Glossary of
Astrological Terms

Air: One of the four elements. Considered active, masculine, mental, intellectual, and communicative.

Air Signs: The “thinkers” of the zodiac: Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius.

Angles: The cusps of the angular houses of a horoscope chart: Ascendant (ASC), Descendant (DSC), Midheaven (MC), and Imum Coeli (IC).

Angular Houses: The powerful first, seventh, tenth, and fourth houses of a horoscope chart.

Aquarius, the Water Bearer: Fixed air. Humanitarian, progressive, futuristic, visionary, utopian, nonconforming, independent, unconventional, impersonal, detached, aloof. Ruled by Uranus. Rules the eleventh house of social groups and causes.

Arabic Parts: These are sensitive points in a chart, and are calculated using specific formulas whereby two planets or points are added together, and a third planet or point is subtracted from that result.

Aries, the Ram: Cardinal fire. Energetic, assertive, impulsive, commanding, courageous. Ruled by Mars. Rules the first house of the self.

Ascendant: Also known as the rising sign. The sign on the cusp of the first house, the point at which planets and signs rise like the Sun on the eastern horizon. The ascendant reflects the face you show the world; the persona, personality, and self-perception.

Aspect: An angular, geometric relationship with another planet. Commonly used aspects include the conjunction (0°), opposition (180°), trine (120°), square (90°), sextile (60°), and quincunx (150°).

Benefic: In classical astrology, Jupiter and Venus are benefic; they are fortunate planets that grace everything they touch. Saturn and Mars are malefic. Other planets are neutral.

Cadent Houses: The third, sixth, ninth, and twelfth houses of a chart; the last house in each quadrant of a horoscope. Classical astrologers believed planets in cadent houses were weakened.

Cancer, the Crab: Cardinal water. Emotional, nurturing, protective, sensitive, sentimental, sympathetic, intuitive, instinctual. Ruled by the Moon. Rules the fourth house of home and family.

Capricorn, the Goat: Cardinal earth. Pragmatic, responsible, disciplined, dutiful, methodical, organized, patient, persistent, cautious, ambitious, reserved, somber. Ruled by Saturn. Rules the tenth house of career and social status.

Cardinal Signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn mark the start of each new season, and symbolize leadership and initiative.

Celestial Equator: An extension of the earth’s equator out into space.

Chart Ruler: The planet that rules the sign on the ascendant also rules the chart.

Chiron: An asteroid between Saturn and Uranus, named for the wounded healer of Greek mythology.

Classical Planets: The seven planets that can be seen with the naked eye: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

Conjunction: An aspect that conjoins, unifies, and intensifies the energy of two planets that share the same sign and degree in a chart.

Cusp: The dividing line between signs or houses in a chart, and the degree where one sign ends and the next begins.

Decan: A 10-degree division of a sign. Also known as a decanate.

Declination: The distance of a celestial body north or south of the celestial equator.

Degree: One of the 360 degrees of a circle.

Descendant: The cusp of the seventh house; the point at which planets and signs descend like the setting Sun on the western horizon.

Detriment: A planet’s weakness, found in the sign opposite its own rulership.

Dignities: Classifications of a planet’s power: rulership, exaltation, detriment, and fall.

Direct: A planet that seems to be moving forward through the zodiac, as seen from our perspective on Earth.

Dispositor: The planet that rules a sign also holds some power over any planet that happens to be in that sign; technically speaking, a dispositor may dispose of (rule over) the visiting planet as it sees fit.

Diurnal Chart: A chart cast for the daytime hours when the Sun is above the horizon.

Diurnal Planets: The Sun, Jupiter, and Saturn are day planets, which are strongest in diurnal charts. Mercury is diurnal if it rises before the Sun. See also Nocturnal Planets.

Domicile: A planet’s natural home; its place in the sign or house that it rules.

Earth: One of four ancient elements. Symbolizes the physical world, materialism, practicality, and reality.

Earth Signs: The “maintainers” of the zodiac: Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn.

Easy Aspects: Aspects that are considered to be beneficial and helpful (sextile, trine).

