was that one of his memorable non-comedic movies, What Dreams May Come, was about a
man whose wife commits suicide and he travels to the depths of the astral plane to rescue her spirit. Now Robins
wife is grappling with losing him in the same way. We all are grappling, saying a sad farewell to an exceptional
man.
The one comforting thought is of his welcoming party over therefriends like Christopher Reeve and Jonathan
Winters, waiting to be with him once more.
Aspects 101: Major Astrological Aspects and What They Mean
Since some of our readers are relative newcomers to astrology, I like to include an occasional article that covers
the basics. An aspect occurs when two planets form certain kinds of angles to one another in the birth chart, by
transit, or when comparing two charts.
If youve ever had a chart done, even by computer, there may be a printout of the aspects in your own chart, called
an aspect grid (see an example below).
To me, aspects are the building blocks of almost all applications of astrology from natal chart interpretation, to
transits and progressions, to chart comparison, to horary and other advanced specialties. Heres my personal take
on the four major aspectsconjunctions, squares, trines, and oppositions.

For those starting at the very beginning: Conjunctions are between planets that stand next to one another in the
zodiac, within 8 or so. Squares are between planets that are 90 3 signsapart. Trines are 4 signs or 120 apart.
Oppositions are 6 signs or 180 apart. (The orbs I usehow far from exact the two planets can beare 8 for a
conjunction or opposition and 5-6 for a square or trine.) Youll find the symbols for the various aspects below
beside their descriptions.
As an example of what aspects do, lets first compare the conjunctiontwo planets standing next to one
anotherversus the oppositionwhich occurs when they are directly opposite one another by sign, house, and
degree in the chart.
These two connections provide perhaps the starkest of contrasts, for the energies of the two planets are most
closely merged in the conjunction and seem to hold each other at arms length in the opposition.
Conjunctions are a bit like glass, which is made from sand combined with various minerals
that are heated to such a high temperature that theyre fused. When you look at a piece of glass, you dont
generally recall that it started out as a handful of sand.
To narrow it down to something these folks could wear on their tee shirts, the slogan for conjunctions might be, I
yam what I yam, while for the oppositions, it would be Look what you made me do.
When you compare Michael Jackson (Venus conjunct Uranus) with Queen Latifah (Venus opposite Uranus), you
could say Michael was more unconsciousalmost naveabout his strange sense of stylemore shocked when
we were shocked or disapproving of it. Queen Latifah has a sly sense of fun in her styleinviting us to react and
laughing at our response.
Conjunctions CAN be hard aspects, if the planets involved are difficult ones or not readily combined.
Conjunctions dont come any harder than Pluto and Saturn, unless you catch Neptune and Saturn together on a
really bad day.
Trines are viewed as fortunate aspects that convey blessings, benefits, and good luck to those who have them.
Squares are supposedly the bearers of strife and tough obstacles. When a pair of planets is
square by sign, the natures of the two signs create inner conflict and conflicts with others that make it harder to
take effective action.
After studying the charts of many successful people, however, it has become clear that they seldom have easy
charts. Squares, oppositions, and other hard aspects create tensions and conflicts that drive us to make things
happen; the ease experienced with trines can create a habit of lying back and waiting for good things to come.
People with trines as the dominant aspect in their charts tend not to capitalize on the lucky breaks that so often
come their way: easy come, easy go. The best mix is a balan ce between hard aspects and
easy ones, but the stimulus of a square or two is energizing.
People with trines to outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) tend to share their generations goals and
beliefs about matters related to that planet. Society is less resistant to their attempts to impact the collective,
because they create change or evolution in ways that are agreeable to their peers.
When Neptune is involved in a trine, these folks share the cultures dreams, visions, addictions, sympathies, and
sensibilities.
With a trine to Pluto, theyre in accord with how the culture deals with power or share their eras desire to create
change in the use of power.
With Uranus, they embody qualities that the culture finds exciting, trendy, and innovative and may themselves become
trendsetters.
Individuals with hard aspects like squares or oppositions to an outer planet pit themselves against the
prevailing winds. Their ideas, goals, and tactics go against the grain of the culture they may even be
counterculture types.
Where the four Elements come in: Characteristics and elements of the signs involved in the aspect modify the
picture considerably. Air signs generally abound in communication and verbal skills, while fire signs are energetic,
lively, and often vivacious.
The three earth signs are likely to be practical, stable, and
down-to-earth. Water signs are often sensitive, emotionally responsive, and empathic.
The elements of signs that are square to one another are naturally incompatible. Water and fire conflict (water
can put out a fire), and earth and air are also at odds (its hard to see in a dust storm).
Signs that are opposite one another fall into compatibleand mutually dependentelements: water with earth,
air with fire. Earth without water is too arid and desert like; fire cannot survive without air.
They are also in opposite houses, with concerns that have the potential to support one another if there is give and
take. (The 10ththe careercan be nurtured by the 4ththe home life.) Thats why oppositions are not as bad as
they are reputed to be, if we take care to give both ends of the opposition an equal place in our lives.
Signs that are trine are in the same elementearth to earth, air to air, fire to fire or water to water.
The two signs are harmonious, so actions performed under trines flow more smoothly than those under hard
aspect like the square or opposition, with better results. The elements involved in a trine suggest the types of skills,
tools, and tactics that increase the effectiveness of the aspect.
(For more information about the elements, start here: Four Kinds of SmartAir, Earth, Fire, and Water.)

Hmm. Since Im trying to come up with a new series of Q&A topics for myself, it occurs to me that aspects
would be a good choice, since theyre an important foundation for chart interpretation. I like that idea,
since aspects are one of my special interests.
Readers, What type of aspect is the most common in your own chart, and what do you think it says about
you? Leave your answer in the comment section.
Articles from the Series about the Lesser-Known Aspects:
The Not so Minor AspectsResults of Our Research
Understanding SemisquaresYour Input Needed
Understanding the SesquiquadrateYour Input Needed
Understanding SeptilesYour Input Needed
Understanding QuintilesWhats YOUR Talent?
Understanding the BiQuintileYour Input Needed
Quincunx vs. BiQuintilean Answer from Numerology?
Understanding the Mundane SquareYour Input Needed
Mundane square case study: Outtake from a Moon-Pluto Life
Breathing Refined Air: The Esoteric Aspects
Is the Semi-Sextile a Good Aspect or a Bad One?
Pluto and the transiting Antiscianot Over til Its Over
The Antiscia are Coming! The Antiscia are Coming!
If youre enjoying this blog, sign up for a subscription, and get a FREE EBOOKLET for Skywriter
Subscribers Only: Mothers, Daughters, and the Moon, a 50-page excerpt from The Moon in your Life. Read
more about it here: New: Free Booklet For Skywriter Subscribers!
If youre already a subscriber and want a copy, forward the most recent email post to me at
moonmave@spiritone.com . To sign up for a subscription, go to the top right hand corner of the blog and click on
Subscribe. Then send me an email with your subscription confirmation or an email post with a request for the
booklet in the subject line.
About these ads
Share this:
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Facebook
More

Email
Twitter

Like this:
Related
Learning to Interpret AspectsA Major Boost for Astrology StudentsIn "Aspect Analysis"
A Promise Fulfilled: When Transits Echo Natal AspectsIn "Bits from My Books and Articles"
Understanding Mercury-Pluto CombinationsIn "Bits from My Books and Articles"
Posted in Natal Chart Analysis | Tags: ARTICLES ABOUT ASTROLOGY, astrological aspects, birth chart,
conjunction, Donna Cunningham, four elements, free astrology lesson, major aspects, opposition, skywriter,
square, trine
Use Jupiter Transits to the Vocational Houses for a Career Boost
Readers AskQ&A about Conjunctions

Responses
Squares, squares, and more squares! Im one of those early Libra Asc. people, so my angles are almost exactly
square to each other. And, I have 4 T-squares, a Grand Cross, and a Cradle. Thats not including the angles.
Energized is such a nice way to say it. I would like to hear anything positive about squares. About the nicest
thing I ever hear is that which doesnt kill us makes us stronger. Ugg!
o
By: Terri on January 13, 2011
at 1:05 pm
Reply
I seem to recall reading something about squares eventually trining out, which I took to mean we can sometimes
learn to put that stressful energy to positive use. I dont know if its true, but I like it.

