Tonight I want to further elaborate on aspects before we delve into the planets themselves. I had a great analogy written up for you, then discovered today that I had to throw it out the window. Let me use as much of it as I can, though. Last week we learned how the signs relate to one another and called these aspects. I explained that aspects are carried out by the planets. I want to further elaborate on aspects before we delve into the planets themselves. Let us refer back to the analogy of a written message. Let us say that Moon is in Taurus, so Moon is carrying a message that is of the nature of Taurus. She will broadcast this message to every planet she aspects before she leaves the sign. Let us say that Mars is in Capricorn, who will also broadcast the message of Capricorn to everyone he encounters while in that sign. Taurus and Capricorn have a trine relationship. So if they are sending each other messages, when do those messages get read? When the two planets come to perfection. That is, when they are in the same degree of their sign. If Mars is at 20 Capricorn, and Moon is at 5 Taurus, they are too far apart to communicate. It is like two people standing on two mountaintops shouting to each other. They will never hear each other unless they get closer. As Moon travels through Taurus (because she is the faster planet) she will eventually reach the degree of Mars. When that happens the aspect perfects. When Moon reaches 20 Taurus, they will be in perfect aspect and will exchange their messages. As long as they are in the same degree, they are in partile aspect. Now, they can still shout, mind you, so they can hear each other before they are face to face. This is called a platick aspect, and the distance between the planets for this to be effective varies from planet to planet. Some people can just shout more loudly than others. All can shout for over 5 degrees, so if any planets are within 5 degrees of a perfect aspect, it is called a platick aspect.
Student's comment: Greek ~ platikos = having to do with width or breadth.
This is what we usually see in charts. If the faster planet has not yet reached the degree of the slower, the aspect is said to be applying. If the faster planet has passed the degree of the slower, the aspect is said to be separating. It is important to know whether an aspect is applying or separating, because it is important to know if the messages have been exchanged yet or not. True planets also sometimes travel backwards through the sky (or so it appears). A planet in this state is called retrograde. It is symbolized by either the letter R (or r) or Rx, like we use for prescriptions today. Always be careful to note which direction a planet is traveling, so you know whether it is applying or separating. An applying aspect carries the promise of future action, whereas a separating aspect shows action that has already taken place. Which one you are looking for will depend on the question.
Q: The question in regards to the client's question?
A: Yes. The question that the client asks. If the client wants to know, "Will I....?" you look for applying aspects. If the client wants to know, "Did they....?" you look for separating aspects.
Q: So a separating trine will be a "Yes they did"?
A: Usually. Separating aspects are also useful in lost item horaries, too. They help identify who had it last.
Usually one planet moves quickly toward another while that other moves away more slowly simply because they are traveling in the same direction and do not generally stop for one to catch up. The planets have messages to deliver and are not about to slow down for someone else. After all, neither sleet nor snow nor wind nor rain... well, you get the idea. Sometimes though, they do stop. They become stationary as they change direction. When they are retrograde, they will mutually apply to or separate from other planets (both planets moving toward or away from each other). It really isn't as complicated as it sounds.
I mentioned that planets can shout to each other. This is called an orb. Every planet has a specific orb. It is important to note that the planets determine the orb, not the aspect as modern astrology claims. For example, the orb of Saturn is 9 degrees. That means that he can shout to any planet within 9 degrees of a perfect aspect and they will hear him. Venus, on the other hand, has an orb of 7 degrees. She can only be heard by planets within 7 degrees of a perfect aspect. When Saturn and Venus are separated by 8 degrees, she can hear him, but he cannot hear her. Only half of the message can be transmitted. When they get within 7 degrees, each can hear the other and they are in platick aspect. What does this mean in horary terms? It means that Saturn will begin afflicting Venus within 9 degrees of perfection, and Venus will begin softening Saturn within 7 degrees of perfection.
Q: Why the difference?
A: Some planets are more influential than others. The sun gets a whopping 15 degrees.
Q: Thats in any aspect?
A: Yes.
Q: Conjunction, square, etc?
A: Yes.
Q: So when planets become kissing cousins, they are in aspect?
A: Yep.
Q: What's the orb for the rest of the planets?
A: I will cover those as I tell you about each planet.
Traditional astrology is a very simple system. It doesn't clutter up the chart with every planet, planetoid, and piece of space debris, either known or imagined. The bodies that we as traditional astrologers are concerned with are only the planets visible to the naked eye. Of these, there are five - Saturn (being the farthest from the sun), Jupiter, Mars, Venus and Mercury (being the closest to the sun). We also use the two luminaries - Sun and Moon. For the vast majority of our work, we refer to all seven as planets. Each planet has its own character and its own symbolism, though it is not necessarily that which modern astrology has assigned it. We will address each planet individually.
