The idea for this entry came to me when I answered someone’s question on reddit about stelliums. The question of “What is a stellium?”/“Do I have a stellium in my chart?”/“Tell me about my stellium!” seems to get asked a lot. Whether I’m being asked about this directly when reading a client’s chart, or I just notice people asking these questions on forums (like reddit) as I creep in the shadows and answer questions (hahahaha!), it seems like everyone has questions about stelliums. But….astrologers can’t really seem to come to a consensus as to what exactly constitutes one. This is probably because there are many different ways to read a chart, and really, it’s such an intuitive process that no one is really right or wrong. Over the 20 years that I have been doing this, I have come up with my own “guidelines” for reading stelliums in natal charts, and rules for deciding what constitutes a stellium in the first place. But before we get to all that, first a bit of pertinent information:
**A stellium is a massive group of planetary/celestial body energy in one’s natal chart in one location (such as having 4 planets in the 11th House). All of the planets might be in one house or sign, or the planets may cross over into two signs and/or two houses (though some astrologers don’t count a stellium as a stellium if all the planets aren’t in the same sign or house).
And with all that said, let’s begin with my guidelines for stelliums:
1. If there are only 3 planets in conjunction with one another, and two of those planets are the Sun and Mercury, I wouldn’t consider it a stellium. Reason for this being that the Sun and Mercury are usually quite close together anyway (usually only a sign or so apart). If the Sun and Mercury are two of the planets in a Stellium, there would need to be 4 planets there all together.
2. When I look at stelliums, personally they don’t all have to be within a 10 degree orb in total, but each planet has to be within 5-degrees of the next one in line (for the Sun and the Moon, I will sometimes widen the orb to 7-degrees). For instance: Venus @ 3 Sag 33 to Jupiter @ 8 Sag 12 to the Sun @ 15 Sag 04. Even though Venus and the Sun are out of the 10 degree orb, they are linked by Jupiter in the middle.
3. Sometimes I will consider the North Node as part of a stellium if it falls somewhere in the middle of the stellium/all the planetary energy. If it falls as either the 1st or last planet in the stellium, then I usually don’t count it as part of it. Though that also really depends on the whole chart. I would definitely need to see 3 other planet with the North Node involved to count it as a stellium.
4. Since stelliums are such a massive amount of energy in one house, sometimes all that energy can be confusing and can cause some issues with the native. If there are any issues to work out, one of the best ways to work them out is to channel that energy into the opposite house (which generally gets neglected somewhat in this situation since the stellium puts so much focus on the house it is in). The only time this wouldn’t be applicable is if there is a stellium in the polar house as well (such as having stelliums in the 3rd and the 9th houses), or just having multiple planets in the polar/opposite house.
5. Some people don’t like to count the major angles as part of a stellium situation, but I usually do. At the very least, they color the entire thing somewhat in the area of life that the angle rules. I don’t believe that they should be disregarded here. If you are counting the major angles in a stellium, you would want to see 3 planets around it forming a stellium.
6. Some astrologers feel that in order for something to be a stellium, all the planetary/celestial energy has to fall in one house of the natal chart, or in one sign. Some are okay with the energy falling in different signs as long as they all fall in the same house. Some are okay with the energy falling in different houses as long as they all fall in the same sign. And some, like yours truly, are okay with the possibility of a stellium straddling different houses and/or different signs. Sometimes I find that what I consider to be a stellium actually ends up straddling two houses and/or two signs. We are such complex beings, that it seems like it would shortchange the person on the quest to better understand themselves to not consider something a stellium just because the planetary energy straddles two houses and/or two signs.
7. The best way that I have found to read a stellium in a natal chart is to first start by reading them as a series of conjunctions within the certain house (or houses) that they fall in. If the luminaries (the Sun and/or the Moon) are part of the stellium, I would start with one of those first and the planets that they conjunct. If neither of the luminaries exist, I would then look for the tightest conjunction between two planets and start there (in my own chart above I would begin with the very tight Venus/Uranus conjunction). Once you have a firm grasp on the energies that the series of conjunctions bring to the table, you can then merge those different planetary conjunctions together to give you a good idea of what the stellium in question actually means for the person. After that, you can then look to the House that the stellium falls in to figure out the area(s) of life most affected by the energy here, as well as different aspects that the stellium makes to other planets/celestial bodies in other houses.
