Astrological Terms under Letter A

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Abhijit

- The asterism occupying 2700 40' to 2800 54' 13" of the zodiac. It is represented by three stars, which includes Vega, the brightest star of the northern hemisphere.Brahma presides over the star. It is important in Muhurtha (auspicious time ) determination.

Abhimani

- Abhimani means a planet in strength and moving towards its exaltation sign.

Abscission of Light

- Prevention of the culmination of an aspect by the intervention of another. Used in Horary Astrology.

ACD

- Adjusted Calculated Date - This is the local date of birth adjusted to GMT.

Acharya

- A spiritual teacher. One who instructs people in the Vedas. When affixed to proper names it means learned and venerable.

Achchadana

- Meaning cover, concealment. Special aspect of Jupiter and Venus. Kapil Nadi, a classical text on astrology suggested Jupiter to have 3rd and 11th aspects as Achchadana, while Venus gets it as its 5th aspect.

Achrematistikos

- From the Greek "chrematistikos", meaning profitable. In this case the "a" at the front causes it to mean the opposite. In other words: not a profitable place.

Accidental Dignity

- Planet dignified by favorable position, motion or aspect, but not in Essential Dignity.

Accidental Debility

- a planet weakened by house placement or by aspect to a malefic object.

Accidental Ascendant

- This Ascendant is determined according to the time and date of the questions, and the querent's natal horoscope is rotated according to this new or accidental Ascendant in order to make horary deductions from the natal chart.

Acquisition

- This is the 11th sign counting from the lot of fortune counting fortune itself as the 1st and going in a counterclockwise direction. Similar in nature to the 11th house.

Acronical place

- The position occupied by a planet when it is opposite the Sun.

Acronycal

- Of a planet rising before sunset, or the setting before sunrise, of a planet that is in opposition to the sun, hence in a favorable position for observation.

Active Influence

- The results of an aspect between two or more astrological factors or sensitive points producing an action that can materialize as an event.

Adana Lagna

- Also known as Nisheka Lagna. Ascendant at the moment of impregnation.

Adhi Yoga

- An auspicious planetary combination formed by benefices in the 6th, 7th and 8th houses from the Moon sign while Mercury is not combust and Jupiter does not form Sakata yoga . It makes an individual polite, trustworthy, affluent and capable of defeating his adversaries.

Adhomukha

- The sign occupied by the Sun in a natal chart.

Admetos

- Sixth symbolic planet used in Uranian astrology.

Adjusted calculation date

- The day on which the planetary position shown in an Ephemeris coincides with the progressed positions of the planets. The adjusted calculation date (also called the artificial birthday) remains the same from year to year.

Advantage, Line of

- An imaginary axis that connects the third decan of the third and ninth houses. The Moon's North Node east of this axis is thought to be in a favorable or advantageous position.

Affinity

- A mutual attraction or innate congeniality between planets.

Affliction

- A term from traditional astrology used to describe adverse aspects, especially those formed by malefics.

Aftershock

- A "retriggering" of an old aspect or planetary storm by the passage of faster moving planets across sensitive degrees. This releases the original energies in a series of smaller steps. This series of contacts allows you to bring important lessons home at a very personal level, spaced out over a long period of time.

Age, astrological

- A period of about 2,150 years, or one-twelfth of the Great Year of approximately 25,800 years. It represents the time required for the vernal equinox to retrograde through the thirty-degree arc of one constellation. According to many astrologers, the Earth is now moving from the Piscean Age into the Aquarian Age.

Air

- One of the 4 classical elements, representing the traits of rational thinking, communication and relating to others. The air signs are Gemini, Libra, Aquarius.

Air Element

- One of the four astrological elements. A masculine element, it stands for intellect, media, matters to do with communications and so on. The other elements are, Fire, Water and Earth.

Air signs

- Gemini, Libra and Aquarius, traditionally associated with the air element .

Akashic records

- Akashic is a Sanskrit term referring to the etheric substratum of the universe. A permanent record of every event, sound, sight, or thought that has occurred during the history of creation is stamped upon this electro-spiritual substance.

Alcocoden

- Alchochoden, "the giver of the years", meaning the planet which in the natal chart reveals the number of years that the person is going to live.

