Everything in life is a relationship, and within us, there are many relationships created, creating and thriving upon our unique physical, emotional and spiritual wildlands. Our natal chart is such land within which planets, representing aspects of ourselves, are in relationship to other planets. A natal aspect shows a relationship between two planets; and as any other relationship or partnership in life with another person, in order to understand it and help it thrive deepening it in love, we need to understand the other’s unique wants, needs, desires, nutritive cycles, unique language of expression, and nature or soil.
Aspects are one of the most, if not the most, important part of a natal chart because essentially they shape and even change the energy of a planet and sign. For example, you may have an airy Gemini Sun, but if it’s in an aspect to Pluto, you’ll be more Scorpionic than Gemini-like. This is why aspects are crucial in our self understanding.
Harmonious aspects in our chart are traditionally trines and sextiles, which show a flow of understanding and movement. Conjunctions are a blend of energies, becoming a one body together, and depending on the planets involved can be either the most beautiful of relationships or one that needs some more attention. Oppositions and squares are hard aspects because these relationships are ones of tension, and as such, need deeper understanding of each other’s unique differences, while walking with awareness, compassion and patience of rhythm.
Squares particularly are considered the hardest because these are inner conflicts and often hard to be aware of or accept within ourselves; and in karmic astrology they are considered skipped steps from past lives. As such, the squares often will keep creating tension until we are pushed outside our comfort and clearly deciding to make the effort for change and inner growth through personal development.
Today I’ll guide you through a few different approaches on how to harmonize aspects in your natal charts, or those activated by transit. While we can’t “change” a square into a trine, we can certainly find a way to approach it more gently and with compassion, so that it opens up to us another way of energy and experience.
Before we begin we should also understand the difference between change and shift. Through alchemy we know that the elements of fire and earth transmute, while water and air move. This means that only fire and earth change things, while water and air shift things but don’t immediately or fundamentally change them. To change something can only happen through the inner transformations i.e. spiritual development. This takes consistent amounts of effort and many years, and there are no quick fixes or short paths; it is a devotional path asking for self honesty and courage of soul.
The path of water and air can also serve as change but only after many years; initially through the emotional and mental realms we shift the energy as we learn to work with our emotions, feelings, ideas, beliefs, though patterns and dissolution of pre-conditioning. We learn to shift our energy and transform the emotional and mental bodies, which are the prerequisites to then expanding the awareness and spiritual body.
Please remember and understand that the below are only very general examples and do not, and cannot, be relevant in all situations because all relates and depends on all else uniquely to individuals and their natal charts. May it serve only as an example as how to work with these concepts. For personal readings, please visit my Offerings.
Find the supportive way through the trine and/or sextile
Suppose you have a Gemini Moon, and suppose it is opposite your Mars, which may make you a bit restless and impulsive, depending on how old you are. Suppose your child has this, and you are finding it hard to put him to sleep or for him to sleep in his own bed, because suppose this Moon is in the 7th house, which then makes him needing more closeness and other people in life to feel secure.
See whether there is a trine or sextile affecting the Moon, because this will show you how to harmonize the energy and approach your child in a way to create more calmness for him. Suppose there is a Mercury trine to his Moon – Mercury rules words and hands.
The first thing to know now is that reading him stories will probably be very soothing and calming, and even grounding. It isn’t necessarily music that he’ll need – he needs words, because this will calm his mind, give him something tangible as words to catch his own curiosities and mind, and as such, will release the energy from any over-thinking or over-analyzing before bedtime. As the Moon is our lineage of soul and deepest part of ourselves and emotional world, this also shows that communication and writing will be very important for his path in life, so stories are important as it gives him emotional comfort, security and helps him learn the universe of words.
The next thing to know is that Mercury also rules hands – so holding his hands will calming and grounding, and as he grows up working with his hands will also be calming and grounding; whether it is writing, painting, weaving, sculpting, playing with lego or climbing.
