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How To Use Antiscia and Contra-Antiscia

Antiscia, and contra-antiscia, are essentially another aspect that we can use in Astrology to gain a deeper understanding of the Zodiac Signs in relation to each other.

While the classical aspects are the degree of separation or distance Planets are from one another, the angle at which their “rays” cast upon each other; antiscia and contra antiscia is a division of light (day and night) across the Equinoxes and Solstices, or four Cardinal Signs (Cancer, Libra, Capricorn, Aries), also known as the Aries point.

We can envision it like literally folding a paper Astrological wheel in half either along the Equinox or Solstice line (Aries-Libra or Cancer-Capricorn) vertically or horizontally and seeing which Zodiac Sign connect. They are used as a way of connecting seemingly disjointed Signs, Ancient Astrologers placed great emphasis on them, able to counteracting aversion and bring sympathy to squares between Fixed Signs).

Read on for more details about what makes antiscia and contra-antiscia useful:

using-antiscia-and-contra-antiscia-in-astrology

What are Antiscia Signs?

Signs that oppose one another across the Solstice line are called antiscia, which means “opposite shadows” (scia means shadow in Greek), acting as a mirror to each other in amount of daylight and nighttime available within them. They share equal light (10 days before the Solstice and 10 days after are the same).

For example, the Summer Solstice in the North occurs on the 1st day of Cancer Season (when the Sun has just entered at 1º Cancer); the length of the day is pretty much the same as the last day of Gemini Season the day before (when the Sun was at 29ª Gemini). Thus, Gemini and Cancer are antiscia to one another.

We can say the same of Libra and Pisces: when the Sun comes to 3º of Libra, the length of day and sunlight available is equal to the length of night when the Sun is at 27 degrees Pisces. The graphic above easily depicts this visual.

Another way to look at it is 20ª of Sagittarius and 10º of Capricorn being in antiscia to one another as they are both 10º away from the Winter Solstice at 0º Capricorn.

Manilius said that antiscia Signs are “seeing Signs”, meaning that they understand one another- both will rise and set in the same part of the horizon with equal amount of hours in a day in both (so the length of the night is the same when the Sun is both at 20º Virgo and 10 degrees Aries).

Antiscia are symmetrical and equidistant to the Solstice points. Planets and/or points (such as Ascendant, Midheaven, Nodes) are in antiscia when they reflect one another across this cardinal axis.

Signs that are antiscia:

Cancer - Gemini
Leo - Taurus
Virgo - Aries
Libra - Pisces
Scorpio - Aquarius
Sagittarius - Capricorn

Because these Signs are mirroring one another, they are said to be of equal power and therefore confronting. In famed ancient text, Christian Astrology, William Lilly writes that Signs sending antiscion to one another should be compared to the beneficial aspects of the trine or sextile. These Signs agree with one another in the amount of visible light (power) in a day, some described this as having sympathy for one another.

What are Contra-Antiscia Signs?

Contra-antiscia Signs, on the other hand, are those across the Equinox line, these are said to be hearing Signs, and are a reflection of each other: the Planetary day hours of one are equal to the Planetary night hours of the other.

Lily says that contra-antiscion signs can be compared with the maleficent angles, such as the square and opposition. Plotemy considers contra-antiscion signs as commanding or obeying. Commanding signs, Aries through Virgo, have days that are longer in duration than nights. Obeying signs, Libra through Pisces, have longer length nights than days.

Signs that are contra-antiscia:

Aries - Pisces
Taurus - Aquarius
Gemini - Capricorn
Cancer - Sagittarius
Leo - Scorpio
Virgo - Libra

Signs that are contra-antiscia to one another are directly opposite the Signs there are anticisa to (for example, Aries is antiscia to Virgo and contra-antiscia to Pisces, its opposite). Thus, as a shorthand, you could simply conceptualise the antiscia (Solstice-seeing) Signs and then would automatically know the Signs they are contra-antiscia to by knowing their polarity.

To figure out whether you have any personal Planets that are antiscia or contra-antiscia to one another, you can use this free calculator here. You can also do it manually by looking at the Zodiac Signs and degrees.

For example, if you have a Planet at 11º18’ Scorpio, its antiscion would be at 18º42’ Aquarius plus/minus a 1º orb (there are 30º and 60 minutes in each Zodiac Sign). Therefore if you have any Planet located between 17º42’ and 19º42’ Aquarius, it is antiscia to your Scorpio Planet! This can also be considered in the context of synastry Charts between two people.

To calculate its contra-antiscia in the example above, it would simply be at 18º42’ Leo.

In the diagram below from the wonderful Alice Sparkly Kat, the dotted line connects two points along the ecliptic sending antiscion to one another. If they were 13º Leo and 17º Taurus, say, and you drew a line from them to the horizon they would be equal in length.

The contra-antiscia points represented by the longer line is at different declination degrees (the height above or below the ecliptic). While antiscia shows two points that are equal in power or on the same level, contra-antiscia shows two points that are hierarchical. The points in the Signs Aries through Virgo (the first half of the Astrological year) “overpower“ or command the points in the Signs Libra to Pisces.

In summary, Planets in antiscia mirror one another across the Solstitial axis, which means they share the same amount of daylight (or power) and can be considered harmonious seeing Planets. Planets in contra-antiscia share the same ascensional ‘rising’ time across the Equinoctial axis and are hierarchical to one another, they are considered as hearing Signs more akin to challenging aspects such as the square or opposition.

So that’s an overview of antiscia and contra-antiscia in Astrology, I hope it’s insightful for you! Let me know in the comments section below if you have anything else to add or any questions.

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