angles: The Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven, and IC.
angular house cusp: The cusps of the first, fourth, seventh, and tenth houses.
approaching aspect: A faster-moving planet that is approaching an exact aspect with a slower-moving planet.
Ascendant: The first-house cusp and one of the angles. It represents the individual and his or her outward expression of personality.
aspect: A geometric angle that connects the energy of two or more planets.
aspectarian: A grid that shows the aspects between the planets in a chart.
asteroids: The four major asteroids used in astrology are Juno, Vesta, Ceres, and Pallas Athena.
Chiron: A comet that is most commonly defined as the “wounded healer.”
conjunction: A major aspect where two or more planets are within 0 to 8 degrees of each other. Its keyword is intensity. A conjunction can be an easy or hard aspect, depending on the planets involved.
contraparallel: An aspect that indicates two planets are at opposite degrees north and south of the celestial equator. The contraparallel functions like an opposition.
decanate: One-third of a sign. Each sign has three decanates—0º to 10º, 11º to 20º, and 21° to 30º—and each has its own ruling sign and planet.
declination: The degrees a planet is north or south of the celestial equator.
degree: The zodiac has 360°, and each sign has 30º. Degrees identify the position of a planet within a sign.
Descendant: The seventh-house cusp and one of the angles. It represents marriage and other close relationships.
detriment: A planet in the sign opposite its ruling sign, such as the Sun in Aquarius.
dignity: A planet in its ruling sign, such as Uranus in Aquarius.
easy aspect: The trine, sextile, and conjunction (depending on the planets in the conjunction) are easy aspects that represent a smooth flow of energy.
eclipse: Approximately four to six eclipses occur every year. A solar eclipse is also a New Moon, when the Sun and Moon are at the same degree and sign of the zodiac. A lunar eclipse is also a Full Moon, when the Sun and Moon are opposite each other.
element: Each of the twelve signs is classified according to one of the four elements—fire, earth, air, or water. The elements are also called quadruplicities.
ephemeris: A book or computer printout of the positions of the planets.
exaltation: A planet in the sign other than its ruling sign in which it functions well, such as Jupiter in Cancer.
fall: A planet in the sign opposite its sign of exaltation, such as Saturn in Aries.
fixed stars: The stars that make up the constellations.
Full Moon: A Full Moon occurs approximately every four weeks, two weeks after the New Moon. At the Full Moon, the Sun and Moon are opposite each other—180 degrees apart.
glyph: The symbol used for a planet, sign, or aspect.
grand square (grand cross): An aspect configuration formed by two oppositions at right angles to each other, forming a cross.
grand trine: An aspect configuration involving three (or more) planets, each 120 degrees apart and forming a triangle.
hard aspect: A square, opposition, semisquare, sesquisquare, or conjunction (depending on the planets in the conjunction) is a hard aspect that represents challenges and obstacles.
hemisphere: The four major sections of the horoscope—southern (top half of the chart), northern (bottom half of the chart), eastern (left side of the chart), and western (right side of the chart).
house: One of the twelve pie-shaped sections (houses) of the horoscope. Each house governs specific areas of life.
house cusp: The sign and degree of the zodiac at which a house begins.
IC (Imum Coeli): The fourth-house cusp and one of the angles. It represents home, family, and parents.
inconjunct: A minor aspect (also known as a quincunx) where two or more planets are 150 degrees apart. It indicates separation, strain, and uneasiness, because it is difficult to mix the energies of the planets involved.
intercepted sign: A zodiac sign that is contained wholly within a house and thus is not on a house cusp.
intermediate house cusp: The cusps of the second, third, fifth, sixth, eighth, ninth, eleventh, and twelfth houses.
latitude: The distance in degrees north or south of the equator, which is 0º latitude. Used along with longitude to define a geographic location.
longitude: The distance in degrees east or west of Greenwich, England, which is 0º longitude. Used along with latitude to define a geographic location.
luminaries: The Sun and Moon, which are also called the Lights.
Midheaven: The tenth-house cusp and one of the angles. It represents career and status.
mode: See quality.
