ANGLES OF THE CHART: The points that set up and build the chart, these angles are based on time as well as longitude and latitude.

ANGULAR HOUSE: These are the houses that make up the four angles of the chart, the first house, the fourth house, the seventh house and the tenth house. They relate to the four cardinal signs, Aries to the first house, Cancer to the fourth house, Libra to the seventh house and Capricorn to the tenth house.

ASCENDANT (Asc): The horizon of the Chart, this is that point that is the furthest to the left of the chart. It represents our external environment; it can determine what we look like.

ASPECT: The relationship between planets or points.

ASTEROID: Small rock-like planets found beyond the belt of Jupiter. There are over 17,000 asteroids, 10,000 of which are named and used for research. These little rocks give much detail to astrology.

CADENT HOUSE: This is the house that follows the fixed houses or succedent houses, which are the the third, sixth, ninth and twelfth houses. It is said that other than the planets that belong here, such as Mercury to the third or sixth house, Jupiter in the ninth house, and Neptune in the twelfth house, it can make a planet weaker if they fall in these houses.

CARDINAL SIGN: This refers to those signs that represent the corners or the angles of the Zodiac or natural position of the chart. These are the points that represent the transition to a whole new area of quadrant. In a natural chart, these signs are placed at the Asc-Dsc-MC-IC, representing the signs of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn, those signs that also represent transitions in the seasons. In the Uranian System, these signs represent the beginning point and follow the first thirty degrees of the 90 degree dial.

CENTAUR: A body in space that is like a comet, but has the rotation of an asteroid. They are said to have tails! For more information, click here.

CONJUNCTION: This term defines the condition found two planets or points are in the same or close to the same spot.

CUSP: The point where one house ends and another begins. This is the beginning of a house, but it can also be related to that transition that occurs when we go from one sign into another. The cusp makes the new beginning.

DESCENDANT (Dsc): The opposite axis point of the Ascendant, it represents how others react to us. It is the reflection of the Ascendant and how it causes us to appear to others, thus drawing in people that help us and to reflect who we are.

FIXED SIGN: Relates to the fixed signs and the fixed houses. These would be Taurus and the second house, Leo and the fifth house, Scorpio and the eighth house, and Aquarius and the eleventh house.

IC OR NADIR: This term defines the bottom-most point on the chart. It is part of the axis of the chart, and it represents our roots in life, family, home, and mother.

MC OR Midheaven: The highest point in the chart, the axis Midheaven is based on the time. It is the opposite point of the IC or Nadir, and it represents our destiny. It also represents the father and all those authority figures that come into play in our life.

MUTABLE SIGN: These are the cadent houses such as Gemini for the third house, Virgo for the sixth house, Sagittarius for the ninth house, and Pisces for the twelfth house. In summary, the Mutable signs are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces.

NATAL OR RADIX CHART: This is the birth chart, the chart that is taken from the first moment of life! This chart is the first breath drawn by the newborn.

OPPOSITION: This term defines planets or points that are 180-degrees apart, and can also be used in describing the distance between planets or points.

ORB: The distance between the planets or points.

PLANETOID: Small planets, such as Chiron, are considered planetoids. More and more are being discovered with the new telescopes we have today.

QUADRANT: This makes up a series of houses that go from one angle to the next angle. A quadrant has three houses in it. A quadrant starts with an Angular House followed by a Cadent House, and finally a Suceedent House.

SEXTILE: 60-degrees apart or in distance between planets or points.

SQUARE: A 90-degree angle, or 90 degrees between the planets or points.

SUCCEDENT HOUSE: These are the houses of a chart that fall between the Angular house and the Cadant house. This includes the fifth house, the eighth house, and the eleventh house. These houses relate to the fixed signs in strength and nature.

TRANSIT: The current passing of planets, transiting planets are those that are making their tour around the chart at any moment in time.

TRANSNEPTUNIAN (TNP): Often called the Uranian Planets or fictitious planets, they are configured points in space discovered by the Hamburg School in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, by Alfred Witte. They have yet to be discovered because they are so far away, said to be beyond the Neptune belt. They are very slow moving, and are an additional source of information.