full-phase aspects in astrology

8/8/2019 Full-Phase Aspects in Astrology

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Full-Phase Aspects in Astrology


By Michael Erlewine

[email protected]

The Waxing Trine

Suggestion: First read the previousarticle "Full-Phase Aspects - AnIntroduction.

How did I find out about Phase Charts?Well, a good number of years ago Ibecame increasingly dissatisfied withtraditional aspect interpretation and forseveral reasons. For one, I found in theorient that there was more attention paidto the phase of the Moon and that thewaxing phase was clearly delineateddifferently than the waning phases. Theyroutinely do this and base their whole

spiritual practice calendars around thefact of full-phase analysis, at leastbetween the Sun and the Moon. Since Irespect the Tibetan Buddhists and theirhistory very much, this really gave mepause for thought. And I began to thinkit through.

The Heart Center Astrological Library

Second, since I am the curator of a verylarge astrological library, I decided tothoroughly look through the library forreferences to full-phase aspects in theliterature. This took, as you mightimagine, some time to do.

What I found in the Western literaturewas: not much. There were a fewpioneers in this area of research, buteven they did not seem to follow theirown conclusions. Those who did usefull-phase aspects include Grant Lewi,whose book “Astrology for the Millions”is on my desert-island list of astrologybooks, perhaps even at the top of thelist. L. Edward Johndro also routinelyused the full-phase interpretations.Others also recommended theseaspects, in particular Dane Rudhyar, butwhile he described them and pointed outtheir potential value, in a great many ofhis books he didn‟t use them. I didspeak to his former wife Leyla Rudharand she affirmed that Rudhyar was anadvocate of full-phase aspects, butagain I did not see the follow-thru inactual use that I found in someone likeJohndro. It may be that this view came



Full-Phase Aspects in Astrology late in Rudhyar‟s life; I can‟t say. What Ican say is that astrologers with this vieware few and far between in the literature.

Next, I turned my attention to the study

of cycles, which of course have all thesesame phases we are discussing. Allcycles are identical when it comes toevaluating synodic periods of twobodies, one faster than the other. Ilooked through the literature and evenspoke with Richard Mogey (the formerhead of the “Foundation for the Study of Cycles”) and he admitted that therereally was not much written about thephase structure of cycles although there

is a huge amount of literature on thevarious cycles themselves.

And I found this to be the case.Although we could fill a small library withpapers and books on various cycles andtheir lengths, you would be hard to findeven one or two pages on what we arediscussing here – the structure of thewaxing and waning parts of cycles. Ifound this to be amazing indeed.

I then did what is always for me thehardest thing to do, which is to turnaway from the books and turn inward tomy own mind and begin to examinethese ideas afresh on their merits. I alsowent through an enormous number ofcharts and began constructing variouscomputer programs to help me in thisresearch. And this approach proved tobe more fruitful than what went before.

Of course, it was easy to see that most

of what is written about aspect cyclesand their meaning has just been handeddown from generation to generationthrough history, with nothing significantadded. This is not to suggest that whathas been handed down has no value. Ofcourse it does, but here I am speakingabout expanding on what is traditional.

On that note, I did see significantcontributions from the Ebertin/Witteapproach (Cosmbiology) and in that ofJohn Addey (Harmonic Analysis). Andthese two newer approaches are, ofcourse, related closely. Aside from this,there is not much in the literature.

I went over the concept of phase anglesagain and again until it was secondnature and gradually forced myself toturn away and work through thismaterial on my own, to just think itthrough. And what I found is worthrelating here. While what follows mayseem somewhat heretical, I assure you

it is not. If you will take the time to studythis concept on your own and to think itthrough by using worked examples suchas your own chart, you will see asomewhat new approach to aspectsemerge. Here are some of the mainconclusions:

The Sixteen Major Aspects

We took a brief look at groups ofaspects earlier on. Now let‟s walk

through the cycle from Conjunction toConjunction, and say something moreabout each aspect. I will try to point outwhere I found information that isdifferent from the traditionalinterpretations.




