Astrology glossary & reference

Every term the Natal Wheel app uses, explained in plain language. Cast your own chart, free, at natalwheel.com.

How to read a chart

The wheel

The big circle is the sky at the moment you were born. The twelve slices are the signs. The numbers are the twelve parts of your life. The symbols are the planets, and the lines between them are how the planets get on.

Planets, signs and houses

A planet is what: the Sun is who you are, Mars is your drive. Its sign is how: Mars in Aries acts first and asks later. Its house is where: Mars in the career house shows up at work. Planet, sign and house together make one sentence of your chart. Every page here is a way of reading those sentences.

How the planets get on

The lines across the middle of the wheel join planets that sit at a certain angle to each other. Some angles are easy: the two planets help each other. Some are tense: they pull in different directions. Two planets sitting right on each other blend into one. An angle only counts when it is close enough, and the closer it is, the stronger.

Why your sign may differ from a Vedic chart

Western astrology lines the signs up with the seasons: Aries begins at the March equinox. Vedic astrology lines them up with the stars instead, which have drifted nearly a whole sign since. So the same birth can give you a different sign in each. Neither is wrong; they measure different things. Our sister app VedicSync reads the star-based chart.

Glossary

Almuten: The planet with the strongest claim on a point, or on the whole chart, once every kind of strength is added up.
The technical definition
The planet with the strongest claim on a degree, or on a whole chart, once every kind of dignity is added up.
Angular: Near one of the four main points of the chart: rising, setting, the top of the sky or the bottom. Planets there act most strongly.
The technical definition
On or near one of the four angles (Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant, IC), the strongest places in the chart.
Antiscion: A point’s mirror image across the line between the longest and the shortest day. Two planets that mirror each other are quietly linked.
The technical definition
A degree's mirror image across the solstice axis. Two bodies in antiscia share a declination by symmetry rather than by chance.
Applying: An angle between two planets that is still getting closer. It is building, and it points to what is coming.
For example: The Moon is two degrees before its easy angle to Venus and still closing in, so the angle is applying.
The technical definition
An angle between two planets that is still tightening, because the faster one is moving toward the closest point. Stronger and more future-facing than one that is easing off.
Ascendant: The sign that was coming up over the eastern horizon when you were born. It shapes how you come across to people.
For example: Born at sunrise, your Ascendant is in the same sign as your Sun, so you come across the way you are.
The technical definition
The degree of the zodiac rising over the eastern horizon at the moment of birth: where the first house starts, and the chart’s point of view.
Aspect: An angle between two planets, which shows how they get on. Some angles are easy, some are tense, and a few are minor.
For example: Venus at an easy angle to Jupiter is an aspect: what you love and what you hope for help each other.
The technical definition
An angle between two planets, measured round the zodiac, read as a conversation between them. Some angles are easy, some tense, and a few small ones are minor.
Aspectarian: The triangle-shaped grid that shows how every pair of planets in a chart gets on.
The technical definition
The triangular grid of every aspect between every pair of planets in a chart.
Astrocartography: A world map showing where each planet would have been rising, setting or overhead if you had been born there.
The technical definition
A world map of where each planet would be on an angle if you had been born there.
Behenian: One of the fifteen bright stars that medieval astrologers picked out for charms and for reading charts.
The technical definition
One of the fifteen fixed stars the medieval tradition singled out for talismans and for reading.
Big Three: Your Sun, Moon and rising sign: the quickest sketch of who you are.
For example: Sun in Cancer, Moon in Aries, Leo rising: a tender person with a quick temper who comes across as confident.
The technical definition
The Sun, Moon and rising sign: the quickest sketch of a chart.
Bound: One of five uneven slices of a sign, each ruled by a planet. It is narrower and more specific than the sign’s own ruler.
The technical definition
One of five unequal slices of a sign, each ruled by a planet (also called a term). Narrower and more specific than the sign ruler.
