Aspects in Astrology: A Guide to Understanding Planetary Relationships in the Horoscope

by Sue Tompkins

Illustrates how aspects can offer a profound depiction of an individual and his or her destiny.

• Contains comprehensive sections full of interpretations for every planetary combination.

• Concepts are explained through the use of actual birth charts and diagrams.

• A core textbook at the Faculty of Astrological Studies in London.

Aspects are an essential piece of the astrological puzzle when it comes to interpreting and using the information that astrology can give us. It is not enough to know the placement of the planets on the horoscope. It is the relationships between the stars and planets that let us grasp the destiny of the individual. Aspects describe the drama of our lives--the complex configurations that influence what will happen to us over time.

Sue Tompkins, a fellow of the Faculty of Astrological Studies in London, shows how to interpret aspects when doing daily astrological readings. She uses the lives of real people to plot the aspects and offers examples of every possible planetary combination. Detailing the influence of oppositions, trines and elemental trines, and cardinal, mutable, and fixed crosses, Tompkins shows how aspects provide the energy in the chart that transforms the horoscope into something symbolizing an alive and vital human being. With Aspects in Astrology , Tompkins provides both the novice and the experienced astrologer the evidence and concrete methods needed to grasp the vast knowledge offered to us by our horoscope.

Genres: Astrology, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Reference, Occult, Divination, New Age

312 pages, Paperback

First published April 8, 1993

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of not confident guessing and what sound like the author making assumptions about every aspect based on a single incidence case study seems shaky at best. This happens throughout the book. Overall, a decent aspects cookbook but not a definitive one by any means.

[maxime · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This is a perfect beginner’s guide on astrological aspects, but gives enough food for thought for advanced students of astrology too. Tompkins’s writing is concise and easy to read, but at times her interpretations felt like guesswork. The relatively frequent spelling errors also became distracting after a while (seriously, how did the copyeditors not notice those?) I also wasn’t a particular fan of how Tompkins directly makes a link between abuse and particular aspects, though I know she’s not the first one to do that, lol. Definitely worth a read if you want to understand the concept of aspects, though.

[Kemunto Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accurate. Compact. Well-written. Made easy to understand, though my edition had the words too close to each other and some other publishing errors, they posed no major hindrance to getting the concept.

[Blogger6Fowl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, very interesting and surely practical. Provides great examples. It’s a bit huge, though. There are many details, and everything is explained thoughtfully. It’s a great book for people who don’t mind studying it for hours. It helped me to understand various things about myself –I was constantly checking out my birth chart while reading!

[Tya C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Very good intermediate book on aspects! My only complaint is that I wish there had been more of a distinction between the manifestations of the hard aspects and soft aspects during the cookbook portion, but it’s up to the astrologer’s interpretation of the whole chart anyway and I liked that that fact was emphasized in the text.

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hands down one of the best psychological astrology books I've read and owned. I was compelled to read every aspect including those that don't pertain to me. I would say more than anything it was very revealing and healing to read, as a devout astrologer who has studied ruthlessly for years what makes us tick and why. The aspects were very in depth and eerily spot on, which revealed deep wounds that correlated to me which I've never revealed to anyone. a must have for any astrologer enthusiast.

[Battlescar · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Aspects in Astrology" blew me away when I read it. It dives deep into the complexity of personalty and it leaves you with a complete understanding of yourself and others. Every person (especially those who diss astrology) that I have shown this book to, have gasped and said, "wow, that's it!".

This book will forever change the way you see yourself and others. I know this all seems over the top, but this book is indeed over the top of them all.

[Nabashis Misra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Sue Tompkins witty way of writing. Her words bring to life astrology, dynamism to aspects enabling easy pinpointing of characteristics vital for interpretation.
What I sometimes felt was that words could be at times dry and I perceived a bit of bias towards Neptune but maybe it is me that while I was reading it I was/still am in a Neptune transit.

[Agatoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

very readable, not needlessly complex

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I did it. I read an astrology book cover to cover. It was awesome and I felt so guilty but I was also so fascinated. My free version of therapy 😬😬😬

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a "comprehensive guide" indeed to assessing planetary aspects in an astrological chart by an experienced and psychologically astute astrologer.

It's all here: the meanings of the individual planets, what the aspects are and their orbs, a full "cookbook" of the relationships between individual planets, and, what I thought was perhaps best of all, a section devoted to the angles of the chart and how the planets relate with those. Sue Tompkins places much emphasis on the angles, correctly noting that these, more than any other feature of a chart, identify an individual, and therefore traffic on what she calls the Ascendant and Midheaven "complexes" needs to be given special emphasis in chart interpretation. She has persuaded me to look at the angles differently.

The author skips over the aspects between the outer (trans-Saturnian) planets, noting that these form over long periods and tend to reflect worldwide trends rather than things things that are felt in the individual personality. This is a reasonable choice, but this reader would still have liked to see the author give it a shot, even if in relatively abbreviated form and perhaps only for those aspects that she herself has worked with. The outer planets, after all, do make aspects with each other, and I think it would be good to include them in this comprehensive guide, even if their meaning in an individual's chart is not the same as for the inner planets.

Also, the planetoid Chiron is not included, and a growing number of astrologers, including this reviewer, are inclined to treat it as a planet and as a fully paid-up member of our solar system for the purpose of astrological interpretation, just as we do Pluto. To bring Chiron into the picture, I would really recommend Melanie Reinhart's Chiron and the Healing Journey: An Astrological and Psychological Perspective.