The Conjunction

The Conjunction – 0-degrees

The Conjunction point seems to remainconstant through all time and in all of theastrology I have studied, East and West.This is the starting point which, like theNew Moon, is the most inward orcollapsed point in the cycle. This is thebeginning or starting point of the synodic

cycle and all of the traditional conceptsof insemination, seed impulse, resonanttone, etc. stand. This definition is quitetraditional. I found nothing really newhere. The Conjunction corresponds tothe Midnight point, the 10th House, andthe zodiac sign Capricorn – the mostinward point possible, where everythingends and all things begin.

The Opposition

The Opposition – 180-degrees

On the other end of the cycle, theOpposition, my view did changesomewhat. In the Western tradition(certainly in the literature I have accessto) we easily fall into the habit ofconsidering the Opposition as one of the“Hard” aspects, literally as “opposing” us

in some way or another. In other words,when we discover the Oppositions in achart, there is the same kind of littlecringe similar to that we have when wefind Squares.

Although Oppositions get somewhatbetter treatment than Squares in theliterature, that treatment is not a wholelot better. Or to put it more plainly: thereis some lip service to the effect thatOppositions are helpful, but when youget right down to most of the writteninterpretations, they are treated just likeSquares and considered as „bad‟ or unwanted aspects. This is all there inblack and white for any of you to read.Check your books.



Full-Phase Aspects in Astrology What I came to understand about theOpposition is more akin to the view thatthe Tibetan Buddhist hold when theylook at the cycle of the Moon. In thattradition, it is the Opposition (i.e. the FullMoon) that is the most sacred. This isthe time when Buddha was born, thetime when he was enlightened, the timehe passed away, and so on. There is noquestion that in the Eastern literaturethe Opposition is the fulcrum, the turningpoint or key point in the whole cycle. Ofcourse, in any cycle or circle all pointsare required, but some are moreprominent and the Opposition is themost prominent of all the degrees in thesynodic cycle, at least in Asia.

This approach, plus a lot of looking atcharts, eclipses, and plain old deepthought led me away from my habit ofsomehow not welcoming Oppositionsand toward a different view of thisaspect and that is:

It is only through Oppositions that lifeunfolds or manifests. The Opposition inevery cycle is, like the fullness of the

Moon, when the bloom or incarnation ismost full. Thus the Opposition wouldcorrespond to the zodiac sign Cancer (inthe tarot: The Chariot), to Noon Timewhen everything is manifest, and withthe Fourth House, our physical home.This is the point of greatestmanifestation or living – the experienceitself.

Through my work with this aspect, theword “Experience” came to best signifywhat the Opposition is all about. If theConjunction is the seed impulse, theMidnight point, the Tenth House, andthe zodiac sign Capricorn, then theOpposition represents the living end ofthings, when we are most in-the-body or

incarnate and just feeling it all,“Experiencing.”

Moreover, the opposition or 180-degreepoint in any synodic cycle follows the

above interpretation and the Oppositionis the main body or the experience itself,that is: the result of the seed and all thegrowth to that point. A cycle is born,grows to an Opposition, and then beginsto physically or experientially declineand fade back to where it came from,hopefully garnering or providing someknowledge as a result, which knowledgebecomes the seed for the next cycle thatbegins at the coming Conjunction, and

so on.The Waxing Hemisphere

It is the waxing or growing hemispherethat takes the tone or impulse (which isat first seminal but lacking physicalform) and through its ringing resonancebegins to build (successfully orunsuccessfully) a form perfectlydesigned to fit its message and resultsin the living end of life, the Opposition.

Rudhyar‟s book “The Lunation Cycle”echoes this view.

The Waning Hemisphere

And it is the waning or declininghemisphere that takes the experienceachieved at the Opposition and follows itthrough its inevitable demise, extractingwhatever is of value, while all the timeassisting in the de-construction of theexperience, and ending with the veryessence or seed of that experience.

In this respect, both Eastern andWestern astrology have a good handleon the waxing and waning hemispheres.I found little to add to the descriptions ofthese cyclic elements that have beenhanded down to us over the centuries.There is general agreement here.



Full-Phase Aspects in Astrology The Square Aspects

With the Square aspect, I ran into myfirst real problems. The reputation of theSquare or “Hard” aspect just did not jibe

with what my research showed.Tradition finds the Square aspectdifficult and to be avoided, certainly notwelcomed in the chart. Sure, there issome lip service to how valuableSquares are, but all too often the sameauthor slips into bad-mouthing squaresfurther on when it comes to theirinterpretation. What did I find that differsfrom this?