Sports will be important and will calm the impulsive energy from the Mars opposition, so that the energy is spread within the body, channeled healthily and learning how to respond rather than react will be important – especially through the art of communication and approaching people with curiosity and wonder. Learning new hobbies and skills will mature the Mars energy also and give him pathways of his amazing will power and perseverance.
Or suppose it connects to a harmonious Venus. On a very mundane physical level Venus rules all forms round, so it rules cherries and round fruits. It rules all that softens things into smoother edges, just like that sea softens the edges of stones on shores – so it rules sweet soft speach, round shapes, soft fabrics and textures, and moisturizing the body. Understanding the physical expression of the planets will give a lot of insight on how to work with them as well, so get curious about what each planet rules and is in its nature and essence.
This technique can also serve as healing pathways for health; for example, if you see that the root of some concern is a square between Neptune and Venus, see what supportive aspects from planets Venus receives. You can also see her position and nakshatra in the Navamsa chart for insights on her dharmic expression or just use her natal nakshatra and placement to understand her dharma; because once we step onto our dharmic paths, things become more balanced, harmonized and in flow. Understand what she desires, needs and what her nature is, which will help you give to her those things, and this will usually soothe the squares contributing to more wellness overall.
Relieve the pressure through the opposite
When one has a planet in a so-called detriment or fall sign, such as natal Moon in Capricorn, we need to give that energy the opposite of what it already has rather than more of what it has. What this means is to give it more joy and playfulness, to relieve the pressure from the self-criticism or too much working.
The same concept applies to people who have stelliums or sanyasa yoga. To relieve the pressure from the concetrated energy in one house and sign, it is helpful to occasionally focus on the opposite house and sign. This will also open up new creative inspirations for their stellium’s higher expression and dharma.
To understand anything in life we need to understand its opposite, which is why all in astrology – whether houses or signs – need the understanding of their opposite. Only then we create the balance within and without. This is also why it’s never just about the North Node, we need to balance with our South Node – and there will always be a dance between the two, and a dance between all else in our life and within us. Whenever we fall too much in one, the other will seek expression, tending to and attention, so we need to nourish it also.
Foods & Planets
You can also shift energies or infuse and embody certain energies and virtues and qualities through the foods you eat, because foods carry within them certain qualities, virtues and energies.
For example, suppose you are seeking to invite more Venusian energy or increase you feminine energy or even soften some hard aspects to your natal Venus. Venus is what forms shapes round, so she rules round sweet fruits such as cherries, strawberries and raspberries. Venus also softens us, which is why she rules softer sweeter speach and balance in our life, so even something as simple as moisturizing your skin, or taking a nice long bath will soften you into her energy.
Suppose you are going through a transit related to learning appreciation, gratitude, presence or initiation towards a spiritual path, such as some Jupiter transit or even Saturn. Potatoes are associated with Jupiter but also with Saturn as Saturn rules the earth and nature; and eating potatoes infuses us with the energy of humbleness, spirituality, the magic and expansion within simplicity; potatoes ground us, increase our patience and soften us into humility, and as we know, humility is the bridge to the divine and to love.
If you want to soften a Moon aspect, or have your Moon in Capricorn, you can try to connect to the lunar foods, which are essentially those containing more water, such as cucumbers, watermelons, and also seafood; and just spend more time in creativity, romance and being in and around water, whether lakes, the sea or rivers. The Moon soften through music, humming, and silver sparkling things also, so you can have some wind chimes on the balcony or wear silver and sparkling jewellery.
For the Sun it is all about the golden fruits such as oranges; and for Saturn it is nuts, almonds, chestnuts and walnuts, and beans, and also, cacao! Or if you have, let’s say Venus in Scorpio, this would be associated with apples – which may serve as a remedy to this position.
