Aspects
Conjunction
Direct answer
Conjunction is an aspect where two planets or points occupy the same area of the zodiac, usually near 0 degrees apart, blending and intensifying their meanings.
A Conjunction blends planets together and makes their combined meaning harder to separate.
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At a glance
- In astrology
- The conjunction is a major aspect, but it is not automatically easy or hard.
- Found in
- Aspects
- Related
- Birth Chart, Zodiac, Transit
A Conjunction blends planets together and makes their combined meaning harder to separate.
A structural orientation; exact placements depend on the chart or technique being discussed.
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What sets Conjunction apart
The conjunction is the only aspect at 0 degrees, and in Hellenistic doctrine it was not an aspect at all: aspect meant two signs seeing each other across a distance, whereas the conjunction (sunousia) was bodies being together. Its effect comes from fusion, so the nature of the result depends wholly on what is joined. The Sun's own conjunctions are read through distance: close enough to burn, close enough to hide, or so close that the planet is crowned.
- Angle: 0 degrees, the planets sharing a degree area
- Usual orb: about 8 to 10 degrees in modern use, wider for the luminaries
- Sun and Moon: a conjunction is the New Moon, recurring about every 29.5 days
- Jupiter and Saturn: the Great Conjunction, about every 20 years
- Combust (Sun): within about 8.5 degrees in many later traditional lists
- Cazimi (Sun): within roughly 17 arcminutes of the Sun, the planet "in the heart"
Often mistaken for something else: A stellium is three or more bodies gathered in one sign or house. A conjunction is the pairing of exactly two, measured by degrees, and it can cross a sign boundary.
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The conjunction in the traditional sources
The old books do not count the conjunction among the aspects. Ptolemy lists only four, the opposition, trine, quartile and sextile, and Ashmand's note says the conjunction is not among them. Abu Ma'shar calls it assembly, the first of his regards, and says planets are assembled when they stand in the same sign. Different signs are never assembled, however close the planets are.
- Same sign: assembled, and strongest within 15 degrees (Abu Ma'shar).
- The Hellenistic rule gives three levels: the same sign, within 15 degrees, and within 3 degrees (Abu Ma'shar's summary).
- Bonatti counts 3 degrees as a corporal conjunction, the planets touching bodies.
- Dorotheus's fifteen-degree rule says a planet within 15 degrees after the Ascendant degree counts as in the first house even if it has crossed into the second sign.
The conjunction with the Sun, and what it does to a planet
A planet in conjunction with the Sun is treated differently from any other. Abu Ma'shar's ladder runs from the heart of the Sun, within 16 minutes, to burned, to under the rays. Within the heart a planet is called united, or cazimi, and is compared to a man seated with the king. A planet farther out but still close is burned, compared to one condemned to death, and farther out under the rays, compared to a prisoner. See Cazimi, Combustion and Under the Beams.
For the Moon the conjunction is the start of the cycle. Ptolemy gives the four phases: moist from new to first quarter, hot to full, dry to last quarter, cold from there back to dark.
The story behind Conjunction
Traditional astrology treated conjunctions as direct joining, with quality judged by the planets and conditions involved.
The spiritual meaning of Conjunction
Spiritually, Conjunction asks what two powers in the soul have been fused for a reason.
Conjunction in astrology
Its tone depends on the planets, sign, dignity, house, and orb.
Why Conjunction matters
Conjunction matters because it concentrates energy. The planets involved start acting like a shared engine in the chart.
Conjunction in practice: an example
Mercury conjunct Saturn can give disciplined thought, serious speech, careful study, fear of mistakes, or authority through expertise.
Where readings of Conjunction go wrong
The usual misreading is to read every conjunction as harmonious. Mars conjunct Saturn feels very different from Venus conjunct Jupiter.
Sources and editorial method
This entry summarizes the tradition in the Almanac's own words; where no source is listed, it is an editorial summary rather than a primary text, and symbolic readings are named as the tradition's, not as fact.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Aspects
- Last updated
- 2026-09-26
Find your strongest conjunctions
Conjunction in a book is one thing; Conjunction in your own birth chart is your life. The Oracle casts your real chart and tells you what it means for your love, your work, and your year ahead, in conversation. It opens with the 7-day Seeker trial.
Speak with the OracleHow Conjunction lives in your own chart across your year, in love, in work, in timing, is written in the Cosmic Codex: the whole year, once. Open the Cosmic Codex
Related terms
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Common questions
What is a conjunction?
Conjunction is an aspect where two planets or points occupy the same area of the zodiac, usually near 0 degrees apart, blending and intensifying their meanings.
Where does a conjunction come from?
Traditional astrology treated conjunctions as direct joining, with quality judged by the planets and conditions involved.
What does a conjunction mean in astrology?
The conjunction is a major aspect, but it is not automatically easy or hard. Its tone depends on the planets, sign, dignity, house, and orb.
What does a conjunction look like in a birth chart?
Mercury conjunct Saturn can give disciplined thought, serious speech, careful study, fear of mistakes, or authority through expertise.
What does a conjunction mean spiritually?
Spiritually, Conjunction asks what two powers in the soul have been fused for a reason.
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