To spice up this wonderful avocation, some time ago I tweaked Kepler/Sirius' aspect set and graphics to show the 13-ish so-called minors (up through the undecile) embedded right alongside the majors (though w dotted lines and faded colors) and then listing, labeling and becoming familiar with the scores of "new" triangles, trapezoids, kites, "bowties," trampolines," "domes," and other configs resulting from the slew of "extra" lines in the graphic.

To test relevance, I then spent months revisiting my data base of well-known natives and am encouraged by the results (e.g. in charts where a personal planet is otherwise unaspected or, though aspected by majors, is not functioning in the native as expected).

I now seek your help to further test these minors, such as by letting me cold read how the minors in your chart (as displayed in my graphic) may influence you and getting from you the kind of educational feedback not available from non-astrologers (e.g. "oh, I assumed that part of my life was attributable to -something else..."). You may prefer to PM me for the process though I am amenable either way.


I also wish there were more threads (in any forum) on "minor" related issues and will participate if something starts here. These could include technical issues (such as what orbs to use), synthesis issues (such as how focusing on the numerous configs which appear in the graphic instead of single aspects helps boil the chart down to a few manageable themes, especially satisfying when the config is pure -composed entirely of the same "harmonic" such as a septile Kite or a PentaYod) and substantive issues (the hardest of which for me is distilling an abstract definition of the 7 series since the net-available literature seems to only aim in that direction with a wildly-wide range of symptomatic adjectives compared to the more satisfying descriptions of the major aspects to which we were exposed as beginners so many years ago.

Thanks for your time...

A wise forum member PM'ed that I'd generate more interest among you by providing an illustration of the minor configs in action:

So I checked Einstein this morning (see below URL) to see how many non-troublesome aspects he enjoys to Merc and the Moon and was tickled to see they form the spine of one type of PentaKite.

http://postimage.org/image/i80yvfr8p/

Surely, this is old news to those of you doing harmonic charts (i.e., that Einstein's Merc enjoys aspects to ALL 4 of the planets likely being IQ indicators and that Uranus aspects ALL 5 personal planets).

But a Kite of any color is still a Kite and progress in nailing down definitions of these long-famous but under-analyzed configs seems better served by viewing them as they appeared in the sky (not to mention that without commingling the majors and minors in a single graphic, it is hard to identify configs composed of a mix of minors and majors of which there are plenty).

I'll "do" a well-known-to-me native with brief analysis in a next post.

Happy 2013...

Here is Mr. X (a friend).

http://s20.postimage.org/tdzva4qst/Mr_X.jpg

After serving as a top gun type fighter pilot when young, he was picked up by one of the defense companies which turned him into a businessman and successively appointed him country manager here and there. On the social side, by contrast, he is less smooth (a heavy party-er both gracious and raw in style - he routinely uses words to try to stir people up, often by pointed references to spirituality with which he is fascinated - from a distance). On the romance side, he is darker than average.

Notice how his Sun is unaspected by any major but enjoys a double "minors" blast serving as the apex for a traditional Yod and a PentaHat (144-72-72). I'd say among them, the PentaHat (w Uran-Mars base) allowed him to pass the qualifying tests to be a Top Gun.

On the business success side, would Sun in the 10th be enough all alone? Likely, the Yod (including the inconjunct from Jup) and the decile from the Moon, both to the 10th Sun help give him the needed edge/drive.

On the mental caustic side: Would Merc's trine from Pluto alone be enough to explain this (the semi-square to Mars seems to add the icing)?

On the dark romantic style, the Ven-Sun semi-square isn't enough to account (since by my count more than 15% of us all have that semi-square), but it serves as the base for what would be a NovaYod if the base were such 5 degrees tighter (instead Nept's positive-side dreaminess is channeled into the Sun-Ven semi-square) which when added to his unconnected Moon-Pluto 135 degree can result in his dark side.


Perhaps I'll look around for another good example of minors in action.

Here is Mr. Y:

http://s20.postimage.org/980yozkj1/Mr_Y.jpg

A respected corporate lawyer in a very big Asian firm, who is tall, skinny, light, chatty, handsome some say, and yet can't get married despite all his efforts (he holds the record among his acquaintances for having been on the most paid-for, match-making coffee sessions).