By: LB on January 13, 2011
at 10:21 pm
Reply
when you speak of squares trining out, LB, I think you may be referring to progressions, since they turn into
trines at about age 30at least the Solar Arc progressions do. But that age, also, is around the time of the Saturn
return, and using squares well certainly requires a certain maturity. Donna

By: Donna Cunningham on January 14, 2011
at 12:47 am
Thanks for clarifying, Donna that makes perfect sense.
It was bugging me where Id originally read it, so I did some hunting and found the source this morning. Heres
the link to Jeremy Neals Chirotic Journal post: http://chirotic.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/trines-vs-squares-half-a-
dozen-of-one-or-six-of-another/
Ironically Donna, he mentions you in this particular post. Jeremy also says it begins to happen at around age 30,
which is just as you said.:)

at 10:14 am
The mad and delightful Donna Cunningham, Mr. Neal calls me! Ive often been referred to as one or the other of
that pair, but not in the same sentence! What a hoot!

at 5:06 am
With a description like that, you could have your own British sitcom.

at 7:37 am
Nah, I call British sitcoms Old Fart Humor. Hopefully, though I am old, Im not an old fart. Donna

at 7:47 am
Absolutely not. I dont think any of your readers would think of you that way! :)

at 7:59 am
The two most complimentary words in my vocabulary for sure. All the best people are, in my experience both mad
and delightful, and that certainly comes across in your books as well (which is good!)

By: chirotic on January 18, 2011
at 9:28 am
Im early Libra Asc. too, and I also have some pretty heavy planetary squares (Venus square Pluto, Sun square
Moon for example). Sometimes it feels like life is all uphill, but my chart is very fixed, so part of the problems I
have are my own fault!
Thank goodness for my Saturn/Moon trine and my Jupiter/Venus trine!
When someone talks about a square turning into a trine they may mean a combination of two aspects. In my
chart the Pluto square to Venus turns into a trine with Jupiter, which, IMO, helps out that square.
I have 8 oppositions, including Sun-Moon, all across my first and 6th/7th houses. But I cant say immediately what
it says about me, and maybe thats part of the expression of it. I see so many possibilities I have to go away and
think on it awhile. Thank you for asking such a simple and therefore profound question!
Counting all the aspects I feel (which sometimes means using wider orbs) and including aspects to the nodes and
chiron I have a total of 8 conjunctions, 3 oppositions, 7 squares and 9 trines. Heres how Im experiencing them:
Conjunctions are important, but they dont feel that inseparable, theyre like car gears or, better yet, an extra suit in
the closet, you put it on when the ocassion calls for it, then you can take it off and put it back in till the next time
youll need it.
Trines, Id trade them in a heartbeat for placements I like but lack. And I barely know what they mean. Seriously,
what does a sun/moon trine mean? -If I had the square Im sure Id know!!! If you wanna make me yawn,
compliment me on my trines.
If you wanna make me chant, on the other hand, compliment me on my squares and oppositions. Theyre
definitely the most important placements featured in my chart, and my most central issues .
Squares feel like mixing a white blouse with a red t-shirt in the laundry, red always beats white, but the shade -
varying from surprisingly interesting to utterly ridiculous- thats up to you.
Oppositions, well, those are NOT up to you- to say the least. One end of the axis dies, and youre left with a deep-
seated aversion for what it represents. This is not a live and let live aspect. You cant help it, you hate-hate-hate
people whore like the dead part. You try to avoid them (coz they make you look like Hannibal Lecter) but you
cant, theyre practically everywhere (or so it feels)! When you come to your senses (which rarely happens when
in their presence) you sincerely apologize, but you keep hating them in silence.
o
VR- Love your description of oppositions!

I have more trines and sextiles in my chart than squares and oppositions, but Ive discovered that the Saturn/Pluto
conjunction to my Leo Ascendant more than compensates for the dearth of hard aspects. Despite all my nice
flowing aspects, success comes only with hard work and ego-less intent. The Leo part of me (ever hungry for
ease, adoration and applause) doesnt much like those rules, but whenever I break them the universe hits me with a
24.
Donna, would you agree that a chart doesnt necessarily have to be full of hard aspects to be difficult/challenging?
o
By: Sally on January 13, 2011
at 2:13 pm
Reply
Sally, conjunctions CAN be hard aspects, if the planets that are conjunct are difficult ones or not readily combined.
Conjunctions dont come any harder than Pluto and Saturn, unless you maybe catch Neptune and Saturn together
on a really bad day. Id better add that to the post. Donna

at 5:21 pm
Reply
made me think of someone I know, pluto/sat/mars conjunction in leo. Great creative person, but the ego takes so
much of the good stuff to flow

By: sabrina on January 14, 2011
at 5:29 am
Hi, Sabrina, that Mars-Pluto-Saturn conjunction was shared by Al Gore and Hillary Clinton. As you say,
great creative person, but the ego takes so much of the good stuff to flow. Donna
PS. I saw Hillary on tv yesterday, giving a eulogy for someone I never heard of, and her hair was seriously
neglectedoverly long and tucked around her ears so not to flop in her face. Im, like, Hillary, Baby, you CANT
just let yourself go!
Whats up with that? Dont they have hair stylists in Timbucktu or wherever she is trying to create world peace
these days? This, from someone with a cut so impeccable during the presidential campaign, I almost decided to
vote for her. A cut second only to Meryl Streeps in The Devil Wears Prada. A cut I still have wet dreams about.
Okay, yes, I do have my frivolous side, and my silvery-streaked hair is my one vanity. Donna

at 6:02 am
LOL I hear you! I agree her best hair ever was during the campaign. Maybe shes going through a rough, busy
time. but still, she is a world class public figure, and there are stylists that can give you those magic cuts that only
need a wash-and-go for you to look gorgeous for weeks, I cant afford themyet, but I KNOW they exist ;)
p.s both Hilary and Al Gore have birth dates close to my parents, the charts are very different, but the numbers are
connected

at 10:46 am
Im square all over!!:
Sun Sq Moon
Moon Sq Mercury
Mercury Sq Jupiter
Mars Sq Neptune.AND Im a Pisces.tum de dumthink I understand creative expression now!!
o
By: Mary L English on January 13, 2011
at 2:24 pm
Reply
well Id absolutely love to hear more about aspects and aspect patterns! I know is astrology 101, but there are
always deeper levels of them that could be shared/learned, and I cant think of a better place than here.
I have many trines, and when is necessary I can find inner/outer resources or they come, they give me faith in
difficult times. My first astrology teacher told me grand trines are protective, I think is true. But sometimes I need
to kick my b*** to get things done, to find internal motivation. Thankfully I have few hard aspects that keep me in
line. Like you said, is good to have a balance of hard/easy aspects.
For the last few months Ive being curious about about kites and yods, there is not much material out there about
them. I cant wrap my head around yods and Im trying to understand how some people make such great use of
kites and others dont. The other aspect is certain conjunctions, i.e moon/saturn in cancer versus moon/sat in
capricorn. Or how overlapped patterns operate, say a t-square connected to an envelope, if that makes sense, etc,
etc
Thanks! loved the venus/uranus example btw!
o
at 3:04 pm
Reply
I can say this about a kite and whether its easy and productive or not. It depends on three things:
1) the planets involved in the Grand Trine and whether they are essentially at ease with one another. (Mercury-
Jupiter-Mars, say, vs. Pluto-Saturn-Sun.)
2) the element of the three signs in the Grand Trinefire signs are dynamos, earth more plodding.
3) the two planets that form the spine of the kite (the opposition) and how well they work together. (Jupiter-Venus,
say, vs. Mars-Neptune.)
So, putting those 3 components together, there can be a great deal of difference between kite formations. Compare
these two extremes:
Mars-Jupiter-Mercury in fire signs, with Jupiter and Venus opposite one another.
Pluto-Saturn-Sun in earth signs, with the Moon opposite Saturn. Donna

at 4:30 am
Reply
Thanks Donna, this is very helpful. It was also interesting to hear about other readers kites. I just started a little
kite-project, so far Im just collecting charts and pieces of info, mars in gemini in the 9th is having fun already,
then opp neptune in 3rd will help to get a better picture I hope!

