How to Handle Hard Aspects in Astrology: When Planets Clash in Your Chart
Hard aspects in astrology, both squares and oppositions, represent active conflicts between planets in a birth chart. While they indeed often show stressful interactions, obstacles, and inner contradictions, they also provide an excellent catalyst for change and growth, and teach us the act of learning and self-awareness.
A square is when two planets form a 90-degree angle towards each other, the kind of aspect that contains all the hallmarks of an energy clash. Squares can sometimes feel like inner pressure points, as if you can’t find your way to reconcile two disparate parts of your life or personality.
An opposition is made up of planets at 180 degrees and indicates an external fight, which might simply shadow conflicts with other people or situations. While these fights are frustrating, they are the catalyst for developing resilience in life. Everything cannot be easy or else there will be no drive to grow, evolve, or adapt. Difficult aspects force you to look at your fears, insecurities, and limitations and force you out of your comfort zones.
How to Cope with These Aspects
- Acknowledge the Tension: The first thing when handling difficulties is to identify where the tension lies. Look at the planets involved in affecting you and which houses they occupy. A square between Mars (action) and Saturn (restraint), for example, means frustration that is coming from restricted ambitions.
- Find the Balance: Oppositions help you find a middle ground. If an opposition is Venus (love) and Uranus (change), the individual is possibly caught between stability in relationships and a need for independence. Finding that middle ground helps alleviate the stress.
- Grow through it: Hard aspects push you towards
self-improvement . That discomfort, instead of running away from it, learn what you need to make out of it. A Sun square Pluto could take you to a higher level of empowerment and transformation, tying your sense of self with a realisation that may almost be revolutionary.
Hard aspects might be very frustrating, but they are means for self-discovery, making you strong, resilient, and wise. Growth develops from challenges and not from comfort.
