Aspect
HellenisticRenaissance & early modernModern WesternEditorial synthesisTraditional doctrine
Definition
An angular relationship between two points in a chart (classically the conjunction, sextile, square, trine, and opposition), which traditions read as a meaningful geometric connection between the bodies involved.
Also called: Configuration (Hellenistic usage)
In more depth
Aspect doctrine is part of the classical repertoire: Hellenistic sources, including Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, describe configurations between signs and planets, and early modern manuals such as Lilly's Christian Astrology apply them in practical judgment.[1][2]
Traditions differ on details that matter: whether aspects are counted between whole signs or by exact degree, which additional minor aspects are admitted, and how much deviation from exactness (the 'orb') is allowed. These parameter choices belong to each school and are stated, not averaged, on this platform.[3]
References
Numbered citations in the text link to the records below; each record links to the full source registry.
- Claudius Ptolemy. Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, or Quadripartite: Being Four Books of the Influence of the Stars. J. M. Ashmand (translator). W. Foulsham & Co. Ltd, London. 1900. Historical primary source View source record
- William Lilly. Christian Astrology, Modestly Treated of in Three Books. T. Brudenell for J. Partridge & H. Blunden, London. 1647. Historical primary source View source record
- Chris Brennan. Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune. Amor Fati Publications. 2017. Modern practitioner interpretation View source record