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| The Science Bit (Page 2 of 3) |
COMMON ASTROLOGICAL TERMS
 THE ASCENDENT or RISING SIGN
Nothing in astrology is ever stagnant. As the earth continually revolves on its axis, so too do all the signs, reference points and planets. At the moment of birth, a sign will be rising over the horizon and this is known as your Ascendant, your rising sign. The Ascendant is effectively the beginning of your chart, the first house of the horoscope. Depending upon the latitude of your place of birth, some signs move more slowly over the horizon, taking some two hours to do so while others move so fast there can be three changes of sign in an hour.
As far as interpretation goes, the Ascendant represents the lens through which the rest of personality shines through - it is the gateway to who we are, the Jungian persona.
Without the time of birth and therefore the establishment of the Ascendant, it is extremely difficult for an astrologer to be accurate about character and destiny.
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 ASPECTS
These are the angles formed between the planets and points of the chart i.e. the Mid-heaven and the Ascendant. I consider the aspects to be the most revealing factors of all in astrology. Whether interpreting a natal (birth) chart for an individual, a nation or an event, the aspects provide the 'meat' and 'potatoes', so to speak while the signs add the gravy! While the easy aspects help sweeten the picture, the hard aspects are the business: they are dynamic and always hold sway over the easy angles.
Hard Aspects:
 CONJUNCTION: planets side by side.
 SQUARE: planets at right angles to each other - 90 degrees apart.
 OPPOSITION: planets at opposite ends of the zodiac - 180 degrees apart.
Easy Aspects:
 SEXTILE: planets 60 degrees apart.
 TRINE: planets 120 degrees apart.
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THE CUSP
The cusp means the beginning - i.e. the cusp of the second house (the beginning of the second house), the cusp of Taurus, etc., the beginning of that sign. Since astrology has become popularized a misnomer has arisen that a person born on the cusp of a sign - i.e. the beginning of Cancer or Leo etc - is a member of both signs and shares the qualities of both signs. Absolute rubbish. The sun is at 29 degrees 59 minutes and 59 seconds of Pisces and a second later will be 0 degrees, 0 minutes and 1 second of Aries! You are either one sign or another; you do not straddle two signs.
Sometimes, a sun sign column will differ as to the dates the sun will be in a particular sign. This is because the arrival of the sun in each of the signs varies slightly from year to year therefore astrologers can only give an approximation.
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 THE DECENDENT
This is the opposite point to the Ascendant. It designates the seventh house of the horoscope and in interpretation, describes your relationships and the effect other people have on your life. Traditional astrology books describe this area as the house of partners and open enemies.
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THE ELEMENTS (the triplicities.)
There are four elements - Fire, Earth, Air and water. Each of the twelve signs belongs to one of the elements.
Fire: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius.
Fire is creative, enthusiastic, passionate, emotional and self-willed.
Earth: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn.
Earth is strong, stable, cautious, practical, sensible and pragmatic.
Air: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius.
Air is communicative, bright, intellectually-oriented, claustrophobic.
Water: Cancer, Scorpios, Pisces.
Water is emotional, sensitive, imaginative and reflective.
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THE HOUSES
In the same way that there are twelve signs of the zodiac, the horoscope is divided into twelve segments known as the houses. The first house begins at the Ascendant and the rest of the houses follow on counter-clockwise. Each house represents a different area of life.
1st House: The persona. The physical body.
2nd House: Self-worth. Finances.
3rd House: Travel and communications.
4th House: The roots of life in every sense of the phrase.
5th House: Creative endeavours. The heart centre of the chart.
6th House: Work. Life structures. Health.
7th House: Relationships
8th House: Emotional, sexual and financial exchange.
9th House: Far horizons. Distant objectives. Higher thoughts.
10th House: Career. Role in life.
11th House: Team work. Friendship. Shared creative endeavours.
12th House: The spiritual centre. The unconscious. The seat of the psyche.
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 THE MID-HEAVENS (MC)
This is the highest point of your horoscope and the start of the tenth house. In interpretation, the Mid-heaven represents, goals and life-direction. If the Ascendant is who we are then the Mid-Heaven is who we want to be.
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THE QUALITIES (the quadruplicities.)
There are three qualities, Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable. Each of the signs belongs to one of the qualities.
Cardinal: Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn.
The Cardinal signs are self-motivated and power-oriented.
Fixed: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius.
The Fixed signs are rooted and resistant to change.
Mutable: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces.
The Mutable signs are inconstant and adaptable.
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The Science Bit
 Online Version (Page 1 of 3) THE PLANETS
Online Version (Page 3 of 3) THE SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC
 .pdf Format (106Kb)
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