A Glossary of Astrological Terms
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Use this glossary just like a dictionary to look up the meanings of words you come across on this website, or in your astrological reading. Just select the first letter of the word you need and click on it in the table below to go straight to that sector. The glossary is often updated with more information, so remember to check in regularly.
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Above the Earth
When a planet is located above the horizon, namely anywhere between the ascendant and descendant via the mid-heaven. If a planet is found in the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th houses, it is above the earth.
Abscission of Light
Prevention of the culmination of an aspect by the intervention of another, thus "cutting off" the light. Used in Horary Astrology. See Frustration.
Abscissor
Killing planet; cutter-off of light.
Absides (Absis)
The points where the major axis of an elliptical orbit meets the orbital path. See Apsides.
Accidental Dignity
Planet dignified by favourable position, motion or aspect, but not in Essential Dignity. See Dignities, Accidental and Essential.
Acronichal (Acronycal; Acronychal; Acronical)
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Acronichal – the point opposite the Sun
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Acronichal Rising – a star or planet rising at sunset
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Acronichal Setting – a star or planet setting at sunrise
The opposite of Cosmical, this is one of the three Greek ideas of the rising and setting of stars: Acronichal, Cosmical and Heliacal, by which they measured the length of the year.
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Alchemical quintessence: the fifth and highest element after Air, Earth, Fire and Water; once believed to be the substance composing all heavenly bodies. See Akasha, also Quintessence.
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A medium that was once supposed (originally by Leibniz) to fill all space and to support the propagation of electromagnetic waves. See Dark Energy.
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In theosophical terms, it is a subtle energetic field, or level of consciousness immediately surrounding and interpenetrating the physical level of our five senses. See Etheric Body.
Read more on the Aether.
- Alchemy: second stage of the Great Work; whitening and purification; the Moon; female
- Astronomy: fraction of sunlight reflected by a planet or satellite (no astrological connotations).
Ancient art of transforming substances from an impure to a pure form using occult techniques (the Great Work), primarily the transformation of base metals into gold. Alchemy also had a profoundly spiritual symbolism, enabling the transformation of the gross condition of man into a refined and essentially pure realisation of divine spirit (the symbolical Great Work). Substances (herbs, gems, metals, etc.) according to the Law of Correspondences were applied using astrological rulerships and techniques, energising the work by planetary hours, aspects, phases etc. The key lay in
- the manufacture of the Philosopher's Stone (a catalyst in the Great Work);
- the development of the Universal Solvent (capable of dissolving all substances); and
- the Universal Panacea, an elixir believed to be the cure for all ills.
Alchemy, the forerunner of modern scientific chemistry, is still practised in its own right (as distinct from herbalism, chinese medicine and ayurveda, all of which employ alchemical techniques). Some modern practitioners claim to have achieved the Magnum Opus (Great Work).
Alcocoden (Alchochoden, Alcoccoden)
Alchochoden, "the giver of the years", meaning the planet which, in the natal chart, reveals the number of years that the person is going to live. It is determined by finding the planet that has most essential dignity, whilst being in good aspect to the hyleg.
Aldebaran
A malefic Fixed Star in the 10th degree of Gemini, known traditionally as the archangel Michael, the Watcher of the East. A behenian star, it is one of the four Royal Stars.
Alfonsine Tables
Ephemerides tabulating Sun, Moon and planets under the patronage of King Alfonso X of Léon and Castile. His team of some 50 astronomers at Toledo revised and improved Ptolemy's geocentric tables in the Almagest, freshly translating from Arabic editions into Castilian (completed c.1252). Once translated into Latin in 1320, they remained the standard in Europe until superseded by Johannes Kepler's superior Rudolphine Tables, published in 1627. See Rudolphine Tables.
Alfridaria
Derived from the mixed Arabic and Persian "al firdar", the alfridaria, or alfridaries, are a system of planetary periods of Persian origin first described as far as we know by Abu Mashar. Originally intended for the long term forecasting of historical events, they can also be used in predicting for individual charts. More about Alfridaria.
Algol
Caput Algol, a malefic fixed star currently located in the 27th degree of Taurus. More on Fixed Stars.
