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Astrological Aspects, page 1


Aspects, page 2

Aspects are the temporary relationships formed by moving planets to each other. Aspects are unique to time and independent of location on the earth. Aspects are divided into MAJOR (or classical) (conjunction, sextile, square, trine and opposition); and MINOR, which include all the other 30 degree aspects as well as those formed by dividing a circle by 5, 7, 9, 11, etc. Aspects are also divided into "harmonious" and "inharmonious". Then there are aspect patterns, formed when several aspects occur at the same time, such as the T-square. Here are some books on the subject:

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CIRCLE BOOKS ASPECT FINDER, $9.00
Includes conjunction (0), semi-sextile (30), novile (40), octile (45), septile (51.4), sextile (60), quintile (72), square (90), trine (120), sesqui-quadrate (135), biquintile (144), quincunx (150), opposition (180).

See this life size, in great detail (pdf).

AFA, cardstock.


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ASPECTS IN ASTROLOGY A guide to understanding planetary relationships in the horoscope - Sue Tompkins, $16.95
Contents:

Acknowledgements
Introduction;

Part One: The Principles of Aspect Interpretation:
1. The planets
2. Dividing the circle & calculating aspects
3. The meaning of aspects
4. Interpreting aspects in practice
5. Qualities, elements & signs in aspects

Part Two: A Planetary Cookbook:
6. Sun aspects
7. Moon aspects
8. Mercury aspects
9. Venus aspects
10. Mars aspects
11. Jupiter aspects
12. Saturn aspects
13. Aspects between the outer planets

Part Three: The Angles:
14. The ascendant - midheaven complex; The ascendant-descendant axis; MC/IC axis
15. Planets & angles

Data sources & index of charts used in the text
Useful organizations
Bibliography.

Comment: This is the classic book from 1989. Initially printed by Element Books in London, it's now printed here in the US. This is a complete survey of aspects between planets, as well as the principles behind aspect interpretation, eg, how the circle is divided, the role of qualities (cardinal, fixed, mutable), elements, signs, orbs, weighing, declination & more. Also aspects to angles. One of the best books on aspects.

Destiny Books, 299 pages.


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THE ASTROLOGICAL ASPECTS - C.E.O. Carter, $17.00
Contents:

Introduction

Aspects of the Sun
Aspects of the Moon
Aspects of Mercury
Aspects of Venus
Aspects of Mars
Aspects of Jupiter
Aspects of Saturn
Aspects of Uranus
Aspects of Neptune.

Comment: This is Carter's classic, back in print. Carter classifies aspects as Harmonious, Inharmonious & Conjunction (variable). By "harmonious", he generally means trines & sextiles, by "inharmonious", squares & oppositions, but not always so. Based on the author's extensive observations, which are often fascinating.

AFA, 133 pages.


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Astrology a language of life, vol. 2: SABIAN ASPECT ORBS - Robert P. Blaschke, $25.95

Contents:

Acknowledgments
Foreword, by Lynda Hill
Introduction

1. The conjunction
2. The opposition
3. The trine
4. The square
5. The quintile family
6. The sextile
7. The septile family
8. The octile family
9. The novile family
10. The decile family
11. The undecile family (360/11)
12. The inconjuncts
13. Obscure harmonics & other applications

Appendices:
1. Table of 360 Sabian Symbols to aspect orb correspondences (Rudhyar's Astrological Mandala, compressed)
2. Lecture, class & workshop tapes by the author
3. Astrology software programs offered for sale
4. Computer chart services
5. Contacting the author

Bibliography
Index

Comment: Here's how to put Sabian symbols in your aspects: Find the number of degrees between two planets in a chart. Convert that number to one of the Sabian Symbols of Marc Edmund Jones, where 1 Aries is the beginning, 30 Pisces (360) is the end. Use the overview format given by Rudhyar in An Astrological Mandala. (See Sabian Symbols.) Presto: A Sabian symbol for the aspect & new insight into the two planets. Example: Sun at 14 Aries, Moon at 29 Scorpio. Degrees of separation: 225. The 225th Sabian: Children Playing Around Five Mounds of Sand. That’s the Sabian aspect orb for the two planets. Not only does every aspect tell a story, but also, every degree of separation is its own unique aspect. This book covers dozens of aspects, both waxing & waning, all from a Sabian point of view. A unique book.