Bounds: Five uneven slices of each sign, each ruled by a planet. They fine-tune what the sign’s own ruler says.
The technical definition
The five unequal subdivisions of each sign (also called terms), each ruled by a planet; the Egyptian bounds are the traditional table.
Cazimi: A planet right in the heart of the Sun, closer than a third of a degree. Instead of being burnt, it is made stronger.
The technical definition
Within 17 minutes of arc of the Sun’s own degree: in the heart of the Sun, strengthened rather than burnt.
Chart Ruler: The planet that rules your rising sign. It speaks for your whole chart.
The technical definition
The ruler of the rising sign: the planet that speaks for the chart as a whole.
Chart Shape: The overall pattern the planets make around the wheel, such as all bunched together or spread out evenly.
The technical definition
The overall distribution of the planets around the wheel (bundle, bowl, bucket, locomotive, seesaw, splash, splay), after Marc Edmund Jones.
Chiron: A small body that circles the Sun between Saturn and Uranus. It stands for an old hurt that teaches you to heal.
For example: Chiron in the part of your life about talk can mean you were told to be quiet, and now help others speak.
The technical definition
The centaur between Saturn and Uranus, read as the wound that teaches healing.
Combust: A planet very close to the Sun, within about eight degrees. It is overpowered and hidden by the Sun’s light.
The technical definition
Within about 8° of the Sun: overpowered and hidden by its light.
Composite: One chart made from the points halfway between two people’s planets. It describes the relationship itself, as if it were a third person.
The technical definition
A single chart made from the midpoints of two people’s planets: the relationship as its own entity.
Conjunction: Two planets in the same place, sitting right on each other. Their meanings blend into one.
For example: The Sun and Mercury in the same place in Leo is a conjunction: who you are and how you think blend.
The technical definition
Two planets in the same place (0°), sitting right on each other: their meanings fuse.
Contraparallel: Two planets equally far from the Earth’s equator stretched out into the sky, one north and one south. They act as if they faced each other.
The technical definition
Two bodies at equal distances on opposite sides of the sky’s equator, read as if they were directly across from each other.
Cusp: The starting line of a house or a sign. A planet near one sits in the doorway between two areas.
For example: A planet on the cusp of the money house is right at its door, so money is where it works.
The technical definition
The starting degree of a house or sign.
Davison: A chart for the moment and the place halfway between two people’s births. It describes the relationship itself.
The technical definition
A relationship chart cast for the midpoint in time and space between two births.
Decan: One of three equal slices of a sign, each with its own ruling planet.
The technical definition
One of three 10° divisions of a sign, each with its own planetary ruler (the faces).
Declination: How far north or south of the Earth’s equator, stretched out into the sky, a planet is.
The technical definition
A body’s distance north or south of the sky’s equator (the Earth’s equator projected outward), in degrees.
Descendant: The point that was setting in the west when you were born, across from your rising sign. It shows what you look for in partners.
The technical definition
The point setting in the west, opposite the Ascendant: where the seventh house of partners and others starts.
Detriment: A planet in the sign across from the one it rules. It has to work against its own nature.
For example: Venus in Aries is in detriment: what you love has to work against the sign’s blunt, quick way.
The technical definition
A planet in the sign opposite the one it rules: working against its nature.
Dignity: How comfortable a planet is in its sign. It is strong where it is at home or honoured, and weak where the sign works against it.
For example: Venus in Taurus, a sign it rules, has dignity: it is at home and does what it does best.
The technical definition
A planet’s condition by sign: strong in a sign it rules or is honoured in, weak in a sign that works against it.
Dispositor: The planet that rules the sign another planet is in. Following these links shows which planet has the final say.
For example: Your Venus is in Aries, and Mars rules Aries, so Mars is Venus’s dispositor: how you love answers to your drive.
The technical definition
The ruler of the sign a planet sits in. Following the chain of dispositors reveals which planet holds the final say.
