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Sun Square Pluto

Sun Square Pluto

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Author: Arwynne O’Neill   –   Published: March 2024

Sun Square Pluto in Transit

Today we’re going to be talking about a transit that happens twice a year, which is the Sun square Pluto. The Sun will be at 2° Taurus and Pluto is at 2° Aquarius and the aspect will be exact on April 21, 2024.

 

The key word for this transit is intensity. You might have ego conflicts with people, you might feel like you’re out of control, you might feel threatened by other people’s aggression or have power struggles with people in authority. You will have to put forth more effort than usual to avoid conflicts with other people because there transit brings an urge to dominate, control or abuse your power.

 

On the positive side you could try use it to assert your authority if you have not been in control of a certain situation and this may be a time where whether you want to or not you could assert yourself with success or not success depending on the situation this is a very intense emotional aspect that could trigger feelings of persecution, fear of death or losing control, feeling of being manipulated or spied on or dominated by other people fear of persecution, jealousy, addiction and abuse by other people. It’s a potentially very stressful aspect in this sense.

 

Because we’re dealing with the square and not the conjunction or even the opposition, the likelihood is that it would not go well if you try to assert your authority at this time. It is more likely that it would backfire so flying under the radar might be the best approach but you could definitely feel an intense need for control or the feeling of being out of control or overpowered at this time.

Sun in Taurus

Some keywords for Sun and Taurus in the natal chart include sensuality, stubbornness, earthiness, determination, appreciation of comfort and the good things in life, food, luxuries, leisure, financial security.
  
Many of our titans of Industry historically have had the sun in Taurus. It also has a correlation with the throat and a lot of people who have the sun in Taurus are well known for their beautiful, rich, soulful voices, including Orson Welles, Cher, Adele, Barbara Streisand, Al Pacino, Janet Jackson and George Clooney, etc.

Pluto in Aquarius

We’ve talked at length about Pluto in Aquarius already, you can find links to those episodes in the show notes. Briefly, it has to do with the transformative power of technology and innovation, AI, the use of technology in revolutionizing our daily lives, humanitarian uses of technology and the ability to use our ingenuity for the good of humanity, but also the control of people by technology.
  
Pluto often brings about a crisis in areas symbolized by the sign it’s in, like how the Pluto in Capricorn transit of 2008-2024 was marked by the financial crisis caused by the real estate bubble, the crumbling of institutions, suspicion of governments, high profile whistleblowers against powerful governments and corrupt businesses, etc.

Sun Square Pluto in the Natal Chart

When this aspect occurs in someone’s chart, power dynamics could be a big part of their personal narrative, beginning in childhood. These people are often drawn to the darker side of life, fascinated with issues of control, power dynamics, life and death, taboos, addiction and the occult.

 

They may have a desperate need to feel in control or a fear of being manipulated, intense emotions like paranoia, jealousy and compulsive competitiveness may lead them to destructive outbursts and intense conflicts with others.

 

One of the things about looking at celebrities as examples is that we’re usually going to see people who have used these energies for good and turned the negative potential around and use them in a positive way.

 

Since this aspect happens twice a year, it’s not uncommon, so we’ll also see examples of people who have absolutely not used it for good, including Joseph Mengele, and on the other end of the spectrum, JonBenet Ramsey.

Leonardo-da-vinci-birth-chart

  

Celebrities with the Sun Square Pluto

Leonardo da Vinci, Jared Leto, Marlon Brando, Barbra Streisand, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tiger Woods, Justin Trudeau, Julianne Moore, Jamie Foxx, John D. Rockefeller and Ice Cube
  
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Author Bio

Arwynne O’Neill: Research Astrologer

Arwynne O’Neill works as a research astrologer in Vancouver, with a focus on delving into historical cycles and how they relate to societal transformations as influenced by the energies of the outer planets.

