The minor aspect of the semi-sextile is the aspect of 30 degrees, one sign to the next. It is considered a small positive, a benefit, if not a big one. On the boards today someone asked about what sign “beat” another one. Elsa gave the answer I was clicking over to give, which is no surprise as she’s the one who told ME: the sign ahead. I prefer to think of it not in terms of beat/win/lose but more in terms of completion on the continuum. I like the card term “trump”. The signs that border each other relate, but the sign ahead incorporates the quality that completes action left open in the sign before. It completes it, covers it, puts in to rest in favor of its own open question (answered by the next sign).
Using this reasoning, if you look at planets in subsequent signs semisextiling each other (say that six times swiftly) it would make sense that in that energy exchange the planet in the sign ahead would have an evolutionary advantage. It’s a minor boon, but nothing to sniff at!
Another interesting way to observe this energy is in synastry. If we’re talking about Sun signs, general ego compatibility, 30 degrees apart gives one yin and one yang energy, an archetypal couples’ signature. This is the polarity in magnetic attraction though less challenging than the square. That’s why I’d say “trumps” rather than beats. I don’t see how there’s a loser here.
Do you have any semi-sextiles in your chart?
I’ve got Venus Virgo, semi-sextile Uranus in Libra. Exact.
I think it’s the only one.
oh wait- mercury in leo, semisextile pluto virgo. within 1 degree. Forgot about that one.
….and yes to the synastry attraction. wooooh-boy.:)
Thanks for this, Satori! 🙂
Sometime last year I decided to start using quincunxes and semisextiles in addition to the classical aspects, because it makes sense to me that if two planets share the same(ish) degree of the zodiac then there must be some sort of relationship between them, right? But I’ve been having a dickens of a time trying to wrap my brain around the semisextile!
This treatment just exploded my understanding in a very good way. 😀
In my natal, I have semisextiles between the outer planets (Pluto at 14 Libra, Uranus @ 12 Scorp, and Neptune @ 15 Sag) and between Jupiter in Cancer to my Leo sun. I just now noticed that, by using the semisextile, I have Uranus energy mixed into my Mars-Venus-Pluto conjunction, too. Which means all outer planets hit my Mars-Venus as well as my angles… *facepalm*
Dang! I can’t get away! *lol*
In my longest relationship and still most significant as of yet, my Mars-Venus-Pluto conjunction in Libra (which we now see is also slightly Uranian-flavored) was semisextile his Mars-Uranus-Venus conjunction in Scorpio — which was semisextile his Pluto in Libra! Ay-ay-ay… *grins*
Yep – 3 of them.
Capricorn Moon/Aquarius Venus, Leo Pluto/Virgo Jupiter and Aquarius MC/Pisces Sun.
Feh. Forgot to close my tag. 🙁 Mea culpa!
Yes I have one (or is that two). Venus Scorpio semi-sextile Sun/Merc in Sag. it’s a good thing too – it adds a bit of levity to Venus which has a rough go in my chart, with conj Neptune and sq Saturn
Yes, and they are very sharp, so I rarely use them. I do think people sense it.
My Sun gets 2 exact semi-sexitles at 26. One from my Moon in Pisces and the other from my Black Lilith in Capricorn (which I believe is also called Dark Moon).
I find it interesting that both my Moons touch my Sun but I don’t know/understand much about it yet. I wonder if it’s to learn to balance my ego and my emotions…. Maybe.
But then what about the Pisces/Aries set? Aries is “after” Pisces on the wheel, but isn’t Pisces the ultimate sign evolution-wise on the wheel? So then which sign “beats” which sign?
it’s a wheel that just goes round and round. there is no ultimate end. after winter comes spring again.
Off to try and think through the fog to how my Neptune in sag may relate with it’s sextile to my jup in cap 🙂
Maybe it explains on a deeper level how Saturn had been working on my Pisces sun?
I ment semisextile lol yeah Neptune also rules my chart ruler merc oops
Great post Satori, thanks for the explanation. You make astrology very accessible your posts teach me a lot.
I have two. Libra Mars to Scorp Merc and Sag Neptune to Cap Jupiter. But, my sun and Ox’s sun are also semi-sextile. I’m the trump..la la la la.
Satori, You always talk about stuff I want to know but haven’t gotten around to yet. Great post!