Aldebaran

- A malefic Fixed Star in the 10th degree of Gemini. One of the four Royal Stars.

Alfridaria

- Derived from the mixed Arabic and Persian "al firdar", the alfridaria, or alfridaries, are a system of planetary periods of Persian origin. Originally intended for the long term forecasting of historical events, they can also be used in predicting for individual charts.

Algol

- Caput Algol, a malefic fixed star in the 27th degree of Taurus.

Almuten

- A planet which, because of its placing, dignities, fortitudes and aspects, comes to have more importance than the ruler, be it of the whole chart or of any particular house of the chart.

Almuten of any house

- is that planet who has most dignities in the sign ascending or descending upon the cusp of any house, whereon, or from whence, you require your judgment.

Almuten of a figure

- is that planet who in Essential and Accidental dignities, is most powerful in the whole Scheam of Heaven.

Alpheta

- Giver of Life. The alphetical places corresponds with the places of Hyleg.

Anabibazon

- Dragon's Head (north lunar node).

Anangke

- One of the three fates referred to by hellenistic philosophers, meaning agnoia, or unwit. Also known as ignorance. Thought to be associated with Saturn.

Anareta

- A planet severely afflicting the Hyleg at birth and by direction. Usually a malefic, but any planet can be the Anareta. It is believed to portend the cause of death.

Anaretic Degree

- The 29th degree of any Sign. It is also known as the degree of fate.

Anaretic place

- the final degree (between 29° and 30°) of any sign, also called the degree of fate. Planets and house cusps that occupy anaretic degrees indicate fundamental issues with which one must deal.

Anaxagoras

- Greek 500-428 B.C., studied in Egypt and thought the Sun went under a flat Earth each night.

Angles

-The Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven and Medium Coeli; the four cardinal points in a horoscope.

Angular

- Pertaining to the Angles. Angular houses are generally the strongest and angular planets must be especially noted.

Angular houses

-The first, fourth, seventh and tenth houses. In a quadrant system, the angles form the cusps of these houses. They are also referred to as cardinal houses because they are ruled naturally by cardinal signs and express cardinal qualities.

Animal signs

- Refers to the animal signs which are: Aries, Taurus, Leo, the second half of Sagittarius and all of Capricorn.

Animoder of Tetrabiblos

- A method of birth time rectification, now obsolete, presented by Ptolemy. Sometimes refered to as the Sunrise Indicator.

Antipathy

- Inharmonious relations between planets, which rule or are exalted in opposite signs. Also, conflict between the natal horoscope of two people corresponding with the aversion they feel for each other.

Antiscia

- From the Greek, literally shadows on the other side, opposite shadows; mirror or reflection points. A degree and its antiscion are equidistant from a particular reference point such as the MC-IC or summer-winter solstice axis. The use of antiscia is common to Uranian Astrology.

Antiscion

- the shadow of a planet.

Aphelion

- The point in a planet's orbit that is most distant from the Sun.

Aphesis

- The greek word for releasing, as in the releasing of a debt. Often used in connection with time lords governing periods of an individuals life.

Aphetic places(alphetical places)

-Those parts of a horoscope from 5° above the Ascendant to 25° below, from 5° below the Descendant to 25° above, and from 5° preceeding the ninth house cusp to the middle of the eleventh house. Benefics that occupy these areas are said to be life supportive. Also called hylegiacal places.

Aphrodite

- One of the greek gods, has references to the planet Venus.

Apogee

- The point in a planet's orbit that is most distant from Earth.

Apotelesma

- The greek word for astrological influence literally meaning "outcomes".

Application

- The approach of one planet to another planet to the exact degree to form an aspect or the approach of a planet to the cusp of a house.

Applying aspect

- One in which the significator is moving toward partile as opposed to a separating aspect in which the significator is moving away from partile.

Approaching aspect

- An aspect in which the significator is moving toward the promittor in natural order of the zodiac . An approaching aspect is thought to have an outward, socially-oriented significance as opposed to a departing aspect.

Aquarian Age

-The Great Year that begins around the turn of the twenty-first century and lasts for two thousand years. Universal developments of an Aquarian nature are expected to take place during this era.

