Ava"I wonder what he'd say about my severely afflicted moon.
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He wouldn`t view it as severely afflicted probably, but coming with certain challenges. (Pisces is not an afflicted position for Moon).
Personally I don´t like the terminology anyway.
It´s your Moon, it describes your emotional set up, it is descriptive, not judgemental.
Is a Taurus-Moon trine Venus any better? (not in relationship with me, I can tell you for sure).
"Yeah I really don't know, I feel like anyone who's perceptive enough can see through all the posturing and know the essence of a person, if they try."
Hmm, not everyone is that perceptive, in fact the majority of people is NOT. Your afflicted Moon is helping you doing this, but this is not a given thing for every person.
I am sometimes surprised, too, how people really do not see any deeper than what is presented at the surface level. (not saying ASC is surface level, it is more differentiated than that)
"If the ASC is a mask, it's a rather transparent mask. And it's hard to think anyone would focus on that alone, at first meeting, and be misled by it.
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ASC is not (only) a mask. But has a lot to do with first impressions, these two things are not the same thing imo. ASC is more than this though, what we respond to here is an energetic imprint that is hard to describe or grasp or fully understand. it has something instinctual.
ASC is a mask in that sense that it is part of the first impressions. But it is also how we approach the world, what gets through our filter.
Also anything conjunct the angles, especially ASC and MC, will also be part of those impressions.
Well he also goes on to elaborate on that some more, and I find it interesting that he adds to the first impressions the Mercury-placements. But it makes a lot of sense, as Mercury is how we communicate, that is certainly something that "comes through" in first contact (and later, too, of course, those first impresisons are not getting lost along the way, they are just something that is initially noticed).
Also the chartruler plays a role as well in first impressions. As do all planets and their aspects which are conjunct the ASC (and possibly in 1st house to a lesser degree). And I think in a social context MC is very similiar actually. in my job or in larger social contacts people might actually more easily see my Libra-MC and Pluto than the ASC-thing, that is more for a one-on-one-contact.
Of course people might be a little surprised. from a distance I am that Libra-Pluto-person, then in personal contact the Neptune ASC Comes out, possibly even along with Mars. But still pretty neptunian. And then there is my Mercury in SAg conjunct Sun. I might radiate a rather mellow, maybe even disoriented or out-of-this-world, absentminded, dreamy energy with neptune on my ASC and chartruler in Pisces. But then when I open my mouth to speak (Mercury), the Sun comes out, too, and all in Sagittarius, and people are surprised at some of the remarks I make.
"But I can go along with the argument that we probably ought to give more weight to the luminaries than angles if we're looking to see if deeper needs are being fulfilled.
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Angles are along with luminaries the most personal thing, I wouldn´t make them compete with each other in importance. Waht is most important however about angles is that they act as putting a spotlight and bringing out into view and manifestation whatever touches them. If nothing is there, then there is nothing for them to manifest either, though they might then still provide a background-theme or just background. Angles are the antennas that receive and increase the energy that hits them. Luminaries (and planets) ARE the energy, or send out the energy (that then would be made louder and more visible by touching an angle for example).
That is in my opinion also the reason that planets work with different aspects, but for angles, frankly spoken, the conjunction is of paramount importance, along with the square (being the midpoint of the angle - axis). I do check the trines and quinkunxes and so on, but often I am not sure they are even a "thing". haven`t formed a final conclusion on that yet. so for now I keep an eye on these other aspects, too.
