Lesson Six: Introduction to the Aspects

Now we have studied the planets, signs

and houses, or the what, the how and the
where, we are now going to look at the
aspects. The reason I have left the
aspects until now is that people often
assume that they are difficult and
complex, whereas in fact they simply
follow on logically from what we already
know.

Aspects are about relationships. They are
dynamic. They bring various chart
factors - planets, Nodes, signs, angles
and houses - into an active relationship
with each other. But aspects are more
than that - they are also beautiful,
because they remind us that the birth
chart is yet another expression of the
sacred geometry that has always been a
central feature in the mystery traditions.
There is something inherently magical
and fascinating and deeply satisfying
about the shapes and patterns formed by
mathematical division and proportion,
and they can be found everywhere in nature, art, architecture, music and, of course, in the human psyche.

Rose window at Chartres Cathedral

We are already familiar with the symbolism of the circle
and the square, the fundamental components of a
horoscope. The circle is considered to be the most perfect
shape of all, and is the symbol for pure spirit, eternal and
unchanging. The square is the symbol for the earth, for all
physical manifestation, and for our orientation on earth via
the four directions, four seasons and four elements. The
symbol for the earth and the structure of the horoscope
show us that the earth is at the centre, surrounded by the
circle of spirit, within which all of life is contained. One of
the questions which has fascinated philosophers,
theologians and mathematicians throughout history is how
to 'square the circle'. In other words, how do we find a
relationship between spirit and matter, between the gods
and ordinary mortals, between the eternal and the temporal?
An image which includes both symbols is proof of our dual
nature. And in fact this is, of course, exactly what a
horoscope is - in essence it is a wonderfully simple
symbolic map that does in fact square the circle.


Leonardo da Vinci, 'Vitruvian Man' (1490)

Leonardo da Vinci's 'Vitruvian Man' is one of the most
famous images of all times, and is still reproduced
everywhere in the world today. The drawing
symbolises the essential symmetry of the human body
and, by extension, of the universe as a whole. Drawn
by Leonardo around 1490, this beautiful figure first
appeared in the second of three books entitled Divina
proportione, or 'Divine Proportion', published by
Leonardo's close friend, the mathematician Pacioli. It
is a wonderful example of the integration of art and
science during the Renaissance.
Audience: Do you know why this drawing is called
the Vitruvian Man?
Clare: Vitruvius was an ancient Roman architect who
wrote a series of ten books on architecture that,
fortunately, survived into the Renaissance. In the third
volume, he writes that the proportions of temples
should be based on the proportions of the human body,
because the human body is the model of perfection. He
justifies this by stating that the human body with arms
and legs extended fits into the perfect geometric forms,
the circle and the square. This takes us back again to
the Pythagorean number symbolism that is so
fundamental to astrology, since it describes the
inherently identical structure of all systems. Last term
we looked at the tetractys, the symmetrical and well balanced model of the universe, which is reflected in the
structure of the zodiac and which describes the generation of symbolic numbers out of the original unity.
Audience: Can you say more about this, Clare, since I am new to the class this term?
Clare: Simply expressed, the Pythagoreans believed that the nature of all things could be understood according
to the powers of the one, the two, the three and the four as an unfolding sequence of creation. These numbers
are not just quantities; they are also archetypes in their own right, so that 'oneness', 'twoness', 'threeness' and
'fourness' each have their own qualitative meaning. The astrological chart is an exact representation of the
tetractys, being itself a one (the whole chart), a two (with each of the twelve signs of the zodiac being polar -
active or passive), a three (the cardinal, fixed and mutable signs), and a four (the elements of fire, earth, air,
water). The number twelve is a remarkably complete number in which the polarity is repeated six times, the
three modes are repeated four times, and the four elements are repeated three times.











Number as an Archetype of Cosmic Order


We are going to look at the aspects in
exactly the same way as we looked at
the structure of the horoscope last term
- as an expression of the sequential
division of the chart by One
(conjunction), Two (opposition), Three
(trine) and Four (square), in which One
equals unity, Two equals division and
separation, Three equals reconciliation
and mediation, and Four equals
manifestation. Every birth chart has its
own particular shape, its own geometrical structure, its own unique physical and psychic patterning. And the
most significant point about aspects and aspect patterns is that they bring the birth chart to life as a series of
stories that help us transform our two-dimensional horoscope into a living, breathing reality. Have a look at this
table, which lists the aspects that are most commonly used in modern astrology. You will see that these aspects
are formed by dividing the 360 circle by two, three, four, and by the product of these first three numbers: six
(which is 2x3), eight (which is 4x2) and twelve (3x4).

The Astrological Aspects

Division of the
circle Angle Aspect formed Orb Symbol
1 0 Conjunction 8

2 180 Opposition 8

3 120 Trine 8

4 90 Square 8

6 60 Sextile 4

8 45 Semi-square 2

8 (3/8) 135 Sesqui-quadrate 2

12 30 Semi-sextile 2

12 (5/12) 150 Quincunx 2


All numbers have symbolic meanings, and it is perfectly possible, of course, to go on dividing the circle by five,
seven, nine, eleven, and so on into infinitely greater divisions.









