I have what may be an egregiously dumb question to ask my esteemed colleagues, and am hopeful that you will help to better inform me:

Let's use the example of an applying square between the Sun and Saturn, as is currently happening in the sky. The square is a difficult or negative answer. However, before the Sun can perfect this aspect to Saturn, it first meets Mercury and Venus, which I assume would be a prohibition of sorts, correct?

Now, how does this prohibition or refranation (what is it called in a case like this?) mitigate the answer the square would have given had there been no planets blocking the perfection? Does Mercury being 'neutral' and Venus being a benefic alter the answer to potentially more positive? And do we count for the *mobility* of the planets (e.g. real time) or is the chart 'fixed'? What I mean is, Mercury comes back to meet the Sun before the square perfects, that is clear enough, but what does one make of the Venus, which at say 18 degrees Scorpio has already *passed* the Sun, but lies, degree-wise, between the Sun at 15 deg. and Saturn at 24 degrees?

The reason I'm asking is, that I've seen lots of charts where the refranation/prohibition creates a 'blocked' or 'negative' answer, but what if the prohibition 'blocks' an already negative answer?

Does this make sense? Help?

Further, as I've read that impedition by a planet to a perfecting aspect *does* mitigate, according to the nature of the planet, what if the impediting planet is Mercury, which is neither positive nor negative, traditionally? And would this mitigate a hard angle in a chart at all?

Sorry for the barrage of questions!

Hi archergirl,

It depends what those other planets represent.

Venus in Scorpio is pretty nasty, I wouldn't call her a benefic at all!! She is debilitated in Scorpio so unless she's a significator I'd see her as a malefic, prohibiting an outcome.

I've done a couple of charts recently with Mars/Venus as Lord 1/7 (relationship questions), and they seem pretty negative as the Sun and Mercury are blocking any aspect or translation of light between the two.

Referring to the specific example you give of the square from the Sun to Saturn, I would not take this aspect to show a "yes", given the essential weakness of both planets. I think the prohibition by Mercury just compounds the "NO!" answer

Hope this helps

Hi Keren,

Thank goodness someone pitched in! The chart concerned a potential reconciliation between two people who are currently not on speaking terms. L1 (Sun) asked about L7 (his ex); Moon in H11 applies favourably to L7 but L1 applies by square to L7. Mercury Rx represents L3, retrograding back to conjunct L1; Venus rules H5, so I was wondering whether these 'impeditions' were actually factors that would mitigate the 'negative' applying square, especially since the querent is open to speaking to his ex, even though they haven't spoken for some time now. Perhaps he'll change his mind...