8. The generational planets (and slightly slower moving planets like Saturn) can be involved in a stellium, but a clusterfuck of generational/slower moving planets (like Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in Capricorn all on top of each other in 1989) are not a stellium. THIS is called a SUPERCONJUNCTION (or triple conjunction) and is not the same as a stellium. The reason it is not the same thing as a stellium is because these planets aren’t generally as “personally” felt as the inner/faster moving planets (this is by no means universal, that generational planets can’t be felt personally….but it is the reason that most would not consider this a stellium in traditional and more personal terms).
Disclaimer: I am not saying that I am unequivocally right here, these guidelines just work for me (and have for a very long time), and I figured that if they work and resonate for me then they might resonate with someone else as well. That’s the only reason I figured I’d throw my hat in the “what is a stellium” ring here. It really all boils down to how someone feels about a particular chart while they’re reading it. No right or wrong answer here 🙂
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19 Responses
My ascendant and mercury are in my North Node in Leo and my Mercury is very close to my Stellium in Virgo at the cusp of Leo. Would you consider this stellium Sun ,Venus and Pluto to be considered part of my North Node or just mercury?
Hey 🙂
I’d need to see your chart to know for sure if I would count it or not. What I can tell you is that any planets within 5-degrees applying and separating with/from the North Node I would for sure count as part of the North Node mission.
hello! i have a lot of important planets in my 1st house (sun, moon, mars, true node, mercury, uranus and neptune) and after reading about stelliums i got really scared. i may have a strong tendency to melancholy and reading about suicidal tendencies associated with stelliums is not making me feel good at all. could someone give me a hand here please?? i was born january 4th 1992 in greenbreae, san francisco, california at 5.22AM.
i would be very thankful is someone could tell me something good about this alignments or coincidences.. i want to think than im not necessarily doomed, destined to suffer or obtuse person. thank you
Hi! Thanks a lot for this post! I think it’s really enlightening while not being too jargony. I actually found your blog through that reddit post you mentioned hahaha.
I’ve been wondering for a while if I have a stellium. Personally I feel like I do, but technicality-wise I don’t think it actually constitutes as such. You said it could depend on the astrologer’s interpretation (which I most definitely am not), and I’m curious what you think! I was born on 11.14.98 at 05:28AM in Manila, Philippines. People generally tell me I’m too intense and I also struggle a lot with trust. *scratches head* Just wondering if you have any insight to spare! hehe
Hey 🙂 So I pulled your chart and you have a pretty active 1st House! I’m not sure that I would count that as a stellium, but it is still INCREDIBLY important (that Chiron, Venus, Sun thing you have going on is very powerful, as is Pluto carrying up the back-end of the 1st house). You probably are pretty intense, though I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing (it just kind of is – the faint of heart won’t get that, but they probably aren’t your tribe, anyway ^_^).
That Venus/Chiron/Sun triple conjunction is also really important as it squares your Nodal Axis (or they are “skipped steps”). Working that intensity and magnetism to your advantage is going to be very important (and perhaps something that didn’t happen quite “right” from a previous lifetime lens). I’d have to sit with that longer, but something along those lines is where my mind goes first.
Ahh thank you so much for the response! I’ll definitely think about what you said a well as try to do my own research on that! Thanks again for your time!
Hello!
I have 6 Libra placements and have been trying to understand if they constitute a stellium… Based on this article, I think probably not? but I’d love your input!
The placements are sun, ascendant, mercury, north node, venus and chiron
i was born 30 september 1995, 06.15am in Tromsø, Norway, if you’d like to have a look
Hey 🙂
I probably wouldn’t consider this a stellium. I feel like Chiron, the Sun, and the Ascendant kind of tell their own story, Venus and Mercury tell their own story, then the North Node is more by itself.
