The Natures Of The Aspects

By Dr. L. M. P. (Maggie) McPherson

Astrologers differ as to the qualitative effect of the various aspects. In general, the square and opposition are felt to
be difficult, the sextile and trine are felt to be easy or facilitative, and the conjunction and quincunx are considered
neutral and dependent on the nature of the planets involved. Some consider the semi-sextile (duodecile) to be easy
because it is 1/2 the sextile, but others consider it to be either difficult or neutral.

The difficult/easy/neutral (or bad/good/indifferent) trichotomy is not very useful. This simplistic approach to aspects
has given way in recent years to attempts to understand the unique nature of each harmonic.

I am experimenting with an approach which assigns traits to aspects according to the nature of the planet associated
with their harmonic number in quabbalistic numerology. The planets rule signs, and the signs have a polarity, element,
and mode, so I can infer the nature of the aspect from what I know about the planet associated with it and the sign
ruled by that planet. The correspondence is as follows:

(The last three are the most experimental because in the current tradition there is no explicit numerological support.)

Interpretations of the harmonics can be derived from these correspondences. Brief descriptions of the meaning I
assign aspects in each of the harmonics appear below. In these descriptions, planet A refers to the planet in the pair
that is in or rules a Cardinal and/or Positive (Fire, Air) sign, or that is in an angular house (1, 4, 7 or 10); if both
planets fit this description, then the relation between planets A and B goes both ways. Following my descriptions
are excerpts from various authors which sometimes confirm and sometimes contradict my own interpretations. I also
sometimes include examples of aspects in charts of public figures.

Planet A gives prominence to planet B. The area ruled by the sign and house takes on the nature of both A and B.
A and B unite in action. A and B lose their individual identities and merge into one. A and B lose sight of one
another, as lovers do in a tight embrace.

Of the conjunction, Robert Hand says, "It is often difficult for the person whose chart has this aspect to be clear
about its effects. Usually the conjunction colors the personality so completely that it is hard for the native to get
perspective on this aspect. Though the effects of a conjunction may not be apparent to the native, they are obvious
to others. The conjunction has a dynamic quality. It tends to signify patterns of action rather than passive states of
being: that is, its effects usually consist of events or changes in a person's life. These are not necessarily events in the
physical world; they may be psychological."

Sue Tompkins says, "Planets in conjunction are always united. Their energies are merged, blended and always act
together. . . . When [the conjunction is] exact, it's rather like having two bells struck simultaneously: it's difficult to
differentiate the sound of either one. In the same way, planets in conjunction tend to have problems in `seeing' each
other. In fact, if the conjunction is an exact one the two planets often don't appear to the individual to have separate
identities. The differentiation may be seen by others but to the person concerned the two energies may appear as if
they were one, almost as if a new planet had been formed. Thus planets in conjunction can have difficulties in
separating and objectifying each other. . . .

It is interesting to remember that at New Moon when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction one cannot actually see
the Moon and this gives us a clue to this `blind spot' quality of the conjunction. People whose charts are dominated
by conjunctions . . . tend to be very self-driven and self-motivated individuals. They don't tend to look outside of

themselves for self-definition or validation and therefore are less prone to self-doubt. Again, it's as if they look at
themselves without the aid of a mirror. Clearly, this is a difficult task as we tend to define the self through meeting

and interacting with others. Imagine an artist trying to paint a self-portrait having never seen their face in a

mirror or photograph. I suspect the picture would differ greatly from the usual artist/sitter portraits and probably
would not describe a very good likeness. At any rate, it would be a very subjective likeness, for the mirror, sitter or

photograph allows the possibility of greater objectivity."

2nd Harmonic (Opposition)

Planet B reflects planet A. A and B complement one another. Planet A causes planet B to vacillate between
expressing its own nature and reflecting the nature of A. Planet B increases planet A's consciousness of itself.