Who would hesitate to "be" this chart (a leaky "majors" Kite plus a "baby" trine)? He only complains about failing in the one area and yet Venus has 7 good aspects (including minors). Welcome to the 8th aspect (in fact the tightest orb to Venus) being the BiSeptile to Mars (among other well-known-to-me natives with a 7 series line betw these planets, none is unsingle, though all are busy trying).

Unfortunately, the linked files are not very bright so it is difficult to see the NovaZoid (Ven-Moon base of 160 degrees and a top of 80 degrees among Sun-Merc / Uran/Jup, tied up at both ends by a pair of 40's). Net references to the 9 series as conferring spiritual awareness etc are not much help when doing charts of people in the business world...but as for the other references (e.g., capacity for delight, joy), I rank this person in the top 5% or higher of the "always sincerely smiling/up" category (he even smiles while complaining and just doesn't know how to frown).

i think the close saturn/mars opposition in the last example - Mr Y explains his dilemma in relationships.. this opposition is close to exact with mars ruling the ascendant.. this set up can't fail to but come out in his relationships, in spite of the position of venus or some of the other highlights of his chart.

i suspect he is a workaholic who removes himself from any form of intimacy our of fear of the repercussions that would unfold given this saturn/mars opposition.. saturn retro in aries rising is going to be awkward but driven and ambitious as i see it.. combined with the opposition to mars in libra, i think it is easier to stay outside the sphere or intimate one on one relationships.. it is a tough chart in that regard as it is primarily western hemisphere with the exception of saturn and venus.. he is no doubt quite friendly and positive as you suggest..

i don't believe one needs to use minor aspects to explain his relationship dynamic but maybe that sheds more light on it.. probably all that fire in his chart keeps him smiling and encourages him to enjoy the independence and sense of freedom and individuality that can go with it as opposed to getting pulled into relationships!!!

the chart of mr x is an interesting study. thanks for sharing that as it is another example of someone involved in flying which we had been focused on in the mystery chart exercise very recently.. i can't say that i would be able to figure out he was a top gun type fighter pilot in any easy way, and perhaps the picture with mars/uranus involving the sun/ascendant describes this.. my thoughts on flight from a modern planet perspective is that uranus has something to do with aviation, so fighter pilot - mars/uranus would certainly point in this direction.. however it is a bit wide in terms of the orb and perhaps a time of 5 minutes later would make it a much better fit..

thanks for sharing..

Thanks James,

Yes, Mr. Y's Sat/Mars oppo is only 7 min loose (yikes), while the Ven-Mars BiSept is also well within a 1 degree orb. What may be these 2 aspects' relative weight in contributing to him not being in relationships is just what I like reviewing. I have data for another 50-ish year old native with the Sat/Mars oppo who refuses to "live in" w lovers and has never married (which I attributed to his Uran tightly square a New Moon). On the other hand, those known to me w a 7 series aspect betw Ven-Mars have been unable to settle down with a partner at least until much later in life, though not for lack of regular trying (over-trying or over-reacting are tentative labels developed for the 7 series after much observation and the sheer number of paid-for, matchmaking sessions in which he has participated seems to reflect this "over" tendency).

Re Mr. X, in reviewing the effect of these 5 series aspects focus was placed not on the "flying" nature of Uranus vis a vis his top gun career but, rather, on the required split-second hand/eye coordination. I'm coming to understand that underlying the net-literature references to 5 series aspects conferring a superior "ability to recognize patterns" and "technical ability" is the ability and motivation to slice and dice stimuli (and time) into tinier pieces than us average folk. So when Merc is involved in a 5 series aspect this talent is mental while when Mars is involved the talent is physical. Uranus being involved (again by 5 series) puts the talent on steroids. For example, I know of 2 quality funk, jazz style pro drummers that have Mars and the Sun involved in 5th series aspects with each other and/or Uranus and/or Merc (just like Mr. X).

Again, appreciate your interest James.

that is interesting about the idea of a superior ability to recognize patterns.. i wish i could say it works for me in astrology, lol.. i mostly think of hand eye coordination - the kind a tennis player might have, or any sports type i suppose - as a mercury/mars dynamic, but let me pull up federer's chart and see what he has going in this area right now.. nothing in particular as i can see.. have you ever spent any time looking at the 16th harmonic aspect - 22 degree 30 minutes? i was into that for a while and continue to examine charts in 360, 90 and 45 degree format - throwback from learning how to use the 90 degree dial - until i saw someone using the 45 degree dial (360 divided by 8 = 45.. by 16 - 22.30) which got me to examining that too..