Aspects in Astrology

Page xi-xii
I started studying astrology in the 1970s and like most students, then and now, when I discovered it, got quite obsessed. I never thought of it as having career potential; I was just fascinated and, not being in any particular hurry, my apprenticeship was long and slow. As I progressed in my studies, qualified and started seeing clients, it became obvious to me that the most important facet of the horoscope, the bit that one urgently needed to understand and be able to describe, was aspects - and yet, I couldn't find much in the way of contemporary material on the subject. 
Even then there was much that was excellent on the market as to the nature of planetary combinations. Stephen Arroyo for example on the outer planets and Liz Greene on these and Saturn. Charles Carter's book Astrological Aspects was and still remains a classic in the field but is a little out of date and does not include Pluto. Bill Tierney's book Dynamics of Aspect Analysis is invaluable for the subject of aspect patterns, so much so that the writer has not attempted to comment further on these. So Aspects in Astrology came about because I needed to know more, and as I began teaching I realised that students needed to know more too. So I set about my own low-key empirical research and what follows is the result of that.
     Much of the art of astrological interpretation lies in the capacity of the astrologer to bring different symbols together and synthesise them. At every step of the way, this is what the interpreter is doing. The astrologer considering, for example, Mercury in Sagittarius in the 4th house has to bring together their understanding of the planet, the sign, the 4th house, and the houses that are ruled by Mercury. The average student of astrology can usually manage to juggle around with these different factors but when presented with the fact that Mercury is not isolated but is in fact in 'aspect' - that is, forming a relationship with other planets or points in the chart - can feel totally overwhelmed. This is not surprising. Interpreting aspect configurations is a very complex business and not easy, even for the most experienced practitioner. 
     Nevertheless such interpretation is worthy of effort for it is the aspects that provide the energy in the chart, the energy that transforms the horoscope from the description of a lifeless puppet into something symbolising an alive and vital human being, complete with conflict and joy. Above all else in the chart, the aspects describe the prima materia, the raw stuff out of which every individual has to build their life. Horoscopes can be set up for anything; their use is not confined to the study of human nature and human life but whatever the birth-chart depicts - the time of an event, a question, a live being. The aspects describe the drama, they describe what actually happens. And in terms of people, aspect configurations describe what psychologists call 'complexes' (groups of interacting symbols), of which the psychologist C.G. Jung commented that it is not so much people who have complexes but complexes who have people. In other words, aspects play a large role in describing what might be termed our 'fate' inasmuch as they describe what we have to deal with.
     The birth-chart by its very nature is unique and has to be viewed as a whole; thus it must be clear that any astrological 'cookbook' such as this one is always going to have its limitations, interpreting as it does one piece of information out of the context of the rest of the chart. Nevertheless, the interpreter has to start somewhere and it is hoped that this book will provide some help.

Aspects in Astrology
A Guide to Understanding Planetary Relationships in the Horoscope

Acknowledgements 
Introduction 
Part One: The Principles of Aspect Interpretation 
1. The Planets 
Sun 
Moon 
Mercury
Venus 
Mars 
Jupiter 
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
2. Dividing the Circle and Calculating Aspects
3. The Meaning of Aspects 
Conjunction
Opposition 
Trine
Square
Quintile
Sextile
Semi-square & Sesquiquadrate
Quincunx 
Semi-sextile 
4. Interpreting Aspects in Practice 
Weighting
 Orbs 
Planetary protocol
 Applying and Separating Aspects 
Aspects in Declination 
5. Qualities, Elements and Signs in Aspect 
The Cardinal Cross
 Aries-Libra 
Cancer-Capricorn
 Aries-Cancer 
Aries-Capricorn 
Cancer-Libra
Libra-Capricorn 
The Fixed Cross
Taurus-Scorpio
Leo-Aquarius
Taurus-Leo
Taurus-Aquarius 
Leo-Scorpio
  Scorpio-Aquarius
The Mutable Cross
 Gemini-Sagittarius 
Virgo-Pisces
Gemini-Virgo 
Gemini-Pisces
Virgo-Sagittarius
Sagittarius-Pisces 
Trines in Fire
Trines in Earth
Trines in Air
Trines in Water
Part Two: A Planetary Cookbook
6. Sun Aspects
Sun-Moon
 Sun-Mercury
Sun-Venus 
Sun-Mars
Sun-Jupiter 
Sun-Saturn 
Sun-Uranus 
Sun-Neptune 
Sun-Pluto
7. Moon Aspects
Moon-Mercury
Moon-Venus
Moon-Mars 
Moon-Jupiter
Moon-Saturn
Moon-Uranus
Moon-Neptune
Moon-Pluto
8. Mercury Aspects
Mercury-Venus
Mercury-Mars
Mercury-Jupiter
Mercury-Saturn 
Mercury-Uranus
Mercury-Neptune
Mercury-Pluto
9. Venus Aspects
Venus-Mars
Venus-Jupiter
Venus-Saturn
Venus-Uranus
Venus-Neptune
Venus-Pluto
10. Mars Aspects
Mars-Jupiter
Mars-Saturn
Mars-Uranus
Mars-Neptune
Mars-Pluto
11. Jupiter Aspects
Jupiter-Saturn 
Jupiter-Uranus
Jupiter-Neptune
Jupiter-Pluto 
12. Saturn Aspects
Saturn-Uranus 
Saturn-Neptune
Saturn-Pluto
13. Aspects between the Outer Planets
Part Three: The Angles
14. The Ascendant-Midheaven Complex 
The Ascendant-Descendant Axis
MC-IC Axis
15. Planets and Angles
The Sun and the Angles
 The Moon and the Angles 
Mercury and the Angles
Venus and the Angles 
Mars and the Angles
Jupiter and the Angles 
Saturn and the Angles
Uranus and the Angles 
Neptune and the Angles
 Pluto and the Angles 
Data Sources and Index of Charts Used in the Text 
Useful Organisations
Bibliography