Arabian Parts

- Developed during the Middle Ages in Arabia, each part derived from three points in a horoscope, indicates a sensitive point that relates the three factors involved. There are hundreds of Arabic Parts. The most popular one is the Part of Fortune.

Arc

-In astrology, the curved path of a stellar body and the angular measurement of this path.

Aries

- One of the greek gods, has references to the planet Mars.

Articulate signs

- Signs that symbolize speaking facility, namely Gemini, Virgo, Libra, Sagittarius and Aquarius.

Ascendant

-The degree of the zodiac rising over the eastern horizon of the birthplace at the moment of birth. This degree forms the first house cusp of a horoscope and is of great personal significance in the character and life of the individual.

Ascending node

-The zodiacal point at which a planet crosses the ecliptic from south to north. Also called the north node.

Ascending planet

- Any planet in the eastern section of a horoscope is ascending, i.e., moving toward the Midheaven. The term is usually reserved for those planets in the fourth quadrant.

Ascension (long and short)

- Due to the obliquity of the ecliptic, some signs rise over the horizon faster than others. Signs of long ascension require more time to rise than signs of short ascension. In the northern hemisphere, the signs of long ascension are Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius. South of the equator, these are signs of short ascension.

Ascensional times

- Similar to progressions, refers to the number of degrees that pass over the meridian in the time that a given zodiac sign rises. Used in connection with forcasting events, also known as circumambulation, or primary direction.

Aspect

-The angular relationship between two planets or a planet and an angle. Zodiacal aspects are based upon zodiacal longitude; parallels and counter parallels are based on declination, the position of points of interest relative to the celestial equator. Zodiacal aspects are also called harmonics.

Aspect pattern

- Particular combinations of aspects that form special planetary configurations.

Asterism

- Smaller constellation.

Asteroids

- Small planets or pieces of planets, most of which are found in the Asteroid Belt, that part of space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Astral Traveling

- This roaming of the spiritual self while the physical body remains inert; involves the body's chakras.

Astral twins

- Two persons who may be unrelated and born at different times and in different places whose horoscopes are very nearly alike. This term is sometimes applied to persons whose Sun, Moon and Ascendant coincide zodiacally even though other planets occupy different positions in the two horoscope.

Astroanalyst

-The astrological equivalent of a psychoanalyst.

Astrolabe

- An ancient instrument employed for measuring the angular position of Sun and stars, used also to project the celestial sphere on the plane of the equator.

Astrologer

- One who practices astrology.

Astrologian

- One who teaches astrology.

Astrologist

- Non-professional who believes in or studies but does not necessarily practice astrology.

Astrology

- The science of relationships as measured by correlations between the movements of celestial bodies and circumstances and events on earth. The art of interpreting the meanings of these relationships. Some branches of astrology are : electional, esoteric, horary, medical, meteorological, and mundane.

Athazer

- A term applied by the ancients to the Moon when it forms an exact conjunction, semi-square, square, quincunx or opposition with the Sun or is separated from the sun by 12° or 160°.

Aura

- A subtle quality or atmosphere emanating form a living being, object, or place.

Avatar Point

- A nickname for the 15th degree of the signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Many astrologers consider these 4 points to be "entry points" for important spiritual energies.

Average daily moon

- The average motion of a planet during a 24 hour period. Traveling slower than average is a debility. The following list gives the Average Daily Motion of the seven visible planets from a geocentric point of view:

Average Daily Motion

- The average motion of a planet over a 24 hour period. Travelling slower than average is held to be a debility.

Aversion

- A lack of acknowledgement between zodiac signs based on aspects of 30 and 150 degrees.This aspect was considered very unfortunate by the ancients, but is not held to be unduly evil by modern Western astrologers.

Ayanamsa

- The difference between the starting point of the Tropical and Sidereal Zodiacs, due to the precession of the equinoxes. There are several in use in India today, but the official government-sanctioned Lahiri ayanamsha is the most widely used.

Azimene

- Deficient or "Weak" degrees which are traditionally held to cause tendency to lameness, deformity, or other disability such as blindness.

Related Links


• Vedic Astrology glossary starting with letter A