Orbs

You will see from the table above that each of the aspects has an 'orb', which means that each aspect holds for a
certain number of degrees either side of exactitude. The closer the orb, the stronger the aspect. For example, an
opposition between two planets 172 apart (8 orb) will not be as powerful or as intensely felt as an opposition
between two planets 181 apart (1 orb). You will see that the orbs become smaller as the circle is increasingly
divided. So we are much more likely to have major aspects in our chart (those with an orb of 8 or 4) than we
are to have minor aspects in our chart (those with a 2 orb), but when they do occur, they will be of equal
importance.
Audience: Does this apply to all the planets? Sometimes you come across people who use a larger orb when the
Sun or the Moon is involved.
Clare: The whole question of orbs is, like everything else in astrology, open for debate and subject to personal
preference. Basically, because we need to start somewhere, it is useful to begin with some nice clear rules. Later
on, we are of course free to experiment with the orbs for ourselves and to develop our own ideas.
In practice, we know that although the planets are caught in a 'freeze frame' at the moment of birth, they are
actually moving all the time in relation to each other. So if, for example, the Sun is 9 behind Pluto in a birth
chart, then it is an applying aspect because the Sun will make an exact conjunction to Pluto nine days after birth.
Using the technique of progressions, the Sun will make an exact conjunction to Pluto nine years after birth.
Naturally, this could be of immense significance, and we will be looking at the moving chart - transits,
progressions and directions - in much more depth next term. So I think it is perfectly acceptable to stretch the
orbs a bit when an aspect is applying. If the Sun was 9 ahead of Pluto in a birth chart, then it is already
separating from the exact conjunction, which will have taken place nine days before birth, and I would be much
less inclined to build it in as a factor in interpretation.
Audience: But presumably what occurred before our birth is also significant?
Clare: Absolutely right. This gets very interesting when we start looking at the planetary cycles, but all this will
have to wait till next term, I'm afraid. The point to remember about aspects is that, if two or more planets or
points in the birth chart are connected in any of these mathematical relationships, they can no longer work by
themselves. They are unable to function without each other - their destiny is shared. It is helpful to study the
aspects as two evolving sequences unfolding, respectively, out of the first odd and the first even number. In the
Pythagorean system, the number two has the nature of yin, the first female number, and the number three has
the nature of yang, the first male number. This system was developed by Aristotle in his famous Table of
Opposites.
Male
Limit
One
Right
Odd
Resting
Straight
Light
Good
Square
Female
Unlimited
Many
Left
Even
Moving
Curved
Dark
Bad
Oblong

As you will see from this table, it is fortunate for Aristotle that he lived well before the age of political
correctness.
Audience: But surely the number one is the first odd number?
Clare: That is a good point, and of course you are factually correct. But when this is seen symbolically, unity -
or the One - is primordial. It is the original creative force of the universe, which pre-exists any kind of
differentiation. The One is the seat of the original wholeness out of which all numbers emerge. All the

principles in the table of opposites are included in the One, merged with their primal source. This explains why
the conjunction is not, strictly speaking, an aspect at all. We can learn some interesting things from this Table of
Opposites, particularly in view of the fact that it was the ancient Greeks who first constructed the system of the
astrological aspects. Using the analogies and associations contained in this table, it is not so difficult to
understand why hard aspects - those which unfold from the original even, female number two - have
traditionally been interpreted as difficult, tense, effortful, challenging (moving), devious (curved), unfortunate,
malefic, and just plain bad, whereas soft aspects - which unfold from the original odd, male number three - have
been traditionally interpreted as easy (resting), pleasurable, straight, light, fortunate, benefic, harmonious and
good.

G. Riesch, 'Margarita philosophica', Freiburg
(1503) [1]

If we extend this analogy to equate matter with
the feminine principle and spirit with the
masculine principle, we can also see how the
aspects emerging from the number two are
'doing' aspects, engaged with actual
manifestation and embodiment, providing the
resistance, the reflection and the container for
the inspiration, clarity and light of the male
spirit. The aspects emerging from the number
three are 'being' aspects. As I mentioned last
term, it is important to remember that the
masculine-feminine, spirit-matter, active-
passive, yang-yin polarities in astrology and in
mathematical symbolism do not refer to our
biology but to our psyches. So we may have a
prevalence of 'doing' or of 'being' aspects,
regardless of our gender.

For the Pythagoreans, the first union of the
masculine and feminine principles does not
occur until we get to the number five, which is
two plus three. The quintile, which is the aspect
of 72 created when the horoscope is divided by
five, describes creativity, joy and consciousness. The five-
pointed star and the pentagram are sacred symbols in many
cultures, and it is from this figure that the golden section is
derived, a proportion which has been used in many sacred
buildings, from ancient Greek temples to the Gothic
cathedrals, and which creates a particularly pleasing sense of
harmony and balance.
There is a point I want to make before we start looking at the
actual aspects themselves. Although the symbolic numerical
meaning of an aspect tells us something about the general
nature of the relationship between two or more planets, at the
end of the day the meaning of every aspect and every aspect
pattern is unique to a particular individual and a particular

chart. Whether we are interpreting aspects which belong to the two series or the three series of numbers, and
whether or not we are thinking in terms of being or doing aspects, every single aspect and aspect pattern needs
to be analysed entirely in its own terms, which will include the intrinsic meaning of the planets involved as well
as the houses and signs in which they fall. What we are really looking for is the story, and if we pay good
attention to all the factors involved, then the meaning of the aspect and the themes of the story will gradually
come to life.
Audience: So does this mean that we shouldn't pay too much attention to the meaning of the aspect itself?
Clare: Well, I think it is important in the first instance, because it is the mathematical relationship that tells us
that two or more planets are linked together in a certain way. But once we have identified that, then I think our
focus should be to extract the unique story revealed by the planets involved, according to the signs and houses
they are in. What I am really trying to say is that squares are not necessarily difficult and trines are not
necessarily easy - it all depends on the context. Hopefully, as we go through some examples, this will become
clearer.

