Schesis

Definition

Schesis (Greek σχέσις, "configuration, relation") is the umbrella term for the geometric relationship between two planets — the family of which trine, square, sextile, and opposition are the members. Where each named aspect describes one angle, schesis describes the having-of-an-aspect itself: the state of two bodies standing in a fixed configuration to one another.

In Tradition

Valens treats the four major configurations as a set, each with its own Greek name and character. Trigōnon (trine, 120°) is harmonious; tetragōnon (square, 90°) is marked by rivalry and harshness; hexagōnon (sextile, 60°) is weaker and dimmer than the trine; diametron (180°) signals opposition and rivalry. His Book II opens the systematic study of these configurations and their bearing on prosperity and poverty. He warns that, exact to the degree, the square and the diametron are harshest.

In Practice

Reach for schesis as the category word when you mean the configuration in general rather than a single angle — it is the genus, and trine, square, sextile, and opposition are the species beneath it. You still judge each by its own character: the trine reads as easy and supportive, the square and the diametron as friction and contest, the sextile as a milder trine. Keep Valens' caution in mind — a partile square or opposition bites hardest.

Historical Origin

The systematic aspect-pair doctrine here is Vettius Valens', from Anthology Book II, chapter 16K;17P (pp. 32-34, in Mark Riley's translation), whose chapter heading enumerates the configurations of trine, sextile, and opposition and ties them to prosperity and poverty.

Etymology

Origin: Greek. Meaning: configuration; relation; a holding-in-relation.

Further Reading

• Vettius Valens, Anthology
• Chris Brennan, Hellenistic Astrology