Ulune

Astrology

The sky at a moment, read through the planets, the signs, the houses and the angles between them.

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Planets

  • SunThe great light of the day, read as identity, vitality and the purpose a life gathers around.
  • MoonThe light of the night, read as feelings, needs, habits and what makes someone feel at home.
  • MercuryThe planet of thinking, speech, learning and exchange, the messenger between what is perceived and what is said.
  • VenusThe planet of love, pleasure, beauty and what someone values, the lesser benefic of tradition.
  • MarsThe planet of drive, desire, courage and conflict, the force that acts, competes and defends.
  • JupiterThe planet of growth, trust, generosity and meaning, the greater benefic of tradition.
  • SaturnThe planet of structure, time, limits and maturity, the greater malefic of tradition.
  • UranusThe first planet found with a telescope, read as independence, originality and sudden change.
  • NeptuneThe planet found by calculation in 1846, read as imagination, ideals, compassion and the dissolving of boundaries.
  • PlutoThe small, distant world found in 1930, read as power, intensity, endings and deep renewal.

Small bodies

  • ChironA small icy body between Saturn and Uranus, read as a lasting wound and the care and skill that grow from it.
  • CeresThe largest body of the asteroid belt, named for the grain goddess and read as nurture, care and the cycles of loss and return.
  • PallasThe second asteroid found, named for the goddess of wisdom, read as strategy, pattern-seeing and creative intelligence.
  • JunoThe third asteroid found, named for the queen of the gods, read as committed partnership, loyalty and fairness between two.
  • VestaThe brightest asteroid, named for the goddess of the hearth, read as focus, devotion and the inner flame someone tends.
  • ErisA dwarf planet beyond Neptune, nearly the size of Pluto, named for the goddess of strife and read as rivalry and the fight to be counted.
  • SednaOne of the most distant bodies known, named for the Inuit goddess of the sea and read as loss, survival and slow recovery.

Points

  • North NodeThe point where the Moon’s orbit crosses the Sun’s path going north, read as a direction of growth.
  • South NodeThe point opposite the North Node, where the Moon’s orbit crosses the Sun’s path going south, read as what is familiar and comes easily.
  • Black Moon LilithThe far point of the Moon’s orbit, read as raw desire, refusal and what was pushed out of sight.
  • Part of FortuneA point laid off from the Ascendant by the distance between the Sun and the Moon, read as body, livelihood and circumstance.
  • VertexThe western point where the prime vertical meets the zodiac, read as encounters and turning points that seem to arrive by chance.

Angles

  • AscendantThe degree of the zodiac rising on the eastern horizon at birth, read as manner, body and the way someone meets the world.
  • DescendantThe degree of the zodiac setting on the western horizon at birth, read as partners and what someone seeks or meets in others.
  • MidheavenThe degree of the zodiac culminating on the meridian at birth, read as vocation, reputation and public direction.
  • Imum CoeliThe degree of the zodiac on the meridian below the birthplace, read as roots, home, family and private ground.

Signs

  • SignOne of the twelve 30° divisions of the zodiac, counted from the March equinox and read as the style in which a planet or point acts.
  • AriesThe first sign, cardinal fire ruled by Mars, which the Sun enters at the March equinox, read as the sign of beginnings and direct action.
  • TaurusThe second sign, fixed earth ruled by Venus, read as the sign of steadiness, the senses and what is built to last.
  • GeminiThe third sign, mutable air ruled by Mercury, read as the sign of curiosity, exchange and the mind that links one thing to another.
  • CancerThe fourth sign, cardinal water ruled by the Moon, which the Sun enters at the June solstice, read as the sign of care, belonging and memory.
  • LeoThe fifth sign, fixed fire ruled by the Sun, read as the sign of warmth, creative expression and the heart.
  • VirgoThe sixth sign, mutable earth ruled by Mercury, which is also exalted here, read as the sign of discernment, skill and useful care.
  • LibraThe seventh sign, cardinal air ruled by Venus, which the Sun enters at the September equinox, read as the sign of balance, relationship and fairness.
  • ScorpioThe eighth sign, fixed water ruled by Mars and, in modern astrology, Pluto, read as the sign of depth, intensity and transformation.
  • SagittariusThe ninth sign, mutable fire ruled by Jupiter, read as the sign of the search for meaning, of wide horizons and of frank conviction.
  • CapricornThe tenth sign, cardinal earth ruled by Saturn, which the Sun enters at the December solstice, read as the sign of structure, responsibility and long effort.
  • AquariusThe eleventh sign, fixed air ruled by Saturn and, in modern astrology, Uranus, read as the sign of community, principle and independent thought.
  • PiscesThe twelfth sign, mutable water ruled by Jupiter and, in modern astrology, Neptune, read as the sign of compassion, imagination and the dissolving of limits.
  • DecanA third of a sign, 10° of the zodiac, with a ruling planet of its own that colours the sign’s meaning.