Eclipse: A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the earth and the Sun; lunar eclipses occur at the full Moon, when the earth is between the Sun and the Moon. In astrology, eclipses represent sudden and dramatic change.

Ecliptic: The great circle of the Sun’s apparent path through the sky, as seen from Earth.

Electional Astrology: A branch of astrology used to choose favorable dates and times for an event.

Elements: The four ancient elements are fire, water, air, and earth. The zodiac is divided into elements, and signs of the same element share the qualities of that element.

Ephemeris: A list of planetary positions by date and degree.

Equinox: A time when days and nights are of equal length; the vernal equinox occurs when the Sun enters Aries, and the autumnal equinox occurs when the Sun enters Libra.

Exaltation: A planet is exalted in the sign of its greatest power and influence, like a visiting dignitary in a foreign court. Exaltation is a planet’s second-strongest placement; rulership is its first.

Fall: A planet’s weakest placement, found in the sign opposite its exaltation.

Feminine Signs: Earth and water signs are considered feminine: Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces. Feminine signs are also called receptive, reactive, negative, magnetic, and passive.

Fire: One of four ancient elements. Represents spirit, will, inspiration, enthusiasm, desire, zeal, warmth, idealism, and creativity.

Fire Signs: The “initiators” of the zodiac: Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius.

Fixed Signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius mark the middle month of each season. They are stable, consistent, constant, patient, and reliable.

Geocentric: A model of the universe that puts the earth at the center of the solar system.

Glyphs: Symbols for the signs, planets, and aspects.

Grand Cross: A stressful configuration that involves four or more planets, in two sets of oppositions that combine to form four squares. The planets are usually related by mode: cardinal, fixed, or mutable.

Grand Sextile: A rare configuration that involves six planets in sextile to each other in six different signs.

Grand Trine: A beneficial configuration that involves three planets 120 degrees apart; they form an equilateral triangle. The planets in a grand trine are usually in the same element.

Hard Aspects: Aspects that create tension and friction (opposition, square).

Horary Astrology: The art of answering a question by analyzing a horoscope chart drawn for the precise moment the question was asked.

Horoscope: An astrological chart. The word horoscope comes from the Greek word hora, or “hour,” and skopos, “watching.”

House Ruler: The planet that rules a house in a horoscope.

Houses: The twelve divisions of a horoscope chart that correspond to the twelve zodiac signs.

Imum Coeli (IC): The cusp of the fourth house; the lowest point in a horoscope chart; it relates to foundations, home, and family life. Imum Coeli is Latin for “bottom of the sky,” and is directly opposite the Medium Coeli (MC), or Midheaven.

Inner Planets: The Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. See also Personal Planets.

Interception: A sign that is completely contained within a house.

Jupiter: The expansive planet of luck and generosity. Symbolizes good fortune, prosperity, extravagance, higher thought, religion, law, and long journeys. Rules Sagittarius and the ninth house of philosophy, long-distance travel, and higher education.

Leo, the Lion: Fixed fire. Regal, warm-hearted, loyal, generous, dramatic, proud, creative, domineering. Ruled by the Sun. Rules the fifth house of creativity, procreation, and recreation.

Libra, the Scales: Mutable air. Gracious, charming, social, cooperative, fair, balanced, refined, harmonious, indecisive, indolent. Ruled by Venus. Rules the seventh house of marriage and partnership.

Luminaries: The Sun and the Moon.

Lunation: In astrology, the exact moment the new Moon is conjunct the Sun.

Malefic: In classical astrology, Saturn and Mars are malefic; they bring misfortune. Jupiter and Venus are benefic. Other planets are neutral. See also Benefic.

Mars: The fiery red planet of energy, action, assertiveness, aggression, courage, desire, passion, drive, will, and initiative. Rules Aries and the first house of self.

Masculine Signs: Fire and air signs are considered masculine: Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, and Aquarius. Masculine signs are also referred to as active or positive.

Medium Coeli (MC): See Midheaven.

Mercury: The fast-moving planet of speed and communication. Represents logic, reason, wit, writing, and speech. Rules Gemini and Virgo, and the third and sixth houses.

