Astrology Glossary
Clear definitions for 111+ astrology terms and concepts.
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16Natal Chart
A snapshot of the sky when you were born - your cosmic blueprint.
Sun Sign
Your core identity and ego - what you're becoming in this life.
Moon Sign
Your emotional nature and inner needs - what makes you feel safe.
Rising Sign (Ascendant)
Your social mask and first impressions - how others initially see you.
Moon Phase
The Moon's current relationship with the Sun - emotional tides.
New Moon
Time for setting intentions and planting seeds.
Full Moon
Time for harvest, release, and heightened emotions.
Elements
The four building blocks of astrology: Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.
Modalities
Three modes of expression: Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable.
Angle
Key chart points like the Ascendant, Midheaven, and Vertex.
Midheaven (MC)
The highest point in your chart - your public image and career calling.
Imum Coeli (IC)
The deepest point in your chart - your roots, home, and private self.
Numerology
The study of numbers as spiritual symbols revealing life patterns.
Life Path Number
Your core numerology theme derived from your birth date.
Master Number
11, 22, or 33 — intensified numerology themes with higher demands.
Angel Number
Repeating number sequences seen as meaningful signals.
Planets
16Mercury
How you think, communicate, and process information.
Venus
How you love, what you value, and what brings you pleasure.
Mars
How you assert yourself, pursue goals, and handle conflict.
Jupiter
Where you find growth, luck, and expansion in life.
Saturn
Where you face challenges that build character and mastery.
Uranus
Where you break free, innovate, and embrace the unexpected.
Neptune
Where you dream, dissolve boundaries, and connect to the divine.
Pluto
Where you experience death and rebirth, power and transformation.
Chiron
The wounded healer - where your deepest wound becomes your gift.
Personal Planets
Sun through Mars - the planets that shape your individual personality.
Outer Planets
Uranus, Neptune, Pluto - generational forces of collective change.
Asteroid
Smaller bodies used for nuanced themes beyond the major planets.
Ceres
Care, nourishment, and cycles of loss and return.
Pallas
Strategy, pattern recognition, and creative intelligence.
Juno
Commitment, partnership, and contracts.
Vesta
Devotion, focus, and boundaries.
Signs
12Aries
The pioneer and warrior - bold, independent, and action-oriented.
Taurus
The builder and sensualist - steady, patient, and pleasure-loving.
Gemini
The communicator and connector - curious, adaptable, and mentally agile.
Cancer
The nurturer and protector - emotional, caring, and home-focused.
Leo
The performer and leader - creative, generous, and warm-hearted.
Virgo
The analyst and healer - practical, helpful, and detail-oriented.
Libra
The diplomat and aesthete - balanced, fair, and partnership-oriented.
Scorpio
The transformer and investigator - intense, powerful, and deeply perceptive.
Sagittarius
The explorer and philosopher - optimistic, adventurous, and truth-seeking.
Capricorn
The achiever and strategist - ambitious, disciplined, and responsible.
Aquarius
The innovator and humanitarian - independent, original, and future-oriented.
Pisces
The mystic and dreamer - compassionate, intuitive, and spiritually attuned.
Houses
13Houses
The 12 life areas where planetary energies play out.
1st House (Self)
Your identity, appearance, and how you approach new beginnings.
2nd House (Resources)
Your money, possessions, values, and sense of self-worth.
3rd House (Communication)
How you think, speak, learn, and connect with siblings and neighbors.
4th House (Home)
Your roots, family, home life, and emotional foundation.
5th House (Creativity)
Your creative expression, romance, children, and what brings you joy.
6th House (Service)
Your daily routines, health habits, work environment, and service.
7th House (Partnerships)
Your committed relationships, marriage, and how you partner with others.
8th House (Transformation)
Shared resources, intimacy, death/rebirth, and psychological depths.
9th House (Expansion)
Higher education, travel, philosophy, and your search for meaning.
