Cusps...

[astrologer50]

Well I've always been somewhat mixed on my views surrounding cusps. I definitely believe that the flow of the signs is fluid; there are no stark chops in their transitions. I was born on March 26, the Week of the Child, but I have read here and there that I am still 'included' in the Pisces/Aries cusp. I got curious and read some articles regarding the cusp, and have to say that to an extent the descriptions of a person who has trouble balancing artistic sensitivity with brash forwardness ( and a touch of immaturity ..) is somewhat accurate. While I don't "feel" Piscean descriptions the way I do Aries ones, I still can't let go of the fact that I'm not a 'typical' Arian, especially in comparison to April Aries, whom I feel are a stronger representation of the archaetypical Aries. Bottom line is that while I value the cusps and their support of sign transition as fluid, I have to say that the zone of a cusp is probably very narrow (in opposition to astrologers who give it a few days or even a week!), and probably about a day or two's worth from sign to sign.

Simply put, there is NO such thing in astrology as 'cusp' if you are talking about the sun signs and when they change. If you look up the word cusp in a dictionary it will say Apex, point and the sun signs change at a 'specific point' in time. Not always the same each year either. That is why your 'time' of birth is to very important.

Problem is lots of people don't know there time of birth, if born in UK in Scotland or a twin your time is put on your birth certificate and when computers became commonplace, most hospitals or GP surgeries should have your time of birth.

There is far far more to Astrology that just Sun signs.
Basic astrology
Now basically your sun sign is your 'core beliefs, values, ego' and Asc is your physical body, mode of expression and mask and persona that we all wear and hide behind, but definitely not what's going on underneath. What's going on underneath is your Sun sign. Moon sign, house placements and aspects describe your emotional and intuitive responses, also describes your view of your mother, as saturn describes your father by sign and house position.

So, think of a glass milk bottle the bottle is your Asc and your sun the milk, but the milk still has to 'come out' through the glass neck of the milk bottle....

Now aspects within a natal chart represent 'facets' of our personality, because we are all multifaceted beings. What these do is 'break down and compartmentalise' these facets into smaller bite size chunks. This does take quite a lot of self analysis and objectivity to 'see yourself' and why you do certain things and behave in certain ways. Actually it can be quite good therapy...

[Aegeus]

I digress, there is a transitional phase going from one aspect to the next. Like it's not bright and sunny all day and then like someone hit a light switch it's star light sky. It's like it gets brighter progressively and whence it is at it's peak, it begins to wane, when the sky is brightest is when it begins to darken. You've become to accustomed to light switches and clocks if you think it just shifts from one to the other with no in between. Return to natural time and your understanding will deepen, clocks and the gregorian calendars are completely arbitrary so following them gives false impressions and creates an illusion of separation from nature causes one to forget how natural time works.

[astrologer50]

I digress, there is a transitional phase going from one aspect to the next. Like it's not bright and sunny all day and then like someone hit a light switch it's star light sky. It's like it gets brighter progressively and whence it is at it's peak, it begins to wane, when the sky is brightest is when it begins to darken. You've become to accustomed to light switches and clocks if you think it just shifts from one to the other with no in between. Return to natural time and your understanding will deepen, clocks and the gregorian calendars are completely arbitrary so following them gives false impressions and creates an illusion of separation from nature causes one to forget how natural time works.

IF you are talking about just sun sign astrology, it's like saying when is a sun sign not a true sun sign.... when it's early or late, cos there is every chance of having a planet ie: venus or mercury in the sign before or after..

[Aegeus]

With any aspect in astrology it's the position of one cosmic body in relation to another from the perspective of an earth location. For there to be a time when the aspect is exact, like the moon being directly between earth and a star formation there also must be the time prior to and preceding the exact alignment where the point of reference(for a moon sign the moon, for a sun sign the sun) is directly lined up somewhere between one aspect and the another. The time in between is transitional and is the waning of one aspect giving way to waxing of another. When an alignment is exact is when the energy of it is most direct but there is a ripple effect before and after the alignment, and a transitory phase where one aspect recedes well another becomes  more prominent till it peaks and it too begins to recede as another rises.