Thank you Satori,
I don’t know too much about the semi sextile but I know I have one and it has bothered me for a while that I did not know what it meant. I have Mars in Leo on my ascendent and it is SemiSextile Pluto in Virgo in the second house, conjunct my north node (Pluto). A lot of lessons about taking on my leadership responsibilities instead of being a shrinking violet.
It is good to know it is a positive thing.
Kathryn
Cancer Saturn/Leo Venus, within minutes of each other.
Great post Satori!
My sun in Virgo exactly semisextiles my moon in Leo. Only other contact my sun makes is a wide square to Uranus. I milk that Sun-Moon contact for all it’s worth 🙂
Also I have Pluto exact semi-sextile to my Scorpio ascendant.
These two pieces of my chart are often overlooked but in many ways they are my saving grace and help me through the day.
@Satori, thanks for shining light on this. If you would also be able to do a discussion on the semisquare or the quincunx, that would be great. I’d love to learn more about how the other minor aspects factor into the person’s natal personality.
Sheesh, my chart is so busy… adding a semi-sextile to the mix??
Sun-Jupiter
Venus-Sun
Uranus-Neptune
Venus-Mercury
Neptune-Moon??
Dear lord, please don’t tell me I actually have Neptune-Moon?!
Semi-sextiles are a big help when you’ve got a square, it kind of connects the energy making it into a little traingle. Huber stuff I guess. But it makes some sense to me. It helps mediate between the two planets that are squared, if the energy is applied correctly of course.
As an example I have Sun square Pluto, with Neptune Semisextile SUN and SEXTILE Pluto. Neptune energy, though makes me sick at times, has been a blessing in disguise. Often an illness will soften the crushing demandingness of sun in hard aspect to pluto, or exacerbate it to the point that it brings me to the transformative (positive) potential of this aspect.. The intense fear brought up by this aspect can also be alleviated with drugs to put it quite plainly. I’m very ill now, and I’m not gonna lie, I do see the advantage of people feeling bad for you. Helps them waive whatever stupid thing you’ve done now. I think in terms of the other with my sun in the 7th house. *shrug*
Libra is manipulative at it’s core.
I have a couple pairs of these. Sun/Saturn in Gemini with Mars/Venus in Cancer, and Moon/Neptune in Sagittarius with Jupiter in Capricorn.
This got me to thinking, so I took it to the boards
https://elsaelsa.com/forum/
I think I have five semi-sextiles all in a row. It looks like a train with all the carriages hooked up to the next one, or elephants trunks holding the tail of the one in front. Here goes…
Nep 16 SC – Sun 13 Sag – PoF 16 Cap -Sat 18 Aqu –
Ch 10 Pi- Ju 9 Ar.
Ok so I stretched the orbs beyond belief. It is more like a planet in each sign fron Scorp to Aries, it does look like a train or a row.
Interesting conception… in my chart, i have 4 princiapal semi-sextiles betwen planets
One Sun semi-sextile Pluto orb +0°17′ where Pluto is above, but it still says sun ss pluto and not pluto semi-s sun (in his own 10th house of scorpio, but in saggi, while sun is in the 12th) yet i definetly feel the deep transformational process of the environment i’m working in upon my psyche… well, natally pluto is also tightly sextiling my neptune-uranus-moon-venus stellium and semi-squares mars, so this might be another reason
The second one Sun semi-sextile Moon orb +1°05′
and Sun semi-sextile Venus orb +1°08′
The last one is Jupiter semi-sextile Uranus orb +1°12 😀
Oh wait, i also have Chiron semi-sextile MC quite tight (12 minutes) and POF semi-sextile ASC (1 deg) …
Oh wait, i also have Chiron semi-sextile MC very tight (*5 minutes) and POF semi-sextile ASC (1 deg) …
I have his sun semi sextile my Pluto, and my Uranus, his Jupiter semi sextile my mars and his mars semi sextile my Pluto in our synastry chart. Incidentally, his Pluto conjuncts my mars and my sun sextiles his uranus too.Can you kindly explain the significance. All tight orbs. Thank you
Today’s 12/14/20 solar eclipse – 23°18′ Sag is semi-sextile my son’s 23°08′ Cap ASC.
I don’t see much on effects of semi-sextiles on the web. Eclipse is aspecting a major angle(ASC) but it’s a minor aspect.