Conjunction
The conjunction is, in astrology, an aspect formed between two planets or points that occupy a very close ecliptic longitude, generally less than 8 degrees apart. It fuses the energies of the bodies involved into a single focal point.
Origin and etymology
The word comes from the Latin coniunctio, meaning union or linking. Claudius Ptolemy, in the 2nd century in the Tetrabiblos, includes the conjunction among the fundamental aspects, even though technically the conjunction is less an angular aspect than a coincidence of position. The medieval Arab and then Latin tradition, with Abu Ma'shar in the 9th century and Guido Bonatti in the 13th, granted the great conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn every twenty years a major historical importance: they were said to announce changes in the political cycle. Johannes Kepler in 1603 restudied the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction known as the Star of Bethlehem.
Evolution and tradition
Classical astrology distinguishes benefic conjunctions (with Venus, Jupiter) and malefic ones (with Mars, Saturn). This binary typology was nuanced in the 20th century. A conjunction is neither positive nor negative in itself: it depends on the planets involved and their sign. The great Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions mark shifts of element every two hundred years or so, like the one of December 21, 2020 that opened the era of Aquarius and Air. The orb of a conjunction varies by school, generally from 6 to 10 degrees, and some astrologers retain a wider orb for the Sun and the Moon.
Practical use
A natal conjunction between two planets signals a lasting fusion of their psychic functions: a Mars-Venus conjunction, for example, ties drive and affection inseparably. Conjunctions in transit, such as a Saturn return every 29 years, mark identifiable life stages. On Tarotoui, natal chart calculations automatically identify conjunctions. The conjunction of the Sun and Moon at the same degree produces a new moon; in opposition, the full moon. These two moments structure many calendar and ritual traditions.
Going further
The conjunction is not really an aspect in the geometric sense: it is a coincidence of longitude. Ptolemy in fact treated it separately. Note that the quality of a conjunction depends strongly on the sign: Mars-Saturn in Aries does not work like Mars-Saturn in Cancer. Combustion is a special case: a planet less than 8 degrees from the Sun is considered burned by it, and its influence is reduced or intensified depending on the school.