Understanding the Degree Theory in Astrology
When reading a birth chart, you typically see the planet, the sign it’s in, and then a numerical degree. Many people don’t pay much attention to the degrees despite that they actually mean something pretty important! That’s where the degree theory in astrology comes in. It was invented by the late Serbian Astrologer Nikola Stojanovic and states that the number of a degree is linked to a specific zodiac sign, and therefore lends some of that sign’s traits.
1° - Aries / Mars: Action, aggression, taking initiative, leadership, business, wars, violence, conflict, the idea of being “first”, the self.
2° - Taurus / Venus: Materialism, stability, finances, wealth, forest, trees, food, luxuries, voice, singing, earth.
3° Gemini / Mercury: two of something, siblings, hands, double, local, small town, neighborhood, groups, communication, the mind, learning.
4° Cancer / Moon: mother, home, public, nurturance, intuition, protecting others, family, ancestry/roots.
5° Leo / Sun: strong, royal, leader, outdoors, outgoing, creativity, performing arts, risk vs. pleasure, hair, ego, children.
6° Virgo / Mercury: health, sickness/illness, work, routine, pets, hospitals, doctors, the idea of sorting/categorizing, refining things, perfectionism, manual service.
7° Libra / Venus: beauty, luxury items, earrings/jewelry, fashion, couples, music, art, marriage, justice, associates, legalities, courtrooms, balance, justice, fairness.
8° Scorpio / Pluto+Mars: secrets, death, sex, insurance, taxes, jealousy, pregnancy/womb, other people’s resources, depth, intensity.
9° Sagittarius / Jupiter: Higher education, borders, professors, foreign, travel, archery, having a plan.
10° Capricorn / Saturn: The government, authority figures, public-facing, slow, delay, karma, lessons, shadow side, depression.
11° Aquarius / Uranus: Unexpected events, randomness, high places, flying, airports, high tech, helping others, altruism, communities, friends, networks, organizations, electricity.
12° Pisces / Neptune: swimming, bodies of water, disguises, illusions, missing, rain, flood, out of focus, spirituality, confusion, misplaced, unclear, “foggy”.
Once the degrees pass the number 12, they start the cycle all over again, for instance:
13° Aries:
14° Taurus
15° Gemini
16° Cancer
17° Leo:
18° Virgo
19° Libra
20° Scorpio
21° Sagittarius
22° Capciron
23° Aquarius
24° Pisces
25° Aries
26° Taurus
27° Gemini
28° Cancer
29° Leo
0° can also be found in birth charts (I have my Jupiter in Scorpio at 0°!) and it’s essentially interpreted as very neutral, “clean slate” energy, but could also indicate a lack of direction or clear idea as to how to go about the themes associated with that planet, because it’s all left up to the native who has that planet in 0°.
29° is a major one to look out for in a birth chart. This is known as an “anaretic” degree, which comes from the Greek word for destructive (anaretikos.) It is regarded as the fated degree, and it is the last degree before moving into a new zodiac sign (each sign spans 30 degrees total.) It is challenging to have planets at 29° because the person takes on the karma of that zodiac sign and all of its experiences and must learn from these crises to start anew.
