Glossary
The words of the sky.
Plain definitions of the astrology terms that matter, each one computed from real astronomy across NovaOracles, not guessed from a printed table.
The chart
8- Natal chartA natal chart is a map of the sky drawn for the exact moment and place you were born.
- ZodiacThe zodiac is the band of twelve signs, Aries through Pisces, that circles the sky along the Sun's yearly path.
- Sun signYour Sun sign is the zodiac sign the Sun was in at your birth, the one you get from a birthday.
- Moon signYour Moon sign is the sign the Moon was in when you were born.
- HouseA house is one of twelve divisions of the chart, each standing for an area of life, from the self, money and home to partnership, work and the public eye.
- Big ThreeYour Big Three are your Sun, Moon and rising sign together, and they are where any reading starts.
- ElementAn element is one of four temperaments, fire, earth, air or water, shared by three signs each.
- ModalityA modality is one of three modes, cardinal, fixed or mutable, shared by four signs each.
Points and angles
3- Ascendant (rising sign)The ascendant, or rising sign, is the zodiac sign climbing over the eastern horizon at the exact moment of your birth.
- Midheaven (MC)The Midheaven, or MC, is the degree of the zodiac crossing the meridian at the top of your chart, the point culminating highest at your birth.
- Lunar nodesThe lunar nodes are the two points where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic, the Sun's path.
Aspects
7- AspectAn aspect is the angle between two planets, measured around the zodiac circle.
- ConjunctionA conjunction is two planets at the same degree of the zodiac, zero degrees apart.
- OppositionAn opposition is two planets 180 degrees apart, facing each other across the chart.
- TrineA trine is two planets 120 degrees apart, the easiest of the major angles.
- SquareA square is two planets 90 degrees apart, the friction angle.
- SextileA sextile is two planets 60 degrees apart, a gentle opportunity.
- OrbAn orb is how far from exact an aspect can be and still count.
The moving sky
5- TransitA transit is a planet's current position in the sky and the aspect it makes to a point in your natal chart.
- RetrogradeRetrograde is when a planet appears to move backward through the zodiac as seen from Earth.
- StationA station is the moment a planet appears to stop before it turns retrograde or direct.
- IngressAn ingress is the moment a planet crosses from one zodiac sign into the next.
- EclipticThe ecliptic is the apparent yearly path the Sun traces across the sky, and it is the center line of the zodiac band.
The Moon
5- Moon phaseA moon phase is how much of the Moon's face is lit as it orbits Earth, from new to full and back over about 29 and a half days.
- New moonA new moon is the point when the Moon sits between Earth and the Sun, so its lit side faces away and it shows no visible face.
- Full moonA full moon is the point when the Moon sits opposite the Sun and its whole visible face is lit.
- Void of course MoonThe void of course Moon is the stretch between the Moon's last major aspect in a sign and its move into the next sign.
- EclipseAn eclipse is a new or full moon that falls close to a lunar node, the points where the Moon's path crosses the ecliptic, so the Sun, Moon and Earth line up closely enough to cast a shadow.
Chart patterns
4- StelliumA stellium is three or more planets bunched together in one sign or one house.
- Grand trineA grand trine is three planets that each form a trine to the other two, drawing an equilateral triangle across the chart.
- T-squareA T-square is two planets in opposition with a third planet square to both, forming a right-angled triangle.
- Grand crossA grand cross is four planets arranged in two oppositions that also square each other, forming a cross across the chart.
Techniques
3- EphemerisAn ephemeris is a table of where the planets are over time, the reference astrologers use to see what the sky was doing on any date.
- Solar returnA solar return is the chart cast for the yearly moment the Sun returns to its exact birth degree, on or near your birthday.
- ProgressionProgression is a symbolic technique that moves the natal chart forward slowly over time, most often at the rate of a day for a year: the sky the day after birth stands for the first year of life, two days after for the second, and so on.
Relationships
2- SynastrySynastry is the practice of reading two natal charts against each other to see how two people interact.
- Composite chartA composite chart is a single chart built from the midpoints between two people's charts, the halfway degree between one person's Sun and the other's, and so on for every planet and point.