Harmonics & Potential Abilities

Blacknight

Well-known member
I just recently learned about the existence of harmonic charts and the different levels, which I guess calculate unique angles. Could someone please explain the differences between the charts (does each harmonic level signify special areas of a person, or are they strictly calculations of unusual angles?) & show what kind of info lies within them? I think it's pretty interesting stuff! I listed the harmonics mentioned on this website: bobmarks. Are certain harmonics more important than other ones? I also included the 10th because I thought it looked kinda cool.

Here's my natal with the vertex:
natal chart

4th harmonic

5th harmonic

7th harmonic

9th harmonic

10th harmonic

11th harmonic

13th harmonic
 

waybread

Well-known member
Basically harmonics and aspects are different ways of showing the same thing. Think about dividing 360 degrees by 4, 5, 7, 30, or what have you. The 4th harmonic (360/4) is basically the square aspect. 360/5 is the quintile. 360/7 is the septile, and so on.

Harmonic charts, to me, are an easy way to locate the so-called minor aspects that Astrodienst doesn't show in its aspectarians (and if you don't have software that will draw the lines for you. (Astrodienst does show quintiles in the aspectarians, but not with aspect lines on the chart.) A close conjunction in the natal (radix chart) will be a conjunction in any harmonic chart, so you sort of have to back it out from consideration. It will be a powerful influence, just not a septile, novile, &c.

So look at the natal chart first, and remember which are the conjunctions in it, if any.

Where you see other conjunctions in a harmonic chart, such as Saturn and Venus 51 degrees apart in the natal chart, it will show up as a conjunction in the 7H chart, because 51, 102, and 154 degrees form the septile set of aspects. Noviles (360/9) are formed by separations of 40, 80, 120, and 160 degrees. (Note that because 120 degrees is the trine aspect, we would call it a trine, not a tri-novile.)

Important! Use very tight orbs in working with minor aspects!

If you run a harmonic chart and don't notice the aspect (conjunction) popping up, chances are it is not a major motivator in the person's life. Maybe some other harmonic/aspect is.

We can skip over your 2H (oppositions), 3H (trines), 4H (squares) charts, because these are easy to read off the natal chart.

There is some disagreement over the meaning of the "minor aspects" or higher harmonics, so I recommend reading a few books. David Hamblin has two out on harmonics. Some of the minor aspects are covered in Bil Tierney, Dynamics of Aspect Analysis. Higher harmonics are covered in Harding and Harvey, Working With Astrology. A good website is www.aliceportman.com .

There is some concensus around:

quintile: talent plus the will to manifest it

septile: an ability to see a reality beyond the apparent material reality. Creativity plus spirituality. Inspiration

octile: (semi-square, sesqui-square): part of the 2-series indicating tension and stress; but consequently some impetus to manifest

novile: delight (as it is part of the 3-series); perhaps also indicating initiation

decile: 2x5. We should see both the talent component (5-series) combined with some tension and stress (2-series)

11H, 13H. These apparently are iconoclastic and indicate operating in rebellion against social norms.

For higher harmonics, simply combine the meanings of their prime numbers. For example, a 20H chart (vigintile aspect) is essentially 4x5, the square and the quintile. A person with a strong 20H chart might show a lot of tension surrounding the manifestation and expression (square) of his talents (quintile.)

I couldn't possibly do a cookbook on all of the possible planet, sign, and house combinations with minor aspects. So one kind of has to think through what these indicate, based on your knowledge of their core meanings.
 
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Blacknight

Well-known member
Important! Use very tight orbs in working with minor aspects!

Hey, first thanks for the extended explanation. I've been reading up on the different harmonics, looking through old threads and stuff. As for the orbs, how tight should they be for minor aspects? Like within 1 degree?

And that's something I've wondered about aspects in general. How lax can you be for regular things like squares & trines, etc. And if an aspect is far off enough that it doesn't fit major or minor aspects is it just totally unaspected & un-affecting?
 

waybread

Well-known member
There is a formula for calculating orbs on minor aspects which I don't recall-- hopefully someone else here does.

I think one degree is plenty for quintiles, septiles, noviles, and beyond. Maybe relax it to 2 degrees if the sun or moon are involved.

Part of the problem with wide orbs for the minor aspects is that they start bumping into one another. Take a quincunx of 150 degrees. At 144 degrees you have a bi-quintile, at 154 degrees you have a tri-septile. Twenty degress of separation gives you the 18th harmonic. Eighteen degrees of separation gives you the 20th harmonic. And so on.

Also, a square that is four or five degree out will probably be more powerful than a nearby minor aspect that is a couple of degrees out.
 

Krewster

Well-known member
Sometimes it is helpful to remember the choice you have to view these aspects integrated into the "normal" chart wheel and that by viewing them in a harmonic chart format you've isolated what you're looking at from, say, 90% of the chart.

So, e.g., your chart's tightest personal-planet-participating aspect (Merc 150 Pluto, only 8 min) could show up in your 12th Harmonic chart as troublesome mental intensity which could overwhelm the native. But looking at all your chart's minors mixed into a normal chart wheel immediately reveals that Merc is sufficiently fortified to cope by its tri-decile to the Moon and quintile to Sat (respectively only 18 min 1.18 min loose).

Would you rather look at, e.g., 12, different harmonic charts and then try to simultaneously revisualize all of them and calculate the interactions on-the-fly or, for those of us less genius astro buffs, just pretty-up each aspect family with fancy colors and dashed/weaker lines all tweaked in your normal chart's aspect set to better view them all in one-shot for instant synthesis.
 

Blacknight

Well-known member
There is a formula for calculating orbs on minor aspects which I don't recall-- hopefully someone else here does.

I think one degree is plenty for quintiles, septiles, noviles, and beyond. Maybe relax it to 2 degrees if the sun or moon are involved.

Part of the problem with wide orbs for the minor aspects is that they start bumping into one another. Take a quincunx of 150 degrees. At 144 degrees you have a bi-quintile, at 154 degrees you have a tri-septile. Twenty degress of separation gives you the 18th harmonic. Eighteen degrees of separation gives you the 20th harmonic. And so on.

Also, a square that is four or five degree out will probably be more powerful than a nearby minor aspect that is a couple of degrees out.
Right I was thinking about that, too many degrees would interfere with other calculated aspects. Thanks for the info.

Sometimes it is helpful to remember the choice you have to view these aspects integrated into the "normal" chart wheel and that by viewing them in a harmonic chart format you've isolated what you're looking at from, say, 90% of the chart.

So, e.g., your chart's tightest personal-planet-participating aspect (Merc 150 Pluto, only 8 min) could show up in your 12th Harmonic chart as troublesome mental intensity which could overwhelm the native. But looking at all your chart's minors mixed into a normal chart wheel immediately reveals that Merc is sufficiently fortified to cope by its tri-decile to the Moon and quintile to Sat (respectively only 18 min 1.18 min loose).

Would you rather look at, e.g., 12, different harmonic charts and then try to simultaneously revisualize all of them and calculate the interactions on-the-fly or, for those of us less genius astro buffs, just pretty-up each aspect family with fancy colors and dashed/weaker lines all tweaked in your normal chart's aspect set to better view them all in one-shot for instant synthesis.

Hey thanks for the reply. So you think I should rely on the basic natal chart instead of splicing it up with harmonics? And what does troublesome mental intensity mean?
 
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