at 11:43 am
A kite project? How cool! One generation youd want to look into is the people born in about 1940-45, who had
Uranus (in first Taurus then Gemini) trine Neptune (in first Virgo then and then Libra, which would fill out to a
grand trine with something in Capricorn for the early group and in Aquarius for the later group. (the kite planet
was usually Pluto) As I wrote about them in my ebook, The Outer Planets and Inner Life, v.3, there was a distinct
difference between the early group with the Grand Trine in Earth vs. the later group with the Grand Trine in Air.
Donna

at 2:28 pm
my mom has that with her moon in aquarius and pluto opposite in leo ever since the first kite comment, ive
been trying to figure out how this has royally messed up things for her! ;)

By: Tara on January 17, 2011
at 3:25 pm
Thanks for the tip Donna!!! Now I just need some time..and a brain
Tara my Mom has two kites, one with a stellium in leo, hehe

at 9:12 pm
Since all my planets fall within an area less than 180 degrees, I lack any oppositions in my chart. I have 1
conjunction (sun/saturn), 5 trines and 6 squares, with a bunch of sexties which are not part of this discusionsince
were talking planets, I left out aspects to asc and MH. My mercury alone has 5 aspects to it (sextile, square, 2
trines, and an inconjunct) which is something I just noticed for the first time because of your question today,
Donnathanks :-) Ill need to ponder this a bit.
Overall I feel like the square/trine aspects translates into this: when I do the work and come prepared, the
opportunities appear. For example:
For years, I worked as a secretary/assistant. I wanted more. While taking evening classes to earn my computer
science degree, I tried to get a job at Hughes Aircraft. Walking through the front door yielded me nothing. So I
researched what temporary agencies they used, signed up with all of them, and within 2 weeks of my FIRST
assignment I was hired as an engineering intern, which led to a engineering student job and then a full engineering
promotion once I graduated. Without all the prep work, this opportunity would never have happened for me. That I
believe is the balance of squares and trines, at least in my chart.
o
By: The Mandala Lady on January 13, 2011
at 3:10 pm
Reply
after looking at my chart, I see squares and oppositions as the predominant aspects, with trines coming in third. I
also have a 3 planet conjunction (Sun, Mars, Uranus in Cancer). People see me as dynamic and unusual, and one
of a kind :) I also have to work for everything I get.
o
By: katley on January 13, 2011
at 4:26 pm
Reply
Ive got 3 really tight oppositions, a loose stellium and one tight conjunction. I think Sallys on to something a
chart can be challenging in its lack of aspects. Ive got a few biggies operating in isolation!
o
By: Tara Treanor on January 13, 2011
at 4:58 pm
Reply
Yes, I agree that a chart without a lot of aspects can be challenging too. Kind of like sailing around the world
all alonehard to make connections and find support. Donna

at 5:29 pm
Reply
Many aspects can be hellish too, like having a bunch of hands grabbing you and pulling you towards
different directions. Hard to decide which way to go.
Connections and support are a gift, indeed, but you never feel like youre a perfect fit anywhere (which makes you
look like youre the bad guy in the end).
I guess theres no such thing as a perfect chart.
Sometimes I wonder how it feels like to be a triple sth, though!

By: VR on January 14, 2011
at 12:46 pm
Reply
Nice image on the chart with many aspects, VR.

at 5:20 am
Donna,
I continue to love reading your blog. So much insight, although I am a newbie to atrology (still.)
I have read your past posts on stelliums and that was fascinating, but I still do not understand how to figure out
how to do a progressed chart. What exactly is one and/or where should I start in my quest to understand how to
learn this? Books, etc.
Thanks for the terrific website. I just love your energy and input.
Adela
o
By: Adela on January 13, 2011
at 5:17 pm
Reply
I read that each day after our birth counts for a progressed year, so for example day 50 after the birth, would
be our progressed chart for our fiftieth year and so on. we can see it in an old ephemeris by counting the days
or with a computer. Also that progressed planets and aspects show internal effects and transits outer events.

By: jen on January 13, 2011
at 10:28 pm
Reply
Hi, Jen, thats one system of progressions, Day for a Year, and it was a quick and dirty way of finding our
progressions back in the day we calculated them by hand rather than have the computer do them in two seconds.
(Now there are lots of students who dont even own an ephemeris.)
BTW, well be having some guest bloggers doing articles and Q&A sessions on progressions in the next
couple of months, since I dont work with progressions much, only transits. One of them, Gretchen Lawlor, will
be holding a Q&A about the progressed Moon on January 29th. Doona

at 12:51 am
That is going to be a great Q&A, shes wonderful!

at 11:45 am
Hi Donna Everything in my chart receives at least one major aspect. I have squares, trines, conjunctions and
oppositions mostly squares and conjunctions. Ironically, the least common aspect in my chart is the one that
challenges me most, and that would be the opposition. At their best, my oppositions lend themselves to a certain
level of objectivity and self awareness; they also help me to strike a healthy balance or compromise, where each
side gets its needs met. But other times they battle it out, with one side of my nature working at counter purposes
to the other; I always know exactly whats happening. In spite of that awareness, its the one aspect I cant seem to
consistently get a handle on, at least not during times of great stress or when faced with some major injustice or
ongoing external challenge.
It only happens when Ive been pushed too far and for too long or if I feel I have to compromise some essential
part of my nature to too great an extent. Inevitably, my Libran sense of balance gets thrown off and I end up in
some hyper-expression of the oppositions energies. It can be intense.
The sources of my conflict may come from the outside, but I always feel the situations are there to help me fine-
tune my character and turn me into a saint (hahaha). Not likely to happen anytime soon.
o
at 6:32 pm
Reply
Trines, squares, then equal numbers of oppositions and conjunctions.
I believe the conjunctions and oppositions to be my charts strong suits. Ive gotten a lot of mileage out of my Cap
Jupiter/Saturn conjunction opposite Cancer Mars.
Maybe its time to ease up and let some of the trine energy flow?
o
By: Parin Stormlaughter on January 13, 2011
at 8:57 pm
Reply
Donna, why do you see the Saturn Pluto conj as so harsh?
I have mainly squares (10) and it gives tension, which can be used positively or negatively. I have to say it has to
be wielded with caution, because Im easily seen as someone who provokes. So the energy has to be put to good
use, otherwise all bets are off. When I feel anger or frustration, I use that energy to go do something that earlier I
had put off, to be assertive and take matters into my own hands. Energy is energy, its gotta go somewhere!
o
By: Lonake on January 14, 2011
at 12:31 am
Reply
I see the Pluto-Saturn conjunction as the harshest aspect because for the past 40+ years, I have been listening
to clients whove had to live with them, and when that aspect is strong in the chart, many of them have had to live
with terrible adversityabuse, poverty, harship, loss.
(Strong as in its in the 1st or 10th houses, conjunct the Sun, Moon, or multiple planets, or many aspects.) I have a
chapter devoted to Pluto-Saturn aspects in my ebook, The Outer Planets and Inner Life, volume 3. (Aspects
between the Outer Planets).
Read more about this aspect and how its been affected by last years Pluto-Saturn square:
http://skywriter.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/how-the-pluto-saturn-square-may-affect-people-born-with-that-aspect/
.
Even Britney Spears, who has it in the 1st house square Venus has not had an easy life. In fact, many child stars
who mess up majorly seem to have that aspect.
By the merest coinkidink, I happened to look at the Oxford Astrologers delightful and irreverent blog this
morning, and she has an article about Prince Williams fiance, Kate Middleton, who has a strongly integrated
Pluto-Saturn in her (untimed) birth chart. See it here: http://oxford-astrologer.blogspot.com/2011/01/catherine-
middletons-birth-chart-cool.html
Donna

at 1:00 am
Reply
I have fairly equal amounts (7-10) of conjunctions, oppositions, trines, and sextiles. Three squares and a couple
semi-squares, quintiles and biquintiles. Two of the squares are to my moon so I feel those deeply but have learned
to manage them finally. I think the posts on aspects is a great topic.
BTW speaking of aspects of child stars (I guess I am thinking of people in general lately who come into lots of
money all of a sudden it seems) is there a certain aspect, time period, transit, etc. that shows why or how these
people just become multi-millionaires? The facebook people, harry potter kids and others who have had this. Is is
just all of a sudden or am I just paying attention more? :)
o
By: cathie on January 14, 2011
at 8:22 am
Reply
Oh, I think there are many young stars who are sudden millionaires, but its hard getting their data, particularly the
birth time. Donna