Of this aspect, Hand says, "The symbolism of the opposition aspect is very much what one would expect: polarity,
strife, conflict, and so on, but also partnership and cooperation, as well as consciousness itself.... Whatever energies
are linked by the opposition, they are combined in such a way that they produce instability and change through
conflict. If one examines the conflict, it is seen to arise between an aspect of oneself that has been projected
outward and an aspect of oneself that is experienced inwardly. Put more concretely, the opposition signifies a
conflict between an external factor and an internal one, and the external factor is the result of an inward energy that
one does not as yet understand to be within the self. . . . It should be clear, especially in the case of the individual
who finds others disruptive, that the disruptive person, entity, or situation is being used by the individual's
subconscious as a mirror to confront an aspect of himself which he then tries to make conscious. Thus the opposition
aspect has, through such confrontation, the potential to increase the level of consciousness. . . . The goal is a state of
perfect equilibrium between the two energies involved in the opposition: it represents the aspect's partnership and
cooperation side."

Tompkins says, "As children we all learn that Jack Sprat could eat no fat and his wife could eat no lean. Like Jack
Sprat and his wife, oppositions in the chart want opposite but related things. We often experience the opposition
aspect as if we have both Jack and his wife inside of us, each wanting seemingly opposite things. Or perhaps a
better image is that it is as if we are standing in the middle of our house and hear the frontdoor and back door bell
ring at exactly the same time. Which one do we answer? We can't be in two places at once. As part of the secret of
dealing with an opposition is to become aware of and use both sides of it,the important point is that although we
cannot attend to the front door and back door at the same time, we can answer both of them, if we just take it in
turns. Otherwise we are leaving a stranger standing outside an unopened door and missing a valuable encounter.
Even if the stranger is a foe as opposed to a friend, ignoring the enemy will not make it go away but is more likely to
reinforce its determination to get in somehow. Invariably, we become aware of and `own' one half of an opposition
sometime before we become conscious of the other half. For some time one side of the opposition does remain like
a stranger outside an unopened door.

Usually the planet we accept is the one which is more in keeping with our image of ourselves. The stranger, the
rejected planet is usually the`heavier' one and, in our view, the less socially acceptable planet.. . . Reject an energy
we may, but the psyche insists upon wholeness and thus insists that the energy of the rejected planet will intrude
upon our lives in some way, and will intrude to the extent that we have disowned it. And so we meet this seemingly
alien energy outside ofourselves in another person, group or object and thus become a `victim'of it. This is of course
what is meant by the term `projection'. We are offered the opportunity of becoming more conscious and `owning'
our rejected planet every time we meet it outside of ourselves in another person or group. Meet it we will, time a nd
time again, until awareness dawns. This is not unjust or `bad,' for until we live out all sides of our nature we cannot
become whole. In living out just one side of an opposition we are only using half the energy at our disposal."

3rd Harmonic (Trine)

A expands B by adding its traits to B's expression. A facilitates B's actions. A and B together bring abundance.
(Example: Saturn trine Mercury adds discipline, patience, and seriousnessto the thinking and communication,
expanding the capacity for effective thought, speech, and writing, but also expanding the capacity for undue mental
caution, pessimism and melancholy.) Here is Hand on the 3rd harmonic: "The trine indicates that the energies linked
do not resist or conflict with each other in any way. They are in a state of equilibrium with respect to one another.
Whenever one chooses to act according to the nature of the energies combined by a trine, there is ease of action
and lack of difficulty -- so long as one chooses to act within the framework of a status quo into [sic] one's life. . .

. When trines do signify events, they are events in which one is passive. Things seem to fall into one's lap and work
out of their own accord. . . . The principal flaw of trines is their passivity. Whenever the individual is challenged by
the environment to make a change or adjustment, the energy is lacking. The old patterns indicated by the trine
persist, and even if they are temporarily deflected, they soon return." Of the trine, Rael and Rudhyar say, "As the
self is able constructively to respond to this incarnation of purpose and meaning, one not only displays the faculty of
vision and understanding (often-used keywords for the trine), but also *experiences ideas*. On this basis, the self
actually begins to transform the outer world and all the relationships in which it has accepted to participate. . . .
However, as the self seeks to meet the outer world (or its companion) in terms of ideas and mental vision, the inertia
of the whole universe resists the transforming thoughts."

