Aspects are perhaps the most difficult astrology pillar, because aspects weave together all the other astrology archetypes: planets, signs, and houses. Aspects are very complex!
When learning something as complex as Aspects, it’s only natural that we make mistakes along the way.
Mistakes are a normal part of learning – and nothing to feel bad about.
The good news is that learning about these mistakes can help us make big progress in a short period of time. It’s not that all your learning was in vain – the information is still there – it’s just a matter of reframing it and looking at it from different perspectives.
Here are the most common mistakes most people make with Aspects, from our experience of working with astrology students of all levels:
Mistake #1 – Jumping straight to planetary aspects
We are all guilty of this one. We’ve all started our journey to aspects by reading books or googling what “Venus square Neptune” means, before having a clear understanding of what the square means.
Of course, aspects only exist between planets. However, when we try to learn aspects this way as beginners, the amount of information can be overwhelming.
Unknowingly, we settle for ‘good enough’ half-grasping of aspects and then we carry forward this approach as our astrology knowledge expands, leaving conceptual ‘holes’. We don’t even know what we don’t know!
Mistake #2 – Categorizing aspects as “hard” or “soft” or mixing up squares with oppositions, or sextiles with trines
When we make these broad brush categorizations, we’re missing very important interpretation nuances. Each aspect serves a unique purpose.
Oppositions are not the same as squares. The goal of an opposition is to help us understand ourselves better by role-playing the unintegrated parts of our psyche through 1-on-1 relationships. Squares instead help us integrate into our environment, by teaching us to respond to outside challenges.
Squares and oppositions work very differently and serve very different purposes. Oppositions are about “us”, squares are about “the world”. Very different playing grounds.
An aspect is not only ‘challenging’ or ‘harmonious’ – each aspect has a unique modus operandi and a very specific area of influence.
Mistake #3 – Giving all the aspects the same importance
Astrology software is designed to link all the geometrical aspects planets make in the natal chart.
When we look at the chart, we see a line between Sun and Neptune, and another line between Neptune and Pluto, and we are prompted to address them as if they had the same importance.
They do not.
Aspects with at least one personal planet are much more relevant than aspects between slow-moving planets, which are generational and don’t influence us at a personal level.
The orb of the aspect matters too. Tight aspects take precedence over loose aspects. This may seem complicated but there are some basic rules which, if followed, can help us narrow down and focus on what’s really important in the chart.
Mistake #4 – Endlessly looking for the ‘right’ aspect interpretation
You have a Venus-Pluto opposition and you’ve read everything about it on the internet. The more you read/watch videos, the more the descriptions sound the same.
The reality is there is no cookbook description aspect you will resonate with 100% because your chart is unique.
If astrologers would write books about all the possible Venus-Pluto aspect combinations in the 12 signs and 12 houses we would have a Lord Of The Rings-like trilogy for each aspect!
That’s not how we learn aspects. We learn aspects by actually learning about all the building components of the aspect, and slowly coming up with our own interpretations. There’s a method to the madness, and once we understand how aspects are delineated from a theoretical perspective, we will find it much easier to apply it in practice.
Once the meaning of the aspect lands with you, then you won’t need to read about it, or learn about it. You will just know what it means.
Mistake #5 – Missing the “big picture” of the aspect
How come that that nice Venus trine you have doesn’t necessarily translate into good relationships?
That’s because Venus doesn’t only make a trine, but also squares, oppositions, or quincunxes with other planets. The Venus square and opposition will further shape the expression of your natal Venus placement.
While isolating individual aspects is a necessary first step when we’re starting out, if we want to come up with meaningful interpretations, we want to look at the “full story”, i.e. at all the aspects a planet makes.
The sign and house placement of a planet adds further details about how an aspect is expressed.
The same Mars-Neptune opposition manifests very differently when it’s on the Taurus-Scorpio axis vs. the Gemini-Sagittarius axis. The same Mars-Neptune opposition will influence completely different areas of your life, depending on the individual’s Mars and Neptune house placement.
Mistake #6 – Believing you have to “learn more” – or going for breadth instead of depth
You know all about squares and trines. So you move on to minor aspects, aspect patterns, progression to eclipse points, or other complex techniques.
The “keep searching for answers in different places” syndrome is many times sourced into an insufficient understanding of the basics.
When we fully understand our Sun conjunction, or our Nodal oppositions, when we get the full scope of these very basic aspects, we usually find our answers. We could write a book about the Nodal opposition only!
Of course, if you’re interested in minor aspects, this doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t master the basics. There are indeed professional astrologers with tons of chart reading experience who are totally fluent in aspects and are ready for more niche types of topics.
However, in our experience, 99% of students, including students with lots of astrology exposure, would benefit from an actual deep-dive into the core aspects.
Chart reading is not about “knowing more” – more aspects, more asteroids, more predictive techniques, but about truly mastering the basics.
Mistake #7 – Not “owning” the aspect
We might look at our Pluto conjunction or Saturn square as bad luck “why was I born with this?”, or at best, as an aspect we have to contend with.
However, the only way to overcome the challenging expression of our aspects is to own them.
When we realize that we are the architects of our natal chart and our life journey, this acceptance allows us to look at each natal aspect for what it is.
Our soul purposefully chose these lessons. We chose these aspects for a reason. We need both trines and squares. Life is a beautiful journey of growth and transformation.
Deciphering Aspects In the Natal Chart
The “Deciphering Aspects In the Natal Chart” course is designed to help you learn aspects in a systematic way so that you build on the correct learning pillars, one step at a time.
In the course, we follow a 4-step approach that caters to all learning styles and it’s proven to work:
- Learn – to assimilate theoretical concepts
- Reflect – by completing assignments
- Clarify – ask questions or learn from examples
- Practice – practice aspect interpretation and get feedback
Interested in joining but fear you don’t have time for all activities?
Join anyway – you will have lifetime access to the course materials and call recordings, and even if you can’t attend the calls, you will still benefit from the live momentum of the course.
The 30+ theoretical lessons of the course are pre-recorded and dripped weekly on Mondays. You get access to transcripts, visuals, and exercises to which you can come back again and again, whenever time allows.
When you follow the “Deciphering Aspects In the Natal Chart” approach, you will no longer:
- Google or “read more” about aspects → You will learn how to come up with your own interpretations
- Feel overwhelmed → The Aspect Reading Formula will outline the exact steps you need to follow to analyze an aspect
- Wonder how to reconcile complexity → The “Aspect Hierarchy” approach and the multiple aspects exercises will help you bring together the different details of the aspect into a meaningful synthesis
- Get stuck when you try to read a natal chart → Aspects bring the chart to life! Reading a natal chart comes naturally when you master aspects; aspects help you connect the dots of the chart, see patterns, and focus on specific areas of interest
- Feel anxious about the so-called “difficult” aspects → You will embrace the beauty and unique lessons and opportunities of each aspect
Learn more about Deciphering Aspects In the Natal Chart and register here:
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