Often, we divide astrology into various planetary aspects. Major aspects in astrology are one example. Such aspects differ on their degree of separation from each other on the horoscope. In cases like that, an astrologer divides them into the minor and major aspects in astrology.
Think of the difference between a pebble in your shoe versus a whole rock. One is obviously bigger and more noticeable. It will definitely impact the way you walk a lot more. However, it doesn’t mean that the pebble won’t be noticeable or that it won’t affect you.
Astrology’s meaning in our lives is hardly that planetary bodies control us. Far from it, in fact. Planetary bodies align in minor or major aspects in astrology to give us opportunities. With these opportunities, the possibility to do something or not generates a choice for us.
Minor aspects in astrology represent our internal worlds, encompassing mental and emotional changes. Major aspects in astrology relate more to our active choices and all those that impact our physical world.
What are the Major Aspects in Astrology?
You might be asking “What does major aspect mean?” Personalities clash and feelings change with the minor aspects. Epiphanies are also quite on the table with a minor aspect. However, we have the choice to do something with those or not. A mental or emotional opportunity presents itself in a minor aspect.
Not with the major aspects in astrology. These propel you forward to grow more as a person. It isn’t just your inner world that changes when major aspects in astrology occur. Your external world changes too. What they mean depends on the position of those planets in relation to the Zodiac signs.
The meaning of major aspects in astrology is generally the same despite different planets. However, specific meanings will differ once you account for how specific signs or planets act. To demonstrate, a Square between Cancer and Aries won’t be the same as one between Pisces and Gemini.
Besides the major aspects in astrology, some other things affect the energy we feel. Learning what these are helps us get a better idea of what to expect from different aspects. Read on to learn all about the major aspects in astrology!
Astrology Seasons
In simple terms, an astrology season refers to the Zodiac sign that the Sun is currently transiting through. This is typically mistaken as the sign’s “birthday month.” However, it affects more than just the sign that the Sun is transiting through.
To demonstrate, Cancer has a reputation as one of the most maternally caring signs among the twelve. They’ll feel their solar return most pertinently during their birthday months of June and July. Cancer’s maternal nature will also affect all of us during that time. Everyone else will feel themselves grow a little more maternally caring, at least during that time.
As the center of our solar system, the Sun represents our ego. The Sun is also representative of how we move with our external lives. Depending on which Zodiac sign we’re currently moving through, we feel those qualities take precedence.
Planetary Sign Changes
While not a traditional major aspect, this transit has great collective and personal effect on our lives. The way that Venus affects love lives is very different from how Saturn changes lives during their respective transits.
Each planet represents something unique, like how Mercury represents communication. Mercury’s home is typically with Gemini, a chatty and intellectual Zodiac sign. However, planetary sign changes happen so it’s not always Mercury with Gemini at the time.
When this happens, the core meaning of the planet shifts. Mercury is also typically at home with Virgo, but its meaning dramatically changes if it’s with the emotional Pisces. Knowing what the planets mean and their effect on different signs allows for easier life navigation.
Moon Cycles
Moon cycles aren’t something particularly new in the way of mankind’s interest. We’ve always recognized how important the changing phases of the moon are. Today though, we’re seeing a resurgence of its popularity in the mainstream as more people celebrate full and new moons.
Farming and fertility were primary reasons that mankind had to give moon cycles due significance. Not to mention how the moon affected the tides; that was particularly important for fishermen. Thirteen full moons every year represent times to reap the harvest and celebrate fullness.
Full moons are times to enjoy all we reaped and things we brought to fruition. New moons, on the other hand, are times to sow seeds and manifest new intentions for the next full moon. However, moon cycles don’t move in bi-weekly cycles in astrology. They move in six-month cycles.
All you plant and intend in the Cancer New Moon in June will only fruit later. That time for Cancer to harvest is the Cancer Full Moon in December. In understanding the patterns of the moon, we understand each moon has a purpose. Implementing this balance tunes us in better with the world around us.
Conjunction
Conjunction, as the name suggests, means that the planets are blending their energies. This aspect puts the planets ten degrees or less away from each other. In this position, the two planets may as well be at the same angle.
Depending on the planets affected, this is a fortuitous sign! To exemplify, Mars and Venus conjunctions imply that you will have great luck in love and the motivation to chase it. Typically, there isn’t a downside to this major aspect. However, other factors like our own mental state or other astrological transits can make the blend challenging.
Sextile
Sextiles mean that the two planets are within sixty degrees of each other. Positive energies and circumstances abound in this major aspect and signal growth. As a major aspect in astrology, this one signals physical manifestations and changes in our life’s direction.
In this aspect, an opportunity to speak your truth and act it out will appear. It might look like a job offer or even a romantic possibility. Sextiles connect to past karma and offer us opportunity depending on the seeds that you planted. No negative energy accompanies this transit, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy to use the sextile opportunity.
Square
The dreaded square is a challenging major aspect to encounter. However, they’re necessary for our growth. Squares occur when two planets are ninety degrees apart, creating a stressful aspect. Try to think of it as a movie climax; everything seems lost and we don’t know what happens from here.
Tension is something squares build, and tension almost always forces action or choice. When a square happens, we get the choice of what we do next or don’t do next. For breaking up stagnancy or doing something, this is an excellent transit to encounter.
Even if you don’t take action, that doesn’t mean some other action isn’t happening. In fact, not taking action is an action in and of itself.
Trine
Trines are two planets that are within a hundred and twenty degrees of each other. This creates a positive aspect most beneficial to the people under it. The occurrence of a trine signals that the two planets have teamed up to tackle a challenge together. This means great success and greater peace are imminent in the lives of those under the trine.
Uranus and Mars forming a trine, for example, enables those under it to pursue needed life changes. Such pursuit can only really lead to an ultimately favorable outcome for everyone involved. Its excellence as a transit lies in its give-and-take nature. We can experience more balance in what we’re working through and in ourselves too.
Opposition
Geometrically on a circle, this is exactly as it sounds. Two planets in opposition are always a hundred and eighty degrees apart with different signs. Unlike the trine, balance is not given in opposition. Rather, it makes clear to us what aspects of our life are out of balance.
Try to think of it like a tug or war where you have to choose between two things in life. Oppositions signal a time to look at how we did things before and how we want to do them now. Transits like this can mean healing and dialogue for the good of balance. The choice to use this transit is all on you, of course.