1. 1.) Illustration from Lawlor, Robert, Sacred Geometry (London: Thames and Hudson Ltd., 1982), p. 7: 'Arithmetic is personified as a woman with the two geometric progressions
on her thighs (symbolising the generative function). The first series, 1, 2, 4, 8, goes down the left thigh, associating the even numbers with the feminine side of the body. The
second series, 1, 3, 9, 27, goes down the right thigh, associating the odd numbers with the masculine side, an association which goes back to the Pythagoreans, for whom the odd
numbers were male and the even numbers were female. The Greeks called these two series the Lambda, and Plato in the Timaeus uses them to describe the World Soul. On the
woman's left sits Pythagoras, using an abacus system for computation. In this system, number notation is dependent upon spatial arrangement. Boethius sits on her right, using
Arabic numerals in a modern system of calculation with which number notation has become an abstract system independent of its geometric origin.'


The conjunction

We are going to start by looking at the conjunction which, strictly speaking, does not really qualify as an aspect
at all. The conjunction signifies unity, undifferentiated energy, the merging of two or more planets in such a
way that they always operate simultaneously. Whether or not the planets concerned are inherently sympathetic
to each other, they are irrevocably joined together.

Two planets, or any two points in the chart, such as a planet and an
angle, will be in a conjunction if they are within 8 of each other.
This is a relationship of unity, of oneness - there is no separation or
differentiation between them, and there is no objective awareness
of either planet as a separate entity. For example if you have a
Sun-Mercury conjunction, your identity is going to be connected to
your thinking process; you cannot separate them. Planets in a
conjunction aspect are normally in the same sign and house, which
indicates a concentration or focus in the area of life associated with
that house.
Audience: What happens if two planets are in conjunction, but
they are in different signs or houses? How do you interpret that?
Clare: This is an example of an aspect breaking the rules - and I'm
afraid it can happen with all aspects. In a nice simple conjunction,
the planets involved will be in the same sign and house. But if, for example, one planet is right at the end of a
sign or house, and the other planet is right at the beginning of the next sign or house, the conjunction is neither
supported nor strengthened by the signs or houses in which it occurs. The mathematical symmetry is broken. In
these cases, I think the intrinsic meaning of the aspect itself breaks down and our task is then to analyse both
planets individually as separate entities, by sign and house, before bringing them together in our aspect
interpretation. The technical term for these kinds of aspects is that they are 'dissociate' or 'dissociated'.
Audience: Can you give an example of this, Clare?
Clare: Let's assume, for example, that one planet is right at the end of Pisces and the other is right at the
beginning of Aries. This means that the two planets will be coming from very different perspectives, and there

will be a tension between them that is not normally present when planets are in conjunction. The interesting
thing about adjacent signs and houses is that they have absolutely nothing in common. Pisces is a mutable water
sign and Aries is a cardinal fire sign, so they are unlikely to be able to understand each other. So in this case, we
have a 'dissociated conjunction' and the tension of that has to be built into our interpretation. A 'dissociated
opposition' will occur, for example, if one planet is at 25 Gemini, and the other planet is at 1 Capricorn. In this
case, the planets are still in opposition, with a 6 orb, but the symmetry is lost, because a natural opposition
would be between planets in Gemini/Sagittarius or Cancer/Capricorn. Let's look at some actual examples. Who
has a conjunction of two or more planets?

Moon-Venus-Neptune conjunction

Beth: I have Moon, Venus and Neptune conjunct.
Clare: That means that all three planets work together. This is a good example, because as you can see from the
chart, Neptune is not strictly conjunct Venus because they are more than 8 apart, but the Moon is in between
them, linking them both to each other. Let's see if we can find a composite image or picture for these three
planets together. This is a stellium, which is the technical jargon for three or more planets in conjunction. It
functions rather like a complex, and is certainly an area of focus and emphasis in the chart. What ideas come to
mind?
Audience: Idealised emotion.
Audience: Generous and giving.
Audience: Deceptive
Audience: Do you drift around in a
cloud?
Clare: With both the personal feminine
planets involved here, this tells us
something about you as a woman and
your relationship with your mother and
with women in general. With Neptune
here as well, we might start thinking
about being in love with love, possibly
even addicted to love. There could be an
idealisation of the perfect feminine, and
even themes around sacrificial women.
Would you say you had a romantic
nature?
Beth: Yes, I think I do. And I see my
mother as trying to fit into the wife role
rather than being true to herself. She has
always been concerned about how
people see her, more concerned about
other people's values than about her
own.
Beth
Chart data omitted for reasons of confidentiality

