B

Balsamic Moon

The final phase of the Moon between the last quarter and the darkness of the New Moon. See Moon Phases.

Barren Planets

Sun, Saturn and Mars. Traditionally, these planets (along with the Dragon's Tail, or Moon's South Node) tend to prevent the birth, or cause early death, of children when located in either of the parents' fifth or eleventh houses, especially if poorly aspected. Many modern astrologers also consider Uranus barren.

Barren Signs

Gemini, Leo and Virgo. Aries is also considered rather barren. If on fifth or eleventh house cusps they tend to reduce the number of offspring. Good for tilling, bad for planting.

Behenian Fixed Stars

Fifteen stars considered especially useful for magical applications in the mediæval astrology of Europe and the Arab world. The name derives from Arabic bahman, "root," as each was considered a source of astrological power for one or more planets. Each is also connected with a gemstone and plant used in rituals intended to draw the star's influence (e.g., into a talisman). When a planet was within six degrees of an associated star, this influence was thought to be particularly strong. For Agrippa's table, see the Behenian Fixed Stars. For a different viewpoint, see the Table of Hermes.

Behold

1. A slower planet is said to behold a faster planet which is applying to an aspect with it.
2. Also, when two planets are within orb of an aspect, they are said to behold one another.
3. Or, when one planet is in aspect to another, each in Beholding Signs, they behold each other.

Beholding Signs

Signs which have the same declination, or are at equal distances from the tropics, ie, Aries/Virgo; Taurus/Leo; Gemini/Cancer; Libra/Pisces; Scorpio/Aquarius; Sagittarius/Capricorn. This relation of course only holds when planets are appropriately configured in them. See Equal Power.

Benefic

Beneficial, good, favourable.

Beibenia

Mediæval term for the brightest of the fixed stars. Jerome Vitali in his Lexicon Mathematicum (1668), says that beibenia are the main stars of the starry images, in particular their hearts and the stars of the first magnitude.

Benefic Aspects

Major Benefic aspects are

1. sextile (60°)
2. trine (120°)

Conjunction (0°) can be benefic if planets are themselves benefic or if otherwise well aspected.

Minor aspects usually considered benefic are

1. semi-sextile (30°)
2. quintile (72°)
3. bi-quintile (144°).

There are other benefic aspects, but these are the most widely used and understood. See Malefic Aspects.

Benefic Planets

see Benefics.

Benefics

Jupiter (the greater fortune) and Venus (the lesser fortune). These planets are considered to benefit the native, unless afflicted. Anonymous of 379 states that Mercury is a benefic (perhaps as a healer, being the Lord of Virgo) and Ptolemy states that "the ancients" also included the Moon as a benefic, chiefly because of its softening and humidifying power. Compare Malefics.

Besieged

A planet is besieged when it lies between two malefics, or when the next aspect it makes is with a malefic. Traditionally, a planet is besieged if it lies between Mars and Saturn and in the same sign with them.

Bestial Signs

Aries (Ram), Taurus (Bull), Leo (Lion), last half of Sagittarius (Centaur/Archer), front half of Capricorn (Sea-goat). Each of these signs is thus symbolised by an animal.

Bhava

Astrological House in Vedic astrology.

Bhukti

Planetary sub-period within a major period (dasa) in Vedic astrology.

Bicorporeal (Double-bodied) Signs

Gemini (twins), Sagittarius (part man, part beast) and Pisces (two fishes). They denote dual experiences, twins etc., when on the cusp of fifth or eleventh houses and especially on the ascendant or when populated by many planets. Ptolemy includes Virgo. His twist is that these four signs are called bicorporeal because they "follow the solid [Fixed] signs, and are so called because they are between the solid and the solstitial and equinoctial signs and share, as it were, at end and beginning, the natural properties of the two states of weather."

Birth Chart

A natal chart (nativity), or horoscope. It is a map of how the planets were aligned when a person (the native) was born. The birth chart presents an astrological blueprint for a person's life. More about the Birth Chart.

Birth Place

Place where the native's first breath was drawn. Longitude and latitude of the birthplace are required to construct an accurate nativity.

Birth Time

Moment of first breath; important in erecting an accurate nativity.

Bi-quintile

144 degree aspect.

Black Hole

An extremely dense object in space, with a gravitational pull so strong that nothing, not even light can escape it. Astronomers believe that the imploded remnant of a massive star may become a Black Hole, though there are other proposed causes. Some modern astrologers take some of them into consideration, especially the Galactic Centre, a vastly powerful supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. Read Wikipedia on Black Holes.

Black Moon

Also known as Dark Moon, or Lilith, a sensitive point that can be calculated from the Moon's orbit around the Earth. The Moon's orbit is not circular but slightly elliptical and an ellipse has two focuses. The Earth travels in one focus; the other is empty, but has been designated as the Black Moon. Used by some modern astrologers. There is also an asteroid called Lilith.

Blue Moon

When a Full Moon occurs twice in the same sign in any given year, the second of the two Full Moons is called a Blue Moon. [Recently this phenomenon has been misunderstood to mean a second Full Moon in a calendar month. Calendar months cross over the cusps of the signs, hence this so-called "Blue Moon" is not a significant astrological phenomenon.] More on the Blue Moon.

Bounds

One of the dignities (also known as "terms", from the latin terminus), thought of as delimiting a certain circumstance within a certain confine of life. Often used in life expectancy calculations.

Brihaspati

A Vedic name for Jupiter.

Budha

A Vedic name for Mercury. Not to be confused with Buddha, the central figure of Buddhism, though both mean "awakened". Budha refers to "awakened intellect", as Mercury stands for the intellect (Buddhi), as opposed to the innocent, receptive mind represented by the Moon.