posted March 09, 2008 03:10 PM              

The square seems to me to be more about appropriate use of a quality in a given area. Looking at the zodiac, aries squares cancer and capricorn. Broadly, these quadrants represent the different areas of life - self, family, and society. These always require work to balance and the tension is a more tangible and external one than with the opposition which is more essential and internal to the modes of being in the opposing signs.

Going with this idea, the square would represent the wrong use of the given traits of a sign or planet for a given area. For instance, with a couple who has venus square venus - cancer square libra. Using a canceresque maternal, nurturing approach with a partner who has fundamentally libra relationship needs would result in some tension and a need to work something out. The libra person is looking for balance and equality which does not suit the close, emotional nurturing style of the cancer person. The cancer person may need to confine that style of nurturing to children for instance (for the purposes of this example) where its expression is most natural. The needs are out of sync and need to be acknowledged and worked on/compromised, etc. The issue with the square is one of domain and appropriate use of a mode/skill/style in an appropriate area of life.

I think the opposition is more difficult in the sense that it requires more internal discipline and awareness. However, once a balance is achieved - it offers more of an advantage than the square.

The square is more straightforward and confrontational. The areas are pretty easily understood and less internal discipline and awareness is necessary. It is more external - more about how something is used, when and where.

So maybe we can boil these aspects down to just this:

opposition - right amount

posted March 10, 2008 04:41 AM            

1. aries, cancer, capricorn may have qualities that you suggest but it seems that maybe you are maybe talking more along the lines of planets falling in "corresponding" houses of these signs (some people might even dispute this!) and thus there is the square. However of course, there are clashes between the signs themselves; eg the independence of aries v clinginess of cancer. The clashes occur because they express what they want in the same way (eg here cardinal) but maybe what they want varies.

2. The opposition does not lead necessarily to a resolution and maybe balance is achieved sometimes and often it is out of kilter. Compared to the square where, yes, there is direct confrontation and in general things are pretty much always forced to be sorted. The opposition is more like a tip-toe compromise if it can be reached, otherwise, its this horrible seesawing feeling. Squares when resolved release much more positive energy and are greatly relieving when dealt with and thus, people with a lot of squares are able to be energetic and just get through things. Oppositions however are this dull uncertainty that occasionally give some relief, trust me, my chart is full of them!!

posted March 10, 2008 05:23 AM            

I think oppositions are better to have then squares.. usually in squares the two planets dont work together at all and nothing is achieved. just frustration. atleast in oppositions many times you see one planet coming out dominantly with traits from the opposed planet but working to the dominant planets advantage.

signs of the same quality always have things in common. with the square its more mellow. some things in common but not much and enough to not get along. with opposition I think there is more understanding and likeness, but also key difference that to which neither can empathize with. which also makes an opposition more significant. think of the attraction or opposites.

posted March 10, 2008 05:52 AM            

its mainly about oppositions to the angles

oppositions to the Ascendant aren't necessarily challenging for they are conjunctions to the Descendant.

oppositions to the Midheaven aren't necessarily challenging for they are conjunctions to the Imum Coeli

however,they can be difficult if they involve Mars,Saturn,and the outerplanets

Oppositions resonate with Libra just like Conjunctions resonate with Aries. So they can be relationship-oriented. Even Robert Hand said that they are not only about strife and conflict but also partnership and cooperation.
7th house is not the house of partnership,relationship, but also the house of open enemies. Just think of married couples who divorced...they can be very bitter enemies....especially when it comes to custody battles and deciding who takes what. Those tend to be legal matters. The assets tend to be split 50-50....is that Libra or what??? hahahahaha

Opposition indicates a need to have balance. They can also be important for awareness. Oppositions have to do with others. Sometimes..a person doesn't "own" their energy and they project it onto others. Or they play one role and then play another.

for instance, I have Saturn in Gemini oppose Jupiter-Neptune in Sagittarius
I can be a skeptic when it comes to certain mystical stuff and think that it's too far out there for me like channeling 20,000 year old space beings or using hypothetical planets in Astrology. I can be too out there for skeptics of Astrology and people who think that I am dream up my ideas.

I even think that my opposition is playing out now in that I have been starting to have my doubts about zodiac signs and houses in Astrology and want to work with a more scientific type of Astrology and focus on geometry,harmonics,golden ratio.

so its the skeptic vs mystic that fights inside me......so I try to balance them out by having a grounded mystical nature which can be seen as too mystical to skeptics and too skeptical to mystics.

in my relationship, I have acted Jupiter-Neptunian,and my girlfriend acted Saturnian. I have acted Saturnian,and she has acted Jupiter-Neptunian.

posted March 10, 2008 01:11 PM            

i personally dont think that oppositions have anything to do with a seesaw effect. that just sounds like Gemini or an air sign feeling. being in fixed signs, my opposition is very stable- and difficult.

i think you overgeneralized for the keywords associated w libra and cancer etc, and that wont work so easily for the other axises - esp the Mutable Axis which doesnt have set associations