We honor those who stand for all we value.

Here’s to the blessings for, and the blessings we count as a result of all the brave men and women in our armed forces. It’s a powerful Memorial Day, celestially speaking, with a Mercury Retrograde and Neptune Retrograde kicking off your holiday. Mercury (Communication) in Retrograde makes for mischief and mistakes in correspondence, negotiations, and even face-to-face relationships. Meanwhile, Neptune (Spirituality) has a Retrograde which makes for a challenge in your belief systems. Just remember that challenges also bring opportunities. In a Mercury Retrograde the opportunity is to put off important business transactions until everything is right and double-checked — due diligence is in order. And Spiritual challenges are what builds character.

“Why block emotions? It’s human to avoid strong feelings. But only after raising them and dealing with what comes (let them teach you what you need to know)…”

Monday also sees Saturn (Practicality) squaring off with Venus (Romance) so your love vibes may have to be put on hold in favor of more pressing matters. That’s priorities for you. But you know, if there’s one thing military people understand… it’s priorities, so we can take a que from them and get things in order. And just as the pull and gravities of the great celestial planets are quite powerful, so are times and tides of our people on Earth. Memorial Day was first observed after the Civil War to honor the dead in that epic struggle.

We have two retrograde planets today, where retrograde means that they reverse their usual motion accross our sky (as it appears to us). This signal is interpreted as a period of caution when the planetary energy is in a stressful position. Reversals. Stress. Squaring off. Such is life, and such is how our lives and relationship orbits echo the forces above. And of course the harmonic periods are also ours to enjoy.

On Tuesday, the Moon (Emotion) squares off with both the Sun (Personality), and Venus (Romance), so your challenge will be to deal with your emotions which may be holding you back, or blocking where you need to go in your relationships. Why block emotions? It’s human to avoid strong feelings. But only after raising them and dealing with what comes (let them teach you what you need to know), can you get to the next phase of your life. Feel, heal, deal. And, it’s a great feeling when you make that happen.

Our Nations were formed in the heat of many battles. And our soldiers know how to stand tough, when to laugh, when to cry, and when to celebrate. We thank and pray for them, as we continue to live and grow through the tides in our own lives.

Astrologers study “aspects” — the relative positions of planets at a certain point in time — by charting positions, and tracking affects.

Often when I write blog posts, I talk about how the planets are working in the heavens, sometimes cooperating with one another, and sometimes at odds and how that impacts us here on earth. And in horoscope charts, aspects are patterns we check to ascertain elements of the personality. But what are these “aspects” exactly? I get the question a lot, so let’s take a closer look.

“Aspect patterns have a major influence on your personality and character by creating greater ease or resistance.”

You can think of aspects as way in which the planets work together to make things easier, or harder for you. You can track (chart) aspects by studying the angles that planets form to one another at particular points in time. And, when several aspects occur in the same chart (or simultaneously), they can create larger aspect patterns. Instead of one aspect, several planets in aspect can create a larger aspect pattern. These larger patterns can signify a complex personality pattern, referred to by psychologists as “complexes”.

Modern astrologers approach aspects more from data and reporting in current research with some consideration of historical reference. “Astrological harmonics” is an umbrella term having to do with the study and factoring in of all aspects for a given person, or situation.

Aspect patterns have a major influence on your personality and character by creating greater ease or resistance. They can also be set off and stepped up by transiting and progressed planets. A natal trine may become a Grand Trine whenever a third planet enters the part of the zodiac that trines both planets already in trine. A T-Square can become a Grand Square, and a sextile can become a Yod. This can also happen in relation to other people and their planets can form larger aspect patterns with yours. Having these aspects together can create feelings of immediate rapport and significant relationship dynamics or something you are both attracted to work on or understand.

Helpful Aspects: Trines & Grand Trines

Trines are formed between a couple of planets when they are roughly at a 120 degree angle from each other and generally are viewed as a favorable influence with the energy of each planet contributing to the positive energy of the trine. A simple example would be on a particular day when Mercury (Communication) forms a trine with Venus (Love), then it can be said to be fortuitous to speak what is in your heart — about love, on that day. But things are usually much more complex than that, and even following trines, there can be too many of them in a chart which might tend to make a person lazy.

“A T-Square is a challenging aspect that signifies a struggle that intensifies and eventually leads to a resolution.”

When 2 planets make a trine (120 degree angle), and there is a 3rd planet that also makes trines to both planets, this triangle is called a Grand Trine. Imagine a planet at 0 degrees Aries, another at 0 Leo and a 3rd at 0 Sagittarius, and this is a Grand Trine. The 3 planets that make up a Grand Trine are usually in the same ELEMENT. They don’t have to be, as some aspects are very close, yet out-of-sign. However, the principle of a Grand Trine is that there or 3 (or more) planets trine each other in the same element. When you see a Grand Trine in a chart, it looks like a large triangle.

A Grand Trine aspect pattern can create a feeling of ease and complacency because things seem to “just happen” seamlessly, without effort, friction, or force. This can signify a special talent or ability that appears effortless, but it can also signal a tendency to be lazy or complacent because things come so easily that there is nothing to prove and talent is never fully developed. Your tendency can be to leave the tough stuff for another day. With a Grand Trine, there’s always tomorrow….

Challenging Aspects: T-Squares and Grand Squares

When 3 planets square each other, they form a triangle called a T-Square. In a T-Square, there is one planet that squares 2 other planets that oppose each other. If you envision a planet at 0 degrees Aries with a planet square it from 0 Capricorn and another at 0 Cancer, this is a T-Square. If there is also a 4th planet in square with the others, for example a planet at 0 degrees Libra, this creates a Grand Square pattern.

