Fall

The Planet's opposite sign in exaltation and has difficulty expressing its true qualities. The planet is out of its natural element. Example: Mars visiting Cancer.

Feminine Signs

Earth and Water signs. Feminine refers to receptivity and not gender. Also referred to as the Negative or Passive signs in some antiquated astrology texts.

Fire Signs

Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. These signs are considered fiery, passionate and spontaneous. In a natural wheel they occupy the first, fifth and ninth houses.

Fixed Signs

Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. These signs are associated with fixed and stable emotional characteristics. The also correspond to the Succedent houses of the wheel in the Quadruplicities.

 

 

Fixed Stars

Stars that seemed to be fixed in the "vault of heaven." They form about ninety some constellations. Examples are the Betelguese, Vega and the stars that make up the Zodiac. The appear to move from Earth with the rest of the heavens. As the heavens move so does this "vault" so they rise in the East and set in the West.

Flat Chart or Natural Chart

A chart in which the first house is set at zero degrees Aries. Frequently used when the birth time and therefore the Ascendant is not known.

Geocentric

1) The most commonly held view in astrology, regarding the positions of the observer on the Earth as center of the cosmos, in contrast to the heliocentric view of the world, which is the sun as the center. 2) In reference to latitude, refers to using measurements based on the angle formed at the Earth's center between the line extending to the surface at the location and the line extending to the surface at the equator. (This can vary from geographic latitude by as much as 12 minutes.)

Grand Cross (also know as Grand Square)

Planetary configuration between four planets that are made in a native's chart. Two pairs of planets are opposite each other (180 degrees) thus all four planets are squared (90 degrees) to the other. See illustration. Read ARTICLE

 

Grand Trine

Planetary configuration between three planets that made in a native's chart. All three planets are 120 degree from each other. See illustration. Read ARTICLE

Greater Benefic

Jupiter. Assumed to bring you major blessings. Used in Classical Horary Astrology

Greater Malefic

Saturn. Assumed to be the cause of stress and strain in your life. Used in Classical Horary Astrology

Gregorian Calendar

The Calendar used in general by the world nowadays. Introduced by Pope Gregory XIII as a revision of the Julian Calendar in 1582.

Hard Aspects

Inharmonious aspects. Generally considered to be the Squared and Opposition and others. Aspects when the energies do not always help.

Harmonics

The astrological study of integral division of the circle. For example:, by 2, 3, 4, 5 and etc. The aspect Quintile is considered the 5th harmonic.

Harmonious Aspects

Conjunct, Sextile and Trine. Also referred to as the Soft aspects or Easy aspects.

Heliocentric

1) The view of the universe, according to the modern knowledge, with the Sun as the center of our planetary system. 2) The practice of erecting the chart by using the Sun as the viewpoint thus having instead of a SUN sign the individual would have an EARTH Sign. The further away a planet is from the Sun the less its geocentric position varies. The inner planets Mercury and Venus can be 180° in variance.

Horary

This is the practice of answering questions through the horoscope at the time the question was asked. Horary means "by the hour". The chart would be cast for the moment the question was given birth in the person's mind or asked of the astrologer. There are modern horary practices but much would not exist without the pioneer efforts of the 17th century gentleman, William Lilly, 1602-1681. To learn more about horary astrology, visit the English Merlin.

 

Horoscope

A diagram of the map of the heavens at a particular time of an event (birth or another event). It contains the representation of the luminaries (Sun and Moon) and the eight planets viewed from he place of the event. The horoscope simultaneously records two movements of the heavenly bodies. First, the movement of the planets and luminaries through the Zodiac and second, the movement of the Zodiac around the Earth.

House

A section of the Zodiac, mathematically defined, which represents a particular area of life. The four quadrants which result from the system of axes are each subdivided into three fields. The calculation of the system axes is identical in almost all the various schools of Astrology the method of subdividing differs. See House System. The resulting houses correspond to the twelve signs of the Zodiac but are not identical. For more information go to this page.

 

 

House Cusp

A House Cusp is the dividing line between Houses on the Zodiac Wheel. When a planet is said to be in a House Cusp, this means that the planet is positioned on this dividing line, therefore giving the planet influence over two adjoining houses.

House System

The way of dividing the houses varies according to the method used. The best-known are the Koch (developed by Dr. Walter Koch), Placidus (developed by Placidus de Titus), Campanus (developed by Giovanni Campani) and Regiomontanus (developed by Johannes Muller) and Equal House.

IC

See Imum Coeli

Imum Coeli

The bottom of the heavens. The fourth house cusp in non-equal or Quadrant House System. Represent the family relations and the home life. Also known as the Nadir.

Ingress

The simple definition is entrance. In astrology, this refers to the entrance of planets into the twelve houses as denoted on the ephemeris.

 

Interception

1) A sign that falls between two adjacent house cusps, but neither of those house cusps are in that sign. Since most House divisions are unequal, at some latitudes it is quite common to have a chart where two opposite signs are entirely contained within houses, so that no degree of either sign appears on a House Cusp. In such a chart, two other opposite signs will appear on two house cusps each.

 

Interceptions emphasis are more of the houses where the signs are playing double duty (eg. 1st and 2nd house Leo and 7th and 8th house Aquarius).  The interpretation focus would be on where the ruling planets of those signs (in the example above: the Sun and Saturn) is in the native's chart and what aspects it forms to other key planets and points.

 

2) A  planet that is in a degree of the sign that is intercepted (contained within a house and not a cusp) is said to be intercepted itself. Some astrologers then interpret that planet's energies to be blocked in expression.

See illustration of a Natal Chart that has an interception

Julian Calendar

A calendar introduced in Rome in 46 B.C.E. Established a year of 365 days with every fourth year having 366 days.

Kite Configuration

read article

Koch

Dr. Walter Koch (pronounced 'coke'), a German astrologer who found the Koch House System or Birthplace House System.

Latitude

1) Celestial: Angular distance North or South of the ecliptic—measured in degrees, minutes and seconds. 2) Terrestrial: Angler distance, north or south of the equator—measured in degrees, minutes and seconds.

Local Sidereal Time

The time of birth at the birthplace, converted to sidereal (star) time. It is the hour angle of the vernal point (0° Aries). This is the figure from which the house cusps of the chart are derived.

Longitude

1) Celestial: Angular distance, measured in degrees, minutes and seconds—east of 0° Aries, along the ecliptic. Astologers are using Celestial Longitude when they speak of House positions or planetary position in signs. 2) Terrestrial: Distances measured east and west—in degrees, minutes and seconds. The 0° point is the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, England

Luminaries

The luminaries are the Sun and Moon. Often Astrology speaks of ten planets which include the luminaries of the Sun and the Moon even though they are not technically planets.