Frequently Asked Questions
First it is not a forecast, this was a commonly misuse of the terminology that started decades ago when newspapers began publishing forecasts for each sun sign and calling them horoscopes.
A horoscope is a chart reflecting the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, sensitive points and angles and the geometric aspects between them. It is a cosmic snapshot of the sky at the moment a person’s soul takes their first breath in the physical world. It is like portrait of your character, potentials, and soul contracts you carry into this life.
No, I prefer for ethical purposes to not tell an individual this or that may happen. I believe people have freewill, and while there can be challenging transits, it does not always mean a challenging event. Sometimes a square aspect is just what a person needs to take some action or create a catalyst for necessary change. I think using fear to sell an astrological reading can create unnecessary anxiety in people that is just not healthy. Astrology is meant to empower people with understanding and provide tools to overcome the challenges of life. It isn’t to say bad things don’t happen they do, but astrology helps us to understand that there is something divine behind everything, and we control how we react to it and what we do with the experience.
The anaretic degree is the 29th degree of any of the 12 zodiac signs. It is considered an unfavorable degree, because the energy is tired, in this sign. It is in its old age phase, before moving into a new sign.
A planet is peregrine when it is neither debilitated nor dignified. An exception is when it is in mutual reception to another planet.
This is when one planet is in the rulership of the other planet. Some examples: Mars in Cancer with the Moon in Aries or Scorpio, Mercury in Leo with the Sun in Virgo or Gemini, Sun in Scorpio with Mars in Leo.
The angular houses 1, 4, 7 and 10, which are the Ascendant, Imum Coeli, Descendant and Midheaven or Medium Coeli. These are important houses because they are the Cardinal points and initiate action in the four primary areas of life. First, self & health; fourth, home and family; seventh, partnerships and relationships; tenth, career and reputation.
The five major aspects in astrology are the Ptolemaic aspects that were written by Ptolemy and have withstood the tests of time. They are the conjunction (0°) 1st harmonic, the opposition (180°) 2nd harmonic, the trine (120°) 3rd harmonic, the square (90°) 4th harmonic, and the sextile (60°) the 6th harmonic. It does not mean the other aspects are not relevant, obviously we have 5th, 7th, 8th and 9th harmonics etc. The Quintile/biQuintile is considered a minor aspect, but it is the 5th harmonic, we still need number 5, and it is an indicator of talent.
So maybe major aspects should be renamed to Ptolemaic aspects or something, since the so called minor aspects are probably just as important.
An ephemeris is a table of the astronomical positions of the celestial bodies, given for specific times. Astrologers use ephemerides that give the positions for every day at midnight (or at noon) Universal Time (UT). Universal Time (UT) is the same as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Go to the link for ephemeris in Resources.
The personal planets” in general refers to the Mercury, Venus, and Mars, and the luminaries the Sun and the Moon. However, in your birth-chart, the five personal planets that are most important in interpretation are.
Sun
Moon
the ruler of your Sun sign
the ruler of your Moon sign
the ruler of your Rising Sign
For Example, Your Sun is Sagittarius the ruler is Jupiter; your Moon is Capricorn, the ruler is Saturn, your rising is Libra then the ruler is Venus, all of these will be important in your natal chart. Even though Jupiter and Saturn are not personal planets they would be interpreted as such in this case. Same as the modern rulers Uranus for Aquarius or Neptune for Pisces or Pluto for Scorpio.
There are two types of cusp in astrology, the house cusp and the sign cusp. Astrologers will not say a person has two sun signs, you are either Libra or Scorpio. The only ones that are really considered ‘on the cusp’ are the late degrees. If someone is in the early degrees they are in the strongest decan of the sign. There is some controversy over this point, some astrologers go strictly by the degree, others feel the signs blend into the next and it isn’t so cut and dry. My grandmother had her Sun 29 degrees Virgo, and she used to joke she was Virgo by day and Libra by night. I have to admit to seeing aspects of both signs in her personality!
The second is the line of division between two houses on the horoscope (house cusp). A birth planet is stronger when it is on the starting cusp of a house than when it is in the last degrees of a house. For example, someone’s Jupiter in the 5th house 3 degrees from the 6th house cusp is going to be felt more strongly in the 6th house than the 5th. I visualize it like you’re standing at the fence of your old property about to open the gate and go over to a new property. It’s a transition and certain elements of both houses are influenced by that planet.