Midheaven: The cusp of the tenth house; the highest, most elevated point in a horoscope chart; it signifies career, public image, status, and recognition. It’s also known as the Medium Coeli (MC), which is Latin for “middle of the heavens.”

Midpoint: An equidistant point between two planets, angles, or cusps, used for additional chart interpretation.

Mode: The three categories of the signs—cardinal, fixed, and mutable—that correspond to the three months of each season.

Moon Phases: New, waxing, full, waning.

Moon: The luminous orb of reflection, inner life, and the cycles of life. Symbolizes emotion, memory, mood, and motherhood. Rules Cancer and the fourth house of home and family.

Mundane Astrology: The study of countries, cities, provinces, and states. Weather forecasting is also a form of mundane astrology.

Mutable Signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces mark the third and final month of each season. They are transitional, adaptable, and flexible.

Mutual Reception: Planets placed in each other’s signs of dignity enhance each other’s strength.

Natal Chart: A horoscope chart based upon the date, time, and place of birth.

Native: The person for whom a natal chart is erected.

Neptune: The planet of imagination, dreams, illusion, spirituality, idealism, escapism, sacrifice, confusion, and deception. Rules Pisces and the twelfth house of mysteries and secrets.

New Moon: A new or dark Moon is the beginning phase of a lunar month, when the Moon and Sun are conjunct. See also Lunation.

Nocturnal Chart: A chart cast for the nighttime hours when the Sun is below the horizon.

Nocturnal Planets: The Moon, Venus, and Mars are night planets, which are strongest in nocturnal charts. Mercury is nocturnal if it sets after the Sun. See also Diurnal Planets.

Nodes: The mathematical points where the Moon’s orbit around the earth crosses the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun around the earth. The South Node symbolizes gifts and talents that are inborn; the North Node represents lessons that must be learned.

Opposition: An aspect between two planets that are 180 degrees (or six signs) apart. Energy can be confrontational.

Orb: The degree within which an aspect is considered to have an effect. The luminaries generally have a greater orb than the planets.

Outer Planets: Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. See also Transpersonal Planets.

Part of Fortune: A point in the chart that shows natural talent and suggests where joy and fortune can be found. One of the Arabic Parts.

Personal (Inner) Planets: The Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars have a personal and direct effect on personality. See also Transpersonal Planets.

Pisces, the Fish: Mutable water. Imaginative, compassionate, self-sacrificing, impressionable, empathetic, illusionary, secretive, victimizing or victimized. Ruled by Neptune. Rules the twelfth house of the unknown, mysteries, and secrets.

Planetary Rulers: Each sign is ruled by a planet that shares its qualities.

Planetary Sect: The division of day planets from night planets. See also Diurnal Planets and Nocturnal Planets.

Planets: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

Pluto: The planet of transformation, regeneration, unavoidable change, endings, death, destruction, elimination, power, compulsion, and analysis. Rules Scorpio and the eighth house of sex, death, and other people’s money.

Polarities: Active signs are masculine; receptive signs are feminine. Polarities may also refer to signs that are 180 degrees apart.

Prime Meridian: The line of longitude that runs through Greenwich, England, and divides the eastern and western hemispheres.

Predictive Astrology: A branch of astrology used to forecast trends and events in an individual’s life, typically through the analysis of transits and progressions.

Progression: An astrological technique that advances the planets’ positions in a chart forward through time. The usual formula is a day for a year.

Quadrants: Four divisions of a chart. The quadrants start at the cusps of the first, fourth, seventh, and tenth houses.

Qualities: Polarities, modes (quadruplicities), and elements.

Quincunx: The angular relationship between planets that are 150 degrees (or five signs) apart. A stressful aspect.

Rectification: The process of determining an unknown birth time based on life experiences and events.

Retrograde: From our viewpoint on Earth, the planets (with the exception of the Sun and Moon) periodically seem to move backward through the zodiac. The phenomenon is an optical illusion with symbolic significance. The qualities of retrograde planets in a natal chart are internalized, reversed, or slower to develop.

Rising Sign: See Ascendant.

Sagittarius, the Archer: Mutable fire. Adventurous, philosophical, optimistic, enthusiastic, candid, tactless. Ruled by Jupiter. Rules the ninth house of philosophy, higher education, and long-distance travel.