Clare: Do you find it rather hard to define your relationship with your mother, as if she was rather mysterious
or unavailable to you in some way? She may also be a very devotional figure dedicated to serving others,
particularly in her role as wife and mother. Let's add the sign and the house and see what additional information
this stellium can give us. All three planets are in Scorpio in the 11th house, which makes the stellium more

hidden and intense. Scorpio adds an underlying emotional intensity and complexity, so we might suggest that
you, and perhaps your mother as well, derive your power as women through relationships, but equally, you may
well feel that you sacrifice yourself in relationships. Do you recognise these themes in your own life?
Beth: Yes, I certainly think there are two sides to this Venus.
Clare: Moon, Venus, and Neptune in Scorpio are a powerful force, seductive, rather unearthly, and very
mysterious. An image or story for this composite picture might be something like the sirens in Greek
mythology, using their power and their beauty and their singing to hypnotise and seduce passing sailors, who
would be pulled towards them in a trance and end up being drowned on the rocks. So it has a magnetic and
rather dark aspect to it as well. In the 11th house we might imagine that your female friends are very important
to you, since Scorpio generally makes few, but very intense, friendships. Since the 11th house is also about your
social or political ideals, you may well find yourself involved in organisations which are concerned with women
who may have been exploited or manipulated in some way.
Beth: Well, I generally find it easier to be friends with men than with women.
Clare: Perhaps you find women a bit dangerous?
Beth: I think it is important for me to fit in. To be accepted.
Clare: So we could say that you value (Venus) belonging (Moon) to the group (11th house), and perhaps you
will do whatever it takes (Neptune) to be accepted.
Beth: This is a very difficult combination for me. I think Neptune is quite a negative influence, being connected
to such personal planets.
Clare: As part of the Neptune in Scorpio generation, you will no doubt have a longing for, and an attraction to,
intense emotional encounters, and with the Moon and Venus there as well, it is these kinds of experiences which
will transform how you feel about and value yourself as a woman. No doubt you will experience many different
manifestations of this combination during your life, which are likely to revolve around issues of both power and
powerlessness, both in yourself and amongst your friends, and in your work.

Sun-Mercury Conjunction

Susan: I have a conjunction of the Sun and Mercury. They are in Gemini in the 11th house.
Clare: OK, let's see how that works. A general word first about the Sun-Mercury conjunction: You will
remember that Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, never more than 27 from the Sun, and prone to
changing direction on a regular basis. This means that the Sun-Mercury conjunction is very common, and many
of us will have it. In fact, the conjunction is the only exact aspect which can occur between Mercury and the
Sun. Perhaps this explains why so many of us identify (Sun) with our ideas (Mercury) - to the extent that if
someone criticises or disagrees with us, it is all too easy to take that as a personal criticism, rather than as a
simple disagreement with our ideas. When Mercury is not conjunct the Sun, or in a different sign from the Sun,
then it is easier to be more objective.
This particular conjunction in Gemini indicates that you are likely to be flexible, adaptable and articulate, and
since it is in the 11th house, no doubt you are also sociable and friendly, quick to make connections, and
functioning as a messenger or go-between or communicator in some way, particularly amongst your colleagues
and in any groups with which you are involved.


Susan
Chart data omitted for reasons of confidentiality
Susan: That's absolutely right, and in fact
I am a teacher. But I also tend to find
myself in the position of being an
arbitrator between two people, husband
and wife, for example. But, because I am
a Gemini, I don't really want to get too
involved, and actually I think I am rather
flippant.
Clare: I would imagine that, because this
conjunction is in your 11th house, you are
not as flippant as you might imagine. This
is a fixed house and, associated with the
sign of Aquarius, so I suspect that,
although you no doubt prefer to remain
objective and detached, you are, perhaps,
rather more loyal, consistent and reliable
than you give yourself credit for. As a
matter of interest, what do you teach?
Susan: I teach English.
Clare: That is perfect for a Gemini Sun-
Mercury, because your profession is to
communicate, and you are actually
teaching a language, which is a vehicle of
communication. While we are looking at
Susan's chart, I want to illustrate how the house ruler can provide valuable additional information about the way
a house functions. You will see from the chart that Taurus is on the cusp of the 11th house, so we can find out
more about Susan's 11th house by seeing where and how Venus, the ruler of Taurus, is placed. In fact, her
Venus is in Aries in the 10th house. What extra information does this give us?
Audience: I would imagine that this makes her more ambitious, and that she is a natural leader, not afraid to be
an authority figure.
Susan: Funny you should say that, because I am actually head of the English department in the school where I
work.

Sun conjunct Moon

Jan: I have a Sun-Moon conjunction in Libra in the 4th house, so I suppose that means my emotions and my
identity are very tied up with each other. Does it mean that I am not able to observe myself objectively?
Clare: With a Sun-Moon conjunction, we tend to start by identifying with the Moon, because that is the child in
us. So we start off needing (Moon) recognition (Sun). We need (Moon) to be seen and recognised (Sun).
Gradually, there is likely to be a shift of emphasis as we begin to identify more with the Sun, and eventually, if
we can make the transition, then we are likely to become (Sun) very nurturing and caring and giving (Moon).
So, although these two planets are conjunct, there is usually a natural progression as we grow up from Moon
identification toward Sun identification.


