A Touch of Distinctiveness

Published in Considerations VII: 2, April 1992

 Jerry Makransky alternates his time between astrology, farming and channeling in rural Guatemala. He writes with authority on two of these subjects. His latest book is Primary Directions: A Primer of Calculation.

In the first part of this article we discussed parallels of declination. In contrast to Zodiacal aspects, which symbolize strategies people use to make themselves feel special in a social context (that is, valuable to their group), parallels reveal a sense of specialness that comes from within the self; a feeling of being unique in one’s own right; a touch of distinctiveness and importance in the divine scheme of things. Where the planetary energies operating on the level of the aspects tend to work out in terms of success or failure, triumph or defeat, wins or losses; these same energies operating through the parallels work out in terms of responsibility, understanding, freedom, and joy.

Previously we described the parallels involving the Sun and Moon; now we will delineate the rest of the planetary combinations. However, the parallels between Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto will be omitted due to a dearth or redundancy of data, as the case may he.

Mercury-Venus: The aspects (the conjunction and sextile) are easy-going and self-possessed. Albeit aloof, they feel right at home no matter where they are; they can relax and just be themselves in any company, with no need for apologies or self-deprecation. They possess a humorously cynical view of other people and their motives, and they have a gift for persiflage which enables them to communicate with people without unduly compromising or involving themselves emotionally.

The parallels show the same bantering irreverence as the aspects, and they are equally blithe and unaffected. However, they have a more sincere and inviting manner than the cool, impersonal aspects do. Their levity does not preclude sympathy, nor is their detachment standoffish. Their cheerfulness is heartfelt rather than casual.

Mercury-Mars: The aspects are forceful and direct; they possess the no-nonsense, take-charge air of born commanders. They are fair and just, fearless advocates of the moral right. They will bear no quibbling (read: difference of opinion); nor have they the time or energy to waste on such nonessentials as tact or propriety.

The parallels are as positive and cocksure as the aspects, and they are quite as indomitable. However, they have a far more ingratiating manner and an appreciation for the rights and sensibilities of other people. They are as blunt and outspoken, but are capable of listening to differing points of view and hammering out compromises. They grasp that the essence of leadership is persuasion rather than peremptoriness.

Mercury-Jupiter: The aspects take a positive, optimistic attitude towards life, and they approach other people in a spirit of hope and goodwill as they proffer their advice and opinions. They are logical and analytical, and they try to take an objective view of any situation. Although they endeavor to be convincing (and indeed they have themselves thoroughly convinced), they do have their unacknowledged blind spots which become apparent when they exhaust their stock of pat answers and cut-and-dried solutions.

The parallels are as sanguine and forward-looking as the aspects, and they take the same constructive interest in other people. But they are animated by a deeper intellectual curiosity than the aspects are; they are fresher and less pedantic. They feel a deeper need to understand people, to appreciate and savor them, than they do to impress them by being marvelous.

Mercury-Saturn: The aspects have an air of world-weariness, of long-suffering and patient forbearance. They are sober and logical thinkers, hard-working, and extremely thorough and meticulous in discharging their responsibilities. They can be overly serious-minded and pessimistic, and easily become bogged down in drudgery, as if resigned to accepting whatever new load Life might care to pile on top of their already overburdened shoulders.

The parallels have the same perseverance and sense of long endurance, but they are more hopeful and positive than the aspects. They also slog through life, but with the idea of looking forward to some bright future (rather than gazing sullenly down at the trodden earth below). Therefore, they ultimately take some joy and consolation in their heavy responsibilities rather than view them as an unavoidable drag.

Mercury-Uranus: The aspects are irrepressible and unpredictable. They are lone wolves—part visionary and part crank. Though they may present a front of tight self-control and ability to cope under stress, they are high-strung and temperamental individuals, given to occasional volcanic outbursts of emotion which startle and floor everyone around them. They are very alert, perceptive, and mentally clear; hence they can act with lightening speed and total self-assurance.

The parallels have the same analytical mentality and are just as aloof, but they are more laid-back than the intense and bull-headed aspects. They can be equally firm and unyielding in their absolutism, but without the swagger and need to register an impression on other people which characterizes the aspects. In their calm detachment they come closer to true objectivity and disinterestedness.

