the-astrology-book

Square
(e.g., conjunct the Sun or the ascendant), it can show a person for whom this tendency
is a major life theme.
Sources:
Kowal, Charles T. Asteroids: Their Nature and Utilization. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Ellis
Horwood Limited, 1988.
Room, Adrian. Dictionary of Astronomical Names. London: Routledge, 1988.
Schwartz, Jacob. Asteroid Name Encyclopedia. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1995.
SPECULUM
A speculum is a table constructed in tandem with an astrological chart that records
such information as the planets’ declination, right ascension, latitude, etc.
SPLASH PATTERN
A splash pattern is a horoscope arrangement in which the planets do not appear to
organize themselves into any identifiable pattern, but rather seem to have just been
“splashed” across the chart.
SPLAY PATTERN
A splay pattern is a horoscope arrangement in which all or most of the planets group
themselves into a number of different identifiable clusters.
SQUARE
A square is an aspect of 90° between two points—such as two planets—in an astrological
chart. A square is a major aspect, regarded as challenging and inharmonious. It is
the most difficult of all the hard aspects, though much depends on the nature of the
planets involved. A square involving planets like Jupiter and Venus, for instance, will
usually bring fewer hardships into a native’s life than squares involving planets like
Saturn and Pluto. In a natal chart, the planets represent, among other things, various
aspects of an individual’s psyche. For example, Mars represents the forceful, outgoing,
aggressive aspect of self, whereas Saturn represents the security-seeking, self-disciplined
aspect of self. Although everyone experiences some tension between these two
principles, an individual with a Mars-Saturn square in her or his chart experiences
this conflict in an exaggerated manner, often over-repressing outgoing, aggressive
urges and at other times exploding with impulsive actions or words.
Many modern astrologers, in an effort to overcome the sometimes frightening
delineations of traditional astrology, have tended to go to the opposite extreme. In the
case at hand, the square is sometimes presented to clients as a source of “creative tension”
or given some other such interpretation. Accurate though such delineations may
be, clients ultimately are not served well by calling attention to the silver lining while
ignoring the cloud. Squares—and almost everybody has a few—are the most challeng-
THE ASTROLOGY BOOK
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