accidental dignity:   A planet in its own sign or placed in a house that it rules. Ex: Moon in Cancer, Moon located in the 4th house. Venus in Libra or Taurus  or Venus located in the 2nd or 7th houses.

affliction:  Adverse aspect. A planet is afflicted when it is parallel, in conjunction with, in square, or opposition, to Mars or Saturn, or in square or opposition to any other planets.

affinity:   The  natural compatibility between certain planets and signs. For example, the Moon has a natural affinity with other water planets or signs.

air signs:   Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius

anaretic:   From the Greek, meaning "destroyer." The term is applied to a malefic that occupies an anaretic place (in the fourth, sixth, eighth, eighth, or twelfth house) or an anaretic degree (the final degree of any sign) and afflicts the Hyleg.

angular houses:   The first, fourth, seventh, and tenth houses. The angular houses are considered the action houses and planets here tend to operate more quickly.

anima mundi:  Latin for the "soul of the world"

Antares:   a Royal fixed Star, is located at 8° Sagittarius (26°S 25' declination)

antiscion:   From the Greek, meaning "opposite shadow." A degree and its antiscion are equidistant from the summer-winter solstice axis. Planets related by antiscion have the force of a conjunction

aphelion:  When a planet is at maximum distance from the sun; see also: perihelion

apogee:  moon is at maximum distance from Earth. It is farthest from Earth in her elliptical orbit.

apheta:   Literally, "the giver of life". Synonymous with Hyleg. A well-aspected benefic

applying aspect:   A  planet approaching an aspect that is not yet exact.

"As Above so Below":   Means that there exists a pattern in the universe that is repeated and reflected in all forms of creation. Everything and everyone are connected and interconnected.

ascendant:   the Rising Sign and the Cusp of the First House. This signifies the degree of the Zodiac that is on the eastern horizon at the time and place a person is born. Each sign takes approximately two hours to rise above the horizon. The ascendant is opposite of the descendant.

ascendant ruler:   The planet ruling the sign on the first-house cusp.

ascension (long):  Signs that take a longer time than the average to rise. They are Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius in the Northern hemisphere, and the opposite signs in the Southern

ascension (short):   Signs that rise more quickly than the average. They are Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus and Gemini in the Northern hemisphere, and the opposite signs in the Southern.

aspect:   The angular relationship between planets, house cusps, and other points, measured in degrees.

asteroids:  An asteroid is a small, solid object in our Solar System orbiting the Sun. Some asteroids have
moons. Vast majority of asteroids are found between Mars and Jupiter.

astrolabe:   The astrolabe was used throughout ancient and medieval times to observe the positions of the heavenly bodies and determine their altitude.

barren or unfruitful signs:   Gemini, Leo, and Virgo.

benefic planet:   The planets considered to be fortunate or having a beneficial influence. Venus, Jupiter, Sun, Part of Fortune, and the North Node are considered beneficial in a chart.

besieged:   A planet is considered besieged when it is between two malefic planets, or when it has separated from one malefic planet and is applying to another.

bestial signs:   Aries, Taurus, Leo, Capricorn.

cadent houses:   The cadent houses are the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th. They are behind the angular houses, and planets here are the  last to act.

cardinal signs:   Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. The cardinal signs correspond to the angular houses and cardinal points on the compass.

cazimi:  The tightest conjunction of the sun to other planets. There are usually 4-5 per year and last up to 24 hours.

celestial equator:   The extension of the Earth's equator into space, perpendicular to the Earth's axis.
 
Centaurs:  Centaurs are a class of icy planetoids that orbit the Sun, between Jupiter and Neptune. The
first Centaur to be discovered was Chiron. It is officially classified as both a comet and an asteroid. Centaurs are not in stable orbits and they will eventually be removed from the solar system by giant planets.