Isabel Hickey says, "Like Jupiter, trines throw a protective influence. Benefits that come without effort and without
any activity on the partof the individual concerned. They are the results of constructive service, and harmonious
actions in other lifetimes. We earn everything that happens,good or ill. What we send forth returns home again.
Everything returns to its source. Trine aspects are the good we have given out returning to us."

4th Harmonic (Square)

A disrupts B's expression. A confronts B. A unsettles B, sometimes bringing sudden change. A is at odds with B.

The square is not Saturnian as is sometimes thought, but Uranian. The most Uranian person I know of, Nikola Tesla,
had the full 4th harmonic configuration in his chart: a Grand Cross involving 6 planets and the Midheaven. There is
not a single planet in Aquarius in his chart. He did have Uranus 20 degrees into his first house, but then I have it 14
degrees into mine, and I'm certainly not as Uranian as he was. (His birth time was accurately recorded.) For those
of you not familiar with the man, he was Uranus personified. Tall, popular but often reclusive, quirky, a perennial
bachelor, and a "mad" inventor who is responsible for alternating current (AC) and radio (according to a Supreme
Court decision showing that one of Tesla's patents anticipated Marconi's apparatus) but also for many weird and
wonderful inventions and "quack" theories that are only popular among his many followers. He used to pass high-
voltage current (up to two *million*volts) across the surface of his body in public demonstrations so that sparks
and "lightning" shot from the ends of his fingers, toes, nose,and chin. (I have seen this demonstrated by a member of
the Tesla Society.) He created a machine to send huge electrical currents into the atmosphere (to test his theory that
the air around Earth can be used as an electrical conductor for standing waves of electricity, which could
conceivably be tapped via antennae anywhere on Earth); the machine,when put into operation, created a lightning
storm over his laboratory and then blacked out the entire city! (Colorado Springs.) Further, his life was full of
incredible ups and downs, from glory to obscurity. Such sudden and stark changes are characteristic of the energy
of Uranus. Now not everyone with a Grand Cross is this Uranian! Tesla's Grand Cross involved all of his personal
planets except Mercury. In contrast, the Grand Cross in the chart of Charles Manson involves only two personal
planets (Moon and Mercury) and two of the outermost ("impersonal") planets (Uranus and Pluto). Of the square,
Rael and Rudhyar say, "It [when dexter] represents the need to clear the ground of all obsolete structures before the
building operation of an integrated, harmonious way of life can begin in earnest. . . .[or, when it is sinister] it
represents the stage at which concretization of the ideal or idea envisioned at the trine is necessary and possible."

5th Harmonic (Quintile Series)

A communicates with B. A informs B. If A and B are in signs or rule signs of opposite polarity, then the two
polarities are integrated in an alchemical marriage and issue in creative activity (usually of an intellectual nature).