Domicile: A planet in a sign it rules. It is at home and fully itself.
For example: Mars in Aries is in its domicile: at home, direct, and fully itself.
The technical definition
A planet in a sign it rules: at home and fully itself.
Eclipse: A New or Full Moon when the Sun or the Moon is darkened. It is a turning point that echoes for months.
For example: An eclipse of the Moon in the part of your life about home can mean a move, or a family change.
The technical definition
A New or Full Moon near the nodes, when the Sun or Moon is darkened: a turning point that echoes for months.
Element: Fire, earth, air or water: the temperament of a sign. Fire is quick, earth steady, air thoughtful and water feeling.
For example: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are the fire signs, so a chart full of them runs warm and quick.
The technical definition
Fire, earth, air or water — the temperament of a sign.
Ephemeris: A table of where the planets are on each date. The app works them out with the Swiss Ephemeris.
The technical definition
A table of planetary positions by date; the app computes them with the Swiss Ephemeris.
Equal: A way of cutting the chart into houses that makes all twelve the same size, starting from your rising sign.
The technical definition
Houses of exactly 30° measured from the Ascendant.
Exaltation: A planet in the sign that honours it, such as the Sun in Aries. It is lifted up and works well.
The technical definition
A planet in the sign that honours it (the Sun in Aries, the Moon in Taurus…): elevated and effective.
Fall: A planet in the sign across from the one that honours it. It is weakened and has to learn humility.
The technical definition
A planet in the sign opposite the one that honours it: diminished, learning humility.
Final Dispositor: A planet in its own sign at the end of a chain of rulers. The other planets all lead back to it.
The technical definition
A planet in its own sign at the end of a dispositor chain, on which the other planets ultimately depend.
Firdaria: A Persian way of timing life that gives each planet a set number of years in turn. The order depends on whether you were born by day or night.
The technical definition
A Persian timing system that hands each planet a fixed number of years in a 75-year cycle, ordered by whether you were born by day or by night.
Fixed Star: One of the bright stars in the sky. When it sits right on a planet or a main point, it adds its own flavour.
The technical definition
One of the bright stars that, sitting right on a planet or angle, adds a distinct colour to it.
Grand Cross: Four planets in two pairs facing each other across the chart, each at a tense angle to its neighbours. It makes a life under pressure, built to endure.
The technical definition
Four planets in two facing pairs, each at a tense angle to its neighbours: a chart under pressure, built for endurance.
Grand Trine: Three planets each at an easy angle to the others, making a triangle. It points to gifts that come easily.
For example: Sun, Moon and Jupiter each at an easy angle to the others make a grand trine: gifts that come without asking.
The technical definition
Three planets each at an easy angle to the others, forming a triangle: gifts that flow easily.
Harmonic: A chart made by multiplying every planet’s position by a number. It brings out patterns hidden in your birth chart.
The technical definition
A chart made by multiplying every position by a number, revealing patterns hidden in the birth chart.
Hayz: A day or night planet in its happiest place. The time of day, its side of the sky and its sign all suit it.
The technical definition
The best condition for a day or night planet: on the right side of the day, of the horizon and of the sign for it.
Hemisphere: The half of the chart the planets gather in: above or below the horizon, or east or west.
The technical definition
The half of the chart (above or below the horizon, east or west) where the planets gather.
House: One of the twelve slices of the chart. Each stands for a part of your life, such as money, home or work.
For example: Venus in the house of partners puts what you love into your closest relationships.
The technical definition
One of twelve divisions of the sky at the moment of birth, each governing an area of life.
House System: The method used to cut the chart into its twelve houses. Methods differ a little, so a planet near an edge can change house.
The technical definition
The method used to divide the sky into houses. Placidus (time-based) is the modern default; whole sign gives each house a full sign.
Imum Coeli: The lowest point of the chart, under your feet when you were born. It stands for home, family and your roots.
The technical definition
The lowest point (IC), opposite the Midheaven: home, roots, the private self.
