Astrology, chapter 13 of 13
Astrology glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Angles | ASC, DSC, MC, IC, the four most sensitive points of a chart |
| Applying / separating | An aspect moving toward exact (stronger) or away from it (weaker) |
| Ascendant (rising sign) | The zodiac degree rising on the eastern horizon at birth; cusp of the 1st house |
| Aspect | An angular relationship between two planets or points |
| Benefic / malefic | Traditional classification: Venus and Jupiter help; Mars and Saturn challenge |
| Cadent house | Houses 3, 6, 9, 12; transitional, less visible |
| Cazimi | A planet within 17′ of the Sun: strongly empowered |
| Chart ruler | The planet ruling the Ascendant's sign |
| Combust | A planet within ~8.5° of the Sun: weakened, hidden |
| Cusp | The starting line of a house (or the boundary between two signs) |
| Decan | A 10° third of a sign, each with its own planetary ruler and tarot card |
| Detriment | A planet in the sign opposite the one it rules |
| Dignity | A planet's strength or comfort in a given sign |
| Dispositor | The ruler of the sign a planet is in |
| Ecliptic | The Sun's apparent path through the sky; the band the zodiac is measured along |
| Exaltation | The sign where a planet is especially honoured and elevated |
| Fall | The sign opposite a planet's exaltation |
| Final dispositor | The planet at the end of every dispositor chain, if one exists |
| Hellenistic astrology | The Greco-Egyptian tradition (c. 2nd century BCE – 7th century CE) that founded Western horoscopic astrology |
| Hemisphere emphasis | Planet concentration in the upper/lower or eastern/western half of the chart |
| Luminaries | The Sun and Moon |
| Midheaven (MC) | The highest point of the ecliptic in the chart; career and public role |
| Mutual reception | Two planets each in the other's sign of rulership |
| Nodes | The points where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic; karmic direction (north) and past (south) |
| Orb | The allowable distance from exactness for an aspect to count |
| Peregrine | A planet with no essential dignity in its sign |
| Profection | Hellenistic timing technique: one house per year of life |
| Progression | A symbolic timing technique (usually one day after birth = one year of life) |
| Retrograde (℞) | A planet's apparent backward motion as seen from Earth |
| Return | A planet coming back to its natal position (Saturn return ~29, Jupiter return every ~12 years) |
| Sect | Whether a chart is a day or night chart; determines which planets are most helpful or difficult |
| Sidereal zodiac | Zodiac aligned with the actual constellations (used in Vedic astrology) |
| Solar return | The chart cast for the Sun's return to its natal degree each year |
| Stellium | Three or more planets in one sign or house |
| Synastry | Comparing two natal charts for relationship dynamics |
| Thema Mundi | The mythical "birth chart of the world" explaining the logic of the rulerships |
| Transit | A current planetary position interacting with the natal chart |
| Tropical zodiac | Zodiac aligned with the seasons, starting at the spring equinox (used in Western astrology) |
"The stars incline, they do not compel." A maxim attributed to Thomas Aquinas and repeated by astrologers since the Middle Ages.