Minor aspect

Definition

A minor aspect is an angular relationship between two planets that does not belong to the group of the five classical major aspects. It carries less interpretive weight than a major aspect and is usually worked with narrower orbs. Modern astrology incorporates the minor aspect as fine nuance inside the map: it adds subtle information about how two planets relate beyond the principal structural reading.

In context

The most widely used minor aspects are the semisextile (30 degrees), the semisquare (45 degrees), the quincunx (150 degrees), and the sesquisquare (135 degrees). Where Mercury and Saturn sit 150 degrees apart in a chart, they share a quincunx: a relationship asking for fine adjustment between two functions that do not sit easily together but still have to coordinate. Minor aspects rarely dominate a reading, yet they refine the nuances of the dialogue between two planets across the whole map.

To go deeper

Minor aspects sit inside the wider planetary-aspect system:

• Major aspect: the five structural angular relationships.
• Orb: the degree tolerance keeping an aspect active.
• Quincunx, semisextile, semisquare, sesquisquare: four minors.