Sextile — Astrology glossary

A sextile is an aspect formed when two planets lie about 60 degrees apart, within a small orb. It is regarded as a soft, supportive aspect: the planets connect easily and their functions cooperate, though less automatically than in a trine. The signs involved share a compatible polarity, so a sextile tends to link fire with air or earth with water, blending action with thought or substance with feeling. Because the cooperation is available rather than guaranteed, astrologers often describe a sextile as an opportunity that rewards deliberate use. In a natal chart, it points to talents or resources a person can draw on, especially when they make the effort to combine the two planets. For example, Mercury sextile Venus suggests an ease with graceful, persuasive communication that becomes a genuine skill when practised.