(Example: In the chart of Carl Jung, there is a quintile between Mercury and Neptune; insights and inspiration from
the world beyond everyday reality informed Jung's thought and writing, and his intellectual probing informed, or
focused, his inspirational experience; Saturn is in quintile to Neptune as well, the 3 planets marking 3 vertices of an
incomplete 5th harmonic configuration; the structures (Saturn) in myth, literature, religion and art, informed Jung's
Neptunian insights and his thinking (Mercury). A partial 5th harmonic configuration is often present in intellectually
productive people. Albert Einstein had planets (Moon,Jupiter, and Neptune) in three consecutive vertices of a
pentagon, with his Mercury-Saturn conjunction at the mid-point of Jupiter and Neptune. He also had a biquintile
between Mars and Uranus. (Einstein also had a T-square, providing some Uranian energy; Uranus is often
associated with genius. Of course he also had Uranus in the third and Jupiter in the ninth.) Of the 5th harmonic,
Charles Harvey says, "The apple seems intertwined with the meaning of the number 5 and the development of
conscious knowledge, and as such can serve as a useful image for the 5th harmonic and its interpretation. In the
ancient world, and still today, Pythagoreans identified themselves to each other by cutting an apple across its
diameterand exposing the two halves. If you do this you will find that you are looking at two perfect pentagons, for
the seed pods in the apple are always arranged in a fivefold symmetry. In Greek mythology the Golden Apple, like
the sun, is used as a symbol of the conscious mind through which we can rise above, or, if we are not careful,
through which we can cut ourselves off from, the animal innocence and ignorance of the body. 5 is said to be the
`Number of Man' as a self-conscious being who takes command of his own destiny. In this it will be recalled that the
most famous apple in history was given by Eve to Adam. It was the fruitof the tree of the knowledge of Good and
of Evil. In other words it was the fruit of the tree of choice, of free will, which is both the reward and the penalty of
possessing self-consciousness. This idea of conscious, personal choice -- and the power which comes from such
choice -- is the nub of what fiveness is about. It is knowledge that gives us the powers to shape and create our
world." Rael and Rudhyar say, "Vibration Five, Mind, can operate in one of twoways: in terms of purely material,
intellectual or selfish desires(regression), or by expressing one's creative genius (progression or forward evolutionary
motion)." Seymour-Smith says,"The 5H chart indicates . . . facility. People who tend to explode into the world in a
fluent or cacophonous manner are likely to have charts loaded with quintiles." Tompkins says, "The relationship
between *mind* and the quintile series has long been made, which . . . sounds very Mercurial. More precisely,John
Addey links this aspect with the idea of *imposing one's mind on the world*. If quintiles describe style, perhaps we
can go one step further and say that a quintile aspect will describe how we might communicate or give form to our
mental processes either orally, through the written word or through the use of our hands. Hamblin also pointsout
that the quintile series is strongly emphasised in the charts of people who are preoccupied with making, forming,
linking and arranging things."

6th Harmonic (Sextile)

A refines B. A and B maintain a state of harmony. A cooperates with B. A and B act as partners. People with
charts dominated by 6th harmonic aspects are often the epitomy of beauty and grace. Catherine Deneuve has two
not-quite overlapping incomplete 6th harmonic configurations in her chart, each with three vertices occupied by
planets, and they involve 9 of her planets; the remaining planet, Venus, is sextile to the midheaven. Grace Kelly had
a partial 6th harmonic configuration with 4 vertices filled that involved 5 planets and the midheaven. (She also had a
sextile between the Sun and Pluto.) Tompkins says, "The number six is often associated with Venus and there is a
Venusian feeling to this aspect. The sextile is an aspect of enjoyment, pleasure and, I believe, valuation -- particularly
*intellectual valuation*. Sextiles have also been linked to rhythm and repetition and thus with dancers and musicians,
which also sounds rather Venusian. Certainly the sextile is an aspect of harmony and planets linked by this kind of
contact tend to co-operate with each other. That's not quite the same as the `hand-holding,' non-questioning flavour
of planets linked by trine aspect. Co-operation does involve some degree of effort."

7th Harmonic (Septile Series)

