REFERENCE
ASTROLOGY GLOSSARY
Plain definitions for the terms Electional uses in its scoring, reports, and API. Hellenistic, traditional, and modern usage.
Core Concepts
Electional Astrology
Electional astrology is the practice of choosing the most favorable moment to start an action based on the current sky and the actor's birth chart.
See: Solar Return, Annual Profection, Horary Astrology, Lord of the Year
Transit
A transit is the position of a planet in the sky at any given moment, evaluated against a natal chart's points and angles.
Moon Void of Course
The Moon is void of course when it makes no further applying Ptolemaic aspect to another planet before leaving its current sign.
See: Aspect, Applying Aspect
Benefic
Benefic is the traditional classification for planets whose default influence is favorable: Jupiter (greater benefic) and Venus (lesser benefic).
See: Malefic, Angular Planet
Malefic
Malefic is the traditional classification for planets whose default influence is challenging: Mars (lesser malefic) and Saturn (greater malefic).
See: Benefic, Angular Planet
Techniques
Solar Return
A solar return is an astrological chart cast for the exact moment the Sun returns to its natal ecliptic longitude — once per year, usually within ±24 hours of the birthday.
See: Solar Return Location Election, Annual Profection, Angular Planet, Ascendant (ASC)
Solar Return Location Election
A solar return location election picks the geographic location that produces the most favorable solar return chart for a given intent.
See: Solar Return, Angular Planet, Lord of the Year, Benefic, Malefic
Annual Profection
Annual profection is a Hellenistic time-lord technique that advances the natal Ascendant by one whole sign per year of life, activating one house and one ruling planet per year.
See: Lord of the Year, Solar Return, Hellenistic Astrology, Houses (Astrological)
Lord of the Year
The lord of the year is the planetary ruler of the sign activated by annual profection — the year's protagonist planet.
See: Annual Profection, Solar Return, Angular Planet, Essential Dignity
Chart Features
Angular Planet
An angular planet sits within roughly 5° of one of the four chart angles: Ascendant (1st cusp), MC (10th cusp), Descendant (7th cusp), or IC (4th cusp).
See: Ascendant (ASC), Midheaven (MC), Descendant (DSC), Imum Coeli (IC), Houses (Astrological)
Ascendant (ASC)
The Ascendant is the ecliptic degree rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth, and the cusp of the 1st house.
See: Midheaven (MC), Descendant (DSC), Imum Coeli (IC), Houses (Astrological)
Midheaven (MC)
The Midheaven is the ecliptic degree culminating at the meridian at the moment of birth, and the cusp of the 10th house.
Descendant (DSC)
The Descendant is the ecliptic degree setting on the western horizon, opposite the Ascendant, and the cusp of the 7th house.
Imum Coeli (IC)
The Imum Coeli is the ecliptic degree at the lowest point of the chart, opposite the Midheaven, and the cusp of the 4th house.
Retrograde
A planet is retrograde when it appears to move backward through the zodiac from Earth's perspective.
See: Transit
Part of Fortune (Lot of Fortune)
The Part of Fortune is a calculated point: Ascendant + Moon − Sun for day births (reverse for night), representing material wellbeing, body, and fortune.
See: Ascendant (ASC)
Houses
Houses (Astrological)
The 12 houses are wedges of the local sky divided by the chart's angles (ASC, IC, DSC, MC), each governing a different domain of life.
Whole Sign Houses
Whole Sign is the oldest known house system: each entire zodiac sign forms one house, with the sign containing the Ascendant becoming the 1st house in its entirety.
See: Houses (Astrological), Ascendant (ASC), Hellenistic Astrology
Aspects
Aspect
An aspect is a specific angular relationship between two planets in the zodiac (e.g., 0° conjunction, 60° sextile, 90° square, 120° trine, 180° opposition).
Conjunction
A conjunction is an aspect where two planets occupy the same degree (0° separation, within orb), blending their energies.
See: Aspect, Angular Planet
Square (Aspect)
A square is a 90° aspect between two planets, traditionally associated with tension, friction, and forced action.
See: Aspect, Trine (Aspect), Transit
Trine (Aspect)
A trine is a 120° aspect, traditionally the most harmonious, indicating ease, flow, and natural support between two planets.
See: Aspect, Conjunction
Applying Aspect
An applying aspect is one that's becoming exact — the faster planet is moving toward perfecting the aspect with the slower planet.
See: Aspect, Separating Aspect, Transit
Separating Aspect
A separating aspect is past exact — the faster planet has perfected the aspect and is now moving away from the slower planet.
See: Aspect, Applying Aspect, Transit
Dignities
Combust
A planet is combust when it sits within roughly 8° of the Sun (with cazimi being the tighter ±17′ favorable subset).
See: Essential Dignity
Essential Dignity
Essential dignity describes a planet's intrinsic strength based on its zodiacal position — domicile, exaltation, triplicity, term, face — vs detriment and fall.
People
Mary Fortier Shea
Mary Fortier Shea is the author of Planets in Solar Returns, the modern Anglo standard reference on solar return interpretation.
See: Solar Return, Solar Return Location Election, Ciro Discepolo
Ciro Discepolo
Ciro Discepolo is an Italian astrologer and the author of Transits and Solar Returns, originator of the Active Astrology / Aimed Solar Returns methodology.
See: Solar Return, Mary Fortier Shea, Transit
Alexandre Volguine
Alexandre Volguine (1903-1976) was a Russian-French astrologer whose 1937 work on solar returns established the modern relocated-SR practice.
See: Solar Return, Solar Return Location Election, Mary Fortier Shea
Chris Brennan
Chris Brennan is a contemporary American astrologer, author of Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune, and host of The Astrology Podcast.
See: Hellenistic Astrology, Annual Profection, Lord of the Year
Traditions
Horary Astrology
Horary astrology answers a specific question by casting a chart for the moment the question is asked, not for the querent's birth.
See: Electional Astrology, Hellenistic Astrology, Houses (Astrological)
Hellenistic Astrology
Hellenistic astrology is the foundational Greco-Roman tradition (c. 100 BCE - 600 CE) that developed natal, horary, electional, and mundane techniques still used today.
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