Mercury-Neptune: The aspects are dreamy and idealistic, and have a highly utopian outlook on life and human nature, wanting to believe the best of people and situations. They are unsophisticated and unselfconscious—they come on like playful puppies wagging their tails, with a surplus of enthusiasm and good intentions. Albeit rough and blustery on the surface, underneath they are soft-hearted and a bit soft-headed, which makes them easy to impose upon or deceive.

The parallels evince the same naive trust in people as the aspects, but they are nonetheless cautious and wary. They have a governor on their impulses (which the aspects totally lack) that lets them intellectually examine a situation before committing themselves to it. They temper the emotional vulnerability of the aspects with a modicum of common sense and self-appraisal.

Mercury-Pluto: The aspects are alert, wily, and secretive. They are ever on the qui vive for nuances, and they have a diplomat’s attunement to the subtle shades of meaning in the words and gestures of others. They clearly perceive hidden motives, and they are fond of making cynical remarks about the covert rationale underlying other people’s behavior.

The parallels exhibit the same wariness and stealth as the aspects, and they have the same dubiety about other people and their intentions. But they don’t have the strong competitive urge that characterizes the aspects—the need to make comparisons with other people. They too like to fee] that they ‘re on the inside track of things, that they’re smart and nobody’s fool; but they are more willing to accept their own limitations and those of others, rather than indulge in a game of sneering one-upmanship.

Venus-Mars: The aspects are gracious and engaging, with an easy manner and a genial disposition. Albeit highly sociable on the surface, they nonetheless maintain a coot reserve: they are quite adept at securing the validation they seek from the social whirl without in any sense compromising their own integrity or betraying their true feelings. They use their considerable charm to win and to woo, enabling them to get what they want from others without the necessity of entangling commitments.

The parallels are also cheerful and saucy—in fact they are far more brazen and open about what they’re really thinking than are the aspects (who usually gloss over their real intentions). Albeit as aloof as the aspects, they are far more straightforward and natural.

Venus-Jupiter: The aspects are cheerful and optimistic, yet they are a trifle standoffish. They have a sense of aristocratic superiority, of being above it all, unaffected by the hurly-burly of the hoi polloi. They have a delightful sense of humor—they are basically jovial people—but they also have a hard edge of stubbornness and prejudice in their mindset. They turn a deaf ear to anything they really don’t care to bear.

The parallels are as blithe and unconcerned as the aspects, but they are more down-to-earth, less pretentious. They have a deeper insight into themselves than the aspects do, and are more self-accepting and hence comfortable within themselves. Their good humor is the product of an inner joy rather than an outer loftiness.

Venus-Saturn: The aspects tend to be wary, reserved, and calculating. They play their cards close to the chest, and they have a real zest for all the power politicking and undercurrents of manipulation to he found in everyday life. They play life like a game, and are forever scoring little points for themselves. Quite aware of their own little ploys, they are equally suspicious and cynical about the motives of others. They have an ironic sense of humor, even about themselves.

The parallels are as cautious and cynical as the aspects but they have a more highly developed sense of detached and benign amusement; and they are nowhere near as intense and driven. They are basically loners (as are the aspects), but they are generally more interested in keeping themselves disentangled emotionally from other people, than they are with trying to control them.

Venus-Uranus: The aspects exhibit an extreme self-will and a spirit of sassy rebelliousness. While they are gregarious and sociable creatures on a personal tête-à- tête level, they are staunchly independent and resist being lumped together with other people. They psychologically distance themselves from any group (for example, family) in which they unavoidably find themselves, unless they are indisputably leading or in control of it. They are unbending, unyielding, pig-headed; but also quite nimble and free-spirited.

The parallels are as individualistic and emotionally self-sufficient as the aspects—in fact they’re even more off-beat and mischievous. They truly march to a different beat (rather than merely indulge their contrariness and wrong-headed insubordination). The parallels are admirably stubborn in following their own hearts.

Venus-Neptune: The aspects have a distracted, ethereal, otherworldly quality. They move through life in an absent-minded, perfunctory manner, as if late for an appointment in some other universe. They are open and candid about their feelings, and they are naive and trusting in their dealings with others. They close up like a mimosa at any harsh touch, yet their innocence inclines other people to treat them gently.

