planetary aspects & orbs 💫

aspects refer to the angular relationship between planets or other celestial bodies on the ecliptic circle of a chart, whether this be your natal chart or a chart detailing the planetary alignment of any given time. orbs refer to how much an angle made by two points differs from the exactness of an aspect (i.e. a trine is exactly 120 degrees, so if two points are 123 degrees apart, the aspect is a trine with an orb of 3 degrees). it is said that the larger the orb, the less powerful or meaningful the aspect’s effects are.

(in the image above, the two points come together at a 90 degree angle, and therefore, the aspect shown is square - image from astrolibrary.org)

while it’s common to use aspects and orbs in regards to astrology, they can be used for spellwork as well - using aspects and orbs can help you decide the compatibility of the energy between two or more objects in the chart. here are some basic aspects and their qualities.

harmonious - positive, compatible, cooperative, synergistic
disharmonious - typically negative, challenging, conflicting, tense

major aspects

conjunction [☌] - 0°, harmonious
opposition [☍] - 180°, disharmonious
sextile [⚹] - 60°, harmonious
square [□]- 90°, disharmonious
trine [△]- 120°, harmonious

minor aspects

biquintile [bQ] - 144°, harmonious
inconjunct [⚻] - 150°, neutral
quintile [Q] - 72°, harmonious
semisextile [⚺] - 30°, neutral
semisquare [∠] - 45°, disharmonious
sesquisquare [⚼] - 135°, disharmonious
vigintile - 18°, disharmonious