The Astrological Opposition, matches and interpreting :
- Symbolic number : 2
- Exact degrees : 180
- Orb in birth chart : 10°
- Symbol Planet : Saturn
- Symbolic Signs : Capricorn – Aquarius
- Symbolic Houses : 10th House – 11th House
A valuation of these planets, signs, houses, implies that the chart is marked by the principles of Opposition below.
The Opposition : antagonism, objectivity and structuring
Opposition is a very powerful Major Aspect that marks duality, separation, Individuation, conflict, struggle, antagonism of energies (sometimes accompanied by Depression). It faces the Conjunction in the mid-cycle.
Opposition is an aspect of dynamic tension, it splits, it produces a “before/after”, a cleavage, a psychological separation which forces action, it is its “aggressive” pole.
But Opposition also represents complementarity, the pairs of opposites (Yin and Yang), the opposites can be combined, integrated and overcome in a union, in this perspective the Aspects of Opposition can be positively lived, even “sublimated” in their unfolding, if one avoids their traps.
It is important to understand that Opposition is an obligatory but above all necessary passage in all cyclical processes, and decisive in psychological and spiritual evolution. It symbolizes “objectivity” as opposed to the subjectivity of the Conjunction.
The main trap of Opposition being the confrontation it implies, the native confronts himself and stumbles on duality (nervous phase of passivity, reflection and analysis, in applying Opposition), he will perhaps retreat, lacking experience (finding upstream a phase of Quincunx), but will come back to it again and again as long as the native does not integrate this driving energy (tension of the Exact Opposition) to surpass it and continue what the cycle demands (phase of activity, then of “letting go” and even of renunciation, in separative Opposition).
In psychological astrology, the meaning of Opposition is to be systematically brought closer to the notion of Projection. One can identify oneself with one side and see the opposite side as external to oneself present “in Others”. But the conflict is very active within oneself, otherwise there would be no such reactions in this aspect, one side restricts the expression of the other.
The Projection intervenes here to allow its expression, it will seem to you that the others push you to act towards this energy or that the fatality of fate -in Synchronicity- forces you to face it, to undergo it from your partners.
In fact, a large part of this fight is happening within you, a part of your unconscious repressed personality is attempting a “putsch” to force the emergence of this latent energy to consciousness. The causes of repression can be multiple but they often involve the presence of a very dominant super-ego (Saturn, not necessarily present in the Opposition but highly valued in the birth chart).
The Opposition type greatly influences the more or less great facility to overcome this obstacle : planets involved, aspects in presence, dominant of the birth chart, will be as many elements of importance to take into account to determine the way to live an Opposition. A strong ego and a “dynamic” chartwill be indisputable assets to overcome and sublimate any Opposition.
Opposition is a frequent aspect in birth chart, and omnipresent in transits. Understanding its mechanism is crucial in the process of individual development and evolution. Its good understanding avoids repetitive errors, especially repetitive reproductions of the same psychological patterns in infinite loops, which are unfortunately very frequent cases…
I will conclude by giving a quote on the Opposition by Dane Rudhyar in his book Astrological Aspects : A Process-Oriented Approach (a must-read book on astrological cycles) :
“The Opposition in the birth chart defines a particular set of functional activities (the Planets), areas of life (the Houses) and of operating modes (the Signs) in which the person is formal notice to re-polarize itself.”
Advice for living the Opposition :
It is necessary to be aware of the manifested Opposition, awareness is the first necessary step before its integration. Integration means acceptance and resilience, then positivizing the aspect and pursue the personality creation process.
A conscious work on the possibly repressed energy is essential in the process of Individuation; Visualisation Techniques can be used.
In transits and actualizations, we logically find the same sensitive phases as those of the Conjunction, since this is its “mirror” aspect.
So I will repeat the same advice, the importance of identifying the dominant planet, through all the global dominants, Planetary Rulerships, etc. to know also if this opposition is balanced or totally unbalanced (if one planet “crushes” completely the other and if so, what can the “weakest” do to live and defend itself).
Then try to find a conscious expression to these planets, to find them grounds for conciliation so that each side can express itself in the best way possible, and not create complexes or frustrations.
The phases of quadrature are obviously extremely sensitive, since the energies are then placed in tension, at the apex tip of a T-square pattern, a bit like a referee would do in the middle of 2 fighters, with the risk of being hit, but to be able to bring some “sanctions” to one side or another.
Any conjunction which will be operated on one or the other side will be like a symbolic corner highlight there, as if the referee justly gave symbolically right to a facet more than to another, at least for this round.
The trine / sextile phases form harmonic triangles that are very useful to exploit in order to reconcile these forces, to express the best of them…