The parallels are as artless and outspoken as the aspects, but are not as supersensitive and out of it. They have a blunt, rough-and-ready manner (in contrast to the shrinking violet aspects), and they take delight in calling a spade a spade. They have the same childlike vulnerability, but since they’re real toughies they don’t need to appeal to other people’s indulgence for protection.

Venus-Pluto: The aspects have refined and delicate sensibilities, together with an acute perception of human nature. They have a penetrating grasp of emotional undercurrents, and the ability to sense and react to extremely fine shades of nuance. They tend to prefer the role of passive observer to that of active participants in their social milieu. They have a skeptical turn of mind, and can be very critical and exacting of other people.

The parallels are as perceptive and incisive as the aspects, but they are far more tolerant of the foibles of others , and hence less inclined to patronize people. The parallels are lighter, gemütlicher they lack the dark self-obsessions which characterizes the aspects. While equally detached, they take a broader, gentler, more humorous view of the people around them.

Mars-Jupiter: The aspects are characterized by an avuncular detachment and a general spirit of benevolence. Nonetheless, they are very stubborn and set in their ways, and quite impervious to other points of view. They can even be a bit thick at times, when their ornery bullheadedness shows through the facade of well-intentioned impartiality and reasonableness.

The parallels are as amiable as the aspects, but are fare more agile and diplomatic in their dealings with others. Like the aspects, they are plain-spoken and good-natured, but are not as overweeningly insistent on their own point of view. They have a true objectivity instead of merely benign detachment.

Mars-Saturn: The aspects have a serious, plaintive, intensely earnest demeanor, and a pained or pinched look in their eyes. They have an air of beleaguerment, of dogged exertion and unremitting struggle, with neither the time nor patience for frivolity and nonsense. They are responsible, disciplined, and hard working, but also intolerant and critical of others.

The parallels are as grimly determined as the aspects, and they have the same fortitude, but they are not so grave and overbearing. They have retained their sense of humor, and therefore can laugh at themselves and the world around them; hence they don’t have the sense of being besieged or the fear of being hemmed in by circumstances which characterizes the aspects. They have the knack of being cheerful in adversity and not taking setbacks personally.

Mars-Uranus: The aspects exhibit a wild and abandoned streak. No matter how sedate they may appear in repose, they are in fact creatures of impulse who secretly harbor a melange of utopian visions and crazy schemes. They are self-willed and buoyantly optimistic about their prospects. They charge on ahead with little forethought, concern for consequence, or sensitivity to the feelings of other people.

The parallels are as frisky and irrepressible as the aspects, and they have the same resolve and courage of their convictions. But they have a greater political sense than the aspects do—they know how and when to move warily and skillfully, and how to take other people into account. They are therefore more agreeable in their single-mindedness, and less prone to bluster and stonewalling.

Mars-Neptune: The aspects breeze through life on a cheeky and brazen insolence. They are not so much presumptuous as naive and inclined to take a lot for granted. They delight in being contrary, and have a spirited insouciance and elan. When they find that they’ve overreached themselves, they cheerfully shrug their shoulders and muddle their way through.

The parallels exhibit the same gumption and playfulness as the aspects, but they are a trifle more humble and self-effacing. They’re not as inclined to impose themselves on people because they have a well-developed sense of their own private space, and they can respect the space of others. They are equally mischievous and irreverent, but have a greater sensitivity and attunement to feelings.

Mars-Pluto: The aspects are brash, self-certain, and pig-headed. They are completely inflexible and unyielding, and they roll up their sleeves and lick their chops at any prospect of a good scrap. They have a lightening stomp which leaves most would-be opponents breathless, and a finality about their acts and proclamations which leaves no margin for misunderstanding their intentions and point of view.

The parallels are as stubborn and indomitable as the aspects, but they are wilier, more reflective, and therefore less intense. They thread their way around people and obstacles instead of battering their way through. While they can be as adamant as the aspects, they withdraw peacefully into themselves rather than stonewall and create needless conflicts.