Jan
Chart data omitted for reasons of confidentiality

This conjunction also tells us that you
were born at a new Moon, which is
when the Sun and Moon come together.
But these two planets are also parental
significators, so I would imagine that
your experience of your parents is that
they function as one unit - that they are
coming from the same place. For
example, they may well have worked
together at home, since this conjunction
is in the 4th house. This would be an
ideal placement if your parents ran a
hotel, for example, or perhaps an art
gallery, since both planets are in Libra.
Jan: Yes, they did both work together.
They ran a business together from
home when I was growing up, doing
market gardening.
Clare: That is a perfect example of a
Sun-Moon conjunction in Venus-ruled
Libra, since Venus also rules gardening
and flowers and all the fruits of the
earth. It would be interesting to know
where your Venus is, since it rules your
4th house as well as both your Sun and
Moon.
Jan: My Venus is in Scorpio in the 5th house.
Clare: It looks as if the relationship between your parents may have been so complete and intense that there
may not have been much space for you in there. Since your Sun and Moon ruler is in the 5th house, can you tell
us something about your childhood and about your personal passions?
Jan: Well, I have devoted most of my life to self-growth in one form or another, and I have always interpreted
my 4th house as more to do with the roots of consciousness. My life theme has been going inwards through
therapy and meditation. I like my home to be beautiful, but I am not really a very homey person, and I have
never lived in one place for a particularly long time.
Clare: So you need (Moon) to understand yourself (Sun) - to self-nurture (Sun-Moon), to find harmony and
balance within, which would be the Libra. Like all conjunctions, this can be very subjective. And the 4th house,
in your case, seems to be more about your private inner space - finding where you belong within yourself - than
about your outer home.
Jan: Yes, that's right. I actually like spending a lot of time on my own.









The opposition

Clare: Let's turn our attention now to the 'two' series of aspects. When the circle is divided into two, the result
is the opposition between planets that are 180 apart.

We have already studied the whole principle of duality and polarisation in
quite a bit of depth, and so we know that this is going to be an aspect of
maximum tension, with the planets at each end of the opposition appearing to
be mutually exclusive and yet at the same time complementing and balancing
each other. As we have seen, the usual tendency with an opposition is to
polarise and project, identifying with one side of the opposition and dis-
identifying with the other side, which means that we are always meeting it in
the form of outer events or other people. This aspect is particularly unstable
and frustrating, and can lead to feelings of paralysis, of being caught between
two poles. The attraction of opposites is the counter-tendency to this
polarisation, and its resolution depends upon finding some kind of conscious
relationship between the two poles.


William Blake, 'The Ancient of Days' (1824)

Audience: So if you have an opposition, then your
task is to recognise and then accept and integrate
what you project outside?
Clare: Yes, although this is one of the hardest things
to do. But our entire charts are constructed as a
series of oppositions, opposite houses and opposite
signs, so life itself seems to be an expression of this
great drama of opposites. Having planets in
opposition simply makes the drama more personal
and immediate. However uncomfortable this may
feel, nevertheless, planets in opposition ensure that
neither side becomes too extreme. It is the nature of
all the aspects created by the division of the circle
into two, four or eight that the planets struggle and
confront each other, which means that something
can happen and the relationship between the two
planets can become more conscious. And it is out of
that tension that awareness is born. After all, there is
no possibility of a conscious reconciliation if we
don't have the struggle in the first place. Let's look at
some oppositions, to get a feel for the way they
work.







Mercury opposite Pluto

Sue: I have Pluto in Leo in the 9th house opposite Sun and Mercury in Aquarius in the 3rd house. I am obsessed
with astrology - I have loads of books and am reading about it all the time, but I keep that part of my life very
secret and never talk about it to anyone. Could that be because of Pluto?
Clare: This opposition is across fixed signs, and therefore particularly resistant to integration. The Sun and
Mercury in the 3rd house indicate that learning is very important to you, and that you love being a student. You
have a clear, rational and objective mind, and I would imagine that thinking astrologically comes very naturally
to you, since Aquarius is very comfortable with the conceptual clarity of models and maps. It could even feel as
if your fellow students are your true intellectual brothers and sisters.
The addition of Pluto to the picture adds intensity and describes penetrating thought and your sense of the
immense power of words and of ideas. But it is clear from what you say that you feel there is something
unacceptable or dark or dangerous about your interest in astrology. And that could be for religious reasons,
since Pluto is in the 9th house.

Sue
Chart data omitted for reasons of
confidentiality

On the one hand, you are naturally attracted
to unusual or unconventional ideas, and to
the larger patterns that include us all. But on
the other hand, Pluto in the 9th house no
doubt appears to threaten your identity in
some way, and to sabotage your studies.
How would we interpret Pluto in Leo in the
9th house?
Audience: Breaking down the philosophy?
Audience: Total absence of belief?
Clare: Yes, a Sun-Mercury-Pluto
combination describes someone who thinks
very deeply, who is inclined to test their
ideas to destruction, and who is not going to
take anything at face value. We know that
whenever you get into this 3rd house
intellectual structure, you are also likely, in
some sense, to feel you are being plunged
into very deep waters which could even feel
threatening and dangerous, because Pluto is
always about survival. And it is to do with religion and philosophy, isn't it?
Sue: Well, I am a non-believer, but I do come from an Irish Catholic background.
Clare: This is a perfect description of Pluto in Leo in the 9th house. It sounds as if you have already tested your
religious inheritance to destruction and rejected it, on an intellectual level at least. But Catholicism is a very
powerful force, and no doubt there is a huge dilemma between pursuing your natural interest in learning, your
belief in freedom of thought, and your fear of going to the devil - literally.
Sue: Yes, I think it was only a few years ago that the Pope forbade Catholics to consult astrologers.
Clare: You are very understandably caught in a conflict between your intellect and your instincts, and this
opposition can easily feel like a kind of paralysis.
Audience: So Sue doesn't believe intellectually in God, but she does believe instinctively?