Contact Arwynne

Website MsPink

Ms Pink Art shop

Instagram @mspinkdotcom

 

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Double and Triple Sign Glyphs

Double and Triple Sign Glyphs

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Author: Alison Price   –   Published: April 2024

Ascendant and Sun

I’ve been thinking quite a lot lately about glyphs and people who are double signs. And by double signs I mean someone who has their Sun in a sign and their Ascendant in the same sign. glyphs

I myself am a double Leo. I have the Sun in Leo and my Ascendant is Leo.

 

Triple Signs

We can take it one step further. In my family, my brother is actually a triple Virgo.

He’s got his Ascendant in Virgo, his Sun in Virgo and his Moon in Virgo and yes, he works in micro-precision engineering.

 

Ascendant and Moon?

Now typically, you would refer to someone as double sign if they had the Sun and the Ascendant the same sign.

I think you can also stretch this to say that if you have the Ascendant and the Moon in the same sign then it’s a double sign.

Where you could then say they were a double Libra or a double Scorpio or whatever.

I’m not quite sure if this is the case (that the Ascendant and the Moon are referred to as a double sign), but it would pass muster.

 

New Glyphs

And then having given some consideration to double signs or triple signs, how would their glyphs look?

This week I’ve spent a bit of time tinkering with some new glyphs and I’m just going to show you a couple now.

Aries

A double Aries glyph would look like this (dark blue on the left) and clearly triple Aries like that (mid blue on the right).

Aries-glyph

Taurus

How about this one for double Taurus?

I couldn’t resist adding the eyes. And the triple Taurus with the horns joined.

taurus-glyph

Gemini

The symbol I have for double Gemini is shown below.

It’s really is quite an easy glyph to beef up because the single Gemini has two vertical lines, but the double Gemini will have three vertical lines.

What about the triple Gemini? They would have four vertical lines.

So fun.

gemini-glyph

Cancer

I see a double and triple Cancer looking like this. I’ve overlayed the circles of the commas to blend the glyph.

I’ve got the Cancer one at an angle in this example, but you could probably draw it straight as well.

cancer-glyph

Leo

A double Leo seems to have a continuous swoop with the circles on the lower level and the tail curving up and round.

After I’d done this one I thought it really looks like a double North Node and it does, but it would pass for Leo too I think…

It’s got flow when you write it so that works.

Leo-glyph

Virgo

The Virgo glyph is quite interesting because it’s not symmetrical.

I suggest the double and triple Virgos would look like these.

virgo-glyph

Libra

Let’s have a look at Libra.

Here’s my suggestion for a double Libra and triple Libra.

It could be done with the one bulge repeated above as well so that’s an idea.

libra-glyph

Scorpio

Scorpio is another tricky one because the main glyph is not symmetrical.

You could do it by creating 3 arches or perhaps put a double tail as I’ve shown here.

The triple one looks very busy and somehow it doesn’t seem quite right.

I’ll keep working on this design.

scorpio-glyph

Sagittarius

Sagittarius is pretty straightforward with a double or triple arrow.

Or even crossed arrows? Nah, that’s not the nature of Archers.

I plumped on these designs for Sagittarius.

sagittarius-glyph

Capricorn

Again, Capricorn falls into a pesky group because the original glyph is not symmetrical.

This one looks better if they are below and slightly to the right because if you keep the pen on the page the line just continues.

It has flow.

Here’s my examples for double Capricorn and triple Capricorn.

Capricorn-glyph

Aquarius

A single Aquarius has two wavy lines, one on top of each other.

So clearly a double Aquarius would have three wavy lines on top of each other and of course, then a triple Aquarius would have four wavy lines on top of each other. Maybe?

I tried that and was not keen on the look. I decided to go for the double and triple pyramids instead.

These are pretty simple new glyphs I think.

Aquarius-glyph

Pisces

Pisces, although symmetrical, has its challenges.

I rather like the first ones with the straight lines in the middle for the double Pisces.

And perhaps triple Pisces would look something like below.

pisces-glyph

There are a couple of options for Pisces, but isn’t that just the nature of the Fish sign?

