Semi-Sextile
SEM-ee SEK-styl
Definition
A semi-sextile is a minor aspect of 30° — two planets one zodiac sign apart. It links neighbouring signs that have nothing in common: not element, not mode, not polarity. In Hellenistic astrology, both the semi-sextile and the 150° quincunx counted as 'averse' — signs that do not witness, or 'see,' each other.
In Tradition
Most Western astrologers treat the semi-sextile as a minor aspect of quiet influence — a weak thread between planets in adjacent signs that, by the classical categories, have little in common.
In Practice
Astrologers mostly use the semi-sextile as a supporting or confirming detail rather than a headline. When it links two otherwise unconnected aspect patterns, it can bridge them into one larger complex. In progressions — a forecasting method that advances the chart — a semi-sextile often just confirms something other factors already showed. The usual orb is around 1.5–2°, though it varies by practitioner.
Historical Origin
Hellenistic astrology classed signs 30° apart as averse — signs that do not 'see' or witness each other. The semi-sextile as a named minor aspect came into common use only in later astrological practice.
Further Reading
- Robert Hand, Horoscope Symbols
- Sue Tompkins, Aspects in Astrology