Clare: That certainly seems to be the case. Intellectually, there is no difficulty. Sue loves studying astrology.
But if this is to become a powerful transformative aspect of her life and of her understanding, then she is going
to have to find some kind of relationship between her love of astrology as a pure and clean, intellectual
Aquarian discipline, and the issues which are haunting her about astrology being evil and dangerous. So the
way she is dealing with this at the moment is to keep her astrology and her astrological studies secret, which is
easier than 'coming out' because it means that her Sun-Mercury in Aquarius can just get on with studying, and
Pluto can go underground. But, of course, it will always be there on some level. I imagine these are the kinds of
things that you are going on for you.
Sue: Normally I am absolutely fine with this, but sometimes I have really bad nightmares about dreadful
punishments and being burned at the stake and other things happening, and I don't seem to be able to shake
them off.
Clare: That is exactly what one would expect. Having been consciously banished, Pluto is now communicating
with you through your unconscious, while you are asleep. And, since this is a 9th house placement, whether or
not you consciously believe in God, your God is becoming angry and destructive and you feel you will be
punished for your ideas. The difficulty with this particular opposition is that Aquarius is so rational, civilised,
detached and idealistic. The more extreme this becomes, then the more threatening, primitive and irrational the
dark becomes. Your task, with a Sun-Mercury-Pluto combination, appears to be to recognise the real power of
ideas by exploring whether true understanding of any subject might include both the light and dark, rational and
instinctive aspects. We can find out more about this by looking at Saturn and the Moon, which rule your 3rd and
9th houses.
Sue: That's interesting, because I have Saturn in Virgo in the 10th house and my mother is a strict Catholic,
very dutiful and into service.
Clare: With Saturn in the 10th house and ruling your 3rd house, mother is also, in some sense, the law.
Audience: Does that mean that Sue is going to have to reject her mother as well?
Clare: No. It means that she is going to have to become her own authority in these matters. Saturn is also the
personal ruler of Aquarius, so it rules Sue's Sun and Mercury. This is about taking her own authority and giving
herself permission to think what she thinks and to believe what she believes. And the transpersonal ruler of
Aquarius, which is just as important, is Uranus in Gemini - the free thinker. We can begin to see where this
particular struggle is going. It won't be easy, but Sue has Scorpio rising as well, so she is bound to live her life
intensely, experiencing repeated periods of personal metamorphosis as she goes through the fires and
regenerates herself. The other interesting feature of your chart is that your 9th house is ruled by the Moon in
Pisces in the 4th house, so essentially we could say that you have an extremely devotional nature and that
eventually you may be able to make peace with your God.
Sue: That is all really helpful, thank you. But it is also very hard.
Clare: Yes, particularly because this is a fixed opposition, so in addition to the compulsion to change, there is
going to be a resistance to change. This theme is always present anyway in the sign of Aquarius with its two
rulers - Uranus seeks change and Saturn resists change. If we have a cardinal opposition, we will feel
challenged to actively resolve the tension. And a mutable opposition isn't going to be quite so tense or fraught,
because both planets will be inherently more inclined to adapt and adjust and to be more flexible. But a fixed
opposition will go on resisting until some kind of change is forced. And it can be a very stressful and tense
experience.
Sue: I did in fact have a kind of mental breakdown when Pluto went over my Ascendant. That was a few years
after my brother died in a car crash, and I completely lost my faith. It was a really difficult time in my life.
Clare: Learning astrology may well help you understand and come to terms with this very painful period in
your life. You can see for yourself that the 3rd house describes your brother and your very close relationship to
him, and how his death affected your faith. I think we can find great comfort from astrology, since it helps us
make sense of the events that occur in our lives. After all, as Jung said, only suffering without meaning is
unbearable.


Sun opposite Pluto

Tricia: I have something similar, with Sun in Aquarius in the 2nd house opposite Moon-Pluto in Leo in the 8th.
Could we look at that?
Clare: Yes, and once again we will be working with the themes of light and dark, the intellect and the instincts.
The Sun is how and where we seek to shine, to be recognised. However, with Pluto opposite the Sun, we can
feel that our true identity is buried or sabotaged or somehow unacceptable. As a result we can build a kind of
'false self' which poses as our identity but which never feels completely authentic. With the Sun in the 2nd
house of self-worth, no doubt your journey will be to learn to value yourself, just as you are, which will involve
some kind of conscious integration between your Sun, Moon and Pluto.
Sun in Aquarius is clear, rational, detached, idealistic and very civilised. The Moon with Pluto is deeply
instinctive, primitive and archaic, and in the 8th house it is not only deeply buried, but also likely to be
projected onto mother and onto women generally. Again, this opposition is across fixed signs, and the Sun-
Moon opposition points to a fundamental split between the masculine and the feminine principles, with the
masculine being light and clear and the feminine being very intense, dark and mysterious. You may well have
experienced this in your own life as deeply entrenched power struggles between your mother and father.