Alien Signs
Signs in Aversion. See also Disjunct.
Almuten
A planet which, because of its placing, dignities, fortitudes and aspects, comes to have more importance than the ruler, be it of the whole chart or of any particular House of the chart.
Alpheta
Giver of Life. The alphetical places correspond with the places of Hyleg, for which this is an alternative name.
Alphonsine Tables
Alfonsine Tables, q.v.
Amavasya
Jyotish term for New Moon
Ammonius Saccas
Second Century Alexandrian mystic and philosopher, teacher of Origin, Clement, and Plotinus. The founder of what eventually became Neoplatonism, he sought to resolve religious and philosophical conflicts by reviving the ancient Wisdom Religion and developing a universal human brotherhood. Ammonius revealed the essential identity of all religions, acquainting his students with the various systems. Plato and Pythagoras were compared with the philosophies of the ancient East; the Jewish Qabbala with the ancient Egyptian teachings. He revived the system of Orpheus, in which a single Supreme Essence, unknown and unknowable, emanates the souls of the world and the people in it. He taught theurgy, the art of using the divine powers of man to rule the blind forces of nature. Although unwritten, his philosophy (through followers such as Plotinus, Porphyry and Iamblichus) has had a powerful and enduring influence on Astrology, Hermetic Esotericism, Qabbala, Christianity, Gnosticism, Judaism, Islam and Paganism.
Anabibazon
Dragon's Head (north lunar node).
Anareta
A planet severely afflicting the Hyleg at birth and by direction. Usually a malefic, but any planet can be the Anareta, particularly the lord of the 8th, the almuten of the lord of the 8th, or any planet placed in the 8th house. Known as the "killing planet", it is believed to portend the cause of death.
Anaretic Degree (Anaretic Place)
- The 30th degree (29°00'–29°59') of any Sign. It is also known as the degree of fate. Planets and other factors that occupy the anaretic degree reveal deep issues which generate significant trials in life.
- The degree wherein the Anareta is found, according to DeVore.
- The terms of the infortunes are also known as Anaretic Degrees.
- Expressing characteristics of both sexes. Mercury is convertible and androgynous, as he can be either dry, or moist, depending on his position in the chart.
- In ancient mythologies, primordial gods and goddesses are regularly depicted as androgynes (hermaphrodites), revealing the polar nature of creation. We see this too in the light and dark, the yin and yang of the cosmos.
- In alchemy, Sol and Luna are seen as complementary halves of the one whole, the soul and body. Ancient astrology assigned Sun and Moon as co-rulers of both Leo and Cancer, though this is no longer accepted in modern astrology.
- Actual human androgynes (hermaphrodites) were once considered incarnations of the divine. Twentieth century medicine denied the existence of hermaphrodites, often assigning gender surgically. A number of these third sex individuals have surfaced in recent years to reclaim their identities.
- First House (Ascendant – East Angle)
- Tenth House (M.C. – South Angle)
- Seventh House (Descendant – West Angle)
- Fourth House (I.C. – North Angle)
The Angles are the most important houses. Planets in angles are the strongest and most significant.
Angles of a Malevolent (Infortune)
Tenth, Seventh and Fourth signs counted in relation to the sign holding a malefic planet (Mars or Saturn) as if it were the Ascendant. Also when in corporeal conjunction (i.e. as if in the First House of the Malevolent). Planets placed here are considered unfortunate, but the negativity of the position is cancelled by reception if applicable.
Angular
Pertaining to the Angles. Angular houses are the strongest and angular planets must be especially noted.
Anima Mundi
The "Soul of the World", or World Soul. According to ancient philosophy, the essential ground of consciousness that permeates and vitalizes everything in nature, diffused through the smallest subatomic particle right up to the most advanced forms of planetary consciousness. In this way, everything on the Earth is connected and related at a profound, subliminal level. See Thema Mundi, the postulated chart of the beginning of the world.
Animodar (of Tetrabiblos)
Ancient method of birth time rectification, dating at least from Ptolemy and apparently used by Galileo in the rectification of his own chart.
Annular
In an annular eclipse, the Moon does not completely block the light of the Sun, leaving a thin ring of fire (Annulus) visible. A New Moon near apogee is not sufficient to cover the face of the Sun completely, so its dark umbra cannot reach the Earth's surface to generate a total solar eclipse; hence, the antumbra predominates.