In Mundo: Measured by the real sky rather than along the zodiac: where a planet actually rises or reaches its highest point.
The technical definition
Measured by the actual sky rather than along the zodiac — where a planet really rises or culminates, latitude included.
In Sect: A day planet in a daytime chart, or a night planet in a night-time chart. It is on home ground and behaves better.
The technical definition
A planet in the chart that shares its sect — a day planet in a day chart, or a night planet in a night chart — which behaves more constructively.
Ingress: A planet moving into a new sign.
For example: The Sun’s ingress into Libra on 22 September is the first day of autumn in the north.
The technical definition
A planet entering a new sign.
Kite: Three planets at easy angles in a triangle, with a fourth directly across from one corner. The easy flow gets a direction.
The technical definition
A triangle of easy angles with a fourth planet directly across from one corner: flow with a direction to send it.
Koch: A way of cutting the chart into houses, much like the most popular method. German-speaking astrologers often use it.
The technical definition
A time-based house system related to Placidus, popular in German-speaking astrology.
Lilith: The Black Moon, an empty point linked to the Moon’s path around the Earth. It stands for the wild part of you that refuses to be tamed.
The technical definition
The Black Moon: the empty focus of the Moon’s orbit, read as the untamed and the refused.
Loosing Of The Bond: In the chapter-by-chapter timing method, a jump to the sign across the chart. It marks a big change of direction.
The technical definition
In the chapter-by-chapter timing method, a jump to the sign directly across that marks a decisive change of chapter.
Lot: A point worked out from three others, usually your rising sign, Sun and Moon. The Lot of Fortune is the best known.
For example: The Lot of Fortune in Taurus says things come to you through steadiness and simple pleasures.
The technical definition
A point calculated from three others (usually the Ascendant, Sun and Moon), such as the Lot of Fortune. Also called an Arabic part.
Lot Of Fortune: A point worked out from your rising sign, Sun and Moon. It stands for your body, your luck and what comes to you.
The technical definition
The Ascendant plus the Moon minus the Sun (reversed at night): the body, luck, and what comes to you.
Lot Of Spirit: A point worked out from your rising sign, Sun and Moon, the other way round from Fortune. It stands for your will and your work.
The technical definition
The Ascendant plus the Sun minus the Moon (reversed at night): the will, the career, what you do.
Lunar Return: A chart for the moment each month when the Moon comes back to where it was when you were born. It describes the month ahead.
The technical definition
The chart for the Moon’s monthly return to the degree it held at your birth.
Lunation: A New or Full Moon: the Moon’s phase, seen against the Sun.
For example: The New Moon in Libra on 21 October is a lunation: a fresh start in partnerships.
The technical definition
A New or Full Moon; the phase of the Moon relative to the Sun.
Midheaven: The highest point of the sky when you were born. It points to your career and what you are known for.
For example: A Midheaven in Capricorn points to a career built slowly and taken seriously.
The technical definition
The highest point of the Sun’s path at birth (MC), where the tenth house starts: vocation, reputation, direction.
Midpoint: The point halfway between two planets. A third planet there brings both of them into play.
For example: The midpoint of your Sun and Moon is halfway between them, and a planet sitting there touches both.
The technical definition
The point halfway between two planets; a third planet there activates both.
Minor Dignity: A small boost a planet gets from its sign, through its element or a slice of the sign. It is supported, but not at home.
The technical definition
A planet that neither rules nor is honoured in this sign, but has a smaller claim on it (by element, by slice of the sign, or by ten-degree face) — mildly supported rather than at home.
Modality: Whether a sign starts things, keeps them going or adapts them. The three kinds are cardinal, fixed and mutable.
For example: Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn are the cardinal signs, the ones that start things.
The technical definition
Cardinal (initiating), fixed (sustaining) or mutable (adapting) — the mode of a sign.
Mutual Reception: Two planets each in a sign the other rules. They support each other, like two friends swapping homes.