Chiron:  Constellation known as Centaurus-the Shaman Centaur.

 combust:  The first 12 hours after a New Moon--when the Moon is very close to the Sun. At this time the Moon is said to be combust or burned by the Sun's rays weakening her strength. A planet can also be combust to the Sun and is considered burned by the Sun's rays if within 8°of the Star. This position weakens the strength of the planet and renders it unable to function to its fullest. The only exception to this rule is the fire planet Mars, which is considered very strong when conjunct the Sun.

common or mutable signs:   Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces.

conjunction:   When exact, an aspect formed by two planets that share the same sign and degree of celestial longitude

constellation:   A group of fixed stars

contraparallel:   Two planets are contraparallel when they have the same degree of declination, but one is north and one is south of the celestial equator. 

critical degrees:  The degrees in which a planet or luminary is considered weak. They are degrees that are considered to have little more weight, importance, or intensity. For the Cardinal signs (Aries, Libra, Cancer, and Capricorn), they are 0°, 13°, and 26°. For the Fixed sings (Taurus, Scorpio, Aquarius, and Leo), they are 8°-9° and  21°-22°,and for the Mutable signs (Gemini, Sagittarius, Pisces, and Virgo), they are 4° and 17°. Many astrologers also consider 0° and 29° of any sign to fall in the same category.

culminate:   A planet culminates when it arrives at the Midheaven.

"Curse of Tecumseh"  when Jupiter and Saturn come into conjunction in earth signs, the President of the United States at that time has never completed his term of office due to death, and sometimes due to assassination. It was a curse set on the American presidency by a Shawnee medicine man called the Prophet after the Indian nations were massacred by the whites. The exact form of the curse was this: "Harrison will be elected, and he will die in office. And when he dies you will remember my brother Tecumseh's death. And after him, every Great Chief chosen every twenty years thereafter will die. And when each one dies, let everyone remember the death of our people" The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction happens every 19.8 years which causes some conjunctions not to happen on the "0" years.

cusp:   The boundary or dividing line between the houses of the horoscope. The first degree of a house or sign.

debility:   A planet in a weak position either by sign, house or aspect. A planet in its sign of detriment or fall is considered weak.

decan:   The subdivision of a sign into thirds, each of 10 degrees.

declination:   The angular distance of a planet north or south of the celestial equator. 

decreasing in light:   The waning phase of the Moon. A term applied to the Moon when passing from Full to New.

decumbiture:   In medical astrology, a chart cast for  the time a patient first consults a doctor or takes to bed with an illness.

descendant:   cusp of the Seventh House. The degree of the Zodiac that is on the western horizon at the time and place of birth. The descendant is opposite of the ascendant-first house.

detriment:   Considered a weak position for a planet, this is the sign opposite the one the planet rules. The Moon is in dignity in Cancer and in detriment in Capricorn.

dignities:  Positions that strengthen the influence of a planet. They are called essential when they relate to sign position, and accidental when relating to house position or aspects. The essential dignities are five in number, namely, House, Exaltation, Triplicity, Term and Decanate, in this order of strength and importance.

direct motion:   The forward motion of the planets through the signs of the zodiac from Aries to Pisces.

dispositor:   A planet is the dispositor of another planet whose sign it occupies. If Mars is in Gemini, its dispositor is Mercury, ruler of Gemini. A planet in its own sign, like Mars in Aries, disposes of itself.

Dragon's Head:   From the Latin, caput draconis, the Moon's north node. The nodes are points in the orbit of a planet where it crosses the ecliptic, or the Sun's apparent path around the earth. The point of crossing from the south to north is called the ascending or north node; that from the north to south, the descending or south node.

Dragon's Tail:   From the Latin, cauda draconis, the Moon's south node.

earth signs:   Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn.

earth's aphelion:   When the earth is at the furthest distant from the Sun for the year (July 6, 2002)

eccentricity:   involves the actual shape of the Earth's orbit around the Sun, which varies from nearly circular to mildly elliptical. This slow shift from circular to elliptical occurs over periods of approximately 100,000 years.

eclipse:   A solar eclipse is the full or partial obscuring of the Sun by the Moon. A lunar eclipse is the full or partial obscuring of the Moon by the Sun

ecliptic:   the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun.

electional chart:   A chart cast to reflect the ideal time to take action to successfully accomplish the intended purpose.

elements:   fire, earth, air, water.

ephemeris:   A  guide to the longitudes and declinations of the planets for a given year.

equator:   An imaginary line in a plane at right angles to the axis of the Earth, midway between the north and south poles. It divides the Earth into two hemispheres, north and south. The celestial equator is the line of the Earth's equator projected into space.