Earthwalk School of Astrology, 243 pages.


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ASPECT PATTERNS: What they reveal & how they are triggered - Stephanie Jean Clement, $17.95
Contents:

List of illustrations & charts
Acknowledgments
Introduction

1. The psychology of chart patterns
2. The Bundle: Concentrated energy
3. The Locomotive: I know I can
4. The Bowl: Search for self-containment
5. The Bucket: Focus on the handle
6. The Fan: Focus on the bundle
7. The Seesaw: Balancing act
8. The Splash: Ultimate diversity
9. The Splay: Focused diversity
10. Other aspect patterns
11. Practicing pattern identification

Conclusion
Appendix 1: Pattern assessment guide
Appendix 2: Pattern definitions
Appendix 3: Aspect pattern index
Glossary of pattern terminology
Bibliography
Index

Comment: Chart patterns were invented by Marc Edmund Jones & can be found in his Guide to Horoscope Interpretation, first published in 1941 & still in print. Clement never quite seems to give Jones credit for inventing the system, but this is a quibble. In addition to Jones, Clement often cites Jansky's Planetary Patterns, which has long been out of print.

This is a considerable advance on Jones's pioneering work. Clement also picks up on a lot of Jansky's ideas (the Tripod pattern) as well as introducing some innovations of her own, such as "angel wings", an aspect pattern where the energies of the aspect pattern, instead of moving in a circle, bounce back & forth.

Clement says that folks like me, with splash charts, rarely amount to much, and I'd have to agree. Not every chart seems to have a clear-cut pattern to it. Clement is undecided about her own. I would say that if Uranus is a more-than-ordinarily sensitive point in her chart, that if, for example, it can be triggered by outer planet transits, then it functions as a handle of one sort or another.

Llewellyn, 193 pages.


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(Photo from Weiser's 1984 first edition)

UNDERSTANDING ASPECTS: THE INCONJUNCT - Alan Epstein, $12.95
Contents:

Acknowledgements
Preface

Part 1: Psychodynamics of the Inconjunct:
Basic issues, Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
The angles, Ascendant/descendant inconjunct, Midheaven/Imum colei inconjunct

Part 2: Planetary Combinations:
(Describes all 65 possible combinations of planets & angles)

Part 3: Jimmy Carter's chart:
Introduction, Major events, Interpreting the inconjuncts

About the author

Comment: Previously published by Weiser in the 1984 as Psychodynamics of Inconjunctions & out of print for years. Universally acclaimed as the best book ever on the 150 degree inconjunct & the related 30 degree semi-sextile, which the author believes acts like an inconjunct. In the first section, the psychodynamics of each planet as an individual part of an inconjunct is discussed in detail, in the second, delineations of all possible pairs of planets (and angles) in inconjunct aspect are given. Jimmy Carter's chart is interpreted in the third section. Fills a huge gap in astrological aspects.

Trines Publishing, 182 pages, paper.


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ASPECTS & PERSONALITY - Karen Hamaker-Zondag, $19.95
Contents:

Preface

Part 1: About aspects:
1. Kinds of aspects
2. Determining the aspects
3. The psychological influence of the aspects
4. Approaching & departing, inclining & declining aspects
5. Unaspected planets
6. Aspect configurations & the ruling planet
7. Judging the composition of aspects

Part 2: Aspect interpretation:
8. A few words on interpretation
9. Aspects of the Sun
10. Aspects of the Moon
11. Aspects of Mercury
12. Aspects of Venus
13. Aspects of Mars
14. Aspects of Jupiter
15 Aspects of Saturn
16. Aspects of Uranus
17. Aspects of Neptune
18. Aspects of Pluto

Bibliography
About the author

Comment: In chapter 3, The Psychological Influence of Aspects, the author takes the Mars - Jupiter square delineation & quotes eight different delineations, from eight different books, all seemingly at odds with each other, yet all delineating the same Mars - Jupiter square. She then analyzes the underlying Mars - Jupiter energies when in square, and then goes back to those same 8 delineations to show how each author viewed the same underlying forces in different ways. She finds a grain of truth in all of them, but notes that many are one-sided. (Conclusion: learn to think for yourself. Another solution: Buy - and study - lots of books.)