Zodiac means ‘zoo of animals’ in Latin. The constellations are the path, called the ecliptic that the Sun takes through the galaxy. There are two systems Tropical Zodiac measures the movement of the Sun’s ecliptic based on the seasons beginning with 0-degree Aries the first day of Spring. In the Sidereal Zodiac the North Star is used as the point of departure for the Sun’s ecliptic journey. The North Star does not move it is constant, mostly, which our wandering stars (planets) are not. Neither is right or wrong they are just a different way of calculating, like a different language for interpretation. Spanish isn’t wrong French isn’t wrong they are just two ways of communicating the same thing.
Thousands of years ago the Tropical and Sidereal Zodiacs were in alignment. But today, due to the precession of the equinoxes, the Aries point at zero degrees in the Tropical Zodiac is today equated with six degrees in the constellation of Pisces. So, when you look at the heavens you are seeing the constellations in the Sidereal Zodiac. However, astrology is not dependent upon the constellations, they are simply a method of locating celestial bodies. This is a point in which astronomers without an adequate understanding of astrology criticize its validity because astrologers are not using the “real” sky to calculate planetary positions. The constellations are irrelevant, the seasons, and cycles of the planetary orbits are very valid and relevant.
Read my article about Vedic vs Western astrology.
Synastry is the study of relationships, it compares the one person’s planets to the other. It is a process of reading the needs of the two individuals and seeing how they pair. Any good relationship consultation starts with looking at the needs of the individuals and then comparing the synastry between the two individuals.
Composite chart is the midpoint or mean of the two charts comprised. Such as, one person’s Sun 5 degrees Scorpio and the other person’s Sun is 5 degrees Virgo will have a composite Sun of 5 degrees Libra. The entire chart is calculated, to create a chart of the relationship. The composite chart is believed to be how the world at large views the partnership externally. It is used to gain insight into the relationship as a whole. It shows how they come together, their strengths and weaknesses.
Davison chart uses the mean between two individuals’ birth data, so it has a real time and space. The composite chart is conceptual and does not exist in real time and space. The Davison is intended to be more reflective of the soul of the relationship, the internal emotional feelings of the relationship. It is more personal and integrated than the composite chart.
Not really, I can tell you where and how you can meet someone, or good timing for relationships. If you have the birth information of a potential mate, I can tell you where your strengths and challenges are, but I would not say marry them or don’t marry them. I can tell you if there are tough aspects that are red flags, but because you have them doesn’t mean the person isn’t more evolved and capable of showing the more positive expression. I can see if someone has a bad temper, that doesn’t mean they haven’t learned how to channel that energy more productively.
Most of the time we do not end up with someone that is perfectly matched, because most of the time we are carrying a wounded love language from our past. This is why personal work is so important before people get married, unfortunately very few of us have worked on our love wounds before marriage. We usually work on them in our relationships. We get our greatest growth with people we have more challenging aspects between our charts. Generally, everyone has a combination of easy and hard aspects, but when you’re in a relationship that is heavy on the hard aspects, you’ll know it.
I don’t write forecasts because even when someone has their accurate birth time for an ascendant, the transits can fall into different houses. For example, for a late degree Sagittarius rising, Pluto moving into Aquarius is still in the 2nd house and not the 3rd house as whole sign house system would have it. Even using equal house system creates inaccuracy. I prefer to use the Koch house system because over the last 30 years, it seems most accurate for me. I like to assess how the planets aspect the degrees on the house cusps. Sometimes hard transits don’t impact an individual at all, because it didn’t aspect a key point or planet in the person’s chart. Sometimes, they’ll notice things going on with people around them, such as road rage, but they’re not personally affected. It takes a personal look at the whole chart.
Another reason I don’t write forecasts is when there are difficult transits going on I just don’t see the benefit in getting people’s anxiety up over it. There is ALWAYS conflict somewhere in the world, there is ALWAYS workplace drama, we have weather events every year everywhere. Why try to act like I’m ‘predicting’ something that is just part of cycles of living on the planet? I’m not saying astrologers do not see ‘an event’ coming we do, we just don’t always know how it will play out. Everyone knew something big was coming when the COVID pandemic hit, there was even an asteroid named Wuhan involved in the Capricorn stellium that ushered in all the changes that followed those transits. It just doesn’t seem right to create anxiety over difficult aspects that don’t always cause big events or to give false hope of a new love, when it ends up being a creative endeavor instead. I don’t like to create anxiety or make promises that depend on a lot of other variables. There are lots of astrologers on YouTube, that do their best to meet this need. I feel I can help to educate the art and beauty of astrology and dispel some of the misconceptions.
