No Fear Astrology

All about the Sextile in Astrology

When I first started out learning astrology, I was always told the squares were conflict, the sextile was a learning aspect, the trine was harmonious, and the opposition was at odds with one another. One thing I never learned was why. Why was a square a conflicting aspect? Why was the opposition always bad? Why is the sextile a learning aspect? I think the aspects are best looked at in relation to each other. Just like how chart synthesis tells us the entire story of the chart, the aspects are best understood when taking all of them into account. Unlike...

August 12th, 2026 Aspects

The Meaning of the Direct Nodes in Your Birth and Transit Charts.

Let's start by busting some astrological myths. The direct nodes are rare. It's commonly floated around that the nodes are direct only once or twice a month. The implication of this is that they are only direct for a day or two, and then go back to being retrograde. But the Moon's nodes are direct, on average, for as long, if not longer, than the time that Mercury is in retrograde every year. So let's do some math (I know, math is gross, but stick with me). [A compilation of direct nodes using Astrodienst Ephemeris]Astrodienst Ephemeris (located here so you...

August 12th, 2026 Nodes

On Astrological Oppositions...

The opposition aspect is something people kind of dread. It's hard to understand, but understanding the synthesis of the aspect is even harder. It represents conflict, differing sides, and varying ways of expression. Like a fraternal twin, the opposition reminds us that things can be the same, but completely different at the same time. Twins may look and act differently, but are still held together by their birth. This is the nature of the opposition - seeing what we are, what we are not, and all the things we could be. I'll be honest, the opposition didn't make much sense...

August 12th, 2026 Aspects

The Eighth House - What We Owe to Each Other

I like to call the eighth house What We Owe to Each Other. Before you ask, yes, I was totally inspired by the show The Good Place and no, I have not read the book (yet). The eighth house is often seen as the house of "other". Other people's resources, taxes, inheritance, death, debt, and the like. But I want to look at the eighth house by examining its relationship to its neighboring houses, so that we can get a full view of what the eighth house actually entails. Let's take an honest look at the houses here. Each astrological...

August 12th, 2026 Houses

Squares Are Not the Devil

The square aspect is typically looked at with great disdain in the astrological community. It's seen as a "hard" or "bad" aspect, with little wiggle room. The typical definition goes like this - squares represent great challenges with great rewards. They are lessons we need to learn, and create friction and ambition in the birth chart. I do not attempt to reinvent the wheel with this, but simply add to it. When I asked some of you who have handled your square aspects well whether you thought it was because of the rulers of the planets involved or because of...

August 11th, 2026 Aspects

No, Your Empty Houses Aren't the End of the World

Empty houses aren’t anything new. In fact, they are perfectly normal. This is because there are only 10 planets, and 12 houses. You are bound to have an empty house! So how do we interpret them? Are they as scary as they appear? No. Just because you have an empty house does not mean that area of your life is empty, in fact, it can be full of life! So the first step that I would recommend to understanding empty houses is to understand the concept of rulership. This is so when we approach an empty house, let’s say, a...

August 11th, 2026 Houses

Using Mercury Retrograde as a Superpower

Your Mercury in retrograde is not a bad thing. It can give you different perspectives that you won't be able to find anywhere else. Let's look at how some influential people used their Mercury retrograde to their advantage, and how they worked with it, not against it. [birth chart of L.L. Zamenhof][birth chart of Laini Taylor]These charts are from the creator of Esperanto, one of the first attempts at a universal language that is still spoken today. The second chart is from my favorite author. The first thing you'll probably notice about these charts is not only that Mercury is...

August 11th, 2026 Retrogrades

The Twelfth House Boogeyman

The twelfth house in astrology gets a lot of flak. It's right up there with the eighth house. This is because of the twelfth's association with things that we’d rather not face in life. It’s associated with hidden enemies, karma, exile, hospitals, prisons, dreams, and service. Which, if you're like a normal person, many of these don't sound good. So let’s break down how the twelfth house can play out in real life, and not just in the woo-woo world of astrology. Can the twelfth house describe abuse? Yes. Can it describe addiction? Yes. But the fifth house can also...

August 11th, 2026 Houses

How to read your Solar Return Chart

A Solar Return happens every year on your birthday. They are a horoscope for the year ahead of you. Solar Returns reflect transits as they are each year when our sun moves back into it’s original position, down to the degree and minute. The Solar Return chart is static, meaning it does not move. It does not represent our growth, like progressions do, or the sky as it is right now like transits, but can help give us insight into the next year. For me, personally, Solar Returns are best looked at in hindsight, but some like to use them...

August 11th, 2026 Transits, Progressions, and Returns