The chapter on applying & separating, and inclining & declining aspects, critical yet often overlooked conditions, is unique. The cookbook section includes conjunctions, sextiles, squares, trines, inconjuncts & oppositions, with sextiles & trines grouped together, and squares & oppositions grouped together. She includes aspects to ascendant & midheaven. The delineations themselves tend to be down to earth & practical.

Weiser, 303 pages, paper.


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MAJOR & MINOR APPROACHING & DEPARTING ASPECTS - Sakoian & Acker, $9.00
Contents:

The interpretative differences of aspects
The significance of applying & separating aspects
The significance of approaching & departing aspects

The aspects:

  • Conjunction
  • Opposition
  • Sextile, approaching & departing
  • Square, approaching & departing
  • Trine, approaching & departing
  • Semi-sextile, approaching & departing
  • Decile aspect, approaching & departing
  • Semi-square, approaching & departing
  • Quintile, approaching & departing
  • Tridecile, approaching & departing
  • Sesquiquadrate, approaching & departing
  • Bi-quintile, approaching & departing
  • Quincunx (inconjunct) approaching & departing
  • Vigintile, approaching & departing

Definition of parallel aspects
Two kinds of parallels

Comment: A brief overview of many different aspects & how the same aspect differs in quality when approaching (faster planet moving into the aspect) or departing (faster planet moving away from the aspect). No planet-to-planet delineations are given (it's a small book), instead, the authors give house to house (or sign to sign) analogies, at least for those aspects based on twelfths of a circle. The ascendant/Aries represents one of the planets in aspect. If an approaching aspect, the meaning is found in houses/signs previous to the ascendant/Aries. If a separating aspect, then in a subsequent houses/sign. So, for example, an applying sextile has an Aquarius/11th house aspect to the Ascendant/Aries. A separating sextile is a 3rd house to ascendant kind of aspect.

For the decile (36), quintile (72), tredecile (108) and bi-quintile (144), they use the same house to house analogy, only adding the influence is subtle.

For the semi-square (45) and sesquiquadrate (135), there is the house to house, with the addition of "irritable".

AFA, paper, 38 pages.


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THE INCONJUNCT: NATAL AND TRANSITING ASPECTS - Sakoian and Acker, $16.95

Contents:

Part 1: The natal inconjunct:
1. The natal inconjunct
2. Natal Sun
3. Natal Moon
4. Natal Mercury
5. Natal Venus
6. Natal Mars
7. Natal Jupiter
8. Natal Saturn
9. Natal Uranus
10. Natal Neptune
11. Natal Pluto

Part 2: The transiting inconjunct:
12. The transiting inconjunct
13. Transits of the Sun
14. Transits of the Moon
15. Transits of Mercury
16. Transits of Venus
17. Transits of Mars
18. Transits of Jupiter
19. Transits of Saturn
20. Transits of Uranus
21. Transits of Neptune
22. Transits of Pluto

Appendix: Approaching and departing aspects defined

Comment:

This is the text of two previous books, newly reset. The books are, That Inconjunct Quincunx The Not So Minor Aspect, and, Those Inconjunct Quincunx Transits. As the originals have been discontinued and as I have the last of them in stock at the moment, I took a glance. In the first book, the introductory material has been lightly reworded, making for an improvement, while the main text itself is the same.

In the second book, the one on transits, the original had strings of keywords. These have been replaced by coherent sentences, a great improvement. The AFA has been reprinting a lot of old books lately, but rarely give details of earlier editions in the introductions or the copyright pages. This is unfortunate, since the books they are reprinting, for the most part, were not well printed previously, or have become scarce, such that in the future some may believe that Louis Acker and Frances Sakoian wrote this book in 2012. In fact, That Inconjunct Quincunx dates from 1972, and Those Inconjunct Quincunx Transits is from 1978. Frances Sakoian passed away in 1989. So far as the new text in this reprint, I do not know if it was taken from some previously unpublished manuscript, or was re-written by parties unknown. There is a possibility the transit text was taken from the Harper edition of Predictive Astrology, which managed to slip out of print before I could get copy for my own library.

This is an excellent survey of this mysterious and puzzling aspect.

AFA, 114 pages.


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DECANATES & DWADS - Stephanie Jean Ennis, $12.00
Contents:

Preface

1. Three systems of decanates
2. Delineations using decanates
3. Which decanate system to use?
4. Divisions of decanates
5. Decanates & dwads for twins
6. Decanates & dwads for same birth day

Glossary
Bibliography

Tables:
1. The oriental system of decanates from the Church of Light lessons
2. Air signs as examples of oriental decanate system
3. The Manilius system of decanates
4. The Chaldean system of decanates
5. Decanate keywords using the Chaldean, Manilius & oriental methods for selected individuals

Illustrations:
1. Horoscope of Ronald Reagan
2. Horoscope of Christine Sizemore
3. Horoscope of the personality of Jane
4. Horoscope of Marie Curie
5. Horoscope of Cecil Moe
6. Horoscope of Mata Hari
7. Horoscope of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec
8. Horoscope of J.P. Morgan
9. Hindu dwads combined with oriental decanates
10. Aries dwads combined with Manilius decanates
11. Horoscope of U.S. Grant
12. The Chaldean decanate rulers
13. Natal & progressed charts for Jade
14. Natal & progressed charts for Opal
15. Horoscope of Shar
16. Horoscope of Chuck

Comment: Decanates are 10 degree chunks of a sign. Dwads are 2 degrees, 30 minutes, each. The three systems of Chaldean, Manilius & Oriental (eg, Church of Light) dwads are contrasted. Dwads are given an overview & their use in twin charts is highlighted. Of twins, the author has this to say, from the Preface:

I have spent long periods of time woking with the horoscopes of twins. Because the charts are so similar, yet events & character can be so diverse for each twin, degree divisions are found to be indispensable in determining personality differences, as well as in orienting the types & impacts of various events....

The principle of polarity attracts my attention, perhaps because I have striking oppositions in my natal chart. The idea that one twin can manifest in one way, while the other twin manifests the polar qualities, is fascinating to me. The information gained largely from the study of twin charts has opened a vast area of consideration in the delineation of individual horoscopes, regardless of aspects. (pg. vii)

Of the charts in this book, Jane is a sub-personality of Ms Sizemore. Jade & Opel are twins. Shar & Chuck were born on the same day, three years apart. Some interesting stuff in this book.

AFA, paper, 59 pages.


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THE 144 DOORS OF THE ZODIAC: The Dwad Technique - Thyrza Escobar, $15.95

Contents:

Foreword

Astrological vocabulary
Divisions of the zodiac
The 144 duodenary divisions

Appendices:
1. The composite dwad-wheel
2. The dwads of the dwads of sub-dwads

Comment:

Escobar got her basic training back in the 1930's from Carl Leipert, a German astrologer who seems to have otherwise disappeared. The best way of learning astrology, learning any subject, really, is from a teacher, in a direct teacher-to-student model, which has virtually disappeared. (Classrooms full of indifferent people do not count.) But then I suppose actual teacher-student was never very common. They were both influenced by Sepharial, a huge talent, active from the late 1890's until his death in 1929, not that many years before Liepert and Escobar.

Escobar sees decans, which are 10 degree chunks of a sign, as being ruled by the signs of the same element, in zodiacal order. So the decans of Aries are under the rulership of Aries, then Leo and finally Sagittarius. The decans of Leo are the Anrias method. She has a most clear way of working out the influence of any given decanate:

Suppose you have a natal planet in the third decan of the sign Aries. Signs describe, so this planet expresses an eager, pioneering, assertive way (some of the key words for Aries). The disposition of the entire sign is martial (Mars is the ruler of the entire sign). The third decan of Aries is of a somewhat Sagittarius nature (although it is still Aries, which must not be forgotten!) with an expansive, goal-oriented, more philosophical accent. We do not go so far as to say that Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius, with which the third decan of the sign Aries is associated, is a dispositor of any planets located in this decan; there does seem to be a slightly Jupiterian tinge to the martial disposition. This is how the two are blended, with more emphasis on the ruler of the sign and just a tinge of the ruler of the sign associated with the decan - Mars with an "accent" of Jupiter? (pgs. 17-18)
Which is an excellent and clear description. She then uses two kinds of faces: The first half of an odd sign (0-15) is its masculine face, the second half (15-30) is feminie. This is reversed with feminine signs (Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, etc.) where the first half is feminine, the second half masculine, etc. Concurrent with this are the traditional 5 degree faces. The first five degrees of a masculine (positive) sign are masculine/positive, whereas the first five degrees of a feminine/negative sign are feminine/negative. The diagram on pg. 21 makes this clear.

In use of dwads, which are 2 1/2 degree chunks, Liepert was inspired by Manilius, which he further researched to Vedic roots, guessing they, and astrology as a whole, to have originated in the Tigris-Euphrates valley long ago. Dwads are 12ths of a sign, ruled by the signs. The first dwad is ruled by the same sign as the sign itself, which is to say, the first dwad of Aries is ruled by Aries, the other 11 signs following in order. The first dwad of Taurus is ruled by Taurus. This makes the dwads unique to their individual signs, there is no continuity in dwads from sign to sign. Escobar says a dwad's sign is also the same as the corresponding house. So, for example, the 9th dwad in any given sign starts at 20 degrees is to be understood as symbolizing both Sagittarius, the 9th sign, as well as the 9th house, regardless of which sign or house the planet in question is actually in. She also assigns qualities and elements to dwads as well, making them a "mini chart" in many respects.

Escobar then gives a detailed analysis of dwads in the chart of Bernard Baruch, financier and advisor to presidents Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt.

His Venus is in the Gemini dwad-sign and the twelfth dwad-house of Cancer. His affections and appreciation are sensitive, remembered, cherishing, and enveloping, perhaps nostalgic (Cancer). They are focussed intermittently and recurringly and are communicated (Gemini dwad-sign) in privacies, intimacies, etc. We could say his values would be retained tenaciously (Cancer) yet adaptably and made pertinent (Gemini dwad-sign) to demands and obligations (twelfth dwad-house) and with a reflective sense of meaning that is alertly attentive (Gemini dwad-sign) to hidden factors, intangibles, and the unknown quantity (twelfth dwad-house). (pg. 51)
I regret that Mr. Baruch, who died in 1965, aged 95, is no longer commonly known, but in not relating her delineation directly to the individual, I was unable to understand the process as a whole.

The 4th chapter, The 144 Duodenary Divisions, includes sections on meaning of dwad-houses in natal, horary and mundane charts; one or more, two or more, three or more natal planets in the same dwad house, the importance of the Sun's dwad, no natal planet in the sign of the dwad occupied by the Sun (my case), the ruler of the Sun's dwad-sign, dwad of the radix ascendant, dwads of the nodes, Moon and planets, dwads in longitudinal parallels (includes antiscia, though the word is not used), pairs of dwad-houses, dwads in synastry, dwads in mundane astrology, dwads in transit, dwads and new and full moons, dwads and eclipses, dwads and Mercury retrograde. Most of these sections are only a few paragraphs, but they are useful starting points.

AFA, 96 pages.


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DECANATES & DWADS: The zodiac within each sign - Sakoian & Acker, $22.95

Contents:

Foreword, by J.H. Nelson
Introduction

Aries
Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
Virgo
Libra
Scorpio
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
Pisces

Comment:

For each of the signs of the zodiac, there is the sign ruler, the ruler of the decanate (10 degree chunk) as well as the rulers of each duad, which is a 2 degree, 30 minute section of the sign.

Decanate rulers are the rulers of the three signs with the same element. So the decanates of Aries, a fire sign ruled by Mars, are ruled by the rulers of the three fire signs: The first decanate of Aries is the Aries decanate, ruled by Mars. Then comes the Leo decanate, ruled by the Sun; & then the Sagittarius decanate, ruled by Jupiter. Astrological short-hand says the first decanate of Aries is the Aries decanate, the second is the Leo decanate, the third is the Sagittarius decanate. Moving along to the next fire sign, the first decanate of Leo, a sign ruled by the Sun, is ruled by the Sun, the second decanate of Leo (Sagittarius) is ruled by Jupiter, the third decanate (Aries) is ruled by Mars. Same planets, in the same order, ruling the same signs. Memorize these simple rules & you will know what planet rules what decanate.

Divide a sign of 30 degrees by 12 & you get two & a half degrees, or a Duad. Each of these are ruled by a sign of the zodiac, starting with the same sign as that of the overall sign itself.

So the first duad of Aries is Aries. The last duad of Aries is Pisces. Each sign is self-contained, the duad series does not go on from one 30 degree sign to the next. So in Taurus, the first duad is Taurus, the last is Aries, etc. (The duads are not like planetary hours.)

It's a bit tricky working out which duad applies to which degree, but it can be done. Here's how.

As each decanate contains a third of the "duad zodiac", the first decanate of Aries contains the duad signs of Aries through Cancer. By extension, the second decanate of Virgo (10-20), the Saturn/Capricorn decanate, contains the signs Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces & Aries. So 14 Virgo is in the Capricorn decanate & the (second) Aquarius duad. All you need do is think in terms of quarters: 2.5 / 5 / 7.5 / 10. In the second decanate, duads fall at 12.5 / 15 / 17.5 / 20. In the third, 22.5 / 25 / 27.5, etc.

Working out details like this is good mental exercise.

You use these to extract more information about planets in signs, the ascendant degree, cuspal degrees. Determine the decanates & duads of all the planets & cusps in a chart, reduce to elements, and you may see some interesting patterns emerge. In terms of individual planets, you say Mars is in the second decanate of Scorpio? That's the Pisces decanate, ruled by Jupiter. So you would think, Mars, encouraged by Jupiter, is going to act a lot more in the second decanate than the first, and is not going to be quite as intensely focused, since Pisces difuses everything. If that Mars is at, say, 16 Scorpio, it will be in the (wait, let me think: A third down from Scorpio is Pisces, which would be the duads of Pisces, Aries, Taurus AHA!) Taurus duad which makes it a bit willfully stubborn, a Taurus trait.

You can apply these observations to the planet itself, the house it is in, the house it rules, and any aspects. Gives you more to work with. The authors delineate each decanate, and every duad, all 144 of them.

AFA, 116 pages.


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DECANATES - Bernice Prill Grebner, $15.95

Contents:

Introduction

1. Decanates & dwads
2. Planetary interpretations
3. Decanate aspects & synastry
4. House interpretation
5. Degree meanings

Comment:

While "dwad" is not in the title, dwads are included in the book. Grebner uses simple keywords. Thus, Aries is Leadership, Fire. Taurus is Material or Values, Earth. Gemini is Mental, Air, etc.

Each decanate has its own ruling sign. Grebner follows the example of Anrias, in that the first decanate of a sign is ruled by that sign, the next decanate is ruled by the next sign in the triplicity, the third decanate is ruled by the third sign in the triplicity. Thus, Aries/Aries, Aries/Leo, Aries/Sagittarius, etc. With his detailed sketches, Anrias proved the value of this system. Which is not the same as the ancient system of triplicities. This must be kept in mind. In the ancient system, the first decanate of Aries is ruled by the Sun (Leo), the second by Jupiter (presumably Sagittarius) and the third by Saturn (Aquarius?).

With Grebner, the keyword for first decanate of each sign is Physical. The keyword for the second decanate is Mental, the keyword for the third is Spiritual. The first decanate of Aries is physical, the first decanate of Taurus is physical, the first decanate of Gemini is physical, etc.

As for dwads, the first dwad in a sign has the same sign. The second dwad has the next sign, the third has the third sign, etc. Thus, the first dwad (2 degrees, 30 minutes) of Gemini is Gemini. The second dwad is Cancer, the third dwad is Leo. This proceeds in zodiacal order from one decanate to the next. The last dwad in a sign is of the sign preceeding the overall sign. The last dwad in Gemini is Taurus. The idea being that each sign of the zodiac can itself be divided into twelve.