Sue Tompkins has been a practicing consultant and teacher of astrology since 1981. She was Director of Schools for the prestigious Faculty of Astrological Studies in London for 15 years and now operates her own school, the London School of Astrology. In addition to her independent courses and workshop offerings, she is a practicing homeopath in central London.

"An ideal guide for aspect analysis by the beginning student of astrology and an excellent resource for the advanced astrologer. Sue Tompkins clearly and incisively explains exactly what happens in the lives of people as a result of the aspects in their charts, and she offers many brilliant insights regarding how to use this energy constructively. A key text for all those using astrology."
Barbara Hand Clow, author of The Liquid Light of Sex and Chiron: Rainbow Bridge Between the Inner and Outer Planets

"In this 21st century where relationships are increasing in importance, volume, and complexity, Aspects of Astrology is especially meaningful and timely. This book is a wonderfully insightful and erudite map for managing our relations with others, and for understanding the many aspects within our own innerself."
James Wanless, Ph.D., author of Voyager Tarot 

"It's one of a handful among hundreds of astrology books that will remain a treasure for many years to come."
Dell Magazines, February 2003

ASTROLOGY

“An ideal guide for aspect analysis by the beginning student of astrology and an excellent resource for the advanced astrologer. Sue Tompkins clearly and incisively explains exactly what happens in the lives of people as a result of the aspects in their charts, and she offers many brilliant insights regarding how to use this energy constructively. A key text for all those using astrology.”
--Barbara Hand Clow, author of The Liquid Light of Sex and Chiron: Rainbow Bridge Between the Inner and Outer Planets

“In this twenty-first century where relationships are increasing in importance, volume, and complexity, Aspects in Astrology is especially meaningful and timely. This book is a wonderfully insightful and erudite map for managing our relations with others, and for understanding the many aspects within our own innerself.”
--James Wanless, Ph.D., author of Voyager Tarot

“One of a handful of astrology books that will remain a treasure for many years to come . . . nothing short of brilliant.”
--Dell Magazines

Aspects are an essential piece of the astrological reading that can offer a profound depiction of who we really are and what our future holds. It is not enough to know the placement of the planets in the horoscope. It is the relationships between the stars and planets that lets us grasp our true destiny. These relationships are known as aspects, which appear as a series of interconnected lines in your astrological chart. Through aspects we discover our hidden tendencies, silent motivations, and obstacles and potentials. Interpreting the aspects helps us harness the subtle tendencies of our soul in order to overcome difficulties and realize the qualities that will enhance our future.

Using the lives of real people, Sue Tompkins shows how to interpret aspects with the use of birth charts when doing daily astrological readings. She offers examples of every possible planetary aspect, detailing the influence of oppositions, trines and elemental trines, and cardinal, mutable, and fixed crosses. She also shows both the novice and the experienced astrologer how aspects provide the energy of transformation in the horoscope and how to put this energy to its best use.

SUE TOMPKINS has been a practicing consultant and teacher of astrology since 1981. She was Director of Schools for the Faculty of Astrological Studies in London for fifteen years and now operates her own school, the London School of Astrology. In addition to her independent courses and workshop offerings, she is a practicing homeopath in central London.