at 8:54 am
Reply
Re the Saturn/Pluto conjunction, Ive collected several quotations that seem to capture its quintessential nature and
experiential expression. My two favorites are:
The light at the end of the tunnel is invariably an oncoming train.
What doesnt kill me makes me stronger.
o
By: Sally on January 14, 2011
at 11:26 am
Reply
Donna, I would dearly love it if you would run a series on how to make the best use of, (or live with) squares.
I have a mutable Grand Cross, involving the angles. It feels like I am always butting heads, with myself if there is
nobody else around.
And not knowing which way to go, just bounce around inside the square.
I have more Squares, Oppositions and conjunctions than trines. But I feel like I can work with conjunctions and
oppositions.
The squares are stumbling blocks and I havent figured out how to work positively with them.
Would dearly love to learn to deal with squares in an evolved way!
Thanks Donna, as always love your blog.
Judy
o
By: Judy on January 14, 2011
at 1:14 pm
Reply
Hi, Judy, Thats a much more complex topic than can be handled on a blogmore like a self-help book I no longer
have the stamina to write.
However just today I decided that my next series of Q&A sessions (not guest bloggers, but topics of my own)will
be on the aspects. And as much as possible to make a week of posts about the aspect in the session. So wed have
Square Week, Conjunction Week, and so on. Who knows what will come outI never dountil it comes out.
A book that you might find helpful is the new edition of Tracy Marks book on t-squares. A Grand Cross is
nothing more than a series of t-squares. Also, since its mutable, look around to see what you can find of Dr.
Zipporah Dobyns work about the Mutable Dilemma. (I believe she may have had a mutable Grand Cross herself.)
You can find out-of-print books like that at http://www.astroamerica.com . Donna

at 3:19 pm
Reply
What I mean is Id really like to know how to constructively use squares, all of them!

By: Judy on January 17, 2011
at 8:21 am
By becoming conscious of times when we are expressing the negative sides of one or both planets and slowly
decreasing the number of times we do that, while working diligently to embody the more positive side of both of
them.
How do you do that? The same way you get to Carnegie Hallpractice, practice, practice.
Often one planet in a square will start to act up if you suppress it (e.g. you decide that planets needs are
bad) while giving preferential treatment to the other planet. You need to find constructive outlets for the
planet you have decided is bad. Donna

at 9:22 am
I have a minor grand trine between the sun, moon/saturn cnj. and mars being in the lead trn the sun. they are 5 to
10 degrees earth/water and function so seamlessly. The ease with which things in those areas of life happen seems
to tell me dont sweat this stuff, we got this go take care of that t square. These celestial bodies share few to none
aspects to other celestial bodied or angles and so run the affairs of the portions of the chart they rules almost on
automatic pilot. The rare times something interferes they work it out with flawless grace with hardly a twitch of
the eye. It amazes me at times. On the other hand almost all the rest of celestial bodies and all the angles in my
chart are related at 22 to 26 degrees by mostly (uncomfortably at times) active hard angles. Those keep me busy.
There is a T square between ur/ju cnj to venus/nep conj with chiron in the lead making an opp to the ur/ju cnj.
These play ping pong or 3 way catch with me often feeling like the monkey in the middle. There are also though
bodies that aspect this t square from soft angles mitigating the picture though sos to bring in solutions more
easily. The trick I have found is to relax enough to allow those softer aspecting helpers enough reign to operate
on the hard aspects. A t square can make one feel that they are in a burning building and so must act (but not
sure where the door is) especially in that my t square is cardinal and wants to jump in right away, often before a
full assessment has been made. Some times it is of moment to let transits that make the softer angle to one part
of the t square and a not less soft angle to another part dictate the path of least resistance no matter how minor the
aspect may be it is still a helper pointing the way. So after 50odd years living with a t square I would say it has
been a tremendous boon in that it has expanded my horizons like wind in my sails.
o
By: uhane on January 14, 2011
at 2:14 pm
Reply
softer angle to one part of the t square and a not less* soft* angle to another part dictate the path
*I meant to say not SO soft angle
o
By: uhane on January 14, 2011
at 2:18 pm
Reply
Theres a Kite in my chart, involving a stellium and a grand trine, and sextiles. So 8 oppositions, 6 conjunctions, 4
trines and 2 squares, and 8 sextiles The opposition is seesaw sometimes the Virgo stellium wins and every detail
is attended to, sometime the Pisces Jup wins and the dustbunnies have a party. But to be serious the oppositions
give me a way to express the grand trine, I think. I cant really say which of the 4 planets in the stellium is
stronger. Pluto is chart ruler, but Uranus is pretty strong too, for some reason. The other two are Sun and Moon, so
it feels as if its one planet with a very strong energy working at the same time. Like my Moon is in Virgo, but the
descriptions of Moon in Aquarius and Scorpio fits my life pretty well, too.
The Kite is very focused I cant remember if its the planets that get the sextiles that is the focal planet (a
stellium in my case), or the opposing planet.
o
By: Natalie on January 14, 2011
at 4:17 pm
Reply
See my reply to Sabrina about the kite. The sextiles ease the opposition that forms the spine of the kite. Donna

at 4:32 am
Reply
Hi Natalie! May I ask you something? At what age approximately did you start experiencing your opposition as a
seesaw?
Im asking because the closest Ive ever got to my taurus moon was one time I bought an ill-fated plant- my
scorpio mars said he never agreed on watering it, let alone making arrangements for it when on vacation!

at 6:42 am
Reply
Mars and Moon? Though! My opposition is between Jup in Pisces and a stellium in Virgo. Its been pretty seesaw
as long as I can remember. I was very much Pisces when I was younger, in a way I have grown into the Virgo so
I could manage to achieve my dreams. This is classic Kite the stellium is at the sextile part of the kite, and gives
the Jupiter energy a practical outlet. And about plants? Virgo would love flowers around the house Jup just cant
be bothered with the watering, its way too much work. I found a compromise: green plants that doesnt need
much water, and a kind of lily that hangs with her leaves when shes thirsty.

at 9:52 am
Thanks, Natalie, very illuminating!
Maybe mine is a harder pair, or I just dont have what it takes for that necessary compromise (yet).
P.S. Gosh, youre all so doggone evolved here, sometimes I feel bad about myself!
(If it werent for Donna discarding presidential candidates on hairdo grounds and contemplating on current hair
trends in Timbuktu, Id be outta here!! :) )

at 11:14 am
Im not an astrologer, but Im guessing Mars in Scorpio is a pretty strong factor. Perhaps your Moon is a bit
neglected? Id like to leave an example of my seesaw: http://singhandnormann.blogspot.com/
Good luck!

at 4:18 pm
Great post, Natalie! And, great blog, too! Thumbs up from my Virgo stellium!
Good to know you have a writting partner, writting is such a lonely task, most of the times..
I wish you all the luck in the world with your projects :)

at 1:37 am
Hi Natalie! Its me- Again!
I hate to take advantage of your generosity, but Ive Got to ask this! How does it feel like to have a Grand Trine?
Books affirm it signifies a flow of energy and prosperity in a chart. Is it truly that huge a deal? Could you
comment a bit on that one? Please?
(Its so hard for me to conceptualize the impact of placements I dont have!)
Thanx

at 3:35 am
Hey, guys, get a room! Write to one another off-site or something, because youre way off thread. Donna

at 5:38 am
Ouch sorry, Donna :D VR: youre welcome to contact me through my blog!