Tricia
Chart data omitted for reasons of
confidentiality

Tricia: That's right, and I also
experience this as a power struggle
with women. I always get the feeling
that women think I am too powerful
and that they fear me, so they want to
break me or subdue me, or something
like that.
Clare: Yes, that is exactly the feeling
you are likely to have. A useful image
for Moon-Pluto in the 8th house is the
witch, which can, of course, be both
positive, in the form of the wise
woman, or negative, in which case you
may feel that women want to sabotage
you or wipe you out altogether.
Tricia: Yes.
Clare: And that can lead to a powerful
conviction that you are not allowed to
be who you really are. And so, like
Hades himself, you have to wear a
cloak of invisibility and keep your true
identity hidden.
Tricia: If I try and be sweet and nice, with my Venus in Pisces, then they think I am a wimp and walk all over
me. But if I try to be strong, then they think I am a powerful, dominating bitch. Either way, I can't win. I don't
seem to be able to find that balance. Although I am quite well balanced in myself, I always find that other
people try to control me. I feel really strong within, and men always say they like strong women. Perhaps that is
my own experience of the Moon-Pluto coming out.

Clare: Although power struggles are something you experience in relationships, we could say that this is
something as yet unresolved within you, which is constellated in relationships. That is exactly how oppositions
function. Outside the arena of relationships you can no doubt function quite comfortably as an Aquarian, and
keep all your ideals intact. But it is close emotional relationships which plunge you into that Plutonic realm of
power and survival and issues about who is controlling whom.
Tricia: Is there anything I can do about it?
Clare: Yes, recognise it, which ultimately means some kind of conscious relationship between your intellect
and your instinctual nature, and learning to express your solar purpose and personal authority as an expression
of your intense and passionate nature, rather than trying to be who you think you ought to be according to the
values of others - which will never really work.
Tricia: I think I used to be much more intense and passionate, but nobody seems to be able to handle that.
When I was younger, I was always being told not to be so intense.
Audience: I have been thinking about this during the week. If you have Pluto in aspect to your Sun or Moon or
Venus or whatever, then when one is triggered, Pluto will be triggered at the same time. This can be quite a
burden to carry.
Clare: Yes, it can, particularly if the Sun or Moon or Venus otherwise wants to be very light, detached and
rational.
Audience: And there is nothing really that one can do about it, apart from trying to understand and accept it and
work with it?
Clare: There is a tremendous depth to Pluto, and Plutonic people - by which I mean people with Scorpio rising,
or Sun in Scorpio, or strong 8th house placements, or several Pluto aspects - are going to go deeper on an
emotional level, and seem to have to spend periods of their lives in the underworld. But the underworld is a
place of immense wealth, and the purpose of being there is to connect to the life force itself and to the wisdom
which comes from that.
Tricia: It helped me to understand Pluto better when I started thinking of it more as a goddess than as a god.
There is a whole other model of feminine power that is very ancient, but is judged and condemned in the world,
or just not understood properly. You have to go right back into history, where the high priestess was honoured. I
think that learning how to be powerful in a feminine way is an issue of our times, instead of trying to be like GI
Jane and taking on male values. My favourite saying is that there is nothing so powerful as true gentleness, and
there is nothing so gentle as true power.
Clare: Although I understand what you mean, it seems to me that this is your Aquarius Sun speaking, because
it sounds so rational and detached, and because slogans are usually Aquarian things. There is an immensely
destructive aspect to Pluto that has to do with the force of nature itself. For example, earthquakes, tidal waves
and hurricanes are anything but gentle. They are absolutely ruthless and destructive. And there is nothing gentle
about the dark and destructive side of human nature. The question is whether we can bear to look our own
darkness in the face and accept that it belongs to us.
Tricia: Well, I know that when Pluto is active in my chart, it is always horrible and shocking. But at these times
I also feel intensely alive and energised, in a way. When it is not active in my life, I tend to feel rather frozen
and dead.
Clare: That is a good example of the black and white quality of Pluto. We cannot negotiate with Pluto; it is
totally uncompromising. It will either be in its ice phase, completely cut off from our consciousness, or in its
fire phase, in which we find ourselves burning - and there is very little in between.
Audience: In one of our lessons, you mentioned the word 'scapegoat' in relation to Pluto aspects. How does that
work?
Clare: Scapegoating occurs whenever a group, family, tribe or society refuses, either consciously or
unconsciously, to take responsibility for its own primitive darkness - in other words, for its own Pluto. In these
cases, the darkness will be projected onto an individual or another group, tribe or race. They are blamed and
scapegoated for the qualities that the group is not prepared to own. In families, there is often a kind of
unconscious contract, in which one member of the family, usually the most sensitive one, lives out the family
taboos because they can't bear the weight of the dishonesty or the poison of the unconscious collusion. This

person will not only bring the taboos to the surface, but will also be blamed for doing so. This is where the idea
of the 'black sheep of the family' comes from, which is another aspect of the scapegoat. Take, for example, the
case of a white European family, outwardly civilised, well adjusted and morally upstanding. Suppose this
family is secretly harbouring racial prejudices. With what seems like uncanny predictability, the adolescent
daughter who takes on the role of the family scapegoat may find herself in a relationship with a young man
from a different culture and with a different skin colour. Imagine, then, the scene when she introduces him to
her family. Pluto has been evoked, and all hell will be let loose.
This same mechanism occurs with all kinds of collectives, and with countries as well. Other groups or nations
or races will be scapegoated in an effort to maintain the moral high ground. Someone or something else has to
carry the evil and the darkness that are not being recognised within. Jung wrote a great deal about this
phenomenon in terms of racism, apartheid and religious hatred, and he believed that, until we are each prepared
to accept our own individual burden of darkness, we will continue to see it only 'out there' in others, and not in
ourselves.