Understand the nakshatra
Another way to shift energies into harmony is by understanding the nakshatra involved – and now suppose you’ve been having a transit affecting a natal planet in Swati nakshatra. Swati rules the teeth, and perhaps it was the Uranus transit in the past few years which then activated by opposition your natal planet in Swati nakshatra – so during that period you may have had sudden toothache. Perhaps you even went to the dentist and all was great, but from time to time you’d get a sharp sensitivity – and the reason for that is Uranus because it sends electricity like energy to our body.
The first thing to understand is that Uranus needs action and channeled energy, so you need physical exercise and plenty of it. Next, discover Swati – and you’ll see that it rules fields. This is a nakshatra that needs the horizons of vast fields, because it is ruled the god of wind; it is also connected to horses, freedom and independence.
You need to spread your wings and have the freedom you seek during that time, and perhaps go to some fields or stables; connect to the energy of horses, whether by horse back riding or spending time in nature, and let that freedom seeking energy have rise in your life. This will relieve the pressure from the transit and it will probably relieve the pressure from the teeth, as it can also relate to feeling a sense of control or limitation put on you – so you need to go into the fields, let winds wash over you, or just do morning walks and let the breeze relax your mind and body. This is actually called air cleansing in yogi practices, and is a grounding technique – morning walks clear the mind, the thoughts and are important for overall wellbeing.
Suppose you have the nakshatra Chitra activated or receiving hard aspects in your natal chart. Chitra rules the forehead, so it can cause headaches, and it is ruled by Mars, so it needs focused energy. It is a solitary star so it needs independence and initiation, and it is a cusp nakshatra between both earth and air – so it needs doing something with both hands and mind.
Chitra rules pearls, nature and river bunds i.e. places whether water and earth meet, i.e. movement and concrete meet. Just like the pearl, there will be the tension and pressure of something being made through the sand, but the result will be something we’d wear as sparkling jewellery. To calm Chitra, anything related to making ornaments, jewellery, perfumes, painting, writing, singing, weaving is supported; and also, Chitra connects to mathematicians, so sometimes even doing some math puzzles may calm the mind during Chitra transits.
Understanding the purpose
Each part of our chart has its own purpose, and when we understand it, we can shift things in their manifestation or expressions. In this way, we wouldn’t have to go through the external expressions of these aspects as we’ll just come into the spiritual understanding within.
For example, relationships and the 7th house, or 8th house. These are the houses of the other – so things here happen for us to come into greater love and union within; these are also known as our shadow houses. The path from our Ascendant to our 7th house is the path of our body towards moksha through the energy of desire. This is why this axis is known as our path of life, and the higher purpose of our relationships, which is essentially us stepping into our dharma. When we understand the higher purpose of our relationships and integrate our shadow, we’ll attract a higher manifestation of our 7th house, and experience intimacy more deeply.
So suppose you have Pisces connected to your relationships or as ruler of your 7th or 8th houses. For some people this may mean that they attract partners with addiction problems, escapism, victim mentality, too wishy-washy or unfaithful, or even delusional. On a gentler level, they may attract people who just seem not too serious about life, and go from one thing to the next, or just not too great with managing their time. This might make you feel unstable or perhaps you view them as childish or immature and you feel like you can’t rely on them for a serious relationship.
One way to look at this is to consider where you are on your own path, and what is your own way of experiencing your life. Perhaps you are someone who is too hard on yourself, and work is big part of your life or routine to the point of you feeling so self-strict that you don’t allow yourself to just flow and have fun. And if that’s the case, then these Piscean energies can be actually helping you shift your own energy towards being less hard on yourself, less self-critical and perhaps less judgmental. Perhaps you need to just be a bit more frivolous, carefree and childlike sometimes and not care too much about everything. Perhaps you need to dream more, imagine more, believe more in that which you cannot see.
In this way, the big contrast between these partners and you, may essentially be helping you to come into more inner balance; and it is also helping you learn what you don’t want in relationships, because to know who we are we also need to know who we are not.
