Astrology wiki
Explore wiki concepts, word origins, evidence and their connections to traditions and tools.
12 terms
Applying aspect →
An aspect currently moving toward exactness, judged from the bodies’ relative motion; a later station can interrupt it.
Word origin, evidence & sources
Applying uses apply in the older sense of drawing toward or bringing together; the aspect is moving toward exactness.
Relative motion shows whether a contact is approaching exactness at that instant. A later station or change of direction can interrupt it, so application alone does not establish future completion.
Aspect →
A specified angular relationship between chart positions, usually measured in zodiac longitude; different schools select different angles.
Word origin, evidence & sources
Latin aspectus, from aspicere, means a looking at. The name retains the old metaphor of planets seeing one another.
Angular separation is computable, but selecting meaningful angles, tolerances and interpretations is conventional. A detected aspect establishes the stated geometry, not a causal connection between the represented life topics.
Conjunction →
An aspect near 0° separation in the chosen coordinate measure; matching longitude does not guarantee physical closeness.
Word origin, evidence & sources
Conjunction belongs to the family of conjunct, joined together. The astronomical use names bodies meeting in a shared direction.
A conjunction is a match in the chosen angular coordinate within an orb. Different latitudes and distances can separate the bodies physically; interpretive blending is not implied by longitude alone.
Contra-parallel →
Also: contraparallel
Two objects with nearly equal declination magnitudes on opposite sides of the celestial equator.
Word origin, evidence & sources
Contra- means opposite or against; it marks equal-sized declinations on opposite sides of the celestial equator.
The comparison matches declination magnitudes across the celestial equator. Its geometry is testable, but equating it with a zodiacal opposition adds an interpretive correspondence.
Opposition →
An aspect near 180° separation in zodiac longitude.
Word origin, evidence & sources
From oppositio, placing against or opposite. The geometry uses the same opposed-position idea for a half-circle separation.
The geometry is near half a circle in the chosen coordinate. Reading it as tension or complementarity is a traditional analogy, not a measured conflict between people or forces.
Orb →
The permitted distance from an exact aspect. Different techniques use different limits.
Word origin, evidence & sources
Latin orbis means circle, disk, or sphere. Astrology extended the surrounding-circle idea to a permitted range around exact contact.
An orb decides which near-matches count under a technique. Widening it changes the result set, so the tolerance must be declared before comparison; it is not a measured radius of influence.
Parallel of declination →
Also: declination parallel
Two objects at nearly the same declination, using a stated tolerance.
Word origin, evidence & sources
Parallel comes from Greek language for being beside one another; of declination specifies the coordinate being matched.
The comparison uses matching declinations within a stated tolerance. It is not a zodiac-longitude conjunction; any analogous interpretation is a school’s choice rather than a consequence of coordinate equality.
Quincunx →
Also: inconjunct
A modern aspect near 150°; historical uses of “inconjunct” can instead mean signs lacking a recognized classical aspect.
Word origin, evidence & sources
Quincunx literally means five twelfths, from quinque and uncia. Five twelfths of the zodiacal circle is 150 degrees.
The modern 150° aspect is a chosen relationship. Older descriptions of signs lacking a classical aspect use a different concept, so sharing a name does not establish equivalent calculations or meanings.
Separating aspect →
An aspect currently moving away from exactness, judged from the bodies’ relative motion.
Word origin, evidence & sources
Separating means moving apart after contact; the label describes an aspect whose exact meeting has already passed.
Relative motion shows the contact moving away from exactness. Interpreting that geometry as a completed life event requires a separate rule; it does not independently identify what happened.
Sextile →
An aspect near 60° separation in zodiac longitude.
Word origin, evidence & sources
Latin sextilus means sixth, from sextus. The aspect is one sixth of the circle.
The relationship is near one sixth of a circle. Treating it as cooperation or opportunity is an interpretive convention; the angular measurement cannot establish that an opportunity exists.
Square →
An aspect near 90° separation in zodiac longitude.
Word origin, evidence & sources
Square names the four-sided equal-sided figure; the astrological aspect corresponds to one quarter of the circle, or a right angle.
The relationship is near a quarter circle under a stated orb. Traditional difficulty symbolism should not be confused with an observed physical obstruction or a guaranteed adverse event.
Trine →
An aspect near 120° separation in zodiac longitude.
Word origin, evidence & sources
Latin trinus means threefold, from trini, three each; a trine spans one third of a circle.
The geometric relationship divides the circle into thirds. Its usual favorable symbolism is inherited interpretation; identifying a trine does not demonstrate ease, talent or an eventual success.