equinox---means "equal night", and is the moment when the Sun crosses the equator in the juncture between the dark and light halves of the year, when the days and nights are equal at the equator. It is the midpoint between the Solstices (the turning points of the  Sun's yearly motion).

essential dignity:   A planet in its rulership by sign, exaltation, triplicity, term, or face.

exaltation:   The sign in which a planet functions at its best. Venus is exalted Pisces and the Moon is exalted in Taurus.

face:   One of the three equal subdivisions of a sign, each with its own planetary ruler. Synonymous with decan.

fall:   The sign opposite a planet's sign of exaltation. In this position, a planet is considered "ill at ease" or debilitated. The Moon is in its fall in Scorpio. The Sun is in its fall in Aquarius.

feminine signs:   The Earth and water signs: Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn; Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces, with reference to gender. Also called "negative" signs. (Earth and water are "negative" and inert, but are acted upon by the "positive element." Thus, "the winds stir the waters of the ocean and volcanic fires shake the earth." Therefore the fiery and airy signs are called "masculine.")

final dispositer:   A planet in its own sign, which also rules the signs in which the other planets in the nativity or the dispositers of the other planets are placed.

fire signs:   Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius.

fixed signs:   Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius

fruitful signs:   The water signs: Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.

fortuna:   The Part of Fortune. This  marks the point where the Moon would be if the Sun were placed exactly on the Ascendant (which symbolically represents illumination). It suggests the way in which the personality  must be re-oriented before illumination can be gained. It is therefore an important factor in the chart. It is calculated according to the formula: Longitude Ascendant + Longitude Moon - Sun.

galactic center( the):   Where the Ecliptic (Earth's path around the sun) crosses the Milky Way--general direction toward the center of our galaxy. In Western Astrology that occurs right around 27° of Sagittarius Constellation.  At this point our solar system is spinning way out on the fringes.

"Gate of the Northern Sun":    At the time of the solstice, when the Sun reaches 0 degrees Cancer, it is at its most northerly position. The ancients noticed that the Sun seemed to "stand still" for abut three days at this time and they attached great importance to this time.

heliacal:   The heliacal rising of a star or planet is its first emergence from invisibility as it separates from a conjunction with the Sun.

horary chart:   A horoscope drawn at the moment a question is posed with the intent of answering the question. Horary, means "the hour of".

horizon:    The plane in which lie the points where the Sun rises in the East and sets in the West, and a general term for the Ascendant/Descendant axis (cusps of the first and seventh houses.)

human signs:   Also called "voiced" signs: Gemini, Virgo, Libra and the first 15 degrees of Sagittarius and Aquarius.

Hyleg:   A term used by ancient Arab astrologers for the Sun, Moon, and ascendant as the principal foci of vitality and health in the horoscope.

IC (Immum Coeli) :  Immum Coeli is Latin for "at the lowest point in the heavens". It is the nadir and the fourth house of the horoscope.

inarticulate signs:   Aries, Taurus, Leo, and Capricorn.

inconjunct:   An aspect of 150° between planets, also called a quincunx. It is not a major aspect.

increasing in light:   The waxing phase of the Moon. After she has conjuncted the Sun (New Moon), she increases in light each day until she reaches her opposition to the Fun (Full Moon).

ingress:   The entry of a planet into a sign. The Sun's ingress into the Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) marks the beginning of each season of the year.

intercepted:   A sign entirely within a house that does not appear on the cusp. When a planet occupies that sign, it is said to be intercepted.

Kuiper Belt Object: The Kuiper Belt is an area of the solar system extending from within the orbit of Neptune. Pluto, Chiron and Quaoar are KBOs.

latitude:   In astronomy, the distance of a planet north or south of the ecliptic.

local mean time:   The time at any place relative to G.M.T. and determined by the distance in longitude of that place from Greenwich. Each degree West of Greenwich means that the Local Mean Time is 4 minutes earlier (-); each degree East of Greenwich means  that the L.M.T. is 4 minutes later (+). Unless a place is exactly on a Standard time Meridian, the L.M.T. will  not be the same as the Standard Time operative in that zone.

longitude:   In astronomy, the position of a planet or point along the ecliptic. When the position is reckoned on the celestial equator, it is called right ascension.

loxocosm:   an instrument to illustrate the effect of the obliquity of the earth's axis in different seasons upon the length of the day. This word is often found in a list of words used in spelling bees.

lunar eclipse:   A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth is between the Moon and the Sun obscuring the light of the Sun from the Moon. Lunar eclipses are associated with endings.

luminaries or lights:   The Sun and Moon.

lunar mansions:   A division of the zodiac (or horoscope) into twenty-eight houses or mansions based upon the Moon's average daily motion.