Antares
A benefic Fixed Star in the 10th degree of Sagittarius. One of the four Royal Stars.
Antipathy
Inharmonious relations between planets, particularly those which rule or are exalted in opposite signs.
Antiscion
A point equal in distance on the opposite side of the solsticial axis to a planet's position. It is effectively the "shadow" of a planet. The midpoint of a planet's position and its antiscion is always the point of the solstice (1° Cancer – 1° Capricorn). For example, when the Sun is in the tenth degree of Taurus, this is as far distant from the first degree of Cancer as it would be if placed in the twentieth degree of Leo, its Antiscion, so energising any planet in that degree or which casts an aspect to that degree. Once held to be a powerful fortitude equivalent to sextile or trine, this is rarely considered by modern astrologers, perhaps because it is a geometrical abstraction, rather than a real rock. More on Antiscion. See also Contra-Antiscion.
Antumbra
The antumbra in an annular eclipse is the section of the shadow that reaches the Earth, the body of the Moon being too distant for the umbra (darkest part of the Moon's shadow) to reach the surface of the Earth. An annular eclipse can be darker than a penumbral or partial eclipse.
Aphelion
The place in a planet's orbit which is farthest from the Sun (gk: helios). See Perihelion.
Apheta
Giver of life. See Alpheta.
Aphrodite
Greek goddess of love, beauty and prosperity, cognate with Roman Venus.
Apoapsis (Apoapse; Apapsis)
The outermost point of an ellipse (as in a planetary orbit). The innermost point is called the Periapsis.
Apogee
The place in a planet's orbit which is farthest from the Earth. See Perigee.
Apparent Motion
The celestial bodies appear to rise in the east and set in the west, but this is nowadays considered an illusion created by the rotation of the Earth on its axis.
Application
The approach of one planet to another by aspect or conjunction, or to a sensitive point in the chart, such as a cusp. See Separation.
Applying
See Application q.v.
Apsides
Plural of Apsis. According to The Aphorisms of Cardan, "changes of the Absides of the Planets cause mutations in governments and laws, which is a point very much to be regarded".
Apsis
The point of greatest (apoapsis; apapsis) or least (periapsis) distance of the elliptical orbit of a celestial body from its centre of attraction (the centre of mass of the system). The points where the major axis of an elliptical orbit meets the orbital path. The Line of Apsides is the major axis of the ellipse, the line passing through the longest part of the ellipse.
Aquarius
The eleventh sign of the zodiac. Aquarius, the Water-bearer, is a fixed, air sign. More about Aquarius.
Aquarian Age
Age of Aquarius, q.v.
Aquary
Obsolete name for Aquarius.
Arabic Parts
Significant points on the ecliptic, derived from the relationship between other significant points or planets. Parts are also known as Lots. See Pars Fortunæ (Part of Fortune). More about Arabic Parts.
Arc
Distance as measured in degrees, minutes and seconds along the circumference of a circle. There are 360 degrees of arc in the circumference of a circle; a minute is one 60th of a degree and a second is one 60th of a minute. One sign describes 30 degrees of arc along the circumference of the zodiac. Some scientific authors are now using decimal fractions, instead of minutes and seconds, though curiously they are still using degrees from the ancient Babylonian sexagesimal (base-60) mathematical system.
Archetype
Original pattern, model, prototype, or blueprint. According to modern, psychological astrology, archetypes are the primordial images that form the structural basis for our subconscious motivations, expressed symbolically by planets, signs and other astrological motifs. Though the self-actualisation ideals of modern astrology were conceived in the theosophical schools of the 19th century, using archetypes as motivators derives from the 20th century psychoanalytic theories of Jung.
Ares
Greek god of war and fertility, cognate with Mars. Not to be confused with Aries, the sign of the Ram.
Aries
The first sign of the zodiac. Aries, the Ram, is a cardinal fire sign, commencing in the Tropical system at the vernal equinox. More about Aries.