A brings B into contact with the unknown.This link is the key to inspirational experience. A confuses B and
dissipates its energy. A and B together show the nature of the ideals. Michael Harding says of the 7th harmonic,
"When someone is profoundly moved, inspired, turned-on, excited, absorbed, captivated or besotted with some
image or ideal then the mechanism of...inner fantasy is probably at work and projections are actively engaged. This
is the circle of the 7th harmonic, where the base and the numinous can merge; where the noble cause, the highest
ideal and the darkest longing are a septile apart. As astrologers we must approach this chart with respect and
caution, and be prepared to acknowledge all the riches it contains; for here we are truly walking with dreams

of others." Hand says, "The seven-series aspects are difficult to formulate in rigorous and clear terms. Part of the
reason is that they have a Uranus-Neptune flavor, which suggests that they have to do with energy linkings that are
not entirely of this world. For example, these aspects are prominent in the chart of Madame Blavatsky, the founder
of the Theosophical movement. They are also prominent in the charts of poets. If the five-series gives the ability to
turn creative inspiration into concrete end-products, the seven-series gives the creative inspiration itself. It is as if
these aspects enable one to peer outside the everyday universe into one of expanded possibilities and truths. There
are dangers here also. I have seen the seven-series indicate mental and emotional difficulties as well as creative
inspiration. An excess of these aspects appears to give one a lack of connection with the physical universe as most
of us know it. This is the dangerous or at least difficult side of creative inspiration."

8th Harmonic (Octile Series)

A restricts B. A and B combined show the nature of karmic obligations in this life. The combination of A and B
describes the tests to which one will be subjected. A and B together are the passage to patient wisdom or the road
to hell, depending on the will. A and B create structures from which it is difficult to break free. For those who take
the higher path, the link between A and B provides a source of self-discipline, patience, and perseverance.

Of the 8th harmonic, Charles Harvey says, "those ideas which we can purposefully and productively pursue; fruitful
efforts; built-in skills and behaviour patterns. The `goods' delivered; the manifest destiny."

Tompkins says, "According to Charles Harvey, semi-squares and sesqui-quadrates `can be remarkably productive
of solid concrete results. 'Personally I suspect that this is because these aspects do not have the uncertainty and
hesitant quality of the square aspect. Because they are so purposeful, it is as if nothing can stand in the way of the
concrete release of these aspects. They manifest and become actualised in a very obvious exterior way in the world.

In other words, these aspects *precipitate events*. Squares do this too of course but whereas the energy of a
square often gets blocked for a time because of the difficulty and uncertainty of integrating two energies that are at
variance, [aspects in the octile series] tend to *force* some kind of release." (Notice that in my scheme the 8th
harmonic aspects are Cardinal, whereas the 4th harmonic aspects are Fixed.) A dominance of 8th harmonic aspects
often brings hardship and difficulty into the life, although in struggling against the hardship, much may be
accomplished. Elizabeth Taylor has planets at 5 vertices of a Grand Octile, 7 planets in all (4 of them personal).
While her life may appear glamourous to some, her passage has been difficult (including the early loss of her first
husband and subsequent futile attempts to replace him). A large number of 8th harmonic aspects also tend to make
the nature serious. Ed Sullivan had a partial 8th harmonic configuration with 5 vertices occupied by planets. (This
was a man who sometimes failed to "get" a joke after it had been explained to him several times.) Stalin had 4
planets at vertices of a partial 8th harmonic configuration (plus a Sun in Capricorn, whose square to Saturn is part of
the 8 H configuration). He was not only serious, but oppressive.

9th Harmonic (Nonile Series)

A potentiates B. A activates B. A excites B to action. A and B combine to create a unique mission towards which
energy is directed. The combination of A and B provide the key to self-realisation. A and B act in response to
considerations of the self alone, a selfishness necessary in finding one's own highest or most fulfilling path. Of the 9th
harmonic Rael and Rudhyar say, "At the level of the Nine,the individualized person discovers and envisions the
meaning and purpose of what he or she *is*. . . . the novile (when at all operative in an individual's life) leads to
personal rebirth -- or `Initiation' -- to a basic identification of the self with the purpose this self is seen to have within
the harmony of the universal Whole. The novile thus representsthe level at which complete fulfillment of individual
being is possible --either as an end in itself (negative approach) or as the condition for positive emergence into an
altogether new and higher realm of being." Seymour-Smith says, "[the 9th harmonic shows] the nature of anything
that the native achieves." The relation of the nonile to one's unique mission can be seen in Sigmund Freud's exact
nonile of the Moon and Pluto. Freud was able to show the relationship between the emotions and the adequacy of