at 5:51 am
I dont really have any dominant aspect type in my chart. However, my chart does seem to have one of each major
aspect that seems to say the most about who I am (whether I like it not; ) .
Conjunction: combust stellium of Mars-Sun-Venus in Cancer in the 4th house
It truly is very difficult for me to distinguish between the energies and motivations of these planets. This means
that I can be deeply disappointed when I fail to satisfy a need or desire that arises here. Catch me when engaged in
home renovation and decoration or one of my other special projects, however, and this trio is full of vim and
vigor.
Opposition: Saturn in Aries in the 1st house and my Moon in Libra in the 7th house.
No mistake, this is THE challenge I face. For me, this aspect is all about feeling that I am not enough. Needless to
say, much anger, pain, and fear has been the result. If you, Donna, or any other kind soul has any recommendation
on dealing with this aspect/issue, I am certainly open to hearing them.
Square: Sun in Cancer in the 4th and Moon in Libra in the 7th
This internal conflict was a major source of sturm und drang in my early adulthood. I do, however, credit these
two for getting me out of a marriage that was slowly but surely draining the life out of me. Yes, they still have
their testy moments, but, for the most part, they seem to have hammered out some kind of agreement.
Trine: Moon in Libra in the 7th and Mercury in Gemini in the 3rd
I am truly grateful for this aspect. No matter what is happening in my life, my Moon and Mercury work together to
make sure that all of those daily details and routine interactions continue to be taken care of as usual. This is a gift
when dealing with serious health issues or the death of a parent, for example.
o
By: Mari on January 16, 2011
at 10:53 am
Reply
Moon-Saturn hard aspects are very painfulusually a stern, perfectionistic mother figure who made you grow
up too fast, and you never could be enough, because the demands increased every time you mastered one thing she
wanted from you.
Two flower essences related to insufficient mothering from The Flower Essence Services come to mind:
Mariposa Lily and Evening Primrose. Donna

at 11:52 am
Reply
I wanted to tell you that I really like the way you described the different aspects here.
When you included real people (M Jackson and Queen Latifa, I could really relate and understand the point you
were trying to make.)
about my chart, i have 18 squares which includes the midheaven and chiron according to Astrodienst.
I always focus on the better parts of my chart, I confess I was very surprised to see all those squares. Since a lot of
the squares are outer planets, I am thinking it means I was born to tough times, but I know that my life has been a
bowl of cherries compared to some (a friend of mine died yesterday after a 7 year battle with cancer, for example;
and even she had a great life compared to some)
a cool thing in my chart is the sun and moon are sextile mars and trine jupiter.
I think this means that stuff works out for me. When I want it, I get it. And even though Jupiter therefore is
opposing Mars, things often end well.
o
By: mimitabby on January 18, 2011
at 10:06 am
Reply
..Oops this post flew away before I ended itMaybe it was high time that it went? When a Moon-Saturn ages it
is obvious that he she love regularity more than others do.
o
By: Monex on January 24, 2011
at 5:16 am
Reply
Whaa! Off-line 12+ days. Still catching up after our google virus meltdown. Actually had to change servers to
rid the plague Thank goodness hubby backs everything up on flash drives. Sorry to have missed my own
winning suggestion for outer planet forum(only 11 queries? Your disappoinment was tangible and
understandablethough the mea culpas brought up some good points and I see that you are incorporating the best
suggestions).
Thanks for the moderationIll be practicing more myself-especially with trans. JUP conjuncting natal JUP in
early Aries
Mad AND Delightful, what could be better?
o
By: Berta on January 27, 2011
at 4:51 pm
Reply
I have a mixture of easy and hard aspects. The overall effect seems to be that my peers think that I have a charmed
life (mostly easy aspects to outer planets) but I know that I have worked hard for everything that I get (hard and
easy aspects to Mars).
To paraphrase Maya Angelou, they see my glory but dont know my (internal) story.
o
By: Jara on February 2, 2011
at 8:20 am
Reply
What about trines in different elements. Like late pisces and early gemini, or early aires and late scorpio. Will the
energy still be trine?
o
By: JG on February 20, 2013
at 2:08 pm
Reply
Apparently, Im the holy grail. I have a grand sextile in my chart which creates a three dimensional hexagon with a
star in the middle. It pretttttyyy , and its quite amazing in its geometry.
17 Trines - I guess im a lucky one. ( i.e takes things for granted as well)
12 Sextiles I have the ability to get away with things , and things always seem to work itself out , with little too
minimum effort.
6 Squares I have overcome great difficulties battled with depression (i have five harsh aspects to my moon , but
i have been through these tulmoultous phases, and persevered and survived, almost as though reemerging as a
stronger person.( i would assume this is my pluto aspects working , forcing transformation , as i have SUN sq
Pluto, mars opp pluto , also my mars opp pluto)
6 Oppositions- mostly saturn and others
3 Conjuncts- conjuncts include my venus and jupiter and all conjunting my asc as well which is cancer.
I have a leo sun. (2nd)
Aries moon (10th house)
I have mercury in the third house in virgo in trine with four planets.
Also Scorpio in pluto in the 5th house
The point is one may be so blessed and gifted but not realize theyre worth or their gifts. As i struggled with early
parts of life , and had to persevere to find out , the true value i have and reallly potential ANY person has. We all
have different charts, different aspects , some favorable some very harsh,astrology helps us be more aware of them
and is not ment to define but to guide! !!
<3
o
By: happygolucky on February 21, 2013
at 12:46 pm
Reply
Oky: What can you tell me, when all bunch of hard planets are messed up? I have : sun square jupiter, sun
opposed pluto, venus opposed pluto, venus square saturn, mercury square saturn,mercury opposed pluto,mars
square uranus ( heard some nasty things about this :((( but didnt understand much- smth like if I had one planet in
taurus or scorpio is sucks and I dont have a single drop of pure love in me:(((
but my mars is in aries , uranus in capricorn, and I might be born on the cusp- midnight- 21 may , 12.05
am..taurus-gemini cusp. So I dont get it, If I am a taurus ..my life is doomed? bcz of mars uranusduhh..really
need help for that) oky I have more:)..moon square mars, mars square neptune,saturn square pluto. :| and
saturn,uranus and neputune or pluto- 3 planets retrograde..niceeee, really? Yes I am complainiglife is tough for
meespecially in love areaI just had a toxic relationship , but I want to get over thatso can anybody help me?
With these cuteaspects..can I really repair my flaws?:D thank you
o
By: narina-camy on September 25, 2013
at 12:04 am
Reply
Look, Narnia, I get that youre overwhelmed by your aspects, but no one is doomed by their astrology chart. Some
aspects are definitely a lot harder than others, but there arent big, bad planets in the sky crapping all over you. The
planets dont CAUSE anything, they just show whats going on. When planets like Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and
Pluto are really strong in the chart, as they are in yours, it means that a huge part of the problem is the huge mess
our world is in, with a trickle down effect in the lives of people born with those combinations.
From what I can piece together, you must be born with the triple conjunction of Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune in
Capricorn that every single person born on the planet in 1989 and half of 1988 had in Capricorn. Were talking
413 MILLION young people in 1989 alone. So you are not just one person that the heavens have singled out to
crap all over.
You cant fix the world singlehandedly, but you canwith workfix things that you yourself do to complicate your
life and your relationships. Fixing things can take a lot of work on yourself and any self-destructive behavior
patterns. It takes insight and self-control and not blaming others or the planets for any grief that you cause
yourself.
An astrology chart session with a professional astrologer who fully understands this chart pattern can help you
identify the ways you contribute to your problems as opposed to the ways the world situation is causing grief for
so many people your age.
Unfortunately, there arent a lot of astrologers who are fully aware of this phenomenal chart pattern. (Im not
available, as Im retired from chart sessions in order to focus on writing.)
I am writing a book on stelliums that would help you put the pieces together and share some self-help tools that
will be out in a month or two, so if youd like to know when it comes out, sign up for a subscription to this blog. I
can imagine its really hard to sort all these factors out, but the transits that you 413 million or so young people are
gong through right now are really tough. They will end eventuallyits not a life sentence! Donna Cunningham
.