Moon’s nodes: The North and South nodes of the Moon are not actual bodies, but points. The North Node is similar to Jupiter, and the South Node is similar to Saturn.
mutual reception: Two planets in any aspect that are also in each other’s ruling sign, such as the Moon in Aries and Mars in Cancer.
natural chart: A chart that shows the natural order of the zodiac from Aries through Pisces, beginning with Aries in the first house.
New Moon: A New Moon occurs approximately every four weeks, when the Sun and Moon are at the same degree and sign of the zodiac.
opposition: A major aspect where two or more planets are 180 degrees apart, or opposite each other, in the zodiac. Its keyword is separation.
orb: The allowable distance between two or more planets that puts them in aspect to one another. The closer the aspect, the stronger its influence.
out-of-sign aspect: An aspect between two planets that are in orb but not in the same mode or element.
parallel: An aspect that indicates two planets are at the same number of degrees north or south of the celestial equator. The parallel functions like a conjunction.
Part of Fortune: Also called the Lot of Fortune, this indicates luck, especially when in aspect to a planet or angle.
polarities: The opposite signs of the zodiac, such as Aries/Libra and Gemini/Sagittarius.
quadrants: The four sections of the horoscope that blend the influence of the four hemispheres—first quadrant (houses one, two, and three), second quadrant (houses four, five, and six), third quadrant (houses seven, eight, and nine), and fourth quadrant (houses ten, eleven, and twelve).
quality (mode): Each of the twelve signs is identified with one of the three qualities, or modes of expression—cardinal, fixed, or mutable.
retrograde: The period of time during which planets appear to move backward.
return chart: A chart calculated for the date and time that a planet returns to its natal place. The most common return charts are the solar return and lunar return.
rulership: Each planet has rulership over, or is associated with, one (or two) signs. A planet that rules the sign on a house cusp rules that house. The planets ruling other signs in a house are called co-rulers. Planets and signs also have natural rulership over specific areas of life, such as career, health, family, and money.
semisextile: A 30 degree angle between two planets. This aspect is mildly beneficial.
semisquare: A minor aspect where two or more planets are 45 degrees apart. It represents action and conflict.
separating aspect: This indicates that a planet is moving away from another planet after having formed an exact aspect with the second planet.
sesquisquare: A minor aspect where two or more planets are 135 degrees apart. It represents action and conflict.
sextile: A major aspect where two or more planets are 60 degrees apart. Its keyword is opportunity.
solar chart: A chart erected without a specific birth time, usually set for noon or sunrise, and with the Sun as the Ascendant.
square: A major aspect where two or more planets are 90 degrees apart. It represents action and conflict.
stationary planet: A planet that appears to stop before changing to direct or retrograde motion.
stellium: A group of three or more planets, all of which are conjunct.
synastry: A chart comparison method used to judge compatibility between two individuals.
t-square: An aspect configuration where two (or more) planets are in opposition and square a third planet.
trine: A major aspect where two or more planets are 120 degrees apart. It represents ease and luck.
trinities: The three houses associated with each of the elements—fire, trinity of life; earth; trinity of wealth; air, trinity of association; and water, trinity of endings.
Trinity of Life: The first, fifth, and ninth houses, which are associated with the fire element and represent initiative, dynamic energy, enthusiasm, faith, motivation, and confidence.
Trinity of Psychism: The fourth, eighth, and twelfth houses, which are associated with the water element and represent beginnings and endings, emotions, intuition, and karma.
Trinity of Relationships: The third, seventh, and eleventh houses, which are associated with the air element and represent partnership, friendship, social life, relatives, and associations.
Trinity of Wealth: The second, sixth, and tenth houses, which are associated with the earth element and represent money, possessions, reputation, achievements, career, work, and service.
unaspected planet: A planet that makes no aspects to other planets or angles.
Vertex: A calculated point that has a fateful connotation, indicating a person’s destiny in life.
void-of-course Moon: The Moon’s position from the time it makes its last major aspect in one sign until it enters the next sign.
yod: An aspect configuration in which a planet (the apex planet) is inconjunct two other planets that are sextile each other.