Astrology has a language all its own, and depending on your genre of Astrology, each component, whether it be a planet, a house, or a sign, has pretty specific keywords associated with it. Even the aspects themselves are divided into easy or hard and have ease of flow or varying degrees of tension.

So as an astrologer the first stage of your development requires you to learn that language, and it can take time. The meanings of each component have to make their way from one part of your brain to the next so they become muscle memory. Much like multiplication tables in elementary school, they become intuitive, knee-jerk responses. Hopefully the transition is more enjoyable than rattling off multiplication tables.

Once the meanings are fixed, it becomes so much easier to navigate the complex art of blending two or more together in a meaningful way. It’s one thing to understand how Venus in Virgo in the 9th house (travel planner), is very different from Venus in Aries in the 10th (controlling boss, (but she’s so nice!)). The next hurdle is to place that Venus in Virgo in the 9th house in aspect to, let’s say Saturn in Pisces in the 8th.

Let’s say ol’ Saturn in Pisces, is struggling trying to figure out what’s not working. Saturn is uncomfortable in the mutable Water sign, not quite ready to go with the flow that Pisces demands. The 8th is not just taxes and super responsibility though, it is a house of deep intimacy, the dissolution of ego and the becoming one with another is also a very big part of the 8th house. These themes tie in well with Pisces, dissolution of boundaries. Saturn has great survival skills and convinced of the journey will follow through.

Now what is the aspect? Well with one in the 8th and the other in the 9th we’ll go with the obvious, the sextile. A sextile is two planets 60° apart, but once you take in a possible orb of 7° or even 10°, there’s some wiggle room, and a sextile in two adjoining houses is not rare. The sextile brings understanding and awareness of the needs of each planets.

The 8th house themes of deep intimacy and transformation do combine well with the 9th house embracer of all things new, and a willingness to change. Virgo and Pisces find common ground, both mutable and fluid in their own ways also embracing newness. Venus finds joy and Saturn brings the determination to stay the course, to not give up.