The example glyphs below do bring in the extra fish, so four fish for the double Pisces and six fish for the triple Pisces.

I do feel the triple glyph is just too busy even though it’s almost got a shoal, or is that a school, of fish in it which, let’s face it, could be an indication of the triple Pisces person anyway.

alternative-pisces-glyph

Extend Yourself

General

In your astrology journal jot down the answers to the following:

  • Do you consider someone with their Ascendant and Moon in the same sign as a double sign?
  • How about someone with the Sun and Moon in the same sign, but not the Ascendant. Is that a double sign person?
  • Or do both components have to be the Ascendant and the Sun to qualify for “double” status?

  

Artistic?

  • If you are artistic, how do you see these sign symbols when they are double or triple signs?

I’d love to see your new double and triple glyph designs.

You can send your new glyph images to starzology@gmail.com with the subject line as “New Glyphs” and I’ll post some of them below here so we can all see.

 

What You Think

Here are a couple of notes that my readers, just like you, have sent in.

Responding to both questions, which of the big three (Ascendant, Sun and Moon) to use when considering “Double Sign” status and about my new designed double and triple glyphs.

I truly appreciate you all.

Thanks for sharing,

Alison 😊

Hi Alison,

I do consider Sun and Moon or Sun and Ascendent or Moon and Ascendent in same sign as double sign.  I think double status must include either Sun or Ascendent.  

Your article is very thought provoking, I prefer your second glyphs for double and triple Pisces, better than the first one.

Cheers,

Lydia

Hi Alison,

Just wanted to let you know, I like the format of the newsletter. It’s easy to read, and I like the idea of the new glyphs for the double and triple signs.
Hope you’re doing well,
Melody-Ann
double-and-triple-sign-glyphs-pin

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Author Bio

Alison Price: Professional Astrologer

Alison helps you uncover your individual creativity and lead a fulfilling life using your own astrology. She shares her wisdom from the heart with a touch of humor. She offers Consultations for everyone and Coaching for Aspiring Astrologers.

If you’d like to get in touch with Alison, you can reach out to her via email at starzology@gmail.com.

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Mars Conjunct Saturn

Mars Conjunct Saturn

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Author: Arwynne O’Neill  –   Published: March 2024

Mars conjunct Saturn in Transit

Today we’re talking about the upcoming transit of Mars conjunct Saturn, which is exact on April 10, 2024. This transit happens once every two years and this time it occurs in Pisces.

You may go into this transit feeling like you’ve been held back and you’re just waiting to unleash the full force of your powers of creativity. This transit could feel very frustrating, like your engine is revving but you’re being held down and unable to complete tasks you want to accomplish.

Obstacles in your way might require more patience, perseverance, hard work and planning but you should be able to persevere and achieve more than you would otherwise. This is a great time to overcome limitations or fears, to step up and harness all your faculties in spite of the difficult circumstances you’re facing.

This transit can give you the stamina and patience and initiative to work harder than ever, but it could also result in negative outbursts, passive aggression, nastiness and petty vindictiveness. It definitely needs to be dealt with constructively or else it could be a very destructive transit. You certainly don’t want to antagonize people needlessly at this time because there is a sense that this explosive energy is just barely being held in check.

Mars conjunct Saturn in the Natal Chart

With every aspect there are positive and negative expressions possible, but this is one of the more difficult conjunctions because the energies of Mars and Saturn are so opposite to each other. People with this aspect really needs to make a concerted effort to use it constructively or it can easily become a destructive, bitter and abusive influence. It’s like the stereotypical father who tells his kids they don’t have a right to expect an easy life because his life has been so hard. It’s a bitterness that becomes a cycle of violence if you’re not careful or aware of it.

People with this aspect tend to have great powers of endurance and mental fortitude. It’s the combination of two very opposite energies, Mars being the fiery motivating aggressive, martial force and Saturn being the planet of restriction and discipline, a much more conservative archetype. This aspect tends to create a personality that oscillates between action and control.

