I think oppositions to one's sun are difficult, especially with planets that are so easily believed to be "not me." For a lot of my life, it seemed that my interests--indeed, my rights--were opposed by older, powerful, even ruthless people. Then I figured out that I am all of those points in my chart. There is no horoscopic Saturn external to who I am.

I'm not understanding you here. If such people played those unpleasant roles in your life then didn't they objectively exist? Just as we are not all the people in our life, so the planets and points in our chart aren't merely about us. In your case those people would seem to be well indicated by the opposition. I see the planets as representing both the other people in our life and the other people that we are within. I very much like James Hillman's idea of being a boarding house of characters and not simply one well-defined person trying so hard to 'individuate'.

I have a fiercely difficult predominating square - Mars, Saturn and Pluto in Leo all square my Mercury in Scorpio, with Saturn also squaring Scorpio Ascendant, Jupiter and South Node for good measure.

I'll trade you my predominating square for your opposition.

Seriously, it has been brutally difficult to deal with this square. While I agree that in horary the opposition is definitely worse than the square, I don't see how we can measure which aspect is more difficult in a natal chart, as a general rule, but only in particular cases you might judge based on which planets are involved and that sort of thing.

Tara

Kirk, sure those people objectively existed. And I had objective evidence about their real life opposition to me. But did they exist as Saturnian or whatnot to themselves? Quite possibly not. I do know that once I began to own both halves of my oppositions I didn't encounter too many people like the disowned energies anymore.

Tara wrote: I don't see how we can measure which aspect is more difficult in a natal chart, as a general rule, but only in particular cases you might judge based on which planets are involved and that sort of thing.

Writes Valentin Nabod commenting Ptolemy:

"Now the stars predominating on the dispositors ALWAYS damage the soul, make it heavier and harsher, alter it, dissipate it, modify in some way. Even when they are of the same sect, the more they favor activities, the more they damage the soul. "

margherita

"Now the stars predominating on the dispositors ALWAYS damage the soul, make it heavier and harsher, alter it, dissipate it, modify in some way. Even when they are of the same sect, the more they favor activities, the more they damage the soul. "

Am I the only one who isn't understanding this? ? Now the stars predominating on the dispositors ALWAYS damage the soul . . .?. ?. . . the more they favor activities, the more they damage the soul?. I'm just not getting it.



Oh, by the way, I haven't a single opposition in my chart. Not even a planet conjunct an angle to activate the polarity. Even the few squares I have tend to be pretty wimpy. I'm loaded down with trines. Trines everywhere. Here a trine, there a trine, everywhere . . . I'm all about peace, love and harmony. I am.

Without any oppositions could I be somehow seriously deficient? I'll ask my mother.

I'll ask my mother.

Please post her response.

As I understand it in 2010 having a load of trines, particulary if they are granded together, is oft seen as a right old malevolent fate!

The optimal pattern seems to be a healthy mixture of colouful lines splayed, bucketed, locomotived......... about ones nativity.

Please post her response.

She always says questionably nice things, bless her heart. It would make for dull reading.

As I understand it in 2010 having a load of trines, particulary if they are granded together, is oft seen as a right old malevolent fate!

A very closely knit Grand Trine involving 5 of the 7 traditional planets. I was so excited about it as a budding teenage astrologer ? Grand Trines were very cool back then. I'm now middle-aged and rather bitter about the whole thing.

So I guess my peace, love and harmony approach would be seen these days as somewhat warped?





OH!!! I almost forgot! I have a singleton Mars beneath the horizon. It's even all by itself between the Moon's north and south nodes. That's better than any crummy old opposition. Hah!

Hello Kirk

Kirk wrote:[

Am I the only one who isn't understanding this? ? Now the stars predominating on the dispositors ALWAYS damage the soul . . .?. ?. . . the more they favor activities, the more they damage the soul?. I'm just not getting it.

Nabod says the predominating squares are in some way positive for material side of life, (which fact Ptolemy does not mention ) but always very negative for what now we would call the psychological side of the native.

For example a malefic predominant on an ill-placed almuten makes the soul inclined to dishonesty and evil,

margherita

Kirk wrote: A very closely knit Grand Trine involving 5 of the 7 traditional planets. I was so excited about it as a budding teenage astrologer ? Grand Trines were very cool back then. I'm now middle-aged and rather bitter about the whole thing.

So I guess my peace, love and harmony approach would be seen these days as rather warped?

In theory a sense of bitterness would go with numerous trines as without the requisite energies to develop ones latent gifts the native is disposed to, in time, resent their not being sufficiently acknowledged.

Thank you, Margherita. I have a growing suspicion that I may not have known what I was talking about concerning predominating squares. Don't tell Gabe.



Now, I suppose we need to get back to oppositions before Deb comes running out of the house shaking a broom at us.

In theory a sense of bitterness would go with numerous trines as without the requisite energies to develop ones latent gifts the native is disposed to, in time, resent their not being sufficiently acknowledged.

That doesn't sound at all fun. I should have traded my chart in for the newer model when I had the chance. There was no square or opposition to push me into action. [sigh]