Showing 24 of 300 matching terms.
Plain-language astrologyFree · no account
Look up astrology terms without getting lost in jargon.
Search the words you see in birth charts, transits, compatibility readings, and Moon tools. Every entry explains what the term means, why it matters, and how it appears in a real chart.
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Birth chart
Ascendant
Plain meaning
The zodiac degree rising on the eastern horizon at the moment and place of birth.
Why it matters
It anchors the house system and describes the chart’s first visible orientation.
Simple example: A Libra Ascendant begins the first house in Libra in a tropical chart.
Birth chart
Aspect
Plain meaning
A measured angular relationship between two chart points.
Why it matters
Aspects describe how two functions cooperate, intensify, or create adjustment pressure.
Simple example: A trine is near 120 degrees; a square is near 90 degrees.
Birth chart
Birth chart
Plain meaning
A map of calculated planetary positions for a specific birth time and place.
Why it matters
It organizes signs, houses, aspects, and angles into one reference system.
Simple example: The same date can produce different houses and Rising signs in different places or times.
Aspects
Conjunction
Plain meaning
An aspect where two points occupy nearly the same zodiac longitude.
Why it matters
Their meanings become closely joined and can be difficult to separate.
Simple example: Sun conjunct Mercury links identity and communication.
Signs
Element
Plain meaning
The Fire, Earth, Air, or Water family assigned to a zodiac sign.
Why it matters
Elements describe broad styles of action, stability, thought, and feeling.
Simple example: Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius are Fire signs.
Birth chart
House
Plain meaning
One of twelve chart sectors calculated from time, place, and a chosen house system.
Why it matters
Houses locate a planet’s symbolism in a life area.
Simple example: Venus in the tenth house links values and relationships with public or career themes.
Angles
Midheaven
Plain meaning
The chart angle connected with the upper meridian and public direction.
Why it matters
It is a major reference point for vocation, visibility, and public role.
Simple example: The Midheaven sign can differ from the tenth-house cusp in some house systems.
Signs
Modality
Plain meaning
The Cardinal, Fixed, or Mutable operating style assigned to each sign.
Why it matters
Modalities describe starting, sustaining, and adapting patterns.
Simple example: Aries is Cardinal, Taurus is Fixed, and Gemini is Mutable.
Timing
Moon phase
Plain meaning
The changing angle between the Sun and Moon as seen from Earth.
Why it matters
It provides a visible cycle of beginning, building, culmination, and release.
Simple example: A Full Moon occurs near a 180-degree Sun–Moon phase angle.
Aspects
Orb
Plain meaning
The allowed distance from an aspect’s exact angle.
Why it matters
Orb settings determine which aspects are included and how strong they are considered.
Simple example: A square at 92 degrees has a 2-degree orb from exact 90 degrees.
Timing
Retrograde
Plain meaning
The apparent backward motion of a planet against the zodiac from Earth’s viewpoint.
Why it matters
It marks a measurable change in apparent geocentric motion, not a planet physically reversing course.
Simple example: Mercury retrograde periods include station dates when apparent speed approaches zero.
Angles
Rising sign
Plain meaning
The zodiac sign that contains the calculated Ascendant degree.
Why it matters
It depends strongly on exact birth time and location.
Simple example: Without a reliable birth time, a Rising sign should not be presented as exact.
Timing
Solar return
Plain meaning
The moment the transiting Sun returns to its natal zodiac longitude.
Why it matters
It creates a yearly timing reference centered on the birthday season.
Simple example: The exact return can occur on the day before or after the calendar birthday.
Timing
Station
Plain meaning
A period when a planet’s apparent geocentric speed is near zero before changing direction.
Why it matters
Station dates define the start or end of a retrograde phase more precisely.
Simple example: Station retrograde begins the apparent backward-motion interval.
Patterns
Stellium
Plain meaning
A concentration of three or more supported chart bodies in one sign or house.
Why it matters
It concentrates attention and activity into one symbolic area.
Simple example: Sun, Mercury, and Venus in one sign may form a sign stellium.
Relationships
Synastry
Plain meaning
A comparison of two birth charts and the aspects or house contacts between them.
Why it matters
It shows where two chart systems support, activate, or challenge each other.
Simple example: One person’s Moon trine another person’s Venus is a synastry aspect.
Timing
Transit
Plain meaning
A current planetary position compared with the sky or a natal chart.
Why it matters
Transits provide date-specific timing evidence.
Simple example: Transiting Saturn square natal Sun is a timed natal contact.
Method
Tropical zodiac
Plain meaning
A zodiac framework anchored to the seasonal equinoxes and solstices.
Why it matters
It is the Western framework used by this site’s primary astrology tools.
Simple example: Zero Aries begins at the March equinox in the tropical zodiac.
Birth chart
Planet
Plain meaning
A chart body used to represent a symbolic function such as thinking, relating, acting, growing, or structuring.
Why it matters
The planet tells you what kind of function is being described before sign, house, and aspect add context.
Simple example: Mercury is read through communication and thought; Venus through relating and value.
Signs
Zodiac sign
Plain meaning
One of twelve 30-degree sections of the zodiac used to describe the style in which a chart body operates.
Why it matters
A sign modifies a planet; it does not describe an entire personality by itself.
Simple example: Mars in Taurus acts differently from Mars in Gemini even though both placements describe Mars.
Birth chart
Natal
Plain meaning
Related to the calculated chart for a person's birth date, time, and place.
Why it matters
It distinguishes birth-chart positions from current transiting positions.
Simple example: Natal Venus is Venus in the birth chart; transiting Venus is its current sky position.
Method
House system
Plain meaning
A mathematical method for dividing a chart into twelve houses.
Why it matters
Different house systems can place the same planet in different houses, especially near a cusp.
Simple example: Placidus, Whole Sign, and Equal House are three different house systems.
Aspects
Opposition
Plain meaning
An aspect near 180 degrees between two chart points.
Why it matters
Astrologers often read it as two functions that need awareness, balance, or integration across a polarity.
Simple example: Sun opposite Moon occurs near a Full Moon in a birth chart.
Aspects
Square
Plain meaning
An aspect near 90 degrees between two chart points.
Why it matters
It is commonly read as friction that creates pressure to act, adjust, or develop skill.
Simple example: Mars square Saturn can describe tension between immediate action and necessary restraint.
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Search plain definitions, examples, and practical notes for astrology terms. The result includes 300+ terms, search + filters, plain language.
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Result limits
This is educational reference material. Traditions use some terms differently, so the lesson states the convention used here.
Missing result
No match means the current lesson or glossary index does not contain that wording. Try a shorter term or clear the category filter.
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What you'll get
Essential terms
300
Definitions written for beginners
Each entry
3 parts
Meaning, why it matters, and an example
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Real tools
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Keep exploring
The calculation method, result limits, missing-data guidance, and error fixes are kept together in the “Before you start” section above.
HELP
Questions people ask before they start
Short answers about inputs, limits, and how to read the result.
Is this glossary for Western or Vedic astrology?
The current entries mainly support the site's Western tropical tools. Terms that change meaning by tradition should be labeled clearly.
What should I learn first?
Start with planet, sign, house, aspect, Ascendant, and transit. Those ideas unlock most of the site's chart language.
Does one term have one fixed meaning?
Not always. Context matters, so examples should be read as demonstrations rather than universal predictions.