Elements and modalities

  • FireThe element of Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, read as warmth, enthusiasm and the urge to act and to shine.
  • EarthThe element of Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, read as the practical, patient sense of what is real, useful and lasting.
  • AirThe element of Gemini, Libra and Aquarius, read as thought, words, exchange and the space between people.
  • WaterThe element of Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces, read as feeling, memory, empathy and the bonds that hold people together.
  • CardinalThe mode of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, the signs that open the seasons, read as initiative and the power to begin.
  • FixedThe mode of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, the signs at the heart of each season, read as steadiness, loyalty and staying power.
  • MutableThe mode of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces, the signs that close the seasons, read as adaptability, learning and transition.

Houses

  • HouseOne of the twelve sectors of the sky at the time and place of birth, counted from the Ascendant, each standing for a field of life.
  • First houseThe angular house that begins at the Ascendant, read as the self, the body, vitality and the way a person meets the world.
  • Second houseThe succedent house after the 1st, read as money, possessions, resources and the sense of what one is worth.
  • Third houseThe cadent house after the 2nd, read as siblings, neighbours, everyday communication, early learning and short journeys.
  • Fourth houseThe angular house that begins at the Imum Coeli in most systems, read as home, family, roots, a parent and the foundations of a life.
  • Fifth houseThe succedent house after the 4th, read as children, pleasure, play, romance and creative self-expression.
  • Sixth houseThe cadent house after the 5th, read as daily work, service, routines, care of the body and the skills that grow with practice.
  • Seventh houseThe angular house that begins at the Descendant, read as partners of every kind, marriage, close collaboration and open rivals.
  • Eighth houseThe succedent house after the 7th, read as shared resources, inheritance and debts, intimacy, crises and the power to let go and renew.
  • Ninth houseThe cadent house after the 8th, read as long journeys, beliefs, philosophy, higher learning, law and the search for meaning.
  • Tenth houseThe angular house that begins at the Midheaven in most systems, read as career, reputation, public role, authority and what one is known for.
  • Eleventh houseThe succedent house after the 10th, read as friends, allies, groups, benefactors and hopes for the future.
  • Twelfth houseThe cadent house just above the Ascendant, read as retreat, solitude, what is hidden or behind the scenes, and the inner life.
  • Intercepted signA sign lying wholly inside a house, with no cusp in it, which unequal houses produce more often the further a birth is from the equator.

House systems

  • House systemThe method that divides the sky into the twelve houses, from Placidus and Koch to Whole Sign and Equal houses, each drawing the cusps its own way.
  • PlacidusThe time-based house system named after Placidus de Titis, which divides the time each degree takes to rise and set, and Ulune’s default.
  • Whole signThe oldest way of counting houses, in which the rising sign is the whole 1st house and each following sign is the next house.
  • Equal housesTwelve houses of exactly 30° each, counted along the zodiac from the degree of the Ascendant, the same at every latitude.
  • PorphyryThe oldest quadrant system, which splits the zodiac between each pair of angles into three equal parts, and Ulune’s choice inside the polar circles.
  • KochA time-based quadrant system from the 1960s, which trisects the time the Midheaven degree takes to rise to the top of the sky.
  • RegiomontanusA quadrant system named after the 15th-century astronomer Regiomontanus, which divides the celestial equator into twelve equal arcs.
  • CampanusA quadrant system named after Campanus of Novara, which divides the prime vertical, the circle through east, zenith and west, into twelve equal arcs.
  • AlcabitiusThe medieval quadrant system named after al-Qabīṣī, which divides the time the Ascendant degree takes to climb to the meridian into three.
  • MorinusA house system named after Jean-Baptiste Morin, which divides the celestial equator from the meridian and leaves out both the Ascendant and the latitude.
  • TopocentricA quadrant system devised by the Argentine astrologers Polich and Page in the 1960s, whose cusps stay very close to Placidus by a simpler rule.

