Solunars by Aldebaran Sidereal Academy

During my live astrology classes, I often emphasized a sort of mental checklist for fully interpreting an aspect. I just realized it isn't here on the site anywhere. When interpreting any aspect in a natal chart, I recommend running down the following steps in order to get a full picture of how the aspect is expressing. (If you do it in this order, it usually makes everything fall in place like tumblers on a lock.)

1. What planets are involved? (This is the main consideration. Most of the interpretation comes from this.)

2. What type of aspect do they make? (Primarily: Is the aspect hard vs. soft, to discern whether the aspect urgently demands expression or has little urgency for expression.)

3. What is the orb? (Now that you know the urgency of the demand for expression (or intensity of the psychological pressure: #2), the orb will tell you how relatively prominent the aspect is in the overall psyche. Distinguish four categories of partile; other Class 1; Class 2; and Class 3.)

4. Angularity? (Now that you know how urgently the aspect demands expression, discern how easily it actually expresses; draw various conclusions from this.)

These are the main considerations, in that order. However, one or two other factors are also worth attention.

5. Signs involved. (This adds nuances, and often brings up themes you'd otherwise miss. Several tactics for this, whether looking for commonalities or stark differences between the signs, leveraging each ruler as if it were concurrently aspecting, etc. This consideration is about the same importance as the involved planets' sign placement, meaning it is a bigger deal with luminary aspects than any others.)

6. Houses? (If houses prove meaningful, then the houses of the two planets should be considered for added themes.)

A few examples from my chart to prime the mental pump.

Example 1: Venus square Pluto (birthplace)

1. Standard Venus-Pluto interpretation.
2. Square: Dynamic, forceful, instinctual
3. Partile (0°13') = very powerful psychological urge (square: needing dynamic expression)
4. Immediate background: Powerful, instinctual energies needing dynamic expression but likely denied them. Definitely a conflict or issue to be addressed, may erupt in health issues or other consequences of suppressing a powerful energy demanding expression, e.g., overcompensation or denial.
5. Scorpio-Leo: Reiterates powerful solar-martial tone. In particular, Venus in Scorpio square Pluto acts like Venus simultaneously aspected by Mars and Pluto. (Suppression unlikely and certainly unhealthy), made easier because Venus also aspects Mars.
6. 3H to 11H or 12H: Besides showing basic conflicts relating to brother, enhances curiosity about sexual matters [as if enhancing curiosity were required in an adolescent], etc.

Example 2: Venus square Pluto (relocated)

1. Standard Venus-Pluto interpretation.
2. Square: Dynamic, forceful, instinctual
3. Partile (0°13') = very powerful psychological urge (square: needing dynamic expression)
4. Immediate foreground: Powerful, instinctual energies finding easy dynamic expression.
5. Scorpio-Leo: Reiterates powerful solar-martial tone. In particular, Venus in Scorpio square Pluto acts like Venus simultaneously aspected by Mars and Pluto. (Layer this into the interpretation.)
6. (I wouldn't consider relocated houses.)

Example 3: Mars opposite Jupiter

1. Standard Mars-Jupiter interpretation.
2. Square: Dynamic, forceful, instinctual
3. Class 2 = moderately strong psychological urge
4. Middleground: Moderate expressiveness, neither forced nor blocked. A moderately strong drive with moderate expressiveness has the best chance for non-dramatic, healthy expression.
5. Sagittarius-Cancer: Two Jupiter constellations. Especially good for Mars which smoothly finds no conflict between being in a Jupiter constellation and aspecting Jupiter. Generally, add more to the interpretation to suggest Jupiter's strong hand, e.g., more flare and showmanship, more unthinking confidence in one's strength, never quite feeling defeated by anything. (Though the aspect is reciprocal, ultimately Jupiter affects Mars more than Mars affects Jupiter.)
6. 4H (maybe some 5H) to 11H: 5/11 has more obvious themes, including avenues of leisure and pleasure expression.

Example 4: Moon sextile Mars

1. Standard Moon-Mars interpretation as a starting point.
2. Sextile: The energy is less forceful, more placid. (It's hard to say any Mars aspect isn't forceful or that any Moon-Mars isn't instinctual, but there's a definite non-demand, easy-going quality in contrast to, say, the square.) Probably will substantially manifest through the intellect and moods.
3. Class 1 = strong need to find its voice
4. Foreground to Middleground: Because Moon is foreground, this will flow easily, either as reactive emotion and temper or as drive, mental sharpness, acute curiosity, initiative.
5. Aquarius-Sagittarius: Two generally freedom-loving, upbeat signs. Especially, Mars aspecting an Aquarian Moon is like Mars-Uranus simultaneously aspecting Moon.
6. 4H (maybe some 5H) to 6H: Some interweaving of themes of work and play, sometimes as a conflict but most often finding play in work and work in play.

These are just examples, of course - hopefully just enough to get your mind going.