By: Donna Cunningham on September 25, 2013
at 2:52 am
Reply
I forgot to mention, I also have some good aspects,haha..,like 5 conjunctions, 6 trines, 3 sextilesIf I had to
compare with my bad aspects I just realised I am somewhat balanced..but still, please read my messages, I need
an expert advice in what might happen in love life..I have venus in taurus and this aspects really interest me..love
is everything..and when I heard about that mars-uranus thing..something inside me, crashed. Thank you so much!
:)
o
at 12:23 am
Reply
Forgot to mention the good ones, did you? Imagine that! If you have 6 trinesprobably in earth signs like Taurus,
Capricorn, and Virgothen you have lots of strengths to draw on to in making a better life for yourself.
Look, it sounds like you are reading the most negative interpretations you can possibly get your hands on. Every
aspect has its good uses and its bad uses, and it is up to you to work on making sure you recognize when youre
living out the bad ones and work on pulling yourself out of expressing the planets in the unhealthy or toxic ways.
Again, there are tools in my upcoming stellium book to help you sort out whats what. For instance, theres a self-
help worksheet you can construct and use to take regular inventory of how youre using the planets.
And now I have to get back to writing, so I cant answer any more of your questions. Donna

By: Donna Cunningham on September 25, 2013
at 3:04 am
Reply
Wow, now that was fast! Thank you. Ive got it..I assume I read to much into it..heheh but I also focus on whats
positive..otherwise Ill go gaga :P Have a nice day!
o
at 4:38 am
Reply
Just for the record, Im a 92 person :) and I surely have no clue if my trines are in virgo, taurus or so..since they
are like moon trine venus, mercury trine uranus and so on. But youve being helping me and I really appreciate
your clarity and fast,fast reply. Ill check out your site carefully, for now..keep up the good work!
Things You May Not Know about Conjunctions
Readers, I miss you and really miss blogging, but these days, rather than blogging, I am slogging through the
final chapters of The Stellium Handbook. Im in the midst of writing not one but two chapters on conjunctions,
and thought you might enjoy a short sample.
A conjunction is a potent connection (called an aspect) between two planets in which the planets stand close
together and blend their energies. It usually only involves one sign and one house of an astrology chart, although
the two planets sometimes straddle houses or signs.
The orb (number of degrees apart) for a conjunction is officially 8. When theres a question as to whether the
aspect is too wide, I describe the way the two planets work together to clients to see if they relate to it. Its often
working at 10, even when one of them is a slow-moving outer planet.
With a conjunction, its difficult to get a separate perspective on the parts of you that either planet symbolizes.
When Mars and Jupiter are conjunct, for instance, the need for action that Mars represents and the desire to expand
that Jupiter represents are merged. This suggests someone who is a dynamo with an insatiable appetite for
experiences in the areas of life related to the conjunctions house position.
The importance of the order of planets in a conjunction: The lead planet of the pair in a conjunction may
dominate in much the same way as the lead planet in a stellium sets the tone for the action. This is an
important consideration in interpreting a conjunction, as the first planet in the pair is the first to be activated by a
transiting planet.
Suppose someone has a Mars-Pluto conjunction in Libra, and transiting Uranus is forming an aspect to the pair.
The first response to the threat of a disruption to major relationships would be a Mars approachactive, taking the
initiative, even potentially combative, depending on the sign.
If the order is Pluto-Mars, however, the response would be more emotionally intense but less overt. The person
might withdraw and brood. They could also resort to manipulation or emotional blackmail. Being psychologically
astute, they may conceivably use the weaknesses of the person who is threatening them in a vengeful way. Which
of the two would you rather cross?
The signs modes of actionCardinal, Fixed, or Mutableis important to look at in analyzing a
conjunction because the action of a particular pairor trioof planets is very different, in different modes,
and, therefore, so is the outcome.
To summarize, Cardinal signs are action oriented, goal driven, and forever on the move. Fixed signs are stable
and intent on preserving the status quo. Theyre gifted with endurance, but stubbornly resistant to change.
Mutable signs are adaptable, flexible, and can cope with change, yet are sometimes scattered in their energy.
Depending on the planets involved, people with conjunctions in Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and
Capricorn) form a clear picture of their desires and work toward them whole-heartedly. These four signs each have
a different set of goals, but when they see what they want, they go for it in a focused way. Thus, conjunctions in
cardinal signs are energized and show a good chance of success in the mission.
Depending on the planets involved, conjunctions in Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) represent
our ability to persevere to the point of bringing our ideas and hopes into a concrete, finished form and then
preserving them. However, theyre a mixed blessing, in that theyre stubborn, slower to react, and can be rigid and
resist change. If two planets are conjunct in fixed signs and indicate a conflict of interest, its very hard to get the
person to bend in that area of life.
Depending on the planets involved, conjunctions in Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces) are
responsive and able to adapt to changing circumstances as they arise, so theyre more able to contend with transits
to a stellium. Theyre versatile and always looking for greater understanding of their fields of interest. Their
drawback is that theyre distractible and can lack a steady focus for their efforts.
What do I mean by depending on the planets involved? The nature of the planet can shift the energy of the
response. For instance, Neptune could indicate haziness and confusion that could hinder a Cardinal sign from
taking effective action. Saturn in a Mutable conjunction could symbolize focus and persistence in completing a
goal.
Applying vs. separating conjunctions: One thing that can affect the strength of a conjunction is whether the
faster-moving planet of the pair is applying to the conjunction (approaching the degree of the other planet on its
way to being at exactly the same degree) or separating fromthe conjunction (having passed the exact point and
moving away).
Though I pay more attention to the scores on the planetary strength tests, many astrologers say that the aspect is
stronger when applying and weaker when separating. (More about the tests here: Take the Planetary Tests .)
Thats all for now, Readers. This is just a wee sample of a total of 28 pages on conjunctions, which are almost
always a big part of a stellium, since it can include anywhere from 4-7 planets in one sign or house. Here are
some other articles about conjunctions on this blog:
Things You May Not Know about the 3rd and 12th Houses
You could study the houses of the horoscope for a lifetime and still not know all there is to know about them.
Theyre an endless source of information about yourself and anyone whose chart youre examining. Today Id
like to share some secrets Ive learned over the years about two of the cadent houses, the 3
rd
and 12
th
.
Cadent houses (3, 6, 9, and 12) lend themselves to secrets. Theyre not like the angular houses (1, 4, 7, and 10),
which represent the external factors that jump out at you right away. Theyre what you find out about a person in a
five minute conversation at a party. Youd notice what they look like and how they come across (1
st
), check out the
ring finger to see if theyre married (7
th
), and ask where they live(4
th
) and what they do for a living (10
th
).
The qualities of the cadent houses are more inward and not so noticeable. Youd have to study a person for a
while before you added the things those houses represent to your mental file about them. But are they less
important in forming who we are? I think not. Here are some surprising things Ive learned about two of
the houses, the 3rd and the 12th.
The Third House and Jack Nicholsons Family Secret
The 3
rd
house represents communication patterns, thinking and learning style, siblings and near relatives,
neighbors, basic coursework, commuting. My jobs in social work involved taking a family history, and my
astrological consultations often brought up problems with brothers and sisters. Thus, I tended to note how the
influence of siblings was reflected in the 3
rd
house.
The Moon in the 3
rd
house always turned out to be highly significant. With this placement, siblings, aunts, uncles
or cousins may have taken on parental roles, often due to the mothers immaturity. If you have it, sometimes its
you who acted as a parent surrogate to younger sibs; sometimes an older might have acted as Mom to you. At any
rate, it results in a powerful and influential tie that lasts well into adulthood.
Whether the tie was essentially positive or not depends on the Moons sign and aspects. With Moon in Aries, there
was likely to be a strong sibling rivalry and incessant conflict. With Moon in Libra, it was likely to be a very
loving connection. At best, you are likely to have the equivalent of two Moms, one much younger and longer-
lived, and you are likely to have a strong and supportive extended family.
I enjoy watching the biographies on A&E on Sunday morning, and often Ill drag out the persons chart and
compare it to the early years they describe. One morning the bio was about that irrepressible bad boy, Jack
Nicholson. Right away I noted his 3
rd
house Moon and wondered how that played out in his family life.
( He was born April 22, 1937 at 11:20 AM, from his memory. His place of birth was NEPTUNENew Jersey,
that is. (You can see his birth chart and biography here Nicholson, Jack, but if you do that, youll miss out on the
secrets of the 12
th
. Ill repeat the link later.)
Theyre great storytellers, the writers for these biographies, and so they gave one little clue after another about a
secret in Jacks background. They stressed how much he loved his older sister Jean, and how much he missed her