I found that the “bad boy” reputation of

the Square in reality more acuratelybelongs to the Semi-Square family,which I will get to a little later in thisarticle. As for the Square aspect, it didnot add up in my study to what thetradition suggests. Instead, Squareshave come to signify what I call “TurningPoints” in time, pivot points upon whichsome major opportunity for changehangs. And there are, of course, twosquare points and they are very different

from one another.

The waxing Square

The Waxing Square – 90-degreeAspect

The Waxing Square is similar to theAscendant (or the sign Aries) in that it is

here that the first signs of actualmanifestation can be seen. Think of anidea or plan that has been put into playbut has as yet not shown any sign ofbecoming real or visible in this world. Atthe Waxing Square point in any cycle,there is usually something tangible thatappears and can be seen, somethingthat will remain actual and visible muchlike when it snows there is a point wherethe ground will hold the snow and

instead of vanishing and melting, itholds and accumulates. This is theturning point from inward to outward.That is how I view the Waxing Square,as a turning point, not a problem point.

The Waning Square The Waning Square – 270-degreeAspect

The Waning Square is just the oppositeand in that regard is similar to theDescendant (or the sign Libra). This isthe point where the outer manifestation



Full-Phase Aspects in Astrology (whatever it is) that reached fullness atthe Opposition no longer has controlphysically, but gives up and declinesvery rapidly from this point in the cycleonward. This is a turning point fromoutward, to inward. Everything from thispoint forward in inner directed and innercontrolled. Instead of something arisinginto view as in the Waxing Square, herethere is an active deconstruction, ataking apart of what is, and a lookingand going inward – taking and learningwhat we can from a situation. That is avery brief discussion of Squares.

The Sextiles and Trines

With the Sextile and Trine aspects, ourWestern tradition pretty much has it rightand I don‟t have too much to add. Theseaspects have been termed “Good” or beneficial and tend to be as welcomedas the Square aspect is shunned.

I term these aspects (the two Sextilesand two Trines) as “energy points,” asaspects where energetic material issomehow pumped into the system and

the increased activity from this suddeninflux of energy creates or changes thesituation by expanding the spacesurrounding it. Think of it as that theincreased energy creates an aura,creates room or space surrounding thesituation that allows work to be donemore quickly or done at all. WhenSextile/Trine energy is available, there isroom for work and the expanded spacelets whatever is already in motion moveforward and progress, for good or ill.The Buddhist say that the Buddha‟spresence turns the wheel of the dharma.Not to be irreverent, but here I amsuggesting that the energy of Sextilesand Trines creates an aura oratmosphere in which work happens,things are freed up, and situations take

the course they were directed to take,be that constructive or not.

Further, there are some majorinterpretive differences between the four

energy points, the Waxing Sextile orTrine and the Waning Sextile or Trine.There is room here to go over them verybriefly, but these differences areimportant to consider.

The Waxing Sextile

The Waxing Sextile – 60-degreeAspect

The Waxing Sextile or 60-degree pointis where the cycle picks up momentumas it rises toward the 90-degree ofSquare point of first manifestation. It isthis energy point that provides the roomor space (breadth) to stomach whateverobstacles remain to actualizing the

experience, and like the Twelfth Houseand Pisces, it is here that the strength ofpatience and forbearance is available toaccept whatever has to be accepted inorder for things to move forward tomanifestation.




The Waxing Trine

The Waxing Trine – 120-degreeAspect

The Waxing Trine or 120-dgree point isthe real building-block point of the cycle,where the increased energy allows greatprogress in manifestation to take place,and whatever physical construct ishappening to take form and quickly at

that. This is a power point formanifestation, after which somethingvery definitely exists and has beendone, at the Opposition.

The Waning Trine

The Waning Trine – 240-degreeAspect

The Waning Trine or 240-degree aspectrepresents another energy opportunity,but here we are on the waning side ofthe cycle, so we are not investingenergy in building things, but just thereverse, using energy for deconstructing

– taking things apart, but carefully.Something has to be “made” of theexperience, but here we are speaking ofwhat can be understood or drawn out-from the experience at the Opposition.We are beginning to draw someconclusions here, although verypreliminary ones. This corresponds tothe Sixth House and Virgo, so we aredefinitely ”leaving the body” of theexperience, and at the same time trying

to salvage and preserve all that we can.We can see and understand that theexperience will discorporate, and webegin to not fight that thought, but tocooperate in the salvage operation.