Aspects

  • AspectA set angle between two bodies of a chart, measured along the zodiac, that astrology reads as a relationship between what they stand for.
  • OrbThe leeway around an aspect’s exact angle: how far two bodies may stray from it, in degrees, and still count as in aspect.
  • Applying and separatingWhether an aspect is still forming, its two bodies closing on the exact angle, or already passing, the gap between them widening again.
  • Parallel and contra-parallelTwo bodies at the same distance from the celestial equator: parallel when both are on the same side of it, contra-parallel when on opposite sides.
  • Out-of-sign aspectAn aspect the degrees make but the signs do not, such as a trine from the last degree of Aries to the first of Virgo.
  • ConjunctionTwo bodies at the same place in the zodiac, 0° apart, their meanings fused into one strong theme.
  • OppositionTwo bodies on opposite sides of the zodiac, 180° apart: a polarity whose two ends ask to be held in balance.
  • TrineTwo bodies 120° apart, a third of the circle, usually in signs of one element: the aspect of ease, talent and natural flow.
  • SquareTwo bodies 90° apart, a quarter of the circle: friction that asks for action and, worked with, builds strength.
  • SextileTwo bodies 60° apart, a sixth of the circle, in signs whose elements suit each other: an opening that rewards initiative.
  • QuincunxTwo bodies 150° apart, in signs that share neither element nor modality: an awkward link that asks for constant adjustment.
  • Semi-sextileTwo bodies 30° apart, usually in neighbouring signs: a quiet, easily missed link between two very different functions.
  • Semi-squareTwo bodies 45° apart, half a square: a minor aspect of irritation and restlessness that keeps a matter moving.
  • QuintileTwo bodies 72° apart, a fifth of the circle: a minor aspect that modern astrologers link with talent, style and the urge to make.

Patterns

  • StelliumThree or more planets gathered in one sign or one house, drawing much of a chart’s weight to that one place.
  • Grand trineThree bodies each 120° from the other two, usually in one element: a closed circle of ease, talent and self-sufficiency.
  • T-squareTwo bodies in opposition, both square a third: a tense, driving figure whose energy gathers at its focal planet.
  • Grand crossFour bodies at the corners of a square, two oppositions crossing at right angles: strength built under tension from every side.
  • YodTwo bodies in sextile, both quincunx a third: a narrow, pointed figure that asks the planet at its apex for constant adjustment.
  • KiteA grand trine with a fourth body opposite one corner and sextile the other two: ease given a direction and a purpose.
  • Mystic rectangleTwo oppositions joined by two trines and two sextiles: tension held in a frame of support, practical and balanced.

Dignities

  • DomicileA planet in a sign it rules, such as Mars in Aries, its strongest place among the essential dignities.
  • DetrimentA planet in the sign opposite one it rules, such as Mars in Libra, where it acts against its nature and is at its weakest.
  • ExaltationThe sign where one of the seven traditional planets is honoured as a guest, such as the Sun in Aries, the strongest dignity after its domicile.
  • FallThe sign opposite a planet’s exaltation, such as the Sun in Libra, where it is read as lowered and ill at ease.
  • TriplicityThe planets that rule each element, one by day, one by night and one participating, as Dorotheus of Sidon gave them.
  • TermOne of five unequal spans of a sign, each ruled by a planet other than the Sun and the Moon, as in the Egyptian terms.
  • FaceEach 10° third of a sign, ruled by the planets in the Chaldean order from Mars at 0° Aries, the smallest of the essential dignities.
  • PeregrineA planet with none of the five essential dignities where it stands, not even a term or a face, a wanderer without a home there.
  • SectWhether a chart is by day, with the Sun above the horizon, or by night; the Sun, Jupiter and Saturn belong to the day, the Moon, Venus and Mars to the night.
  • Combust and cazimiA planet within 8° of the Sun, hidden in its glare and weakened, or within 17′ of it, cazimi, in the heart of the Sun and strengthened.
  • DispositorThe ruler of the sign a planet is in, so that Mars disposes of a planet in Aries; the chain of rulers can end at a final dispositor.
  • Mutual receptionTwo planets each in a sign ruled by the other, by domicile or by exaltation, read as helping each other.

The sky’s cycles

  • RetrogradeA planet that seems, seen from the Earth, to move backwards through the zodiac for a while, as the Earth and the planet pass each other.
  • StationThe moment a planet seems to stand still in the sky before it turns retrograde or direct again.
  • IngressA planet crossing from one sign into the next, every two and a half days for the Moon and every twelve to thirty years for Pluto.
  • Moon phaseThe Moon’s angle from the Sun, which sets how much of it is lit, from new (0°) to full (180°) and back in about 29½ days.
  • EclipseA New or Full Moon close enough to the lunar nodes for the Moon to hide the Sun, or to pass through the Earth’s shadow.
  • Void of courseThe hours between the Moon’s last major aspect in a sign and its entry into the next, traditionally a poor time to start things.
  • Equinox and solsticeThe Sun entering Aries or Libra (the equinoxes) or Cancer or Capricorn (the solstices), opening the seasons and the zodiac’s four quarters.

Coordinates

  • DeclinationHow far north or south of the celestial equator a body stands, in degrees, like a latitude of the sky.
  • Ecliptic latitudeHow far above or below the ecliptic, the Sun’s yearly path, a body stands; the zodiac positions leave it aside.
  • Out of boundsA body whose declination goes beyond the Sun’s greatest, about 23°26′, read as acting outside the usual rules.
  • Sidereal timeTime by the stars rather than the Sun, telling which part of the sky is on the meridian; with the latitude it sets the angles and houses.

Fixed stars

  • Fixed starA bright star projected onto the zodiac, moving about a degree in 72 years; a body within 1° of it is read as taking on its character.
  • AldebaranThe red eye of the Bull, near 10° Gemini today, a star of Mars for Ptolemy and one of the four royal stars of modern books.
  • RegulusThe heart of the Lion, the “little king”, a star of Mars and Jupiter that left Leo for Virgo around 2011 and one of the four royal stars.
  • AntaresThe red heart of the Scorpion, the “rival of Mars”, near 10° Sagittarius today, a star of Mars and Jupiter and one of the four royal stars.
  • FomalhautThe mouth of the Southern Fish, near 4° Pisces today, a star of Venus and Mercury for Ptolemy and one of the four royal stars of modern books.
  • SpicaThe ear of wheat in the Virgin’s hand, near 24° Libra today, a star of Venus with some Mars and among the most fortunate stars of tradition.
  • AlgolThe winking star of Medusa’s head in Perseus, near 26° Taurus: the hardest name in old astrology, read today as raw intensity.

Techniques

  • TransitWhere a planet is in the sky at a given moment, read against a birth chart through its aspects to the planets and angles of birth.
  • ExactThe minute an aspect or a crossing is precise to the degree, minute and second, the peak of a transit.
  • Transit windowThe weeks or months a slow planet stays within 1° of an exact aspect to a chart, which a retrograde can make exact two or three times.
  • Secondary progressionThe chart moved on one day for each year of life, so that the sky 30 days after birth describes the year from the 30th birthday.
  • SynastryTwo charts compared, through the aspects between one person’s planets and the other’s and the houses where each one’s planets fall.
  • Composite chartOne chart made from two, each planet at the midpoint of its positions in the two charts, read as the chart of the relationship itself.
  • MidpointThe point halfway between two bodies along the zodiac, with its opposite point; a body standing on it is read as joining the two.
  • LotA point found by laying off the distance between two bodies from the Ascendant, as the Lots of Fortune and of Spirit are.

Planets in signs

Planets in aspect

Planets in houses

The Ascendant and the Midheaven by sign

Planets and the angles