when she went to Hollywood and became a showgirl. When he decided to become an actor, he went to Hollywood
and lived with her until he started getting enough roles to support himself.
They continued to be close until her death, which devastated him. It wasnt until his mother died, when he was 37
that he discovered the truththat Jean was actually his mother! She was only 17 when she had him, so they
concealed the pregnancy and claimed Jeans mother had given birth to him.
In this case, then, the 3
rd
house Moon meant that his sister literally WAS his mother. If you know any other cases
where this is true, Id love to hear about them.A Not-So-Secret Sector of the 12
th
House
My readers evidently cant get enough about the 12
th
house. One of the top 5 posts of all time on this blog is 7
Secrets You May not Know about the 12th House, and my other articles about the 12
th
continue to do well, too.
This tricky house represents matters that are repressed or hidden, self-defeating behavior, chronic illness, chronic
illness and care facilities, selfless service, retreats, and the quest to learn secret spiritual and mystical truths.
Recently, a reader wrote to ask about a Pluto transit to her Uranus in the 12
th
and why so many secrets were
coming to light. I told her that a 12
th
house Uranus represents parts of yourself that are so different that you believe
it wouldnt be social acceptable if you showed it to othersthat it would either get you in trouble with authorities
or else youd be a social outcast.
What I can imagine happening during a transit to a 12
th
house Uranus would be that you no longer feel like you
have to keep the real you hidden from the world. Under a transit from Pluto to Uranus, youd just no longer care
what people thoughtor you would, but you wouldnt be able to suppress your truth any more.
Another thing shown by 12th house planets is secrets youve kept even from yourself. Early on, most likely in
adolescence since thats one of the more Uranian periods of development, you found those thoughts or urges so
unacceptable that you pushed them down into the unconscious and didnt allow yourself to know they were part of
you. With transits, especially from the probing eye of Pluto, those secrets come and stare you in the face, and
denial is stripped away.
An especially interesting sector of the 12
th
house is the 10 or so just before the Ascendantany planet there is
actually conjunct the Ascendant. Whats difficult about having any planet there, but especially Uranus, is that the
person tries desperately to hide the part of themselves that planet represents.
Alas, its no secret at allit pops up strongly in moments of self-sabotage, and then the truth is glaringly obvious
to the world at large. People cut you even less slack than if you were open about yourself because those revelations
make you look like a hypocrite or sneak for hiding the information in the first place. If youre famous, you have to
go to rehab for it.
No doubt youre wondering about the other two cadent houses, the 6
th
and the 9
th
. Oh, Ill write about them
sometime, but not today. Until then, theyll remain my little secret. What about you readers? What do you know
thats interesting about the 3
rd
or 12
th
houses? Tell us in the comment section.
Astrology students, if youve got time this weekend, kick your chart interpretation skills up a notch by
reading more articles about the houses on this blog:
The Houses12 Different Ways to Heal from Stress and Trauma
A Whos Who of your Horoscopethe Players in all 12 Houses
Neptune in the 11th HouseSetting Boundaries in Friendship
12 Famous People with 12th House Suns
Transits from the 12th House to the 1stLike Night and Day
Transits to the Vocational HousesTemp Job or Career Departure?
Download a chapter on the houses here: AGSA ch13-houses
Download a chart blank here: Blank chart with house meanings.
Download: Shovel-Ready Projects for the 12 Astrological Houses
See more articles on the 12 houses in the category Houses of the Horoscope.
(I promised you Jack Nicholsons AstroDataBank file. You can see it here: Nicholson, Jack.)
If this post was helpful, DONT MISS THE NEXT INSTALLMENT IN THIS SERIES. Sign up for a
subscription, and get a FREE EBOOKLET for Skywriter Subscribers Only: Mothers, Daughters, and the
Moon, a 50-page excerpt from The Moon in your Life. Read more about it here: New: Free Booklet For
Skywriter Subscribers!
If youre already a subscriber and want a copy, forward the most recent email post to me at
moonmave@spiritone.com. To sign up for a subscription, go to the top right hand corner of the blog and click on
Subscribe. Then send me an email with your subscription confirmation or an email post with a request for the
booklet in the subject line.
Learning to Interpret AspectsA Major Boost for Astrology Students
2009 by Donna Cunningham, MSW
The following is an excerpt from the introductory section of my ebooklet, Aspect Analysis: the Building Blocks of
Chart Interpretation. This 8-part tutorial includes step-by-step instructions on how to analyze conjunctions,
sextiles, squares, trines, quincunxes and oppositions.
Aspects are the building blocks of serious astrology, moving you beyond single chart factors to integrating the
many features a chart contains. Not only are they crucial in natal charts, they modify the qualities of transiting
planets, progressions, and chart comparison. They powerfully impact outcomes in such diverse branches of our
field as electional, horary, medical, and mundane. Here are some important stages in analyzing any given aspect.
Compatibility of the two Planets: First of all, think about how well the two planets partner one another. Are they
compatible in nature? Are they arms-around-the-shoulders buddies? Respectful colleagues with similar aims?
Worthy adversaries? Or are they better off not even in the same room together? For example, Mercury and Jupiter
or Mercury and Uranus, all being mental in focus, are compatible and work toward common ends, even in hard
aspect. The qualities of Mercury and Saturn or Mercury and Neptune are less at ease with one another and have
more conflict, even in easy aspects.
I cant really think of a bad aspect between Mercury and Jupiter. Though prone to garrulousness and excessive
optimism, nonetheless such folks are capable of learning from their mistakes. On the other hand, its hard to think
of a good connection between Pluto and Saturn. It can be a leaden and morose combination, even when trine.
Though they show admirable perseverance in hardship, individuals with this combination typically pride
themselves on being a survivor, even when leaving a toxic situation is the wiser choice.
Keyword lists for planets: If youre planning on sticking around the astrology world for the duration, its helpful to
start a permanent collection of keywords and key phrases for each of the planets to store on your hard drive. That
would be a useful step toward being able to interpret aspects without resorting to textbooks.Lists from astrology
books or websites can round out your collection, but stretch your mind by jotting down all the ones you can come
up with for any given planetary pair first.
ElementsAnother Building Block: A thorough understanding of the elements is a good way to fathom the
meaning of aspects. The four elementsfire, earth, air, and waterhave been part of astrological lore since at
least medieval times, partly because they describe the essence of the signs so well.
Air types (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) are said to be mental and communicative, sometimes living in their heads too
much. Earth individuals (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) are often down to earth, productive, grounded, and practical,
though sometimes materialistic.
Fire sorts (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) can be lively, action-oriented, and warm, yet often impulsive or even pushy.
Typical water natives (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) are responsive, adaptable, intuitive, and emotional, yet often too
subjective.
The elements form two complementary pairs. Air keeps a fire going; fire warms up air. Earth contains and
grounds water; water keeps earth from being so arid it cant produce. Fire and air dont mix well with water or
earth. Heres how the pairs of planets connect: conjunctionssame element and sign; sextilescomplementary
elements; squaresmismatches between non-complementary aspects; trinessame element; oppositions
complementary elements.
The Modes as Modifiers: Another traditionaland highly productivemethod of classifying the signs is by their
mode: cardinal, fixed, or mutable. Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) are said to be action
oriented, goal driven, and forever on the move.
Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius) are intent on preserving the status quo, stubbornly resistant to
change, and gifted with endurance.
Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces) are adaptable, flexible, changeable, and sometimes
scattered in their energy. This helps us only slightly with sextiles, since they pair planets in a mixture of modes.
Signs: The next stage in analyzing any aspect is to consider the signs involved and how they help or hinder one
another. First think of the elements and modes of the two signs and how they complement or detract from one
another.
There are more possible sextiles than any other aspect, two for each sign. For instance, Mars in the Cardinal fire
sign Aires can sextile either Jupiter in the mutable air sign Gemini or the fixed Air sign Aquarius. The two sextiles
would be fairly different. Aquarius adds theory to leadership, a trait that could an asset for a politician. Jupiter in
Gemini with Mars in Aires gives an added dexterity and quickness of mind to an athlete.
Houses: Apart from most conjunctions, the aspects involve pairs of houses. The two houses involved help you
identify areas of life where the energies, needs, and traits of both planets are most readily and consistently
deployed.
Youll find in-depth articles about all 12 houses on this site under the category Houses of the Horoscope
NOTE: This has been an excerpt from the introductory essay in my ebooklet, Aspect Analysis: the Building Blocks
of Chart Interpretation. To order it, go to http://www.paypal.com and create an account, if you dont already have
one. Then tell them to send me $8 and give them my email address, moonmave@spiritone.com. Youll receive
the booklet by email.