But in all, this is an excellent resource for an astrologer, and you could do very well if you relied only on it for interpreting aspects. I think it's an essential text, and that if you were to have only half a dozen books in your astrology library, this should be one of them.

[Jessica Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sue Tompkins has been teaching astrology for many years and was Director of Schools at the F.A.S. in Britain. Her vast experience with students is evident in this practical, original, astonishingly accurate guide to the birth chart. Aspects are something that both students of astrology and professionals can get stuck with. Sue's explanation of the conjunction, for example, is clear and easy. These geometrical relationships between planets can say so much. Sid Vicious had an exact conjunction between the Sun at 19 Taurus and the South Node at 19 Taurus. What is he famous for? Well, most recently, a Sex Pistols credit card. This Tompkins classic pre-dates the use of asteroids so you won't read about, say, Fortuna (Jupiter's daughter) but there she is in the chart for Camilla; an exact conjunction between Fortuna in royal Leo and the MC or Midheaven, both at 17 degrees. And that's only one aspect to explore in this thoughtful book with so many famous examples to ponder.

[Bülent Bilgili · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Astrolojide Açılar" ismiyle, Serap Rumelili Öcalan tarafından oldukça özenli bir şekilde Türkçeleştirilmiş halini okudum.

Astrolojiye alerjisi olanlardan, o başlıkla üretilmiş hiçbir şeyi hiçbir şekilde ciddiye almayanlardan olabilirsiniz. Yine de bu kitaptan ilişkilere ve hayata dair çok değerli çok şey öğrenebilir, kibri bir kenara bırakıp alçakgönüllü olmanın ödülünü burada bulabilirsiniz. Bir okuyuşta tüketilip sindirilemeyecek nitelikte, dopdolu şeyler bulacaksınız.

Kavramları farklı biçimlerde çarpıştırmaya, ortaya çıkan melez (veya yeni) kavramları mercek altına almaya ve onların başka kavramlarla ilişkisine başka nerede rastlayabilirsiniz ki? ... Ancak parçacık fiziği veya ilişkili bir alanında çalışıyorsanız, İsviçre'deki CERN isimli merkezde, belki.

[DeanJean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much guesswork for my liking, though I feel that some good points have been raised to sufficiently banish, or, at least to alleviate my view of this book. For example, she discusses how aspects to the Sun and Moon can be a rough indication of how the individual views one's parents, and the link between a Pluto rising/first house Pluto to a powerful matriarch in the family. I could be coming from confirmation bias...but I've personally witnessed this for myself

[Colin McPhillamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent volume, written in simple readable language approaching aspects variously by element, mode, and in relation to the angles. Taking the planets in combination, not going into details over whether in trine or square, allows the author to write extensively on combinations in a more free-range style than found in most 'cookbooks'. She looks at the principles behind the rules. Full of precise insight. One to read and re-read.

[Anime549 · Rating 1 out of 5]

"You talk a lot, but you don't say much." Is a quote that I think sums up this book quite well. The author went on and on, but never really explained anything. I must've read a completely different book from everyone here because I cannot see the positives in this book. I wish she went into more precise detail regarding the aspects rather than the vagueness she used. I had to return this book once I finished it. I couldn't keep it as reference material.

[Ivonne]

Los Aspectos en astrología siempre son algo que parece complicado y lleno de matices, en este libro Sue Tompkins aborda su interpretación de manera sencilla y vista a través de la lógica, más que de la intuición. Un libro de consulta para todo estudiante de astrología que quiera afinar sus conocimientos sobre la relación entre planetas.

[julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been really interested in astrology these past few months and have been trying to read a lot of books that will further my understanding of the topic. After learning more about the different planets, signs, and houses, I wanted to learn more about how they all relate to one another! Definitely a great start for anyone looking to get into aspects.

[Camille Sheppard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book and easy to read due to the narrative style. Though much of it is a "cookbook", it's still written in a way that makes it readable, not just as a reference. My copy is now full of underlining and I'm sure I'll refer back to it many times.

[Egemen Azaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clearly explained; a rich source in the form of a cookbook. The interpretations are authentic and flexible to the eye. Rather intermediate, if the one wants to improve their skills, as it requires a cauldron to put these ingredients inside. It's been a good experience for me.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

el mejor libro de astrología que he leído en mi vida. sue es una increíble astróloga que explica súper claro el significado de cada planeta y cómo se relaciona con los demás. aprendí muchísisisimo y creo que voy a regresar a este libro cada vez que quiera hacerle una lectura a alguien 🫶🏼

[Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without a doubt the best astrology book I've read to date. The language is dense and the sentences can be a little hard to follow but the book was packed with useful information and solidified (for me) planetary aspects as being the most important part of a birth chart.

[cosmic187 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource

Such a great read. This book is excellent with breaking down the birth chart (planets and aspects). If you have a pretty solid background in astrology it’s helpful

[Kitija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lai disharmoniski aspekti nebiedē. Tur arī slēpjas pamatīga, ja ne pat pamatīgāka jauda.

[Denisse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful and thorough. A must-read for any serious astrology enthusiast.

[Federica · Rating 5 out of 5]

The essential book on astrological aspects which shouldn’t be missing in any serious astrologer’s bookshelf.

[Amber Blackwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for learning.

[Astronautpants · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference for aspects

[Diego Valencia Zambrano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential, divine & helpful. Love it.

[Bernadette R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. I constantly refer to this and Sue's other astrology books.