They can have an amazing amount of perseverance, discipline, patience and authority if they are able to make the most of this conjunction. This is the kind of person who will likely say that nothing has ever come easy to them. They will feel like everything they’ve accomplished in life has come through hard work and struggle and discipline and the harnessing of all their faculties to attain their goals.

This aspect in a sign like Aries or Sagittarius would have a very different expression than it does in Pisces, which we’re getting a lot of right now with major planetary placements in this watery sign.

Mars in Pisces Keywords

Passive, charming, creative, go with the flow, calculating, fluctuating energy levels, moody, compassionate, changeable and indirect.
planet-mars-abstract-art

Saturn in Pisces Keywords

Inhibited emotions, fear of vulnerability, lack of faith in your own intuition, feeling restricted by, or an inability to express, true feelings, resentment of other people’s neediness or vulnerability, a desire to express one’s creativity but an inability to do so for internal reasons for due to external factors.
planet-saturn-abstract-art

Celebrities with Mars conjunct Saturn

Dolly Parton, Pablo Escobar, Eddie Izzard, Henry Winkler, Rihanna, Venus Williams, Al Gore, Pierre Trudeau, David Lynch, Howard Hughes

 

venus-williams-birth-chart

  

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Author Bio

Arwynne O’Neill: Research Astrologer

Arwynne O’Neill works as a research astrologer in Vancouver, with a focus on delving into historical cycles and how they relate to societal transformations as influenced by the energies of the outer planets.

Contact Arwynne

Website MsPink

Ms Pink Art shop

Instagram @mspinkdotcom

 

More Articles

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Polarity

Polarity

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Author: Alison Price   –   Published: April 2024

Polarities 

Sign Polarity

There are two polarities in astrology.

The polarities are masculine or feminine and can be referred to as active or passive and positive and negative.

Each polarity has six signs associated with it and the two polarities alternate from one sign to the next sign.

Polarity shows a balance in nature much like a magnet with a positive charge at one end and a negative charge at the other.

The energy is ejected from the positive side and absorbed by the negative side.

 

polarities-bar-magnet-diagram

Equal

This process cannot function without both polarities being present in equal measure.

We are often attracted to those who balance our polarity. In a chart one is said to be a positive person or a negative person.

The positive and negative charges are in balance on Earth. You may be more positive than negative or more negative than positive, but it means you will be attracted to other people who fill your polarity void.

 

Example

For instance, if you have more planets in signs of the active polarity you will be attracted to people who are mainly passive. If you have more planets in signs of the passive polarity you are attracted to those who are active.

This is especially so in relationships between male and female.

It is the natural flow of energy and we are constantly drawn towards other people, almost magnetically, who can complement the energy in our charts.

polarity-table

Counting Planets

Only count the seven visible planets which are, the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Your total will add up to seven.

The visible planets can be seen with the naked eye.

  

Quality vs Quantity Counting

The reason for this limited count is that you want a quality count and not a quantity count.

The visible planets have been in human consciousness since man (and woman) evolved and we are fully aware of them.

Whereas the other planets are relatively new.

Example: Diana Ross

Let’s look at polarity in the birth chart for Diana Ross.

 

Birth Data

11:46pm, March 26, 1944, Detroit, MI, USA.

 

Active Polarity

Her five planets in the active polarity are:

  • Sun in Aries
  • Mercury in Aries
  • Mars in Gemini
  • Jupiter in Leo
  • Saturn in Gemini

Passive Polarity

Her two planets in the passive polarity are:

 

  • The Moon in Taurus
  • Venus in Pisces
Diana-ross-birth-chart-showing-polarities

Result: Active

With five planets in active signs and two planets in passive signs this shows at strong active emphasis.

 

Polarity Strength

For a polarity to be strong it must have two more planets that the other polarity.