Major aspects:   The conjunction (0°), sextile (60°), square (90°), trine (120°), and opposition (180°).

malefic:   An adverse planet or one considered troublesome. Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are considered malefic, and also Mars, if badly aspected by one of these.

masculine signs:   The fire and air sign: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius; Aquarius, Gemini, Libra, without reference to gender. Also called "positive" signs.

meridian:   An imaginary circle drawn through the  north and south poles over the face of the earth. Therefore, a line of longitude.

midheaven:   The high point of the chart, or where the Sun is at noon local time. It's the tenth house .

moon wobble:   A moon wobble will occur when the transiting Sum makes a geometrical contact with the Lunar Nodes. This contact is called a conjunction or a square. A conjunction happens when the Sun and either the North or South Nodes are in the same sign. A square happens when  the Sun is at 90 degree geometrical angle to the Lunar Nodes.

mundane astrology:   A branch of astrology that deals with events in the public sphere.

mutable signs:   Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. 

mutual reception:   When two planets occupy each other's ruling signs, they are in reception, as with Venus in Aries and Mars in Taurus. This condition allows each planet to change position and lends flexibility to the interpretation of the chart. It is considered a favorable condition.

natal chart or nativity:   Also called the birth chart, it is a map of the heavens at the moment of one's birth, from an earth perspective.

natural house:   The natural association between the twelve signs of the zodiac and their corresponding houses. Aries is associated with the first house. Taurus with the second house, and so on. The meaning of the sign corresponds to the natural house. The fourth house is the natural house of family, a Cancerian interest.

Natural ruler:   The accepted subject matter ruled by the planet. The Sun is the natural ruler of men, speculation, and creativity, while the Moon is the natural ruler of women, home, and fluctuation.

obliquity:  is the degree of Earth's axial tilt. This tilt varies, however, from a minimum of about 21.5 degrees to a maximum of 24.5 degrees within a cycle of approximately 41,000 years. The tilt axis produces the seasons.

occultation:  Occultation happens when the moon conjuncts another planet, but only when the distance apart in declination is between the two bodies + or - inferior to 1° , in other words, when the moon eclipses the planet. An ordinary year averages at 4 to 8 occultations. They  last about 2 hours. Planetary occultations act as triggers for events of change. The moon has to come together not only in longitude, but also in declination for it to be called an occultation (meaning "hidden")

parallel of declination:   When two bodies (planets) are within a one degree orb of one another in declination or co-declination. If the two bodies are both north or both south in declination, they are in parallel; if one is north and the other is south, they are in contraparallel.. .

part of fortune:   Considered a benefic point, it is on the ecliptic the same distance from the eastern horizon as the Moon is from the Sun. In Electional matters, the Part of Fortune in the house of matter enhances that house. (see also: fortuna)

part of marriage:   A point as many degrees above or below the Ascendant or Descendant as Venus is below or above the Descendant or Ascendant. It is calculated according to the formula: Longitude Ascendant + Longitude Descendant -Longitude Venus.

peregrine:   Said of a planet that does not occupy a sign of essential dignity or debility. A peregrine planet is like a wanderer or homeless vagabond and in essence lacks any clear power to act.

perihelion:   When a planet is at minimum distance from the sun. Each orbit of a planet will 
have a minimum or maximum distance from the sun. The maximum distance is called aphelion.

positive signs:   The fire and air signs: Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius; Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius.planetary strength: A planet is always strong in its natural house, or in an angular house by accidental dignity. If it is also well placed by sign and aspect, it has planetary strength.

precession:  is the cycle of the gradual change in the direction of the Earth's axis. Precession is due to the wobble of the Earth on its axis, which causes the pole of the equator to revolve around the pole of the ecliptic.

promittor:   The slower moving of two planets in aspect.

prohibition:  Prohibition occurs when we expect a planet to make an aspect to another planet that is slower in motion, such as Mercury or Venus making an aspect to Mars. A faster moving planet such as the Moon can "overtake" (aspect) either planet (ex: Mercury or Venus) before they aspect Mars from a different position in another house.