the mother's nurturance (Moon) and subconscious drives and impulses(Pluto). Carl Jung had a partial 9th harmonic
configuration with 4 vertices occupied by the Sun, the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn. His pioneering work focused on
the relation of the masculine and feminine principles (Sun and Moon; animus and anima) and the universal (Jupiter)
structures(Saturn) in the mind and its creations (myth, dreams, literature, art,religion). Hitler's Mercury-Pluto nonile is
associated with his unique mission to use (or abuse) ideas (Mercury) about enemies (7th house) to control and
exterminate them (Pluto). Richard Nixon's mission was to be an all-powerful and controlling leader, which is
reflected in his quadranonile of the Sun and Pluto. Robert Browning, the romantic poet, had an almost exact (2
minutes of arc) nonile between Mercury and Venus, and both planets were in quadranonile to Neptune. His unique

path consisted in writing (Mercury) dreamily beautiful love poetry (Venus) about an idealised love and lover
(Neptune).

10th Harmonic (Decile Series)

A empowers B. A compells B. A transforms B. A and B act together unconsciously but ubiquitously. A and B
provide thepath to regeneration. Power is often an issue with people whose charts contain many 10th harmonic

aspects. One example is Hitler; if we include Chiron and the ascendant,he had 7 vertices of a 10th harmonic

configuration occupied by planets (or points), with 9 points involved. Stalin had 5 vertices occupied in a partial 10th
harmonic configuration. One might expect that people with many such aspects would sometimes have great healing
power and a great capacity to transform themselves or the not-self. They might also have a hypnotic effect on
others, with a great capacity to sway the masses. Seymour-Smith says, "[the decile is] indicative of the interpersonal
difficulties which arise from the exercise of any kind of power or talent, whether for good or evil."

11th Harmonic (Undecile Series)

I do not yet have a clear interpretation of these aspects. One hypothesis is that with 11th harmonic aspects, A resists
integration with B. The combination of A and B may represent areas where dualities or multiplicities exist, and the
natures of the planets involved may indicate how one deals with them. Seymour-Smith says, "11H aspects manifest
in a very definite way and they indicate excess." They also, according to Williamsen, describe a `person's ability to
integrate diversities and dualisms.' These interpretations are reconcilable: the tension of `double-bind' situations,
which can be external -- where you are trapped by feelings of obligation or duty, but cannot entirely please one or
more people -- or internal -- the tug between scepticism and faith -- is likely to lead to a type of stress which in its
turn will lead to excess in one form or another.

12th harmonic (dodecile series)

A damps B. A steadies B. A retards B. A and B act at the material level to produce concrete effects. A and B act in
a patient, persistent manner to achieve material ends. The relevance of the dodecile to the material world can be
seen by looking at the people whose charts contain partial 12th harmonic configurations. Examples are J. P. Morgan
(with 6 of 12 vertices marked by planets, and with 8 planets involved) and Richard Millhouse Nixon (with planets at
6 vertices, 8 planets being involved in the configuration). Both of these men had strong ambitions on the material
plane. Of the 12th harmonic aspects, Hand says, "In the past, observers merely noted that [the semi-sextile and

quincunx] were both based on one-half of a sextile, and they therefore drew the conclusion that both were
essentially weak sextiles. This has not turned out to be the case. In fact, the weight of opinion on these aspects has
changed from a judgmentof weakly benefic to decidedly difficult. . . . They represent tensions and difficulties that
are annoying, but usually too trivial and too thoroughly bound up in the fabric of everyday life to be worth changing.
The exception to this is that there does seem, according to many investigators, to be a connection between
quincunxes and illnesses and death." [This is because they fall in the 6th or 8th house from theposition of the
aspected planet.] Seymour-Smith says, "The semisextile aspect was once called, with exquisite vagueness, `slightly
beneficial.' It is not. It denotes strain, and at close orbs very severe strain, between the two bodies or points
involved. . . .The quincunx has more to do with health, mental and physical, than the semisextile, and is a little like the
opposition inasmuch as it concerns interpersonal rather than wholly`internal' matters. It shows what a person will, or
will not, do for others, and how much this costs him; it indicates what a person believes are his obligations, and his
feelings about carrying them out. People can get ill if they starve themselves of the input gained from others or if they
refuse, or cannot find a way, to reciprocate the affections of others."

