Lyse wrote: Sun Apr 30, 2023 7:42 am
Since my Sun and Moon are in mutual reception (Cancer and Leo) and also semi-sextile, should I consider the close conjunction of my Sun-Uranus and Moon-Pluto as being in aspect in some way?
I think that's stretching it a bit except for one thing astrologers overlook (or don't think about this way): Both the Sun-Uranus conjunction and Moon-Pluto conjunction (mundanely only 0°03' and 0°36' wide, respectively) exist in the same person. Since an aspect just means the entwining and co-expression of two planetary (psychological) functions, then of course Sun-Uranus and Moon-Pluto exist and work together: Both exist inside of you, and quite strongly. The more whole you have become over the course of your life, the more they have co-existed and co-functioned.
A couple of opinions: I've ceased thinking of the semi-sextile as a valid aspect at all. I don't think it's just really weak, I think it's an anti-aspect, a dumb (silent) note, its sole characteristic being that the planets are at a point of maximum divorce or dissociation. That's surely why the ancients called it an
inconjunct or
no aspect relationship. (It helps that last year's new approach to my theory of how aspects are formed has the semi-sextile not existing.) The exception is a 30° aspect is one example of a
10°-multiple aspect, all 36 of which become conjunctions, oppositions, or squares in the Novien. This explains why
extremely close semi-sextiles look effective, especially within 0°20'-0°40'. The same would be true of, say, a 70° aspect.
Mutual reception is a real thing, of course: The main result of a planet being in a sign is that it acts like the planets ruling or exalted in that sign. Since planets in aspect act like they're affecting each other, and planets in each other's signs act like they're affecting each other, it's the same result. One place I've started to back off, though, is by saying this effect is about as strong as the importance of each planet in a sign on it's own,
e.g., I wouldn't think Uranus in Sagittarius and Jupiter in Aquarius was much of an "aspect" because Jupiter's sign and Uranus' sign aren't very strong, visible factors.
But you certainly have a vivid MR with Sun in Cancer and Moon in Leo, a great splash of luminary themes strong in your character. This joins your several dignified planets: Mercury in its own sign, Jupiter and Saturn exalted, with only Mars in Cancer being somewhere cantankerous. And your Sun-Uranus and Moon-Pluto are enormously strong, especially when examined mundanely.
POSTSCRIPT: I mentioned above that a year or two ago I had reassessed my underlying theory of how aspects are formed (and what aspects are formed). For completion (someone reading this in the future), I thought I should explain what I meant.
My old view of how harmonics form aspects: Divide the circle by a prime number then continue to halve it. E.g., divide first by 3 (trine, 120°) then halve it (all new multiples of 60°) then halve it (all new multiples of 30°) then halve it (all new multiples of 15°). At some point, this degrades and becomes ineffective, seeming to be (depending on who you ask) after the sextile or after the semi-sextile.
My reviewed view of how harmonics form aspects is a little more progressive along the original harmonic line: Divide the circle by a prime number and then again by the same number before halving it; and aspects work through circles of position, meaning simultaneously involving opposite sides [longer explanation elsewhere]. Thus, while the 2 series divides by 2 (0°, 180°), again by the same number (90°), then starts halving (45°, 135°) before dropping off, the 3 series divides the circle by 3 (120°, 60°), again by the same number (40° and 20° and their multiples), then bisects (10° multiples) before dropping off. The 30° and 150° don't appear so don't need to be explained away. - Or, at least, so goes the tedious theory.