Deep Dive into Conjunctions, Oppositions, Trines, and Squares

A field guide to major aspects in the birth chart

Hey witchy kids!

It’s no secret that aspects often feel like the final frontier of an astrology education. Whether self-taught or neck deep in courses, getting comfortable with the dialogue between planets can take years of practice and still feel like an ongoing study. If astrology is its own language, consider the jump from basic vocabulary (signs, planets) to verb conjugation (modes, houses) to academic literacy and worldly application (aspects, transits, progressions). To go from reading a menu in French to cracking open poetry by Baudelaire or Mallarmé would require patience and repetition; fluency is an ongoing practice in any language, and astrology is no different!

My goal is to provide high-level guides you can always come back to. This post is a distilled brain dump of everything I consider “need to know” and have spent the better part of a decade synthesizing, with a lifetime to go.

I considered splitting this post up into separate pieces on each aspect, but as a reader, I always appreciate when information is centrally provided in one post or thread. (I actually hit the word count limit for a Substack email on this one, so minor aspects will be a necessary part two.)

What I look like teaching astrology IRL — cue lots of excitability and hand waving! 🤪 Photo by Cass Cleave on the Authentic Audience retreat in Baja.

Let me start with a confession: for years, I learned everything but aspects. My entire childhood was spent absorbing books on the signs. I knew enough to impress friends at parties or guess a stranger’s sign or offer rudimentary relationship advice. At twenty when I enrolled in a program that required aspect study, I knew my years cobbling together the basic archetypes had come to an end. Seven years and hundreds of clients later, I’m still fascinated and tested by the infinite aspect possibilities I come across.

Aspects tell the story of how every placement in your chart relates to one another; the parts that are seamlessly integrated, like gifts waiting to be unwrapped, or the sharper edges that create the friction to propel you forward… or stay stuck in limiting karmic patterns. Aspects add nuance and specificity that make each chart one-of-one.

There are millions of Pisces, but how many have Sun conjunct Pluto? How many have Sun conjunct Pluto, trining the Moon, opposite Mars? The conversation quickly changes from, “I don’t really sound like a Pisces,” to “how on earth did you know all of that about me?”

The existence of aspects inherently debunks the one-size-fits-all stereotype of astrology. The lines between planets are what distill loose fitting archetypes into an array of details so precise, you cannot help but marvel at how the universe carved out a spot just for you.

Consider a box of Legos. Every child starts with the same base set of pieces, but the potential for assembly is infinite. It’s one thing to examine the pieces themselves, but the act of assembling each unique configuration comes with time, practice, and conversation. For those interested in giving readings, I have a community devoted to nurturing astrologers.

Think of a standard deck of 52 cards. Imagine the mathematic infinity of shuffling — you and I may own identical decks, but each time we touch it, it’ll never be shuffled that way ever again, in a formula approximately 8 x 10^67, or 80 thousand vigintillion different ways. We may both be Pisces, or we might share Venus conjunct the Sun, but our charts tell unique stories — a deck of cards that has been shuffled just for us.

To call astrology vague is to make is the strawman argument that addition and subtraction is the only math to exist. Just because I didn’t study theoretical mathematics, doesn’t deny its existence. Yes, some math is simple, and some astrology information is basic, but what about the Riemann Hypothesis, the Hodge Conjecture, the Navier-Stokes existence and smoothness problem? What about a T-square in Cardinal signs releasing into a missing element, accompanied by their Chiron wounding, trining their Sun? But sure, all Pisces are the same. There are levels to everything! Astrology is just math that helps you find your way in the universe.

At its most simple, all aspects fall into one of two categories: a gift or a challenge. Within those two categories, they are divided once again: active or stagnant.

Try not to bemoan an aspect that is more challenging on paper; your challenges are just as sacred as your gifts, and your aspects reaffirm this. I’ll give examples as we go along and at the end I’ll include major aspects of notable figures throughout history. Aspects we consider to be gifts can still be taken for granted in the psyche, reducing their application. Aspects we consider to be challenges can be honed into masterful tools that cement a legacy with willpower and determination. Every tool is defined by how committed you are to learning how to wield it. Which is to say, the existence of an aspect does not inherently determine its manifestation; there is a necessary dialogue — honed in the art of interpretation — to lead with curiosity and discern the unique order of your karmic lego set and celestially-shuffled deck.

But first, orb theory.

This is the mathematical proximity within which an aspect is felt. It’s an interpretive and personal rule of thumb for each astrologer, but the most common is a ~5° degree allowance. There are exceptions! Some astrologers, myself included, stretch the orb up to 10° degrees when aspecting to the Sun, Moon, or Rising, because those placements are so psychically sensitive, you can consider a wider energetic field of influence. (In synastry, it’s typical to follow a tighter orb of 3° or less. Yods also require 3° or less. I’ll add reminders as we move along.)

Conjunctions: when two become one.

A conjunction is 2+ planets sitting side-by-side, close enough to swap spit. They no longer retain singular identities; their energetic fields are overlapping and enmeshed with their neighbor. These are the parts of you that act and operate as one unit, creating a unique signature. Once you blend soup, the carrot is indistinguishable from the pepper. You cannot separate them. (I like my soup chunky, but you get the gist.)

I would typically consider conjunctions to be gifts, despite the different flavors they create. On an esoteric level, consider why those placements wanted to hold hands in this lifetime. Like buddies on a field trip instructed not to leave each other’s side, they are inexplicably bonded despite the differences of what the planets themselves represent.

For example, take Moon conjunct Mars. When emotion and impulse are infused, their reactivity is stronger — even if those planets are in a more grounded sign. This would increase knee-jerk reactions, the urge to act on every feeling. This could be a gift creatively, mastering the ability to act intuitively… but it could also bring up lessons around patience, the art of the pause, and not taking the bait. Since Mars rules Aries, and the Moon rules Cancer, there’s a squaring tension beneath this conjunction. These two planets don’t necessarily want to be combined. That’s the homework at hand! What if someone had Moon conjunct Mars in Libra? They might be more assertive than the typical codependent Libra Moon, because the essence of Mars is domineering and oppositional to Libra, sharpening the base flavor. The more you dig, the more you find.

Before we proceed, I want to extend a huge thank you to paid community members whose generosity allows me to make writing a part of my job.

♡ Thank you for being here! While horoscopes will always remain free on my page, I’m only able to devote time to these longer deep dives because of paid members. The rest of this post is for them as a thank you for making this dream possible. ♡