Tompkins says, "The main problem with the quincunx, as many astrologers have noted, is that it is too passive an
aspect to deal, without considerable conscious effort anyway, with the conflict. In fact, it is not so much conflict as
*friction*." How the practice of harmonic astrology differs from more traditional practice. While astrologers tend to
use their own eclectic mix of techniques to provide their services to clients, there is a fundamental difference between
how one will proceed when they are using well-understood aspects and placements, and when they are using the
more experimental and tentative findings from harmonic astrology. All I can describe is my feelings on how I have
come to use astrology to help people, and offer my insights as food for thought. One model of human life and
consciousness-through-time used extensively in astrology, and new age materials in general, is the "curriculum
model" of personal reality, wherein one's life is compared to a great school. We learn lessons and move from course
to course through life, perhaps through many lives. Some lessons we learn well, and others we do not learn so well,
and must revisit, until those issues have been dealt with satisfactorily. Under this model, people are all learning
different lessons, but there is an invisible conspiracy, of sorts, so that people can work together without being aware
of it, on each other's curriculum. The same situation for two people is experienced completely differently, often dealt
with at different levels of reality. It is hard to argue with the proposition that no matter what we encounter, we

will have a tendency to feel pain as a result of errors in judgement and areas of our own growth in which we are still
weak. We will feel joy and gratification in areas where we have mastered our functioning. Being designed as we
are, it is almost impossible to ignore pain. We direct our attention to it. Our conscious and unconscious mental
resources are applied to a solution (even if we see this as just worrying). And we center in, often times, at this level
of conflict and difficulty. So without any appeal to astrological or even metaphysical reasoning, this model makes
sense. Using the school model, astrologers can:

Identify the overarching curriculum plans chosen for this life, through analysis of the natal chart. Identify the
curriculum component that is in progress, and the root of the situation that has brought the person to seek the aid of
a practitioner, through analysis of the progressions, eclipses, and transits having impact upon the chart. Identify the
people playing parts in the lesson that the client is working on, through analysis of synastric charts, if available.
Review with the client their past work in this area: the person's attempts to recognize the areas of difficulty, and to
learn and adjust, to grow and change in accordance with their experience. Recognize particular attitudes in issonance
with the lesson, identify blindspots that the client may not be aware of. Recognize the peculiar needs of this client in
this moment and respond directly with appropriate measures. Inform the client of the underlying pattern behind this
lesson's unfoldment. If it is a three part transit of Saturn, for example, the astrologer can inform the client that this is a
long-term theme, not just a short-term series of events. For major cycles, like the Saturn cycle, the astrologer can
discuss the person's experiences at the previous steps of the cycle, and help the client to integrate the past lessons
into the current experience. Recommend attitudes and approaches best suited to a time-meaning pattern (personal
myth). Directly provide encouragement, empowerment, advice, and participation in other interpersonal processes
intended to strengthen the person's desire to persist when the going gets rough, just as any other mental health care
practitioner might do. Create a sense of having a safety net, a place to turn, should the going get especially rough.

