Glossary of Astrological Terms
in the 2025 Edition of The Astral Planner
While The Astral Planner includes a concise two-page Astrological Reference Guide, this expanded glossary offers a deeper dive into the key astrological terms featured throughout the 2025 Edition. For further insights and detailed energy analysis of specific transits, meteor showers, and lunar phases featured on the Monthly Dashboards and Daily Pages, we invite you to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, The Athenaeum. Designed to work alongside your planner, The Athenaeum provides additional guidance and reflections as you navigate the year ahead.
A
Aspects: Geometric angles formed between two planets or points in an astrological chart. Major aspects include the conjunction (0°), sextile (60°), square (90°), trine (120°), and opposition (180°). These aspects reveal how the energies of the planets interact, influencing events, emotions, and behavior.
Asteroids: Smaller celestial bodies within the solar system that also have astrological significance. Important asteroids include:
Ceres: Associated with nurturing, fertility, and agriculture.
Pallas Athena: Linked to wisdom, strategy, and creative intelligence.
Juno: Represents marriage, partnerships, and commitment.
Vesta: Governs dedication, spirituality, and sacred service.
Chiron: Known as the “Wounded Healer,” representing deep wounds, healing, and mentorship.
Annual Solar Eclipse: Occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, partially covering the Sun’s disk but leaving a bright ring of light called the "annulus." This happens when the Moon is farther from Earth in its orbit, making it appear smaller than the Sun in the sky.
B
Blue Moon: Commonly known as the second full moon in a calendar month. However, it can also refer to the third of four full moons in a single season. Blue Moons are rare and occur once every two to three years.
D
Direct: A planet is direct when it is moving forward in its regular orbit from the Earth's perspective. Planets are retrograde when they appear to move backward. When a planet is direct, its energy is expressed more clearly and without the delays or internal reflections associated with retrogrades.
E
Elements: The elements in astrology—Fire, Earth, Air, and Water—represent different types of energy and ways of expression. Fire signs are passionate, Earth signs are practical, Air signs are intellectual, and Water signs are emotional.
M
Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation: This refers to the point when Mercury is furthest east from the Sun in the evening sky. It's the best time to observe Mercury in the evening, as it will be visible just after sunset.
Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation: This refers to when Mercury is furthest west of the Sun in the morning sky, making it the best time to observe Mercury just before sunrise.
Mercury at Highest Altitude in Morning Sky: This happens when Mercury reaches its highest point above the horizon before sunrise. It occurs during Mercury's greatest western elongation and provides the best opportunity to observe the planet in the morning.
Mercury at Highest Altitude in Evening Sky: Occurs when Mercury is at its highest point above the horizon after sunset. It coincides with Mercury's greatest eastern elongation and is the best time to view Mercury in the evening.
Modes: The modes, also known as the qualities, are three different approaches to life that correspond to the signs of the zodiac: Cardinal (initiating), Fixed (stabilizing), and Mutable (adapting). Each sign of the zodiac is associated with one of these modes.
P
Partial Solar Eclipse: Occurs when the Moon partially covers the Sun's disk, casting a shadow over part of the Earth. Unlike a total solar eclipse, the Sun is never completely obscured.
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: happens when the Moon passes through the Earth's penumbral shadow, causing only a subtle shading on the Moon’s surface. This is the least dramatic type of lunar eclipse and can be difficult to observe with the naked eye.
R
Retrograde: A planet is said to be in retrograde when it appears to move backward through the zodiac from the Earth’s perspective. Retrogrades signify periods of reflection, review, and revisiting certain aspects of life. Mercury retrograde is the most well-known, but all planets undergo retrograde motion.
S
Saturn Ring Plane Crossing: A rare event where the Earth crosses the plane of Saturn's rings, making the rings appear edge-on and almost invisible. This occurs approximately every 15 years and offers a unique view of Saturn's rings.
T
Total Solar Eclipse: Occurs when the Moon completely covers the Sun’s disk, casting a shadow over a specific area on Earth and causing the day to turn into night for a brief period. Total solar eclipses are rare and are awe-inspiring celestial events.
Transits: Refers to the ongoing movements of planets as they pass through the signs and houses of the zodiac in real time. Astrologers use transits to predict how current planetary activity may affect an individual or the world at large, based on how these moving planets interact with a person’s natal chart.
V
Venus at Highest Altitude in Evening Sky: This event occurs when Venus reaches its highest point in the evening sky, making it particularly bright and visible. This usually happens after Venus's greatest eastern elongation.
Venus at Greatest Brightness: When Venus is at its greatest brightness, it appears as the most luminous object in the night sky (apart from the Moon). This usually happens just after sunset or before sunrise, depending on whether Venus is the "Evening Star" or "Morning Star" at that time.