The Waning Sextile

The Waning Sextile – 300-degreeAspect

The energy of the Waning Sextile or300-degrees aspect, like the EighthHouse and the zodiac sign Scorpio is allabout clearly separating the wheat fromthe chaff, actively criticizing andremoving that which must be removed

and leaving that which stands up to thistest and deserves to remain. There is noquestion about the future of the body ofthe experience, which is going downhillfast. Instead, all eyes are uponpreserving what we can from thatexperience – the seed essence.

I hope you can see that these fourenergy points, the two Sextiles and thetwo Trines are very different from oneanother in interpretation and that thesedifferences in interpretation add a greatdeal to our working knowledge of theaspects meaning.

The Semi-Squares

Now these little buggers really are ahandful and, as mentioned earlier,actually deserve the reputation that the

Square aspects have received downthrough history. Again, there are four ofthem, the Waxing Semi-Square or 45-degree angle, the Waxing Sesqui-Quadrate or 135-degree angle, theWaning Sesqui-Quadrate or 225-degreeangle, and the Waning Semi-Square or315-degree angle.

It is interesting to note that in theTibetan astrology, these four 45-degreepoints on the circle are known as the“Tomb Signs.” These Semi-Squareaspects do seem to actually representreal challenges or obstacles along theaspect cycle and I have done enough

exploration to confirm this, at least formyself. Yet, like any of the other mirror-aspects, each one presents a slightlydifferent problem and each one has aslightly different approach that isrecommended for working with them, asfollows:

Waxing Semi-Square

The Waxing Semi-Square 45-degreeAspect

The Waxing Semi-Square generallybrings one or more obstacles to the fore,



Full-Phase Aspects in Astrology aspect is the point of official breakdownof the experience, after which it is alldownhill physically, and our thoughtshad best be in retrieving and salvagingwhatever we can from the experience.Obstacles or challenges that appearhere are natural and it is best to push onthrough and actively confront andremove them. But there has been acomplete flip at this point, from pushingoutward and building, to pushing inwardand beginning to take things apart. Theexperience of the Opposition is startingto break up.

Waning Semi-Square

The Waning Semi-Square or 315-degree Aspect

The 315-degree or Waning Semi-Square is the last aspect in this seriesand represents a challenge inunderstanding or assimilating, figuringout what it all means – this entireexperience to date. This particularaspect does not respond well toconfrontation or challenge, that is:pushing or opposing it notrecommended. Instead, what isrecommended is to relax and be very

passive, as in: letting this blockage passon its own accord. The need here is forflexibility and accommodation. This iskey.

The Semi-Sextile and InconjunctSeries

I must admit that I find this series ofaspects somewhat puzzling and don‟tfeel confident that I properly understandthem as well as I believe I do the otheraspects we have discussed. It may befor one of you to finish this piece ofresearch and clarify their nature. Withthat said, let me share what I havelearned.

I sometimes call these the “TransitionAspect,” but it sounds too much like the“Turning Point Aspects” of theConjunction, Squares, and Opposition,so I call these four aspects the “Four Pauses.” What I really mean to say bythis is that these aspects almostrepresent lulls or vacancies in time.Perhaps “Time Out” aspects would be abetter term, for things at these points

are in flux, but not in high energy orhigh-profile flux. These are aspects forthe time before and the time after largeraspect events. That is about the best Ican put this concept into words. Theseaspects are pauses where we allowourselves to adjust our attitude andassume a new attitude. These can beconfusing times, because we are neitherhere nor there, but somewhere in-between.




Waxing SemiSextile

The Waxing Semi-Sextile or 30-degree Aspect

The Waxing Semi-Sextile or 30-degreeaspect follows the impulse orConjunction point and precedes the firstchallenge or 45-degree aspects. Itappears to be a time of coming togetheror forming, putting whatever idea is

emerging from the tone or impulse ofthe Conjunction into some kind offormulated plan. A plan forms. Thisaspect corresponds to Aquarius in signsand the Eleventh House, so the conceptof some general plan makes sense. Weare waiting for a plan to form, just asafter a New Moon, there are a few daysuntil we can let go of an older approachand get used to taking up a newapproach – a pause.