As you can see, the school model does not prevent astrologers from using all of the techniques of a psychologist or
shaman/healer. It simply informs the process. It gives it a cohesiveness and purposefulness. In addition to the school
model, I have come to also use what I call the "story" model of human-consciousness-in-time. It is my observation
that the human mind will find meaning in the most seemingly meaningless and seemingly random experiences. The
mind will then proceed to find ways to correlate and tie together bits of meaning, even if they have no apparent
relation at first glance. We organize the meaningful and the meaningless according to filters, that are a part of our
character and conditioning, but we all seem to organize meaning into sequential symbolic structures. We tell
ourselves stories and we tell stories with our selves. At any given point in a person's life, they are working on a
number of "great themes" in their life. I find this especially true with clients who have worked through lessons in
meeting their basic needs and desires and now are working on a "meta-needs" level. The need for meaning, order,
truth, beauty, love, simplicity, and power to bring change, to name a few. But I have yet to meet anyone who does
not on some level, try to tell a story with their life.

What resources do people use to draw from in the creation of meaning-patterns, stories, in their life? Mythology is
one important area. Every story that one will find in ancient mythology has found it's way into literature, and the
popular culture of the west, in such a way that they are available for the personal unconscious mind to use as a
template for creating one's own unique version.

The stories that people who have had a great influence on us, also have a great weight in the creation of our own
story. Our parents stories are often all bound up with our own, ours beinga reflection of theirs, or a negative image.

How this relates to harmonic astrology is that the higher "resolution" of harmonic astrology affords the astrologer an
opportunity to dig down deeper into the consciousness of the client and recognize these currents of meaning that are
flowing within their life. By bringing these currents into the awareness of the client, the astrologer can help to give the
client the power to build their story with the full resources of the conscious self, to consciously cooperate with what
they are doing unconsciously, or at least to consciously try to change it instead of constantly beating their

head against something they cannot see. When the conscious self is aligned in this way, when the basis for creating a

dynamic harmony between the conscious pursuit of objectives and the unconscious weaving of meaning patterns is
provided to the client, the results can be very gratifying. I have come to believe that many of the higher harmonic
aspects of the chart deal with these unique story dynamics. They are not producing conscious events, hence there
are no clear landmarks for seeing the pattern. But by an examination of the events corresponding to different periods
in the client's life, the astrologer can figure out, not what the 13 series of aspects mean in general, but what they
have come to mean for this client in this life.

When I sense that a particular client is dealing with difficulty related to the level of meta-needs and personal mythos,
which is not exactly commonplace, but neither is it rare, I have found it to be of great use to prepare a set of
timetables describing the movement of Saturn through the different aspect configurations in the client's natal chart. I
include the lowest harmonics too, conjunctions, trines and so on, but I take it up to the higher harmonics and see if
we can create a dialogue that starts to find not just the turning points of the person's objective life, but also the
currents of meaning that are woven into the fabric of the external life.

For a client with three planets in strong quintiles to one another, for example, you could look at the movement of
Saturn through the conjunctions and especially to the unoccupied quintile points that would form a complete fifth
harmonic syndrome. You have to be open to use this technique. You are not leading. You are using your knowledge
of the structure of time, as perceived by humans, to help the client explore their own story.

What of practical use can come from this process? I have asked myself this. And I answer it with another question -
of what practical is self-understanding? So often, we astrologers are the fast-food outlets of the mental health care
spectrum. 15 minutes at a new age fair, perhaps, or a few comments on someone's chart after a speaking
engagement. And astrology is an incredible tool for such an application. Try getting something useful other than a
prescription to prozac from a psychiatrist. But when we have the opportunity to take the time with a client to use
astrology as powerfully as it can be used, to promote the development of self-understanding, I feel we should take
that opportunity. If the world will change for the better, it will change because of the changes that take place in
people's minds. One mind-change at a time. Such deep, lasting, and self-empowering change, I believe, comes in
part from the alignment of the conscious awareness with the patterns of meaning woven by the unconscious mind.

And it is my experience that these patterns can be discerned by a careful interview process with the client, using the
natal chart as a tool. It could be done without the natal chart, but there are so many thread of meaning in the
conscious mind that I have found it impossible to find the core patterns, the fundamental processes without
astrology.