Aries Point
The first degree of Aries (but also by aspect the other three cardinal points, the beginnings of Cancer, Libra and Capricorn). Where these points fall in the chart is held to be highly significant in terms of the way an individual is pushed into the spotlight. It is used mainly by practitioners of Uranian astrology (a.k.a. Cosmobiology), but also has ancient references. It is more widely known as the Vernal Point.
Aristarchos of Samos
Aristarchos (c.310–230 BCE), a Greek astronomer and mathematician born in Samos, Greece, was the first to propose a heliocentric model of the solar system, countervailing the predominant geocentric theories of Aristotle and the majority of ancient thinkers. Using geometric techniques, he also calculated the sizes of the Sun and Moon and their distances from the Earth, and proposed that the stars were infinitely distant from the Earth (to account for their lack of parallax). Modern observations show that his calculations were incorrect, but that his techniques were on the right track. His heliocentric ideas inspired Copernicus some 1800 years later.
Aristotle
A pivotal Greek philosopher (384–322 BCE), student of Plato and tutor of Alexander the Great. He wrote widely and his influential ideas on physics, metaphysics, poetry, theatre, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, government, ethics, biology and zoology were dominant until modern times. His geocentric cosmological theories formed the universal backdrop for the ancient and mediæval worldviews, notably with regard to astrology as formulated by Ptolemy.
Ascendant
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The sign and degree on the cusp of the First House, the eastern horizon of the chart, in most house systems. In some such as the Whole Sign system, or the Equal House system based on the MC, it is a sensitive point, not necessarily in the first house. Technically it is the point on the Ecliptic where the Ecliptic intersects the Horizon to the East of the Meridian. See Rising Sign.
- In Horary, the cusp of the house that represents the party: e.g. the cusp of the 5th is the ascendant for a child of the querent.
More about the Ascendant.
Particular angular distances between planets, or planets and other sensitive points, measured in degrees (°), minutes (') and sometimes seconds (") of arc. In ancient times, planets were held to "see" other planets at particular geometric positions determined by their rays, hence they took on an aspect of vision. In this way, signs were really in aspect rather than planets, and many traditional astrologers (especially those who follow the Indian or the Hellenistic systems of Whole Sign Houses) still hold that aspects must be in-sign and not out-of-sign. Modern astrologers generally do not take this view, but simply consider geometric relationships as aspects. Conjunction is also nowadays considered an aspect, even though the ancients did not call it such.
Aspects can be Zodiacal (read along the ecliptic) or Mundane (read along the equator), as well as by sign. Whenever more than one of these conditions apply, the aspect is more powerful. See Mundane Aspects.
Asterism
Smaller constellation. See Lunar Mansions.
Asteroids
Small planetoids orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. There are many of them, but recently a small number have managed to get themselves considered useful in astrology, notably Ceres, Juno, Pallas Athene and Vesta. These are all considered to be feminine influences, or "goddess planets". More about Asteroids.
Astral
Starry. Often used as a shorthand for the Astral Plane, or Astral Body.
Astral Body
Subtle, interpenetrating body, or level of the human energetic field (aura), primarily concerned with processing information and prana (chi) at the emotional level.
Astral Light
Material expression of the Akasha, or self-luminous collective unconscious.
Astral Plane
Intermediate level between the spiritual and the physical worlds; the emotional level of the body-mind. The soul of the world-being. Lower level of the Akasha.
Astral Travel
Separation of the Astral Body from the physical and visiting other locations. This mainly happens unconsciously in sleep, but some adepts can consciously control and direct the movement of the astral, whether in the sleeping or the waking state.
Astrolabe
A mechanical device, predecessor to the sextant, whereby mariners determined the time of day by the Sun, of the night by the stars, and the height and depth of mountains and valleys. – Source: The Encyclopedia of Astrology
Astrolatry
Star worship; adoration of the heavenly host
Astrologer
One who practices Astrology.
Astrologian
Astrologer [obsolete].
Astrological Age
See Age, Astrological.
Astrologist
- Astrologer (rare)
- Believer in, or follower of, astrology – though not necessarily an actual astrologer
- Powerful spiritual incarnation.
- According to Vedic Astrology, there are nine planetary Avatars, one for each of the visible planets, plus Rahu and Ketu, the Moon's Nodes.
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