The technical definition
Two planets each in the other’s sign, lending one another support.
North Node: A point where the Moon’s path crosses the Sun’s path. It shows what pulls you forward and helps you grow.
For example: A North Node in Leo pulls you toward being seen, even when hiding feels safer.
The technical definition
Where the Moon’s orbit crosses the Sun’s path heading north: appetite, growth, what pulls you forward.
Occidental: A planet that sets after the Sun, so it can be seen in the evening sky.
The technical definition
Setting after the Sun (visible in the evening sky).
Opposition: Two planets directly across the chart from each other. They pull two ways, and the balance is often found through other people.
For example: The Sun opposition the Moon puts them directly across from each other: what you want and what you need pull two ways.
The technical definition
Planets 180° apart, directly across from each other: tension that seeks balance, often lived out through others.
Orb: How close two planets must be to an angle for it to count. The closer they are, the stronger it is.
For example: Mars is three degrees short of a tense angle to Saturn; an orb of eight degrees says it still counts.
The technical definition
The allowance, in degrees, within which an aspect is considered active. Tighter orbs are stronger.
Oriental: A planet that rises before the Sun, so it can be seen in the morning sky.
The technical definition
Rising before the Sun (visible in the morning sky).
Out Of Bounds: A planet further north or south in the sky than the Sun ever goes. It acts outside the usual rules, in unusual or extreme ways.
The technical definition
A planet further north or south of the sky’s equator than the Sun ever goes (about 23°27′): it plays outside the usual rules.
Out Of Sect: A day planet in a night-time chart, or a night planet in a daytime chart. It works less comfortably.
The technical definition
A planet in the half of the day it does not belong to: a night planet in a day chart, or the reverse. It works less comfortably.
Overlay: Where one person’s planets land in the other person’s chart: the part of their life you step into.
The technical definition
Where one person's planets fall in the other's houses — which part of their life you land in.
Parallel: Two planets equally far north, or equally far south, of the Earth’s equator stretched out into the sky. They act as if they sat right on each other.
The technical definition
Two bodies at the same distance north or south of the sky’s equator, read as if they were sitting right on each other.
Peak Period: In the chapter-by-chapter timing method, a chapter that lands on one of four key signs counted from the Lot of Fortune. These are the high points.
The technical definition
In the chapter-by-chapter timing method, a chapter that falls on one of the four corners counted from the Lot of Fortune. The tenth sign from it is the high point of the sequence.
Peregrine: A planet that gets no strength at all from its sign. It is a wanderer without a home.
The technical definition
A planet that gets no strength at all from the sign it sits in: a wanderer without a home.
Placidus: The most popular way of cutting the chart into houses, based on how long each part of the sky takes to rise. It cannot work near the poles.
The technical definition
The most widely used modern house system: it divides the time each degree spends above the horizon into equal parts. Undefined near the poles.
Porphyry: A simple way of cutting the chart into houses: each quarter between its four main points is split into three. It is used where the most popular method fails.
The technical definition
A simple house system that cuts the space between the four angles (Ascendant, Midheaven and their opposites) into three equal parts each; the fallback where Placidus is undefined.
Profection: An ancient timing method: each birthday moves you one sign on from your rising sign. The planet that rules that sign runs your year.
For example: At thirty, your profection year lands on the part of your life about siblings, talk and short trips.
The technical definition
An ancient timing technique: each year of life advances the Ascendant one sign, and that sign’s ruler becomes the lord of the year.
Progression: A way of moving your birth chart slowly forward to show how you grow. Often one day after birth stands for one year of life.
The technical definition
A symbolic forward movement of the chart; in secondary progressions one day after birth stands for one year of life.
Quincunx: Two planets at an awkward angle, almost but not quite across from each other. They do not understand each other, so something has to adjust.
For example: Venus quincunx Saturn is an awkward angle: love and duty cannot quite see each other, so something needs adjusting.