[astrologer50]

perhaps you are confusibg astromony with astrology and talking very flowery.This thread is discussing house cusps and sun signs changing at certain points in 'time'

You seem to be discussing 'aspects' which are the mathematical degrees which one planet makes to another or to the Asc/Desc or MC/IC. Yes there are approaching aspects and departing aspects in these by way of assessment

[Aegeus]

In antiquity astronomy and astrology were one and the same and it was a lot more accurate too. It seems some rift some schism has compromised the art and split it into an art and a science. Astronomers think  astrology is some archaic mythology left over from a time when people worshiped gods, and astrologers think astronomy is far to much math to bother with, but one is merely a counterpart to another and both are needed for it to be whole.

I'll explain using sun signs then. There are twelve zodiac signs, that are commonly accepted. These are star formations that have mythology a story and an energy that they embody. Each star formation takes up a certain amount of space in the sky. When the sun falls between earth and a particular sign, then the sun is in that sign. You know how when your traveling there's not like a boarder that cleanly divides one region from the next, it's not like you go through a lush environment and then when you come into the next one suddenly there's a cut off the it's arid desert. It's more gradual, like there is an overlap. It's the same for the sun traveling through signs.

With houses the zodiac is divided into 12 houses each ruling a different energy. A planet in orbit will fall at some degree to any one of the houses. When it is exact is when it is in the center of a house, any where else it is in degrees negative or positive to the house position, and when it is not exact, that is in between then it has less influence. When it is most exact it when it has most influence. So looking at a chart, and an aspect being one thing in position to another from a point of reference, which includes planets in houses and the sun in signs, the aspects that are most exact bear the most relevance.

[astrologer50]

Again, why do you insist on going 'off topic' this thread is for 'house cusps'

Again you want to discuss approaching/departing mathematical aspects or atronomy??

you said,
"With houses the zodiac is divided into 12 houses each ruling a different energy. A planet in orbit will fall at some degree to any one of the houses. When it is exact is when it is in the center of a house, any where else it is in degrees negative or positive to the house position, and when it is not exact, that is in between then it has less influence. When it is most exact it when it has most influence. So looking at a chart, and an aspect being one thing in position to another from a point of reference, which includes planets in houses and the sun in signs, the aspects that are most exact bear the most relevance."

and the point being?? There are ALL sorts of astrologers too, you sound like a Traditional Astrologer that doesn't even consider the outer planets as being relevent.

Well I'm a modern astrologer that Teaches, Lectures & uses Equal house system

There are about 8-10 popular house systems too, the other mostly widely used, only cos it's the default on astro dot com, is Placidus, which uses unequal size houses

Just to go off topic cos it seems everyone wants to
Solar Arcs
Solar arcs are really simple, especially for beginners, just move the Angles, Asc, Desc, MC, IC 1' for each year of your life onto planets and vice versa. Not just used for rectification either. Under age 12 though these interpretations are directed towards family changes, maybe relocation, job changes, illnesses, additions to family etc.

Rectification of birth time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW0G2S2Ti4I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYMX9X2C1BQ&NR=1
• Transiting Pluto square, conj opp Asc, Desc, MC, IC
• If under 12’ when it conj an Angle then their age was under age 12 it’s parents adjustments. A death, change within father’s work, a separation, remarriage.
• Adults or teens, 1st job, identity transformation MC.
• Pluto conj Desc = death, health concerns, geographic, significant relationship or break up, but has to be ‘life transforming’
• Also try transiting Neptune, something dissolving, disappearing, confusing etc.
• Timings of transits… is it the 1st hit? More often it’s the middle retrograde hit… but could be the last direct hit also. 1’ =4minutes in time.

http://www.frankstar.com/solararc.htm
http://thezodiac.com/arcs.htm
http://www.donmc.com/Comparing%20Transi ... s%20II.htm
http://en.mimi.hu/astrology/solar_arc_directions.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_progression