A T-Square is a challenging aspect that signifies a struggle that intensifies and eventually leads to a resolution. While T-Square configurations are common, they signify an inherent challenge that forces growth or change that can lead to success in life. The focal planet, or planet that squares the opposing planets, is the key to the T-Square and shows where tension is most likely to show up. Conflict resolution may be aided by the missing or empty part of the Square (opposing the focal planet).

Above, Zytglogge tower in Bern, Switzerland. East facade fresco showing the gods for the planets Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus and Mercury.

While T-Squares are often found in charts, Grand Squares are less common and often signify a weight to bear that keeps you on a short leash. It may seem like access is continuously denied and you are restricted to a small area where growth is only possible with discipline and hard work. For some reason or another, you are continually stressed and need to consciously maintain balance, always being forced to stick to the straight and narrow. Somehow, these people often learn to carry big loads and are capable of effectively handling large responsibilities. However, they can also feel overstressed and overburdened at times.

Cosmic Aspects: Yods

In a YOD pattern, 2 planets make a sextile, and they both make a quincunx (inconjunct or 150 degree aspect) to a 3rd planet, creating a triangle, or Yod. If you imagine a planet at 0 Aries and 2 planets sextile each other at 0 Virgo and 0 Scorpio, this is a Yod.

Yods are called the “finger of God” and have a connotation of being receptive to messages from higher states of consciousness. While Yods can be exotic and you can enjoy the adventure of feeling like a stranger in a strange land, you may also need to make consessions and be adaptive to unfamiliar situations when you have a Yod in your chart. It may be that you give in one direction and get your needs met from a completely different source, so it is not possible to measure how much others give you to decide how much you can give.

All of these kaleidoscope of patterns factor in together in your horoscope and the picture (a snapshot of patterns) that astrologers consider for daily, weekly, and monthly events.

16th century Arabic manuscript and Zodiac

As we head into the weekend, the heavens offer us some interesting influences — the Moon (Emotions) is at odds with Mars (Initiative), and this while the Sun (Personality) shows tension with the Moon. It’s easy to see that your feelings could be holding you back from doing what must be done. How can you prevent that? Get your “to do” list out and make sure to cross off at least the top three items after you prioritize them. No matter if you list is much longer. If you’ve prioritized correctly, the top three things you must do will prove very beneficial on completion. Of course we’re still in Pisces — a water sign, which means emotions will continue to be important, so don’t hold them back… embrace them. Once you feel… then you can deal.

“Careers, families, and relationships require concentration on the details.”

It’s been an interesting week. Last Tuesday, (3.25), the Moon (Emotion) was in harmonic position with four different planets: Venus (Love), Mercury (Communication), Jupiter (Growth), and Uranus (Enlightenment). Quite a package. Did you notice gut instincts giving you vital clues? Wednesday offered more celestial fun.

Also this week, the Sun (Personality) was in harmony with the Moon (Emotions), but Mars (Initiative) was in a tug of war with Neptune (Ideals), and this probably made you a little crazy. At those times it’s good to meditate, and do some quiet journal writing. If you’re career minded, write down some goals and make a plan, then put it aside for a while. It’s possible to be creative at this time, but big old Neptune can pull you off track now, so sit back and enjoy what harmony there is. There will be time for right action in the near future.

Today (Friday), the Sun (Personality) was in position with Neptune (Ideals) to bring your dreams, and the bigger picture to the fore font. You will have to decide if that’s productive for you. Taking a moment to look at your annual calendar and factor in ways to make progress on major goals is a good way to use this impetus. Losing focus on work activities would be one example of how you might get sidetracked. It would be good to indulge in dreaming during coffee breaks, and focus back down to earth as you get back to your desk. Careers, families, and relationships require concentration on the details.

Historically, “cosmolabes” and other devices were used to calculate aspects.

How does Astrology help you figure out what’s going on in your life, and in the lives of romantic interests, coworkers, and family members? Well there are books and books on that, but one thing we do is look at “Aspects” in the horoscope. An aspect is the angle the planets make to one another in a particular horoscope. You can think of this as energies interacting in a personality (each planet represents a certain type of energy). This has been called “astrological harmonics,” and you can think of a chart as a sort of musical score for your life. What notes will you play with the people you work with, and the people you love? That’s where it gets very interesting.

Sometimes events in your life are in “harmony”, some times they are quite out of tune. It is very interesting when you look at all of the different character traits of someone you know well — it can be quite a long list. And your character traits, have to work well with those around you for your social self to be in harmony. That’s why Astrologers look at Aspects, and in particular Major Aspects revealed in one’s horoscope, and in the charts showing what’s going on daily, weekly, and monthly. Awareness of major aspects in your life — emotional awareness — can be used as an opportunity to change and alter your life that will benefit you.

“Understanding your energy blueprint and those of important people in your life can help you make wise choices.”

Is Astrology all about your Sun sign? No… there really is a lot more to it. Among other things, we Astrologers look at your horoscopes to determine different types of “aspects”, like Conjunctions, Sextiles, and Squares. These, generally speaking, have to do with the way the planets line up in different configurations within the houses of your horoscope. Conjunctions may be thought of as blended energies, and sometimes this can mean a blindspot in your life. Sextiles, may point to your talents, and Squares can create certain tensions within the personality — not necessarily a negative thing. Tensions can be just what’s required to motivate action. There are other types of aspects too, which combined, show a sort of energy blueprint for your personality. Understanding your energy blueprint and those of important people in your life can help you make wise choices.