Waxing Inconjunct

The Waxing Inconjunct or 150-degreeAspect

The Waxing Inconjunct (sometimescalled the Quincunx) or 150-degreeaspect follows the push of the WaxingTrine and the challenge or slowdown ofthe Waxing Sesqui-Quadrate, so I tendto refer to this aspect as the “Finishing

Aspect,” an aspect that completes or puts the finishing touch on theexperience that will soon culminate atthe Opposition. It corresponds to thesign Gemini and the Third House, andthis would mark the point (at theOpposition) where the arteries end andthe veins begin. This aspect does nothave the drama of the aspect thatprecedes or that follows it, so it is somekind of lull in the action department,

which is not to say there is nothinghappening here, for there is. Thefinishing touch is being added, whateverthat might me. It is not a time of push,but more of glide.




Waxing Inconjunct

The Waning Inconjunct or 210-degreeAspect

The Waning Inconjunct (sometimescalled the Quincunx) or 210 degreeaspect follows the experience of theOpposition and precedes the challengeof the Waning Sesqui-Quadrate aspect.Again, this is a quieter aspect, a lull in

whatever is taking place. I like to think ofthis aspect as the one in which theawakening or awareness of what tookplace at the Opposition begins to dawn.When we are in the middle of anexperience and living it, we have not yethad time to reflect on it because it hasnot stopped happening enough to allowreflection.

The Waning Inconjuct is when the firstglimmer of awareness occurs that tellsus we have been through something,but is not strong enough yet for us toreally grasp the enormity of whateverthat might be. Keep in mind that thisaspect corresponds to the zodiac signLeo and to the Fifth house, sosuggesting that ownership or awarenessof the experience may be dawning

would fit right into this. Again, I welcomecomments and suggestions particularlyon this last series of aspects.

Waxing Semi-Sextile

The Waning Semi-Sextile or 330-degree Aspect

Here we have the last aspect in theseries, kind of finishing things up,drawing conclusions to the whole cycle,and reducing whatever has beensalvaged from the experience back atthe Opposition to its seed essence. Incorrespondences, this would be thezodiac sign Sagittarius, the Ninth Houseof religion, from the Latin „religare‟, tobind, thus the things that last or endure.This is what has endured and what willbecome the seed-essence for the newimpulse or tone to come at theConjunction.




The Sixteen Standard Aspects

The Complete Aspect Cycle

Well, there you have it, a brief analysisof the major aspects as they occuraround the circle or cycle and end up ata new Conjunction, a new beginning.The seed essence of the previous cycle,whatever we can agree happens in thecourse of a cycle, is the result of the

whole experience at the Opposition.This seed or essence, whatever remainsfrom everything that went before, helpsto create the tone or impulse at theConjunction, the start of a new cycle.And on it goes, literally forever.

Here we are examining the aspects thatform between two bodies in a synodiccycle, but the general form of any cycle,and the phases involved, are identical.Whether it is the cycle of our breath, aheartbeat, or the seeming endless cycleof our Sun around the Center of theGalaxy, the phases remain essentiallythe same. There is an in-breath and anout-breath, a rising to a fullness and acollapsing to a seed point. In fact, it issomething to consider that anything that

does not cycle, anything that does notreturn, we would have no knowledge of.

It is only by the endless return of things,of cycles, the endless positing and re-

positing, what we call “endurance” thatwe know anything at all. That which hasno return, we not only never see again,but we have never seen it at all in thefirst place. It “is” not for us.

I have studied these cycles in all theirphases because they tell the story of ourlives and in that sense are very sacredto us. It is enlightening to learn moreabout each phase in the cycle. Here weare looking at the synodic cycle of two

bodies, but we are surrounded by onlycycles on every side. As mentionedabove: that which does not cycle doesnot appear to us and we do not know it.

For those interested in these techniquesin greater detail, please see my book"Full-Phase Aspects," available onAmazon.com.

full-phase aspects in astrology

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