A day chart is when the Sun in your chart is above the horizon 12 house through 7th house. A night chart is when the Sun in your chart is below the horizon 1st house through 6th house. Remember the 10th house is the Midheaven, it is like noon and the 4th house, the Imun Coeli is like midnight.
I don’t offer refunds once your payment has been processed and your session scheduled. If something comes up, you can reschedule at no extra charge by emailing me at Jaclyn@cyclesastro.com at least 24 hours before your reading. If you “no show,” you’ll need to purchase another reading. I’ve reserved this time for you, and I have preparatory work I do in advance, please be respectful of my time. I’m also only human and reserve the right to reschedule your reading if needed. Life happens and I will do my best to work with you.
We will agree on a video platform or phone call as you prefer. I prefer to use VSee because it is encrypted and protects your confidentiality. I send an invitation in advance that you will need to accept. We will focus on the topics that you send to me in the consultation form. I provide a confidential, compassionate and safe environment for our discussion. You take the lead in where you want to go during the process. I will share what I see in your chart, and let you know when the transits and progressions will pass. It is a two-way conversation, as I emphasize I’m not a psychic, but I am intuitive. I’m using astrology as a tool for insight into what cycles you are currently experiencing. I don’t predict because there are so many variables, like your own choices and freewill. I can however, see possibilities that can play out in a myriad of ways, that you and your intuition will be able to get clarity.
Essential dignity refers to the relative strength or weakness of a planet, in the chart by sign and position. This is a very simplified explanation, there are many resources for more information such as astro.com. Refer to my Resources for a chart you can download
Cheat Sheet for Symbols and Signs
| Planet | Symbol | Ruler (Domicile) | Exaltation | Detriment | Fall | Keyword |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | ☉ | Leo | Aries | Aquarius | Libra | Identity |
| Moon | ☾ | Cancer | Taurus | Capricorn | Scorpio | Emotions |
| Mercury | ☿ | Gemini Virgo | Virgo | Sagittarius Pisces | Pisces | Thoughts |
| Venus | ♀ | Taurus Libra | Pisces | Scorpio Aries | Virgo | Joy |
| Mars | ♂ | Aries Scorpio | Capricorn | Libra Taurus | Cancer | Energy |
| Jupiter | ♃ | Sagittarius Pisces | Cancer | Gemini Virgo | Capricorn | Expand |
| Saturn | ♄ | Capricorn Aquarius | Libra | Cancer Leo | Aries | Restrict |
| Uranus | ♅ | Aquarius | Scorpio | Leo | Taurus | Change |
| Neptune | ♆ | Pisces | Leo | Virgo | Aquarius | Imagine |
| Pluto | ♇ | Scorpio | Aries | Taurus | Libra | Power |
| Sign | Symbol | Natural House | Element | Modality | Season | Keyword |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | ♈ | 1 – Seed | Fire | Cardinal | Spring Equinox | Self |
| Taurus | ♉ | 2 – Germination | Earth | Fixed | Peak Spring | Value |
| Gemini | ♊ | 3 – 1st Sprout | Air | Mutable | Change to Summer | Communicate |
| Cancer | ♋ | 4 – Seedling | Water | Cardinal | Summer Solstice | Nurture |
| Leo | ♌ | 5 – Young plant | Fire | Fixed | Peak Summer | Create |
| Virgo | ♍ | 6 – Maturing | Earth | Mutable | Change to Autumn | Service |
| Libra | ♎ | 7 – Pollination | Air | Cardinal | Autumn Equinox | Partner |
| Scorpio | ♏ | 8 – Fertilzation | Water | Fixed | Peak Autumn | Transformation |
| Sagittarius | ♐ | 9 – Growth | Fire | Mutable | Change to Winter | Belief |
| Capricorn | ♑ | 10 – Maturing Seed | Earth | Cardinal | Winter Solstice | Authority |
| Aquarius | ♒ | 11 – Fruit with Seed | Air | Fixed | Peak Winter | Innovate |
| Pisces | ♓ | 12 – Dormant | Water | Mutable | Change to Spring | Compassion |