Examples of strong polarity balances are:

 

Active 7 – Passive 0

Active 6 – Passive 1

Active 5 – Passive 2

Active 2 – Passive 5

Active 6 – Passive 1

Active 0 – Passive 7

Balanced Polarity

The polarities are considered in balance whne the distribution is as follows:

 

Active 3 – Passive 4

Active 4 – Passive 3

In this case, consider the polarities to be in balance.

Don’t spend more time interpreting the polarity balance.

Move on to the other features in the chart.

active-passive-polarity-pin

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Author Bio

Alison Price: Professional Astrologer

Alison helps you uncover your individual creativity and lead a fulfilling life using your own astrology. She shares her wisdom from the heart with a touch of humor. She offers Consultations for everyone and Coaching for Aspiring Astrologers.

If you’d like to get in touch with Alison, you can reach out to her via email at starzology@gmail.com.

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Ascendant, Sun and Moon Blends

Ascendant, Sun and Moon Blends

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Author: Alison Price   –   Published: April 2024

Ascendant, Sun and Moon

Triad of Astrology

These three pieces of astrological information, your Ascendant, Sun and Moon sign, are known as the holy trinity, the triad or the triumvirate of your chart.

They are always listed in this order of importance; Ascendant, Sun and Moon (and yes, your Ascendant is more important than your Sun).

The Sun

Perhaps you already know your Sun sign. It could be Aries, Cancer or Virgo etc. Your Sun sign depends on the date of your birthday. It is the zodiac sign which the Sun was in at the time you were born.

Everyone’s Sun sign is the easiest thing to know in astrology. You will know your own, and your family’s birthdates and probably your close friend’s birthdays as well.

It is a simple step to find everybody’s Sun sign. The Sun sign is the first nugget of information that all people know about astrology.

Ascendant

The second thing you need to learn is your Ascendant sign. This is likely to be different to your Sun sign although it could be the identical. You will only know your Ascendant sign if you cast your chart.

Moon

The third fact you need to discover is your Moon sign. Again, you will have to cast your chart to find this out. Your Moon sign is likely to be in a different sign both to your Sun sign and even to your Ascendant sign, but it could be the same.

Ascendant, Sun and Moon: Going Deeper

By this stage you probably have a grip on the meanings of the Ascendant, the Sun and the Moon. Now the idea is to bring these three chart components together and blend them into a cohesive whole that makes sense to your chart reading.

Let’s have a deeper look into what makes each of these three high profile chart factors different to each other.

 

Ascendant: Your Personality

Your approach to life, interactions, a role or a part you play

The Ascendant is a symbol of your one-to-one, face-to-face, meet-and-greet personality that you employ to socialize. It is a vehicle you use to interact with others. It is your personal interface and is like a cloak you wear to ‘appear’ to others when you walk out of your front door.

Your Ascendant is your opening position and obvious agenda. Your Ascendant is a collection of expectations you have of the world and your immediate place in it.

Your Ascendant reveals the first impressions you make and receive which start out as early messages about your behavior (are you good or bad, or right or wrong).

How you strive to meet the expectations of others through your actions when you were a child is indicated by your Ascendant.

  

Ascendant Complex

Your personality is seen in your Ascendant complex, and most importantly its sign and major planetary aspects to its degree.

It is the variable means by which you negotiate your needs with others (as seen by your Moon) and formulate or build something we can identify as character (as seen by your Sun).

Your Ascendant acts as an interface between the Sun or Moon (or other parts of the chart) and the immediate world around you. Your personality has energy.

You have a particular attitude, humor, engagement and interaction.

The Ascendant energy is quite different from the accumulation of early behaviors (Moon) or the formation of your character (Sun).

Personality is easy to pick up on, quick to read and decipher. You can usually see personailty when you first meet someone (Ascendant).

Personality traits have little to do with your true character as they are what you show to others.

  

Appearance

The Ascendant indicates your appearance, and how you come across and the means you use to get through life.