Saturn: The ringed planet of boundaries and limitations. Symbolizes responsibility, restriction, structure, discipline, caution, control, ambition, inhibition, delay, father figures, authority, and old age. Rules Capricorn and the tenth house of career and social status.

Scorpio, the Scorpion: Fixed water. Intense, penetrating, secretive, jealous, introspective, passionate, strong-willed, possessive, intimate, psychic, fascinated with the dark mysteries of life. Ruled by Pluto. Rules the eighth house of sex, death, and other people’s money.

Sextile: The angular relationship between planets that are 60 degrees (or two signs) apart; this aspect can be cooperative and offer opportunity.

Sign Ruler: The planet that rules a sign. Planets are strongest in the signs they rule.

Signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.

Solar Return: A birthday horoscope, calculated for the moment when the Sun returns to the exact degree, minute, and second of celestial longitude it occupied at birth.

Solstices: The longest and shortest days of the year, when the Sun reaches its maximum distance north or south of the equator.

Square: The angular relationship between two planets that are 90 degrees (three signs) apart; it can be a challenging and stressful aspect.

Stellium: Three or more planets in the same sign or house; a stellium adds emphasis.

Succedent Houses: The second, fifth, eighth, and eleventh houses of a chart, which succeed (follow) the cadent houses. According to classical astrology, they derive their power from the cadent houses.

Sun: The center of our solar system, it symbolizes self, ego, will, purpose, vitality, individuality, pride, authority, and fatherhood. Rules Leo and the fifth house of creativity, recreation, and procreation.

Synastry: The practice of comparing the natal charts of two or more people to assess their compatibility.

Taurus, the Bull: Fixed earth. Determined, stubborn, materialistic, possessive, security-oriented, sensual, patient, stable, practical. Ruled by Venus. Rules the second house of values and possessions.

Transit: A planet’s movement through signs and houses.

Transpersonal (Outer) Planets: Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are slow-moving, so their effect is as much generational as it is personal. See also Personal Planets.

Trine: The angular relationship between two planets that are 120 degrees (or four signs) apart; this aspect is usually friendly and flowing, because the planets share an element.

Triplicities: Zodiac signs that share an element. The fire triplicity is Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. Earth: Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. Air: Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. Water: Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.

Tropical Zodiac: A system that defines the signs in relation to the position of the vernal (spring) equinox, commonly used in Western astrology.

T-square: A stressful combination in which two planets square each other, and a third focal planet squares both of them.

Uranus: The planet of sudden change, disruption, and revolution. Symbolizes technology, originality, and futuristic thinking. Rules Aquarius and the eleventh house of social groups and causes.

Venus: The planet of love, beauty, and attraction. Represents affection, artistry, harmony, and values. Rules the second house of Taurus (values and possessions) and the seventh house of Libra (relationships and partnerships).

Virgo, the Virgin: Mutable earth. Analytical, practical, detail-minded, organized, discriminating, productive, health-conscious, critical. Ruled by Mercury. Rules the sixth house of sign of work, health, and service to others.

Void-of-Course Moon: A designation that describes the Moon at the end of one sign, about to enter the next. When the Moon is void-of-course, it has completed all its major aspects to other planets, and symbolically, it’s disconnected from the rest of the universe until it enters the next sign.

Waning Moon: The gradually diminishing Moon, following the full Moon and before the new Moon. Symbolizes endings and completion.

Water Signs: The “feelers” of the zodiac: Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.

Water: One of four ancient elements. Symbolizes emotions, intuition, compassion, relationships, and femininity.

Waxing Moon: The gradually increasing Moon, following the new Moon and before the full Moon. Symbolizes beginnings and growth.

Western Astrology: Founded by Ptolemy in the second century CE; a continuation of Hellenistic and Babylonian astrology.

Yod (Finger of God): A configuration that suggests a radical point of view; it consists of two planets in sextile to each other, and quincunx a third.

Zodiac: The elliptical belt of space surrounding the earth, divided into twelve signs; the planets travel from west to east, transiting through one sign after another in their order from Aries to Pisces. In Greek, zodiac means “circle of animals.”

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