RAHU- Its effects and remedies to nullify them

1. Rahu in the 1st House:
In the 1st House, Rahu is like an elephant snarling at the king seated on his chair. It is a rich administrator. The evil
effects of Rahu end after 42 years.

Evil effects and causes:-
(a) The native is not on friendly terms with his wife.
(b) The enemies are terrified of him.
(c) He is not able to accomplish any work properly; keeps on changing his job.
(d) If Venus is in the 7th House, the native is likely to be wealthy, but his wife may suffer.

Remedies:-
(a) Donate wheat, jaggery and copper. Put these three articles or one of the articles in a copper vessel and drop it in
flowing water on a Sunday.
(b) Avoid wearing blue clothes.
(c) Wear a silver chain around the neck.
(d) Drop coconut in flowing water.

2. Rahu in the 2nd House:-
It is unfavourable for family and wealth. The native dies after being hit by a weapon.

Evil Effects and Causes:-
(a) He sustains on the objects received from religious institutions.
(b) He enjoys happy family life. The financial status is related to the position of Jupiter.
(c) If Saturn is in the 1st House in the annual horoscope and Jupiter is favourable, then everything is likely to move
smoothly, but if Saturn is debilitated there may be adverse effects.

Remedies:-
(a) Keep a small solid silver ball.
(b) Do not accept electrical appliances from in laws.
(c) Maintaining good relations with mother will prove helpful.
(d) Native should keep a small solid ball of gold. Saffron kept in a silver box will prove beneficial.

3. Rahu in the 3rd House:-
The native holds a good reputation in the society. No one can easily stand by him. He is good, but not very beneficial
for his brothers. His dreams are true and has a strong foresight. His pen has a sharper edge than the sword. He has a
long life and is a wealthy man.

Evil Effect and Causes:-
(a) Propels well in 22nd year of his age. Children are prosperous and happy.
(b) Tends to be a forceful writer.
(c) Moon in debilitated position may cause misery.
(d) One may notice a gradual increase in wealth on the in-laws side, if Venus is placed auspiciously.

Remedies:-
(a) Wearing silver is advisable.
(b) Drop 400gms coriander in flowing water.
(c) Drop 400gm almonds in flowing water.

4. Rahu in the 4th House:-
This House belongs to Moon, which is an enemy of Rahu. When Rahu is benefic in this House, the native would be
intelligent, wealthy and will spend money on good things. Going on pilgrimage would be beneficial for him. If Venus is
also benefic, then after marriage the natives in-laws could also become rich. When Moon is exalted, the native would
become very rich and would benefit from the works or relatives associated with Mercury. If Rahu is malefic, and the
Moon is also weak, then the native will suffer in terms of property and natives mother will also suffer. Collecting char
coal, altering toilet, installing oven in the ground and alteration of the roof in the house would be indicative of malefic.

Remedies:-
(a) Wear silver.
(b) Drop 400gms coriander or almonds, or both in flowing water.

5th House belongs to Sun,which signifies male offspring. If Rahu is benefic native will be rich, wise and will enjoy
good health. He would enjoy good income and progress. The native would be a devout or philosopher. If Rahu is
malefic it leads to abortions. After the birth of a son, wifes health will suffer for twelve years. If Jupiter is also in 5th
House father of native will be in trouble.

Remedies:-
(a) Keep an elephant made of silver.
(b) Abstain from wine, non vegetarianism and adultery
(c) Remarry your wife.

This House is influenced by Mercury or Ketu. Here Rahu is exalted and gives very good results. The native will spend
money on clothes. The native will be intelligent and victorious. When Rahu is malefic he will harm his brother or
friends. When Mercury or Mars is in 12th House Rahu gives bad results. The native suffers from various ailments or
loss of wealth. Sneezing while going to work is not a good sign.

Remedies:-
(a) Keep a black dog.
(b) Keep a lead nail in your pocket.
(c) Never harm ones brothers/sisters.

Native will be rich, but wife may suffer from ill-health. He may achieve success or victory over his enemies. If the
marriage takes place before twenty one years of age, it may prove inauspicious. Native is likely to have good relations
with the government, but if he engages in business connected with Rahu, like electrical equipments, then he will incur
loss in the business. Native would suffer from head ache and if Mercury, Venus or Ketu is in 11th House, then sister,
wife or son may destroy the native.

Remedies:-
(a) Never marry before 21 years of age.
(b) Offer six coconuts to a river.

The 8th House is concerned with Saturn and Mars. So Rahu in this House gives malefic effects. The native may spend
money recklessly on court cases. Family life would be adversely affected. If Mars is benefic and is placed in 1st or 8th
House or Saturn is placed in 8th House, the native is likely to be very rich.

Remedies:-
(a) Keep a square piece of silver.
(b) Keep saunf (anise) under the pillow, while sleeping.
(c) Do not work in electricity or power department.

The 9th House is influenced by Jupiter. If native has good relations with his/her siblings, it is fruitful, else it would
adversely affect the native. If the native is not religious minded, then his progeny would be useless for him. Profession
influenced by Saturn would be profitable. If Jupiter is in 5th or 11th House, then it is useless. If Rahu is inauspicious in
9th House, then chances of begetting a son are less, especially if the native files court cases against someone in blood
relations. Rahu is in 9th and 1st House is empty, then health could be adversely affected. Tarnishing of social prestige
and psychological problems are also possible.

Remedies:-
(a) Daily make a tilak made of saffron.
(b) Wear gold.
(c) Always keep a dog.
(d) Maintain good relations with your in-laws.

Keeping ones head uncovered gives the effect of a debilitated Rahu in 10th House. The good or bad result of Rahu
would depend upon Saturn position. If Saturn is auspicious, then native would be brave, long lived and rich, and get
respect from all quarters. if Rahu in 10th House is with Moon its gives Raja Yoga. The native is lucky for ones father. If
Rahu in 10th House is malefic, then it would adversely affect ones mother or natives. If Moon is alone in 4th House,
then natives eyes are adversely affected. He is likely to suffer from headaches or loss or wealth.

Remedies:-
(a) Use blue or black cap.
(b) Cover ones head.
(c) Offer 4kg or 400gms of sugar in a temple or in a river.
(d) Feed visually-impaired people.

This House is influenced by both Saturn and Jupiter. Native could be rich as long as his father is alive. Native has
wicked friends. He gets money from mean people. After the death of ones father, he should wear gold in the neck. If
Mars in malefic for a native with Rahu in the 11th House at time of his birth, there is every thing in his house, but every
thing gets destroyed later. If Rahu in 11th House is malefic then the native has bad relations with his father or he may
even kill him. Planet in 2nd House would act as enemy. If Jupiter/Saturn are in 3rd or 11th House, then wear an iron
article on the body and drink water in a silver glass. If Ketu is in 5th House, then Ketu gives bad results. There may be
diseases of ears, spine, urinary problems etc. There may be losses associated with business concerned with Ketu.

Remedies:-
(a) Wear iron. Use silver glass for drinking water.
(b) Never take any electric equipment as a gift.
(c) Do not keep blue sapphire, ivory or toys in the shape of an elephant.

The 12th House belongs to Jupiter. It signifies bedroom. Rahu here gives mental troubles, insomnia. It also leads to
excessive expenditure on sisters and daughters. If Rahu is with its enemies then it becomes next to impossible to make
ends meet, despite hard labour. It also leads to false allegations. one may even go to the extent of contemplating suicide.
Telling lies, deceiving others etc. may make Rahu even more malefic. If somebody sneezes at the start of any new
work, it gives malefic effects. There may be theft, diseases or false allegations. If Mars is with Rahu here, then it gives
good results.

Remedies:-
(a) Take your meals in the kitchen itself.
(b) Keep Saunf (anise) and sugar under the pillow for sound sleep.

Click here to ask a question to our celebrity astrologer.

Talk to an Expert Astrologer for Personalised Guidance.

Acharaya Abhishek
Celebrity Astrologer
The Ganesha Speaks Team
14 Jul 2010

7 Secrets You May Not Know About The 12th

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originaltitel

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

7 Secrets You May Not Know About The 12th

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

7 Secrets You May not Know about the 12th House

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen