Overlapping Aspect Orbs

[GregLinhares]

Hi all,

If a planet is within the outer edges of one aspect’s orb and is also within the overlapping orb of an adjacent minor aspect are BOTH considered “active” or would one outweigh the other?

Generally I don’t think too much about the “minor aspects” as there is already so much to consider when using only the most common ones, however, while creating this interactive planetary phases graphic illustration (attached), it suddenly occurred that some aspects have overlapping orbs which I didn’t initially realize until visualizing them graphically and would just like to understand how those circumstances might be interpreted from an EA point of view.

One example would be a planet at the outer edges of the 5° orb of an inconjunct. That same planet would also be within the orb of either a Triseptile or Biquintile and I’m just curious how that would play out. Thanks!

[Linda]

Hi Greg,


Welcome to the message board  


The following may help in an indirect kind of way:


(Q): When there is a huge stellium of planets in a chart all conjunct within a 10-degree orb and another planet aspects that stellium, there can exist more than one type of aspect, i.e., quintile and square. What is the rule governing this? Does one incorporate both aspects within their analysis? (Henrik)

(A): Yes. (Rad)

(Q): When a planet aspects this sort of stellium, does the planet's aspected dynamic in equal measure affect all the planetary dynamics held within the stellium, by virtue of the conjunction, regardless of the degree of orb?

(A): Yes.



DEGREES AND ORBS


Orbs – how long one has been working on any given issue

The orbs simply correlate to how long a person has been working on any given issue, eg 10 degree orb relative to a square would mean that this would be the first lifetime for a person to work on whatever the two planets/archetypes/dynamics are. Conversely, for example, those same two planets could be in a 6 degree orb relative to the square, and this then suggests, in evolutionary terms, that the person has already been working on those evolutionary issues prior to the current life for at least several lifetimes. As such it is not ‘new’ to the person, there would be previous experience, and thus the orientation, and behavior, would be different than the person who had the 10 degree orb. (JWG)

Part of of that is that when looking at outer planet aspects like Mars/Pluto, a Soul may require more than one lifetime to progress through ONE crescent/first quarter Mars/Pluto square – 20 degrees. Thus, “how long the person has been working on the issue.” Again resisting necessary changes is the underlying issue. Aspects occur WITHIN phases – they are the transition points, mile-markers along the journey through the phases. You can’t separate them from phases. (Steve)


Working with wider orbs

Aspects are considered as parts of phases, as evolutionary gates or markers to be specific. Thus we work with wider orbs because the orb is seen as part of the evolutionary transition. The closer the aspect is to exact, the stronger the effects will be felt (in most cases) although as always there are exceptions. There are people who are sensitive enough that they feel an upcoming Pluto transit at 12 or 13 degrees away, while others will be almost in exact aspect and tell you they don’t feel much going on. EA uses orbs that are wider than many traditional astrologies do. For example, there are four types of squares (crescent, first quarter, disseminating, and last quarter). The meaning of each of those types of square is quite different. Thus it’s necessary to understand the archetypes of the phases to truly be able to interpret the meaning of a square.

When you are dealing with a sensitive tuned-in aware Soul, these energies can start affecting that Soul even outside of those guidelines – feeling a Pluto transit with a 12 degree orb, for example. It’s an individual, case by case scenario. So some people would feel and be affected by sesquiquadrate at 3 degrees, others at 4, others at 5. None of those numbers are cast in stone and the only true answer. They were given as guidelines. The context around those numbers in the message board transcript was Jeffrey saying each astrologer had to determine for themselves what those orbs were, for them. And newer people saying they didn’t have the experience to determine those yet. So Jeffrey posted those lists, of what he used, as guidelines, not as literal truth. Every case is unique. Another, for example, might not really be affected by a Pluto square until an 8 degree orb had been reached. (Steve)


Also:

Motion of Planetary Nodes

There is a natural progressive cycle to the Planetary Nodes, meaning forwards through the zodiac. Yet they can also go in retrograde motion at different parts of the year, in the overall cycle of each Planetary Node. But the mean motion is forwards, not retrograde as in the Moon’s Nodes. You can even have a situation, due to the irregular planetary motion of the planets where, for example, the South Node of Mars can be retrograde, yet its North Node is not. One needs to look into the tables for the Planetary Nodes in Solar Fire, for example, to see all this. There is a progressive movement of the Planetary Nodes through the zodiac at their mean motions. Of course they can go retrograde at times, yet the mean motion is progressive or forwards. The planetary motions are not constant whereas the motion of the Moon relative to Earth is. Thus when the various planets move above or below the elliptic of the Earth the Nodes that this then correlates to are not constant: they are irregular. (Rad)


Your graphic is marvelous!! 


Hope this helps,

Linda

[GregLinhares]

Thank you Linda! That helps a great deal. It really is just a matter of case by case scenarios and I do understand that there are no precise on/off switches when dealing with orbs. I suppose I just don't understand why anyone would ever need to use aspects such as the triseptile when it's already so incredibly close to the inconjunct. I do seem to prefer the idea of simply recognizing that any two planets are always in some degree of relationship within each phase rather than worry about those tiny details anyway. The question just occurred as a result of seeing the graphical representations of overlapping orbs so I just needed to ask.

Glad I asked too, because I didn't realize that the mean motion of the planetary nodes is actually forward as I've only just recently began using them. Thank you for pointing that out. It allowed me to make that correction on my planetary phases reference wheel.

Much appreciated!

[Gonzalo]

Hi Greg,
Thank you for sharing the graphic application. I share my thoughts about what you asked. I would say the reason why to use the 'minor' aspects as taught by Jeff Green is they have their own precise archteypical meaning. That meaning is NOT included in the other aspects. In the case of the inconjunct (150°), which is preceded by the bi-quintile (144°), and followed by the tri-septile (154°), there is an evolutionary progression between them. Further, there is a progression in each aspect relative to the orb in which it occurs. If a stellium of planets forms aspects to another planet within this orb-span, let's say, between 144° and 154°, the orbs of the bi-quintile and the tri-septile do apply relative to the planets in those aspects: those planetary functions are conditioned by the archetypical nature of the aspects in which they actually are to the other planet. They will be connected through the conjunction between them and with the planet which forms the inconjunct to the other planet, and have their own meanings conditioned by the conjunction. Relative to the Gibbous phase, the conjunction or stellium will correlate with the nature of a crisis of the egocentric sense of purpose, and the need to align personal purpose with the needs of others. However, each planetary function has its own story, so to speak, and the specific aspect each planet forms within the phase will demonstrate different degrees of resolution/archetypical responses relative to the overall crisis. If one of the planets is within the orb of the biquintile or the triseptile, the nature of these aspects does apply to that planet. If other planet is within the orb of the inconjunct, and not within the orbs of biquintile or triseptile, then the nature of the inconjunct does apply. If they overlapp, the more reduced orbs of the 'minor' aspects prevail in considering those specific planets/aspects. Then, they can be integrated into a wider picture that includes the fact that theyr are conjunct to other planets in different aspects to the other planet.

God Bless, Gonzalo