I've never been happy with that system of dwads, as after Gemini/Taurus comes Cancer/Cancer, in other words, there is a missing dwad (in this case, Gemini) between each of the signs. I want a system that is coherent, as with the decanate rulers, and/or flowing & consistent, as with planetary hours & days of the week. You will note the ancient system of triplicity rulers fails this rule, because it presumably follows some other rule. (Never second-guess the old guys!)

Chapter 2 are delineations for planets in the decanates, written in a general fashion, ie, for the Sun. I read my solar decanate (Humanitarian, Uranus-Venus, spiritual) but didn't find myself in it. I suspect the author is writing to a private theory.

Chapter 3, on aspects & synastry, hinges on comprehension of chapter 2. The sign ruler is always the projector, whereas the decanate ruler is the receiver. (pg. 29). This made no sense no matter how I looked at it. If your Sun & Moon are in square, then you can read the rulers of the decanates they fall in, right? Well, no, because planets that fall in the first decanate do not have a decanate aspect. But since the sign of the first decanate is always the same as the sign itself, would it not be correct that the first decanate has the same ruler as the sign as a whole?

But instead, the decanate aspects you can read are those for planets which are in aspect and in the same element. In other words, if they are conjunct or trine. Grebner doesn't say this, she simply lets you hang.

With synastry it's just as limited:

A man's Sun in Gemini (Libra decanate) compared with a woman's Venus in Libra (Gemini decanate): This satisfies the man's ego, and can truly be himself with this woman who knows how to love him. (pg. 33)
Which, you will note, are two planets that fall in the same element, in this case, air. Which is a very limited way of using decanates, I think. People occasionally hook up via sextiles, you know, and have been known to blunder about with squares & oppositions. Grebner goes on, page after page, with this rather narrow synastry.

Decanates have rulers, pgs. 37-8. Which are (in this order): Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, which are repeated over & over. You will immediately note these rulers are inconsistent with the signs of the decanates themselves (Aries: Aries/Mars, Leo/Sun, Sagittarius/Jupiter), as well as inconsistent with the traditional triplicity rulers. For extra points you are wondering how seven planets are divided among 36 decanates. And you're right: The last decanate of Pisces & the first decanate of Aries are both ruled by, surprise, Mars. Seems there's one too many decanates.

Chapter 4 gives delineations for the decanate appearing on each house cusp. Since a lot of work went in to this chapter (twelve delineations for each decanate, times three decanates, times twelve houses, equals 432), I dug out my chart to see if I could identify myself. People with my decanate (Gemini-Libra) rising are,

seldom crude or coarse, and their friendly manner and good looks have instant appeal. Love relationships, children, or art can help them project their best, and they are usually very fair with others.
Which in a vague sort of way reminds one of Anrias, who writes,
The Libra decanate of Gemini is ruled by Venus. This combination gives artistic ability, quick perception, but lacks continuity. The talents are thus often misplaced, either through a general unsettled feeling or else through lack of self-esteem.
- Which is why I like Anrias so very much, but I digress. Note that Grebner thinks the second decanate of Gemini is ruled by Mars, not Libra, but you will also note her delineation of Gemini/Libra is clearly Venusian, rather than Martian.

Continuing with the decanates as found on house cusps, in my case there were more misses than hits.

This won't be your first book on decanates.

AFA, 102 pages.


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THE QUINDECILE, The Astrology & Psychology of Obsession - Ricki Reeves, $14.95
Contents:

List of horoscopes
Foreword by Noel Tyl
Acknowledgements
Introduction

Part 1: The pyschology of obsession:
1. The psychological dynamics of obsessive-compulsive behavior
2. Obsession & compulsion as opportunity vs: difficulty

Part 2: An astrological overview of the quindecile:
3. The history of the quindecile
4. Technical information about the quindecile: Identifying, understanding the 24th harmonic, orbs
5. Dynamics of analysis of the quindecile

  • Understanding the placement
  • Delineation differences
  • Expression of the quindecile aspect
    • Planet quindecile the angles
    • Planete quindecile Sun & Moon
    • Personal planet quindecile personal planet
    • Outer planet quindecile outer planet
    • Planet quindecile north node

Part 3: Astrological analysis of the quindecile:
The Jupiter factor
Retrograde planets
6. Dynamics of natal interpretation
7. Activation through progression & transit
8. Synastry

Part 4: Index of quindecile delineations:
Sun
Moon
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
North node

Bibliography
Index

Comment: A quindecile is a 165 degree aspect. If your sun is at 1 degree Aries & your moon is at 15 degrees Virgo, they are quindecile. According to the author, this is the aspect of obsession-compulsion. In this book, the psychological dynamics of obsession-compulsion; planetary dynamics by sign, element & triplicity; quindeciles in natals, progressions, transits & synastry; a reference section of interpretations & delineations, numerous chart examples of well-known people.

The blurb on the back says,

Riki Reeves (Michigan) teaches astrology & lectures throughout North America. She has worked in the field of mental health, addictions, and recovery for more than ten years. She is a graduate of Noel Tyl's Master's Program in astrology.
On page iii is this note:
Who's in charge here?
We like to think that we are sensible beings who base our actions on conscious decisions. The fact is, all of us are subject to the occasional irrational impulse, the "wild hair" that surprises us and those around us. Usually, this is not a big problem - in fact, it can act as a safety valve for our creative abilities & a check against unnecessary self-restriction.

But it's not so healthy when we find ourselves driven by compulsions & obsessions that seem to take over our lives & consume our attention & energy. How can we discover the origins of these forces? Can we turn them into something constructive?

Astrology provides a key to these questions in the quindecile. This newly researched 165 degree aspect of hidden driving forces is thoroughly explored in these pages by an experienced astrologer & mental health professional. Numerous chart examples support the analysis of the quindecile in natal, transit, progressed & synastry horoscopes. A full set of delineations & interpretations lets you quickly add this illuminating factor to your understanding of any chart.

Llewellyn, 208 pages.


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ASPECTS: A new approach to understanding the planetary relationships in your chart - Robin Antepara, $16.95
Contents:

List of charts
Introduction
Why aspects matter

Part 1: Working with hard aspects:
1. The opposition: Fixed (Gandhi), Mutable (Lance Armstrong), Cardinal (Eric Harris)
2. The square: Fixed (Princess Diana), Mutable & Cardinal (Princess Masako of Japan)
3. The conjunctions: Cardinal (Katherine Graham), Mutable (Charles Schultz), Fixed (Martha Stewart)

Part 2: Working with soft aspects:
4. The trine: Fire (Martha Stewart), Air (Rush Limbaugh & Jane Fonda), Water (Kurt Cobain), Earth (Katherine Hepburn)
5. The sextile: (John Nash)
6. The fire grand trine: (Marlon Brando)
7. The earth grand trine: (Muhammad Ali)
8. The air grand trine: (Lance Armstrong, The USA)
9. The water grand trine: (Kurt Cobain)

Part 3: Other aspects:
10. The inconjunct & the yod: (Henry Miller, Marlon Brando, Martha Stewart)
11. Non-Ptolemaic aspects: The semisquare; The sesquiquadrate; The quintile; The quindecile
12. Techniques of transformation: Defense mechanisms of the psyche, Trining squares, squaring trines, steam control

End word

Appendix 1: Primer of basic astrology: Planets, signs, rulership-dignities-debilities, aspects, houses
Appendix 2: Chart sources
Bibliography

From the back of the book:

Conventional astrology teaches that "soft" aspects (trines & sextiles) are desirable & "hard" aspects (squares, oppositions & conjunctions) are difficult. Robin Antepara takes a refreshing approach to planetary relationships in the natal chart. She moves beyond viewing aspects as either challenging or harmonious and shows that every aspect is a valuable source of self-knowledge, providing insight into our strengths, talents, shadow issues & even life purpose.

In this straightforward and lively guide, Robin Antepara tells how to utilize the energy of all your natal aspects to your best advantage by using the focus and direction they provide for maximum personal growth. In addition to the five major aspects, Antepara explores the potential of natal grand trines in each element (fire, earth, air and water), yods and inconjuncts, and other minor aspects. The birth charts of Gandhi, Lance Armstrong, Princess Diana, Marlon Brando, Kurt Cobain, Martha Stewart, and other cultural icons provide illuminating examples of the importance of alchemizing planetary aspects to realize your life's true potential.

Llewellyn, 180 pages.


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Aspects, page 2


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