10th House (Career)
Your public image, career, reputation, and life direction.
11th House (Community)
Your friendships, groups, hopes, and contribution to humanity.
12th House (Spirituality)
Your unconscious, spirituality, hidden strengths, and need for retreat.
Aspects
14Aspects
Angles between planets showing how their energies interact.
Conjunction
Two planets merging energy - intensified and unified.
Sextile
Opportunity and cooperation - talents waiting to be activated.
Trine
Natural talent and easy flow - gifts that come naturally.
Square
Internal tension that drives growth through challenge.
Opposition
Balancing act between two poles - seeking integration.
Orb
How close an aspect needs to be to count - the margin of influence.
Quincunx
A 150° aspect requiring constant adjustment between incompatible energies.
Minor Aspects
Subtle aspect angles that refine and nuance a chart.
Semi-Sextile
A 30° aspect of small adjustments and subtle links.
Semi-Square
A 45° aspect of mild friction and nudging tension.
Sesquiquadrate
A 135° aspect of lingering tension and adjustment.
Quintile
A 72° aspect linked to talent, craft, and creative problem-solving.
Bi-Quintile
A 144° aspect of creative refinement and mastery.
Transits
10Transits
Current planetary positions activating your birth chart.
Mercury Retrograde
A time for review, reflection, and reconnection - not disaster.
Retrograde
When a planet appears to move backward - a time for review.
Shadow Period
The degrees a retrograde planet revisits before and after the backward phase.
Solar Return
A chart for the exact moment the Sun returns to your natal degree each year.
Lunar Return
A chart for when the Moon returns to your natal degree every ~27-28 days.
Eclipse
A New or Full Moon aligned with the lunar nodes, amplifying change.
Solar Eclipse
A New Moon eclipse linked to fresh starts and openings.
Lunar Eclipse
A Full Moon eclipse linked to culminations and release.
Saturn Return
A coming-of-age milestone around ages 28-30 and 58-60.
Advanced Concepts
30Vertex
A fated encounters point - where destiny meets your chart.
Anti-Vertex
The opposite of the Vertex - what you bring to fated encounters.
Secondary Progressions
A timing technique that moves the chart one day for each year of life.
Solar Arc
A predictive method that moves all natal points about 1° per year.
Progressed Moon
The fastest moving progressed body, changing signs every 2-3 years.
Decision Window
A short timing window where multiple signals support a specific action.
Void of Course Moon
A pause between lunar aspects - not ideal for new starts.
North Node
Your soul's growth direction - unfamiliar territory calling you forward.
South Node
Your comfort zone - familiar patterns from the past.
Synastry
How two charts interact - the astrology of relationships.
Stellium
Three or more planets clustered in one sign or house - concentrated energy.
Grand Trine
Three planets forming a triangle of trines - natural talent and ease.
T-Square
Two planets in opposition with a third squaring both - dynamic tension.
Grand Cross
Four planets in a cross pattern - maximum tension requiring balance.
Decan
Each sign divided into three 10° sections with sub-rulerships.
Dignity
How well a planet functions in a particular sign - its strength or weakness.
Rulership
The sign a planet governs.
Domicile
A planet in the sign it rules.
Exaltation
A planet in a sign of honor and strength.
Detriment
A planet in the sign opposite its domicile.
Fall
A planet in the sign opposite its exaltation.
Mutual Reception
Two planets in each other's signs, creating cooperation.
Fixed Star
A distant star used as a symbolic reference in astrology.
Royal Star
One of the four traditional stars linked with power and visibility.
Paran
A fixed-star connection based on rising, setting, or culminating together.
Declination
Celestial latitude, north or south of the celestial equator.
Parallel
Two planets with similar declination - like a soft conjunction.
Contra-Parallel
Planets on opposite declinations - like a soft opposition.
Out of Bounds
A planet beyond the Sun's maximum declination.
Midpoint
The halfway point between two planets or angles.
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