Astrologically, the Ascendant is often seen as the vehicle by which we reach the Sun’s destination which is your life goal.

The Ascendant is the route to getting your needs (Moon) met in relationships and how you negotiate these personal needs in a one- to-one environment.

ascendant-sun-moon

The Sun: Your Character

Your essence, and type of ‘heart’

The Sun reveals your main life-purpose. It indicates the core reasons behind why you have been born and what you are in the process of becoming.

When you express your Sun complex by its sign, house and aspects, you acknowledge your birthright. The Sun suggests opportunities when you can manifest your individual life-path and singular potential.

Each Sun sign suggests a pattern or a set of symbolic images that you can strive towards and embody. The Sun is often reduced to a stereotype, which comes from the simplistic Sun Sign world.

Your Sun’s meaning requires individual interpretation. It shows how you envision your discrete life-path and what are the most important things in life to you. Your character can be seen as a collection of fundamental, integral philosophies that you have gathered over time.

Character is an accumulation of identities, traits and patterns that become the main thread of your life.

If you embrace the character of your Sun, it will draw you towards heartfelt and healthy self-esteem and show you a path of integrity and wholeness.

Character can be challenging to see in yourself. Character takes time for you to uncover, and time for it to reveal itself. 

The Moon: Your Behavior

Your needs, habits, sensory input and impressions 

The Moon complex reveals your fundamental relationship needs, drives and expectations.

It shows your innate responses to everyday life.

All habitual behavior that you are a slave to, or a ‘default’ position where you simply absorb experience passively or become little more than “a bundle of reactions”.

Your lunar instinctive behavior is sourced from your past, your mother and what she taught you unconsciously about the world. How to behave and how to react to situations were very often preprogrammed in your early life.

The Moon can reflect your most tender, vulnerable and immature side, and it is like a storehouse of emotions.

The Moon shows what you are attached to, and what you need to feel safe and rooted. Your behavior is a collection of instincts formed to create a complex pattern.

It is an interconnected web of habitual responses where the drive to remain safe and sound.

Behavior is how you are when you are together with yourself. It shows up in your range of responses in yourself and from those around you.

Your Moon complex indicates your temperament which is often linked to the four elements (the four ‘humours’ that were said to make up our disposition).

The Moon is a suggestion of your emotional responses.

Your Moon complex reveals your emotional nature. 

moon-card

Summary: Ascendant, Sun and Moon 

Ascendant

  • Your Ascendant is your one-to-one personality.
  • It reveals your approach to life.
  • It suggests the tools you use to interact with others. I
  • t shows the first impression you make on others. 

Sun

  • Your Sun shows your core character.
  • It is linked to your central purpose, goal, focus and life-path.
  • It indicates your life-journey of self-discovery and the process of becoming whole. 

Moon

  • Your Moon suggests your natural behavior and temperament.
  • It indicates your natural needs and habitual responses to everyday life.
  • It reveals your emotional nature and suggests your default reactions and feelings to people and situations. 

Main Takeaway: Ascendant, Sun and Moon

The Sun 

The Sun is more concerned with how the world affects you and how you can impact the world. The Sun suggests your journey, or path of self-discovery and your major life statements. It is the ultimate path, the archetype that you are here to embrace and embody. 

The Sun is the very heart of your horoscope, but the Ascendant and Moon say more about your personality and behavioral traits. These two chart factors are of far greater importance when considering how people come across, behave, react and interact in life. 

Moon and Ascendant 

Your Moon and your Ascendant are critical to unveiling relationship patterns and dynamics that develop in early childhood with close family members and schoolmates.

They form the basis of your expectations and the roles you can naturally play out in your love life, work and friendships. 

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Author Bio

Alison Price: Professional Astrologer

Alison helps you uncover your individual creativity and lead a fulfilling life using your own astrology. She shares her wisdom from the heart with a touch of humor. She offers Consultations for everyone and Coaching for Aspiring Astrologers.