Sun opposite Neptune

Laura: Can I ask something about Neptune? My Sun is in the 1st house in Pisces, opposite Neptune in the 7th
in Virgo.
Laura
Chart data omitted for reasons of
confidentiality

Clare: Well, let's start by looking at the
Sun-Neptune principle. What does that
say about our identity and about our
experience of the masculine principle,
which will include our experience of
our father?
Audience: There is something
nebulous and hard to grasp about this
combination. Does that mean that
Laura finds it difficult to reach her
father, and difficult to find her own
identity too? I have read somewhere
that this could describe an alcoholic
father.
Clare: Neptune is the dream. It
describes ever-changing images and
impressions and feelings. Neptune is
our access to realms and landscapes
that exist in the imagination. Questions
of a clear or fixed identity are not really
relevant to a Sun-Neptune person,
because their identity is fluid, likely to change shape all the time, reflecting the environment they find
themselves in. In so far as the Sun-Neptune aspect is associated with father, then we would expect that he was
not around very much, certainly not available on a psychological or emotional level. It seems that he was lost to
you in some way. This can lead to an idealisation of father and of the masculine, as well as a longing for him,
since Neptune is where we are always thirsty. And, of course, this aspect may well describe more concrete

manifestations, so your father may be a priest, or in the navy sailing the seven seas, or he could even be an
alcoholic, as someone suggested.
Laura: My father was around, but he wasn't around. He was usually too busy.
Clare: And presumably you idealised him or adored him from afar?
Laura: When I was younger, I suppose. I didn't know him very well.
Clare: We are also talking about your own identity, of course, and with Neptune in the 7th house, it is unlikely
that you received any kind of clear mirroring in your childhood. So on some level, you may even be a mystery
to yourself. This means that you can easily find yourself becoming whatever other people want you to be,
because you have no personal investment in being a particular shape, so any one identity may well be just as
good as any other identity.
This is an immensely creative and artistic combination, ideal for photography, dance, acting, film-making or
painting, for example, since you have a heightened sensitivity to beauty, form and shape. Because this
opposition is across the 1st/7th houses, your sensitivity to others is also particularly strong, and you have a
remarkable ability to devote yourself to the needs of others. The question is whether this devotion drains you or
energises you, and this could go either way, depending on the strength of your personal ego container. With a
strong enough ego you can choose whether and when to make yourself available to others. You can define your
own boundaries, so that you are not left exhausted by others.
Audience: But isn't the opposition the struggle between the self and the other?
Clare: Yes, because we know that the theme of the 1st/7th house axis is to do with self-definition in
relationship, and about discovering where the boundaries are between who I am and who the other is - defining
what is me and what is the other. So it is particularly easy for Laura to seek to define herself through
relationships, and in addition to that, with a Pisces Ascendant, the boundary between herself and her
environment is likely to be diffuse. This adds to the general theme of the Sun in Pisces and Neptune in the 7th
house. It is all so transpersonal and collective that we need to make it more personal by bringing in Jupiter,
which is the personal ruler of the chart and of the Sun, and also Mercury, which is the ruler of the Descendant.
This should help us get a better handle on the way this opposition works.
Audience: Why is Jupiter the ruler of the chart?
Clare: Because Pisces, the sign on the Ascendant, has two rulers. The personal ruler is Jupiter, and no doubt
you can see how important Jupiter is, because it is also the ruler of the MC, which is in Sagittarius, so Jupiter
rules both angles. With Jupiter in Aries in the 2nd house, the picture changes quite dramatically, because this
indicates a particularly strong sense of self-worth and an ability to fight for one's own values and beliefs. In this
chart there is a particularly strong relationship between the 1st and 7th houses, because there is a mutual
reception between Neptune and Mercury. A mutual reception between two planets occurs when they are in each
other's signs or houses. In this case, Neptune, the ruler of the 1st house, is in the 7th house, and Mercury, the
ruler of the 7th house, is in the 1st house. Can you recognise these patterns in your own life, Laura?
Laura: Actually, I can't take too much - it's almost the opposite.
Clare: I wonder if the people you tend to attract are Neptunians - people with no boundaries, who are both
unavailable but at the same time completely merged with you. You can feel drowned by their demands, and
need to define the boundaries yourself.
Laura: That's true, but the strange thing is that they are not needy to start with, only when you get to know
them.
Clare: Funny how that happens. And as you get to know them in all their Neptunian ways, you increasingly
find yourself taking the opposite, Virgoan, attitude and becoming very boundary-conscious and self-contained.
Laura: That's exactly right.