**I would have to sit with your chart longer, but I *might* consider Venus conjunct the North Node since the North Node is in Libra (which is ruled by Venus).**
just found out your blog this morning.I got stellium in 7th ( libra), and 9th (sagg). i was born in 28aug 1982. stuck with money, no future when im reaching 40 now. Some say i might locate oversea and meet my destiny there . I dont feel luck ever love me.Any advise for me( im a single mom now,live in viet nam ,nha trang city)
I don’t know, I would have to see your chart (I don’t see a time included).
I’m sorry about not feeling any luck ever – that is a terrible way to feel
Hi! Your article is very interesting. I don’t know much about astrology and I am trying to find out if I do have stelliums in my chart and what they mean. Not sure. I was born on October 19th 1982 at 23:55 in Argentina. Would you help me? I think it would help me a lot to figure things out. Thanks a million!
Hey 🙂
I’m not totally sure where in Argentina you were born so I just set it to Buenos Aries. It most definitely looks like you do have a Stellium involving Venus, Saturn, Sun, and Pluto in Libra (though I wouldn’t be totally sure of what house they fall without the actual location). Hope this helps 🙂 and if you need anything else, email me at [email protected] ^_^
Thank you, my mercury and neptune are well placed . But neptune in 9th house should bring faith , but it dosent.
Hey 🙂
There is A LOT going on with your 7th house. Honestly, what catches my eye along with the stellium of the Sun/Mars/Pluto (Vertex and Venus have different stories to tell), is that the 7th house and the 1st are intercepted (with Pisces and Virgo falling in interception). And all that planetary energy falling in interception. Before even looking at the Stellium, I would focus on pulling those houses out of interception (for until you do this, that Stellium energy will feel “foggy”, from the POV of the Sun since Mars and Pluto aren’t in intercepted Virgo).
Honestly, the more I look at your chart, the less I am inclined (based on a feeling) to call the Sun/Mars/Pluto thing a Stellium in the 7th. I am actually more inclined to think of Mars, Pluto and Mercury as a Stellium in Libra over the 7th & 8th houses.
The way to pull those houses from interception is to look at the ruler of the signs in interception (in your case, Mercury and Neptune. I would actually look at Neptune first. Really learn how Neptune, and Mercury, operate in your life and how to use them to your highest benefit.
Thank you, well i do have fog in my life. I am trying to resolve it but without any success. Isent venus part of the stellium? I want relationship, but have no success , i also blame my 5th house saturn.
Hey again 🙂
No, Venus is not part of all of this….it is way too far out of orb. It IS in interception, which will cause some fogginess in regards to your concept of love, how you love, how you need to be loved in return, etc.
Your 5th house Saturn *could* play a role in this being difficult for you. I would really look into your intercepted houses, though. I feel like the key to what you want is probably hidden there.
I am.trying to find a way to figure out my 7th house stellium, i was born at 13.9.1974 at 17:45 summer time. I am single, and the fact is that i struggle with a mix of energies in relationships.
I was born in israel
[…] No.1 – I tend to go by the 10 degree orb rule for aspects between the planets, luminaries, and Chiron. This has just always felt right to me personally. Every once in a while I *may* open this orb just a touch if the luminaries are involved in some capacity, but then I will only usually open it to 12 degrees. Also, when I open this orb slightly, this part of the chart really needs to be “speaking” to me in someway, for some reason. No.2-For aspects made to the North and South Nodes by the planets and Chiron, I really don’t like to go above a 5 or 6 degree orb. This is because the North and South Nodes aren’t even real celestial bodies but hypothetical points. No.3– For asteroid aspects, regardless of what the asteroid is making an aspect with, I really like to keep these even tighter, usually in the 3 degree range (though depending on what planetary body is involved, this orb may end up widened to 4 or 5 degrees). No.4-For me to count a fixed star aspect, regardless of what the fixed star is making an aspect with, these orbs have to be really fucking tight, like an orb 1 – 1 1/2 degrees (maybe 2 degrees if the connection seems really outstanding due to other factors in the chart). This is because fixed stars don’t move around and are always found in the same location in everyone’s chart. An example is Algol, which is always at 26 Taurus.No.5-As far as orbs having to do with a Stellium (and what a Stellium is), I have another post on this for your reading pleasure. […]