Jupiter-Saturn: The aspects are cautious, pensive, and characterized by a vague disgruntlement with this world and its ways. They aren’t interested in the latest styles, trends, and buzzwords. They are not old-fashioned so much as nonplused—they act like perplexed foreigners even in their own milieu. They have a sense of being misfits, sad sacks, who nonetheless cling fierce]y to their own inner feeling for what is good and true. They have high ideals and standards of conduct to which they scrupulously adhere, and a moral courage which is the source of their deep inner pride.

The parallels have the same strong sense of personal integrity as the aspects, and they are equally detached from the prevailing cultural mores. But they are more reined, less self-conscious than the stiff and stuffy aspects. Although they stand apart from their society, they don’t warrant themselves to be above it with defensive contempt. They have a true policy of live and let live.

Jupiter-Uranus: The aspects are happy-go-lucky and devil-may-care. Albeit gregarious and cheery, they are not truly warm or sympathetic. Their aloof independence and intolerance of any stricture keeps them at a respectful distance from even their boon companions. There are times when they can become callous in their determination to pursue their own ends and enjoy life come what may.

The parallels are as perky and breezy as the aspects, and they have the same maverick streak. However, they have a somewhat greater awareness that there is more to life than just what they want this minute. While they are as detached and aloof as the aspects, they have a greater sense of perspective, and hence tend to be more respectful and gentler in their handling of other people.

Jupiter-Neptune: The aspects are expansive and outgoing, but also brusque, arbitrary, and high-handed. They are so idealistic and sold on their images and fantasies that they seem to exist in their own insulated bubble or island universe; and they look down upon this one with a somewhat snooty or superior distaste. While they are genuinely hopeful and convivial, they are also brash, absolutist, and never make excuses for themselves.

The parallels are as jovial and sociable as the aspects, and they can also be quite as blunt and removed. But they are more retiring than they are autocratic, and therefore they are less prone to meddle or presume too much. As they float along in their bubble, they are calm and unhurried, and skillful at avoiding collisions.

Jupiter-Pluto: The aspects are alert, insightful and outspoken. They have a rough sense of humor and a cockiness which is superior and self-mocking at the same time. They possess a penetrating understanding of human nature, but they also tend to feel that this puts them a notch above everyone else, which makes them mildly pompous and given to strutting.

The parallels have the same mental clarity and discrimination as the aspects, and they are every bit as jaunty and self-confident. But they have a greater depth and delicacy of feeling than the flamboyant aspects. They feel a stronger need to understand people than they do to dazzle them,

Saturn-Uranus: The aspects are steadying, thoroughgoing, and meticulous. They are extremely cautious and hesitant in any new situation, or until they’ve got their own feelings figured out; but once they’ve made up their minds they storm on ahead and burn all their bridges behind them. Of the planetary combinations which mean stubborn and inflexible determination, this one is about at the top of the list. They are extraordinarily tenacious and self-willed, and they make cold, hard, and unrelenting opponents

The parallels are as resolute and dogged as the aspects, and they are every bit as obstinate and unyielding. But they are more patient and humane than the touchy, fussy aspects, and less inclined to overstep themselves or intrude themselves on other people. They are willing to grant others the same rights and liberties which they insist on for themselves.

Saturn-Neptune: The aspects are private individuals, concentrated and intent on their own designs and feelings. They are dutiful and obliging, but otherwise stay within their own shells, They are quite sensitive and vulnerable, and have an air of pathos or anguish about them. Although they possess a great depth of feeling they have an extremely narrow focus of interest—they shy away from harshness or conflict, and they tend to plod through life wearing blinders of self-protection or self-pity.

The parallels are as emotionally self-cloistering and evasive as the aspects, but they have a great deal more joie de vivre. Like the aspects they have a sense of weariness and pain, but they don’t let it get them down. They maintain a positive and optimistic attitude towards life without the constant sighing of the aspects.

Saturn-Pluto: The aspects have a seething energy combined with a great self-restraint and nervous control. They have a "grit and bear it" fortitude, and are inured to (and even welcome) hardship and tests of Their mettle. They are obdurate and stoical, and can show a hatchet-faced indifference to other people’s feelings and limitations.

The parallels are as intense and self-contained as the aspects, and they have the same analytical detachment in the face of adversity. But they are much lighter in spirit and don’t have the sense of onus or begrudging which weights down the aspects. They too are ready for anything, but they great life with elan rather than throw down their gauntlet at it.

Back to Articles -->