If you’d like to get in touch with Alison, you can reach out to her via email at starzology@gmail.com.

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Mercury and Mars Aspects

Mercury and Mars Aspects

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Author: Arwynne O’Neill   –   Published: March 2024

Mercury and Mars Aspects

Kinds of Aspects

Today we’re going to be talking about something a little different. We’ve had a few questions come in about the difference between the various kinds of aspects we talk about, in transits or people’s charts, and we’ve done an entire episode (which will link to in the show notes) about the major aspects. But I wanted to take this episode and just go through all the major aspects with the same two planets. There are also minor aspects, but I’m just going to focus on the big five here, which would be the conjunction, the sextile and trine (the “soft” aspects), opposition and square (the “hard” aspects). This way we can really get a feel for the subtle differences when they apply to the same two planets, and those two planets are Mercury and Mars.

To quickly recap what aspects are, I’m going to quote from The Inner Sky by Stephen Forrest, in which he says, “If signs, planets and houses are the basic words in the astrological language then aspects are the laws of grammar and syntax that govern how those words must be hooked together. Aspects represent our first solid step towards the formation of full-blown coherent astrological sentences.”

Aspects are the angles that describe the relationships between any two planets. Aspect patterns describe when three or more planets are involved but today we’ll just be focusing on the major aspects (saving the biquintile for another day!).

Conjunctions

(0 degrees)

A conjunction is zero degrees which means the two planets occupy the same position in the sky. With a conjunction the energies of the two planets are combined and express themselves as one which may be easier or harder depending on the nature of the two planets and of course the sign they occupy.

Sextiles

(60 degrees)

Sextiles are 60° and two signs apart, for example Virgo and Scorpio, Aries and Gemini or Sagittarius and Aquarius. Stephen Forrest says something interesting about the sextile, which is that it’s often considered a watered-down trine, but in fact it’s quite distinct and it produces excitation, intense, colorful and dynamic stimulation, so there’s humor, enthusiasm and restlessness but in a positive way, like the feeling of falling in love, dancing or laughing.

Trines

(120 degrees)

Trines are 120° or four signs apart and they’re considered the softest and easiest of the aspects. The key word is “flowing.” They occur with two signs in the same element, so two water signs, fire signs, air signs or earth signs. Signs in a trine relationship are allies. They support each other but they’re not always passionate, to continue the relationship metaphor. They can also be wasted because the energies flow together so easily you sometimes take them for granted.

Squares

(90 degrees)

A square is 90° or three signs apart and they’re considered the most difficult of the hard aspects because here we have friction without commonality. Squares are the aspect of constant tension, where the two signs have a lack of understanding, like two cars at an intersection trying to decide who should go first.

Oppositions

(180 degrees)

An opposition is when two signs are 180° apart or exactly opposite each other in the birth chart. Oppositions create a push and pull energy, whether they occur in one chart or between two people. The keywords are tension and polarization. Think about the signs Taurus and Scorpio, it doesn’t get much more opposite but it’s like the old saying, opposites attract. Each sign contains what the other lacks and they can come together and create a whole that is greater than the two parts.

Mercury and Mars Aspects

We’re going to use Mercury and Mars as our example, because Mercury moves so quickly that we wouldn’t normally talk about the transits, so this is a great opportunity to take a deep dive into what it means when Mercury is in any major aspect with Mars in the birth chart.
  
Mercury of course is the planet of communication, speech, thought patterns, your style of self-expression, writing, humor, body language, etc.
  
Mars is the planet of drive, aggression, activity, initiative and sexual conquest. It can also suggest the type of man you’re attracted to.

Mercury conjunct Mars

When these two planets are conjunct, we see one’s initiative or aggressiveness and intellect occur as one initiative in the chart. When one is affected by a Transit or the energy of another person, the other is activated at the same time. We get a sharp or forceful intellect, a competitive mind, someone with a temper who uses their words as weapons.
   