Saturn is the slowest of all the planets. By nature, he is cold, dry, diurnal and masculine. His average motion is 2 minutes and 1 second of a degree per day. He is earthy, and known as the Greater Malefic. For the most part, he is considered evil. He is a restrictor. Modern astrology has tried to gloss over this by donning rose-colored glasses. Traditional astrology is much more black and white. You won't see much happy happy joy joy in the traditional art. That is not to say that Saturn is always evil in a chart, but that is his basic nature. Just as an extreme example, a serial killer does not kill every person that happens to pass by him, but his basic nature is that of a killer, not a social worker. Saturn naturally governs the earth, and those things under the earth, the elderly, fathers (in night-time charts), miners, plumbers, gardeners, donkeys, cats, mice, bears, dogs, creepy crawlies, caves, mountains, cemeteries, churchyards, lead, dust and rubbish, dark thick clouds and the east wind. This is just a very brief list. A more extensive one may be found in Christian Astrology. His color is black. His orb is 9 degrees. His friends are Jupiter, Sun and Mercury, and his enemies are Mars and Venus. (Lilly doesn't really go into any detail about friends and enemies. I take it to mean that he works more easily with his friends than he does with his enemies.) His day is Saturday.
Jupiter is the second slowest of the planets. By nature he is hot, moist, diurnal and masculine. His average motion is 4 minutes 59 seconds. He is known as the Greater Benefic. For the most part, he is considered good, do to his expansive nature. If we consider a tree, Saturn is the roots, while Jupiter is the branches. They are equal and opposite. Jupiter naturally rules over clergy (interesting note: Saturn rules monks, Jupiter rules priests), judges, doctors, scholars, students, lawyers, sheep, deer, dragons, any mild and gentle beast, eagles, bees, whales, altars and churches, courts, and oratories (I imagine this is like a convention center today), sunny days and the north wind. His colors are sea-green, blue, purple. His orb is 9 degrees. His friends are all but Mars. His day is Thursday.
Mars is the third planet. He is by nature hot, dry, diurnal and masculine. His average motion is 31 minutes 27 seconds. He is known as the Lesser Malefic. He is, after all, the god of war. Mars naturally signifies courage, war, murder, treachery, tyrants, military officers, surgeons, butchers, smiths, cooks, barbers, tigers, vultures, foxes, wolves, bears, sharks, all stinking worms (do worms really stink?), scorpions, owls, slaughterhouses, chimneys, forges, iron, thunder and lightning and the west wind. His colors are red and yellow. His orb is 7 degrees. His only friend is Venus. His day is Tuesday.
Sun is a luminary. He is by nature hot, dry (but not so much as Mars), diurnal (bet you couldn't have guessed that one!) and masculine. His average motion is 59 minutes and 8 seconds. The sun is never retrograde, but does move more slowly at some times than others. Sun naturally signifies faithfulness, magnificence, arrogance, gentlemen, kings and princes, all nobility, justices of the peace, huntsmen, stewards, officers, lions, horses, bulls, glow worms, starfish, peacocks, eagles, palaces, theaters, great halls, dining rooms, gold and the east wind. His colors are gold, yellow and red, some say purple. His orb is 15 degrees (he shouts loud). His friends are all except Saturn. His day is Sunday.
Venus is the second fastest true planet. She is by nature cool, moist, nocturnal and feminine. Her average motion is 59 minutes and 8 seconds. She is considered the Lesser Benefic. Venus naturally rules love, parties, musicians, gamers, painters, seamstresses, wives, virgins, adornment, apples, small cattle, goats, doves, sparrows, swans, dolphins, gardens, beds, dance schools, wardrobes, copper and the south wind. Her colors are white, tan, pale green. Her orb is 7 degrees. Her friends are all except Saturn. Her day is Friday.
Mercury is the fastest true planet. It is by nature cool, dry, and asexual. He takes on the qualities of those to whom he is joined (usually the sun). His average motion is 59 minutes and 8 seconds. Mercury naturally rules the intellect, politics (think about the adjective mercurial), the occult, necromancy (Hermes could travel freely between Olympia and Hades, I believe), pretenders, literacy, philosophy, astrology, bankers, orators, attorneys, teachers, secretaries, messengers, hyenas, squirrels, weasels, hermaphrodites, all cunning creatures, parrots, beetles, markets, fairs, schools, tennis courts (I didn't know they played tennis back then), the metal mercury (also called quicksilver), violent storms and all wind. His colors are grey and mixed colors, "linsie-woolsie colours", plaids, etc. His orb is 7 degrees. His friends are Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, all others are his enemies. His day is Wednesday.
Moon is the second luminary, and the fastest heavenly body. She is by nature cool, moist, nocturnal and feminine. Her average motion is 13 degrees 10 minutes and 36 seconds. She is never retrograde, though does vary in her speed. Moon naturally governs timidity, living in the present, peace-loving, unsteadfast, vagabonds, drunkards, queens, noble ladies, common people, mothers, midwives, travelers, brewers and vintners, postal carriers, chauffers, mariners, nurses, frogs, snails, geese, owls, shellfish, fields, fountains, oceans, rivers, watery places and silver. Her colors are white, pale yellow, pale green, silver. Her orb is 12 degrees. Her friends are not listed. Her day is Monday.
Two other points to make note of are the nodes of the moon. These are the points at which the Moon crosses the Earth's equator. The north node is called just that, or caput draconis, the head of the dragon. His nature is masculine, fortunate. When conjoined with good planets, he is good, when conjoined with evil planets, he is evil. The south node is called just that, or cauda draconis, the tail of the dragon. Her nature is feminine, and the polar opposite of the north node. When joined to good planets, she is evil, and when joined with evil planets, she is good.
Read chapters VII -XV (pages 57-86) and chapter XIX (pages 105-110, stopping at Prohibition).