And then – you can shift the energy through: 1. being more playful yourself, and opening yourself to bigger dreams, 2. focusing on romanticism or expanding your perceptions through art and music, and 3. focusing on spirituality, mysticism and anything else that you feel resistant or judgmental about. This will help you open yourself to the “not knowing” humility of life, the beginner’s mind, and will naturally shift the energy. Through inner work it will also change it.
The higher spiritual lesson of Pisces is learning who they are and seeing their true reflection and face beyond the veils of self illusion. The esoteric ruler of Pisces is Pluto, which shows the need to embody the willpower and courage to dive deeper and be honest with themselves; so if that’s in your 7th house, it is gently asking you to reflect on where in your life you may not be honest with yourself, or wanting to escape something.
The lower manifestation of the Pisces energy is escapism or addiction, whether it is alcohol or shopping or art, because all these somehow blur our vision a little bit, and shift our eyes away from the mirror. However – if these natives do focus on the inner realms of travelling, rather than the outer, they can come into some real beauty and art created from a space of inspired creativity and authenticity rather than projection or inner separation.
In the same way, if we understand the purpose behind our natal aspects themselves, we’ll shift energies also. For example, natal squares are about shaking things up in our life because we are meant to push ourselves out of a particular deeply conditioned way of doing things or perceiving things. Squares to the Nodes are considered karmic skipped steps on our path to evolution, so it becomes really important to understand what the steps were and walk the right path.
In general, squares create tension in the external environment and with other people, but this is because of our own inner conflicts; squares show our inner conflicts and ask of us a level of maturity and self accountability. And the reason for the tensions is because we are meant to move beyond the comfortable and conditioned patterns, and pave a new path forward, and sometimes we don’t really make a move into the new until we get pushed to our limits, hence the square.
Suppose you have a Neptune-Venus square; so you may have needed to move through some disillusionment and it may have even affected your wellbeing. It was perhaps also through your feeling into others’ pain that you were able to recognize and heal your own deep pain that you weren’t even aware of i.e. through your sensitivity for others, you also feel more deeply into yourself. In past lives you might have been a bit too fixed, detached, cold, critical or judgmental etc. when it comes to emotional natures of self and others, so this is why you come into this life with a focus on empathy and feelings, so that you can grow through that and liberate yourself from what no longer serves you as limits.
Embody the dharma
Each planet, each aspect, each nakshatra has its own dharmic path; and when we step into that dharmic expression all shifts and changes, and we allow for a completely different experience of ourselves in life. Life itself begins to approach us differently.
To walk a dhamic path or embody the dharma of our chart essentially mean to embody the virtues, be of service to others, do our inner work, and evolve spiritually aligned to higher values and actions. As a spiritual astrologer, my work with clients is focused on dharma and spiritual guidance, which is why I don’t do prediction based readings nor conventional chart readings.
For example, Saturn is not just some planet about restrictions and challenges – he is a spiritual teacher, and he rules nature. He is that which walks with patience of rhythm, showing us the cycles of the land. He is that which reminds us not to push seeds into the frozen ground in winter for flowers will not grow, it is just not their time yet. What Saturn desires of us is humility, connection to nature, devotion and dedication, and working diligently on something in service to others.
Mars too has his higher purpose which is about channeled passion and focus on something higher. Mars has integrity and discipline, and seeks to serve humanity with his focused intention, ability to have courage and strength protecting those more vulnerable, and being loyal to his family.
Each nakshatra has its dharmic path, and each zodiac sign have their dharmic paths also. Staying in the lower expressions is limiting and there’s no need for that; you can choose to embody their higher expressions and then even transits won’t be felt the same and predictions too will not matter – because you became the creator and chose to unhold your hands from the circling wheels.
You can learn about the nakshatra dharmic paths in my writing The Dharma of Each Nakshatra.
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Cover art is the beautiful work of Vicente Romero Redondo, whose paintings I love. His official website is https://vicenteromeroredondo.com/ All rights reserved to the artist.