The energies of Mercury and Mars are fused together and will never operate independently for that person. These people sometimes talk very quickly; they are not afraid to stand up for themselves or others and they often don’t care whether others agree with them. They are sometimes rash, tactless, sarcastic or even offensive but very straightforward and blunt.

Celebrities with Mercury conjunct Mars

Heath Ledger, John F Kennedy, Meryl Streep, Salvador Dali and Kendrick Lamar.
salvador-dali-birth-chart

The Soft Aspects: Trines and Sextiles

With the soft aspects, the trine and sextile, Mercury and Mars indicate an alert and active mind, affluent conversationalist, someone who is brisk and Lively and for both, with an active mental life and easy communication style. They express their opinions freely, independently and easily and maybe a very good with their hands. The difference between the trine and sextile in this case would be more easily felt by the person than observed from outside.
With the trine, both planets would be in the same element, for example Leo and Sagittarius or Libra and Aquarius. Obviously someone with those combinations would be very different from each other and the expression of their aggressive intellect would come across very differently.
With the sextile, they might have Mercury in Leo and Mars in Libra, which would create a very different personality than if they had, say, Mercury in Leo trine Mars in Sagittarius.

Celebrities with Mercury Sextile Mars

Beyoncé, Princess Diana, Katy Perry, Prince, Sharon Stone, Jay Z, Bill Clinton and Sean Penn.

 

Celebrities with Mercury Trine Mars

Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Lawrence, Franklin D. Roosevelt and George Orwell.
birth-chart-for-prince

The Hard Aspects: Oppositions and Squares

The opposition and the square are similar in many ways, both being hard aspects. There may be combative egotism and sharp aggressive temperamental behavior that can antagonize others. This person is often unable to control their communication Style and they behave in an irritable temperamental, rash and hot headed fashion. The important difference between these two hard aspects comes when you consider the signs involved.
  
Someone who has Mercury in Gemini, for example, opposite Mars in Sagittarius will exhibit this energy quite differently from someone who has Mercury in Gemini square Mars in Virgo or Pisces. In this example, the opposition will create a lively and adventurous personality, someone who loves wordplay and banter, maybe a prolific writer or wordsmith or conversationalist and regaling others of their adventures and exploits. Whereas the square will create more tension, someone who constantly feels the need to prove their intellect, a verbose intellectually aggressive, maybe even ostentatious or obnoxious personality.
  
On the other hand, the square can create frustration and a difficulty in communicating clearly. The person with this aspect may always feel like they need to clarify or explain themselves or that they’re often misunderstood.

Celebrities with Mercury square Mars

Michael Jackson, Pamela Anderson, Marilyn Manson, Sean Connery, Warren Buffett, Tom Brady, Conor McGregor and Anthony Bourdain.

Celebrities with Mercury opposite Mars

Kate Blanchett, Christina Ricci, Nina Simone, Ice Cube, Alice Cooper and Tucker Carlson.
sean-connery-birth-chart

More on this Topic

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More on Aspects

The aspects are the dialogue between the planets. Below is a selection of articles on aspects.

Conjunctions

Conjunctions

Conjunction aspects form when two planets are very close to each other and within an 8° orb.

 

Oppositions

Opposition Aspects

Opposition aspects form when two planets are opposite each other in a chart. They 180° apart with an orb of 8°.

 

Trines

Trine Aspects

Trine aspects form when two planets are 120° apart with an orb of 8°.

 

Squares

Square Aspects

Square aspects form when two planets are 90° apart with an orb of 8°.

 

Sextiles

Sextile Aspects

Sextile aspects form when two planets are 60° apart with an orb of 4°.

 

Author Bio

Arwynne O’Neill: Research Astrologer

Arwynne O’Neill works as a research astrologer in Vancouver, with a focus on delving into historical cycles and how they relate to societal transformations as influenced by the energies of the outer planets.

Contact Arwynne

Website MsPink

Ms Pink Art shop

Instagram @mspinkdotnet

 

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