The technical definition
Planets 150° apart, an awkward angle: an adjustment between things that do not naturally see each other.
Quintile: Two planets a fifth of the circle apart. It is read for a knack or a craft rather than for ease or strain.
The technical definition
A fifth of the circle, 72°. Kepler’s addition, read for craft and a particular knack rather than for ease or friction.
Retrograde: A planet that seems to move backward through the sky, as seen from Earth. Its themes turn inward or come back to be looked at again.
For example: Mercury retrograde for three weeks in October is a time to revise plans rather than launch them.
The technical definition
A planet appearing to move backward through the zodiac, as seen from Earth. Its themes turn inward or get revisited.
Rising Sign: The sign that was coming up in the east when you were born. It is how you meet the world, and what people notice first.
For example: Sun in Cancer with Leo rising: a private person who comes across as warm and confident.
The technical definition
The sign the Ascendant falls in — how you meet the world and what the world meets first.
Ruler: The planet in charge of a sign. Mars rules Aries, for example, so it also rules the house that Aries falls in.
For example: Mars rules Aries, so a chart with Aries rising has Mars as its ruler and speaks with Mars’s voice.
The technical definition
The planet that governs a sign, and by extension the house that sign occupies.
Saturn Return: Saturn coming back to where it was when you were born, around the ages of 29, 59 and 88. Each is a big step in growing up.
For example: At twenty-nine, Saturn comes back to where it was when you were born, and life asks what you are building.
The technical definition
Saturn’s return to where it was at your birth, at about 29½, 59 and 88: the great thresholds of maturity.
Secondary Progressions: The most common way of moving your chart forward: each day after your birth stands for one year of your life.
The technical definition
Each day after birth is taken as a year of life, giving a slowly evolving inner chart.
Sect: Whether you were born by day or by night. The Sun, Jupiter and Saturn belong to the day; the Moon, Venus and Mars to the night.
For example: Born at noon, your chart is a day chart, so Saturn is in sect and behaves better than it would at night.
The technical definition
Whether a chart is diurnal (Sun above the horizon) or nocturnal. The Sun, Jupiter and Saturn belong to the day; the Moon, Venus and Mars to the night.
Separating: An angle between two planets that has passed its closest point and is easing off. Its effect is fading.
For example: The Moon has passed its tense angle to Mars by a degree, so the angle is separating and easing off.
The technical definition
An angle between two planets that has passed its closest point and is loosening.
Sextile: Two planets a sixth of the circle apart, an easy angle. It brings chances that pay off if you make a move.
For example: Venus sextile Mars is an easy angle that rewards a move: ask, and the answer is likely yes.
The technical definition
Planets 60° apart, an easy angle: opportunity that rewards a little effort.
Sidereal Zodiac: The zodiac that follows the stars, as Vedic astrology does. It sits almost a whole sign behind the one this app uses.
The technical definition
The zodiac anchored to the fixed stars, as used in Vedic astrology; it currently sits about 24 degrees behind the tropical zodiac.
Solar Arc: Every point in your chart moved forward by the same amount, about one degree for each year of your life.
The technical definition
Every point in the chart moved forward by the same amount, about one degree for each year of life.
Solar Return: A chart for the moment each year when the Sun comes back to where it was when you were born. It describes your year ahead.
For example: Your solar return chart is cast for the moment the Sun comes back to its birth place each year: your birthday sky.
The technical definition
The chart for the moment each year when the Sun comes back to the degree it held at your birth: the year ahead.
South Node: The point directly across from the North Node. It shows what comes naturally to you and what you are learning to let go.
For example: A South Node in Aquarius means the group is familiar ground, and the work is to step forward alone.
The technical definition
Opposite the North Node: what is familiar, what you release.
Square: Two planets a quarter of the circle apart, a tense angle. They rub, and the friction pushes you to act.
For example: Mars square Saturn means Mars and Saturn sit at a tense angle, so drive meets limits.
