What this aspect is
Sixty degrees, the circle divided into six. The planets stand in elements that do not clash: fire with air, or earth with water. It has the narrowest orb among the majors, up to 6.5 degrees for the Sun and 5 degrees between the other bodies.
In the natal chart
A sextile describes an ability that is easy to engage and just as easy to overlook. Unlike a trine it does not run in the background: it is not a given but a convenient option. In a chart a sextile often shows up as what a person does effortlessly whenever they remember they can.
In transits
A transiting sextile opens a window. During those days action in the theme of the two planets costs less than usual, but it will not happen by itself. That is why sextiles are worth taking from the transit calendar in advance and planning conversations, filings and small starts around them.
Common reading mistakes
The sextile is often confused with the trine and expected to deliver on its own. It will not: it is an opportunity, not a given. The second mistake is a wide orb: the sextile has the narrowest of the majors, and a link with an eight degree gap is no longer a sextile however much one wants to see it.
Major aspects
Orb by body
- Sun 6.5°
- Moon 6°
- Mercury 5°
- Venus 5°
- Mars 5°
- Jupiter 5°
- Saturn 5°
- Uranus 5°
- Neptune 5°
- Pluto 5°
The orb of a pair is the smaller of the two numbers. A Sun conjunct Pluto counts up to 5 degrees, because that is Pluto's figure, even though the Sun's is 12.