quadruplicity:   The subdivision of the signs according to their quality. The Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable qualities, each of which contain four zodiacal signs. E.G. the Cardinal Quadruplicity  is Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn.

quintiles (grand):   Five planets in consecutive order--72° distance. Occurs during a Sun/Venus transit. 
symbolizes inner activity conceived and made ready for manifestation. People with quintiles in their atal charts are very creative and talented.

radical chart:   Pertaining to the horoscope of birth.

rectification:   Method of ascertaining a true birth time through studying the planetary correspondences at the time of important events.

re-domification:   The placing  of a planet belonging to one person's horoscope in the appropriate house of another's horoscope according to its zodiacal longitude.

refranation:   Refranation occurs when the moon is applying to a planet that moves out of the Sign it is in before the moon has a chance to complete the aspect. This will most often occur when a planet is in the last degree of a sign.

right ascension:   Measurement along the celestial equator eastward from zero degrees Aries that describes planetary positions in terms of degrees, minutes, and seconds.

rising sign:   The ascendant

separating:   When a planet that has been in aspect with another moves onward and thus dissolves the aspect, it is said to be separating from the aspect.

short ascension:   The spring and winter signs in the northern hemisphere, which take less time than the other six to rise above the horizon--Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.

singleton:   Usually the sole occupant of one hemisphere of the horoscope either below or above the horizon or to the east or the west of the meridian. Occasionally, the sole occupant of a quadrant of the horoscope.

solar eclipse:   A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon blocks the Sun's light thus diminishing its strength.

solar return:   A horoscope erected for the exact time in a given year when the transiting Sun reaches the same position by sign and degree it held in the natal horoscope.

stationary:   The apparent lack of motion of a planet when it changes direction from direct to retrograde.

succedent houses. The 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 11th houses, which succeed or follow the angular houses.

Ptolemaic aspects:   The  major aspects as defined by Ptolemy: the conjunction, sextile square, trine, and opposition.

qualities:   Cardinal, fixed, and mutable.

querent:   A horary term meaning  "the person asking the question".

quesited:   A horary term meaning: "the person or matter asked about".

quincunx:   A 150° aspect, also called an inconjunct. When it occurs in a chart, usually an adjustment or some form of reorganization is required.

refranation:   When a planet, most often the Moon, is applying to an aspect with another planet but is unable to reach it because the planet moves out of the sign before the aspect is completed.

retrograde:   When a planet appears to move backward along the ecliptic in the opposite order of the signs.

rising sign:   The degree of the zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth, also called the Ascendant.

significator:   A horary term indicating the planet that rules the person or matter of the election.

solar eclipse:   A solar eclipse is when the Moon blocks the Sun's light, diminishing its strength. 

stellium:   A conjunction of three or more planets in the same house or sign in the astrological chart. It indicates a high degree of focus in that area.

succedent houses:   The second, fifth, eighth, and eleventh houses. They are in front of the angular houses, and planets here tend to operate in the immediate future.

transit:   The position and movement of a planet on a given day.

triplicities:   A group of three signs belonging to the same element: fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius); earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn); air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius); and water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces).

vertex:  It is the point on the ecliptic due West. Vertex is actually the Zenith, but the term has been used to designate a point where the plane of the ecliptic intersects the Prime Vertical, thus creating, together with the Midheaven and Ascendant, a "three dimensional" horoscope.

via combusta:  The combust way, extending from 15° Libra to 15° Scorpio. It is particularly unfortunate for the Moon.

waning moon:   Decreasing in light. When the Moon has reached her opposition to the Sun (full moon), she decreases in light each day until she arrives at her conjunction to the Sun (new moon). A waning moon favors completion or minimizing the outcome of the matter.

water signs:   Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces.

waxing moon:   Increasing in light. When the Moon moves away from her conjunction to the Sun (new Moon), she increases in light each day until she arrives at her opposition to the Sun (full Moon). A waxing moon favors growth and is appropriate for a business election or any matter where increase is wanted.

zenith:   The point above the earth 90° from the horizon. This point rarely coincides with the Midheaven. It is the cusp of the tenth house by Equal House Division.

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