The technical definition
Planets 90° apart, a tense angle: friction that drives action.
Stationary: A planet that seems to stand still in the sky before it changes direction. Its effect is strongest then.
For example: Mercury is stationary for a day or two before it turns back, and its themes are loudest then.
The technical definition
A planet at the turning point, when it seems to stop before changing direction; its influence is strongest then.
Stellium: Three or more planets gathered in one sign or house. That part of life gets a lot of your energy.
For example: Sun, Mercury and Venus all in Virgo is a stellium: a lot of you is tidy, helpful and a little fussy.
The technical definition
Three or more planets clustered in one sign or house, concentrating that area of life.
Synastry: Comparing two people’s charts: how one person’s planets get on with the other’s, and where they land in each other’s lives.
For example: In synastry, one person’s Moon sitting right on the other’s Venus is a classic sign of easy affection.
The technical definition
Comparing two charts: the aspects between one person’s planets and the other’s, and whose planets fall in whose houses.
T-Square: Two planets directly across from each other, both at a tense angle to a third. The strain gets worked out through that third planet.
The technical definition
Two planets directly across from each other, both at a tense angle to a third: a focal tension resolved through that third planet.
Time Lord: The planet in charge of a stretch of your life, such as the planet that runs your year.
For example: In a year that lands on Libra, Venus is the time lord, and where Venus sits is where the year happens.
The technical definition
The planet in charge of a stretch of life under a timing technique, such as the ruler of the year.
Transit: Where a planet is in the sky today, compared with where the planets were when you were born.
For example: Saturn in the sky today sitting right on the Sun in your birth chart is a transit.
The technical definition
The current position of a planet read against the birth chart.
Trine: Two planets a third of the circle apart, an easy angle. They help each other and things flow.
For example: The Moon trine Jupiter is an easy angle: your feelings and your hopes help each other.
The technical definition
Planets 120° apart, an easy angle: ease and natural flow between them.
Triplicity: The three signs that share an element, such as the three fire signs. Each group has planets that rule it by day and by night.
The technical definition
The three signs of one element, with a set of rulers by day and by night.
Tropical Zodiac: The zodiac that follows the seasons, so Aries always begins on the first day of spring in the north. Western astrology uses it.
The technical definition
The zodiac anchored to the seasons: 0° Aries is the March equinox. The convention of Western astrology.
Under Beams: A planet within about fifteen degrees of the Sun, dimmed by its light. It is the mildest way of being too close to the Sun.
The technical definition
Within about 15° of the Sun and dimmed by it — the mildest of the three solar conditions, weaker than combust.
Under The Beams: A planet within about fifteen degrees of the Sun. It is dimmed by the Sun’s light, but less than a planet closer in.
The technical definition
Within about 15° of the Sun: obscured, but less so than combust.
Vertex: A point on the western side of the chart linked to meetings you did not plan. They often feel meant to be.
The technical definition
A sensitive point in the western half of the chart, read for the encounters that arrive uninvited and feel fated.
Void Of Course: The Moon’s quiet spell before it leaves a sign, when it meets no more planets. It is better for rest than for starting things.
For example: The Moon is void of course for an afternoon, so start nothing new and let the day drift.
The technical definition
The Moon making no further aspects before leaving its sign: a lull.
Whole Sign: The oldest way of cutting the chart into houses: each house is one whole sign, starting with your rising sign.
The technical definition
The oldest house system: the rising sign is the whole first house, the next sign the second, and so on.
Yod: Two planets at an easy angle to each other, both at an awkward angle to a third. Called the finger of fate, it points to a special task.
The technical definition
Two planets at an easy angle to each other, both at an awkward angle to a third: the “finger of fate”, a niche talent or task at the apex.
Zodiacal Releasing: An ancient way of dividing life into chapters of set lengths, counted sign by sign from a special point in the chart.
The technical definition
A Hellenistic timing technique that releases periods of set lengths from a lot (usually Spirit), sign by sign.