(c)7-5-2014 by Donna Cunningham, MSW
An often-missed aspect in astrology charts is the out of sign conjunction, which consists of two planets 8° degrees apart or less, but placed in adjacent signs rather than the same sign. Several days ago, I asked Skywriter Readers who had out of sign conjunctions to share their observations of how those aspects played out in their lives. Here are some excellent examples.
One Reader observes, “I have my Sun at 5° 57’ Virgo and Mars at 27° 09’ Leo, both in the 7th house with my South Node sitting between them. It’s a bit wide – not sure it counts (Virgo nit picking?!) I get a lot of push and pull between wanting to hide out in the background and not be noticed or make a fuss, and being more forceful and direct.
“I always attract and am attracted to very creative men, often with Leo in their charts or other fire signs. I have my moon in Leo too, right on the descendent. There has been a dynamic of me being the practical, sensible one and my partners being the creative one. And then I would get resentful that they seemed to be having all the fun while I was stuck making sure the bills got paid. I’m managing to express more of my creativity now but that seems to have been at the expense of my relationships – to date, at least.”
I assured her, “No need to let those few minutes deter you from looking at that conjunction–especially since aspects to the Sun (or Moon) get a wider orb.
My rule on orbs is that when an aspect seems like it might be a bit wide, I describe the aspect to the person to see if they relate to it or not. They often respond strongly to even a bit wider orb than you’d think, especially with the Sun or Moon.
Another reader contributed, “I’ll be glad to add my out of sign aspects….my chart is almost all conjunctions of the early 1940s type. There’s an end of the 7th house 28° Taurus Mercury conjunct 8th house 5° Gemini Uranus. I get so much info from other realms and can’t explain why I know things….then my astrology teacher told me why. I have a life long awareness of past lives.”
A mother writes, “My teenage daughter has Venus in Libra at 28° and Moon in Scorpio at 3°, both in the 12th house. She is kind, gentle, genial, and courteous in social situations, but she is also intensely emotional and shy to the point of secretiveness. Already, I see that she utilizes her Venus as a handy social persona, though she lives from her Scorpio moon. She is interested in becoming a child psychologist; a 12th house Moon/Venus conjunction career choice, for sure.”
Another mother reports, “My sweet Pisces son was born with an out of sign conjunction of Pluto and Saturn in his important 9th house. His Pluto is 29° 22’ minutes of Libra Retrograde and his Saturn is at 4° 19’ Scorpio Retrograde. I’m patiently waiting for the universe to surprise me and also to surprise my son I view Pluto as the most Powerful Planet so that makes sense to me that it would completely merge with Saturn. Very interesting for a young man who is hoping for a dynamic career. My vision of my son is for him to become an extremely dynamic and very Powerful Spiritual Leader and Teacher!
One of several who reported on conjunctions involving the Sun or Mercury shared, “I have a conjunction of my Aries Sun at 28° and Mercury at 1° Taurus, both in the 10th house. While at work, I was very nimble minded and quick to act upon those thoughts, but in my private life, my think-it-out-slowly Mercury takes over, often to the point of being unable to get started. I guess the situation/atmosphere is a part of how I deal with this.”
Astrologer Kat Starwolf notes, “Having practiced astrology for 40 years and having had many clients with out of sign conjunctions, I’d have to say that it DOES pay to interpret these aspects, since there’s quite a bit of significance as a result of their proximity. Regardless of the fact that the two planets are in two different signs, they interact with and affect each other, and therefore add a nuanced complexity to the expression of the natal chart and ultimately the individual. “
She adds, “One in my own chart is an out of sign conjunction between Uranus in Cancer and Moon in Leo combination. My emotions in general as well as sudden emotional upsets were always a surprise to me as well as others, and could (and did) often create challenging and unpleasant situations within relationships when I was younger. Fortunately, I’ve learned to be more cognizant of my emotions and the directions they take, and have learned to moderate and tweak them as necessary in order to keep the peace.
“However, I feel that the most significant effect of this combination is the out-of-sign effect, and that is that the nurturing and caring-for-others trait of Cancer has offset the egocentric ‘me-ness’ of the Leo Moon tremendously; that is, it’s softened the harshness that the Leonine tendencies typically express.”
A Reader analyzes her husband’s out of sign conjunction, “He has the moon at 29° Virgo conjunct Mars at 1° Libra, and it’s in a wide conjunction with the MC. The Virgo and Libra help make this a less explosive combination that it could be, but I’ll say he certainly has a knack for infuriating people with a smug smile, and he found provoking his father into an explosion hilarious as a teen. I suppose in this case it seems like the Libra Mars charm-them-to-death approach is quite supportive of the Virgo Moon’s sensitivities. So, he doesn’t have to get too down and dirty with people’s anger. BUT he is quite a worrier, and holds passionate opinions.
“He’s very good at babying a sick or melancholy wife, but simultaneously will not abide anything he sees as a philosophical misstep. For example, if I’m upset about some perceived “wrong” done to me, he does not hesitate to tell me why the other person has a valid position, or that I am the one who is wrong. And, of course, he’s smiling (smugly or sweetly, I can’t decide) when he says this. Sigh.”
An interesting case from a twin: “My twin sister and I happen to have an out of sign conjunction involving our Moon at 26° Sagittarius conjunct Jupiter at 0° Capricorn. This conjunction doubly emphasizes the Jupiterian nature of our Sagittarius Moon, and I’ve come to regard this out of sign conjunction in itself as a blessing. Jupiter in pragmatic Capricorn has seemed to give our Moon an Earthling supportive role…. almost like a sensible benefactor, prompting us to balance, ground and integrate some of the more exuberant, restless and pleasure seeking qualities of our natal Moon in the 5th house!”
I’d asked for these conjunctions in the charts of famous people as well, and one subscriber wrote about Louise Hay, a writer and teacher of metaphysical principles:
“A great example of a Mercury/Moon out-of-sign conjunction would be Louise Hay’s Mercury at 27° Libra and the Moon at 0° Scorpio in the 4th house. Much of her life has been about promoting the use of affirmations to heal your life. The affirmations take on the quality of the Libra energy (positive, beautiful and even somewhat “flowery”) but also have the Scorpio power of emotional release and transformation. Her birth data is: October 8, 1926 at 12:30 PM Los Angeles, CA.”
Our research is continuing, and the more examples we get, the clearer the picture of these often-ignored chart aspects will be. The comment section is still open, so feel free to add examples you know about here: Out of Sign Conjunctions: Your Input Needed.
Sky Writer 