Glossary
C
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, Y, Z

Cadent Houses—The Third, Sixth, Ninth, and Twelfth Houses. These are ruled by mutable signs and are generally associated with the mutable qualities.
Campanus House System—This house system is one of the quadrant systems, so named because they use the ascendant, descendant and MC/IC axes to divide the chart into four quadrants. The Campanus House System is distinguished by using the cusps of the house to mark the center of the house. This system causes greatly unequal house sizes in charts for polar locations.
Cardinal Signs and Houses—These are Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn; the Third, Sixth, Ninth, and Twelfth Houses. Concerning the quadruplicity known as cardinality. Such signs possess initiative and impulsion.
Cazimi—A planet within seventeen minutes (ie, in terms of degrees, not time) of the Sun, by conjunction, is said to be cazimi, and at the 'heart of the Sun'. This greatly strengthens the planet. See Combust.
Celestial Body—A physical form that exists in space, such as a planet.
Celestial Equator—The projection of the Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere on the same plane as the Earth's equator (not the place of the ecliptic). See also Plane.
Celestial Harmonics—See Harmonics.
Celestial Sphere—The sky as it appears to an observer on Earth.
Ceres—The first asteroid to be discovered. Ceres is associated with the Roman goddess of agriculture and our ability to grow grain, harvest it, grind it into flour and make bread.
Chaldean Order—The order of the visible planets from the slowest to the fastest: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, the Moon. An ancient term.
Chart—A diagram of the zodiac sky.
Chiron—A small celestial body (planetoid) between Saturn and Uranus. Named for the mythical centaur noted for healing and teaching.
Choleric—One of the four temperments, associated with the element of fire. The choleric personality is believed to indicate an optimistic, youthful, impulsive temperment, prone to spontaneous outbursts of emotion. See also Temperments.
Chronocrator—A planet that has governance over an individual's life for a period of time on a given subject.
Combust—A planet is combust if it is approaching conjunction with the Sun. Being combust burns up and weakens a planet. Traditionally the Moon is especially weakened (ie, in debility) when combust.
Composite Chart—Two charts that are merged to form one to show the relationship between the individuals whose charts are combined.
Configuration—An aspect involving three or more planets.
Conjunct Aspect—Originally a planet that is in the same sign as another planet. Later astrologers applied an 'orb of light' standard by which planets outside the orb are not conjunct even if in the same sign. This 'orb of light' is also used with aspects. The conjunction aspect represents the union of planetary energies.
Constellation—A group of visible stars named after a figure or animal they are considered to represent.
Contraparallel—When two planets are on opposite sides of some line and both the same distance from the line, for example, when one planet is 5° above the equator and the other planet is 5° below it. The 'line' can also be the ecliptic rather than the equator. Many astrologers regard contraparallels as similar to an opposition aspect.
Coordinate System—One of a number of systems used to measure the position of the planets in the sky.
Cosmic Cross—See Grand Cross.
Culmination—A term used to describe a planet reaching its highest elevation (on the midheaven) above the horizon due to the rotation of the Earth.
Cusp—The midway point between two signs of the zodiac; Also used to refer to the start of a house.
Cycle—A planet's zodiacal period, that is, the time it takes a planet or point to make one complete revolution in the heavens.