Aspect patterns
Cradle Pattern in a Natal Chart: Example
A worked natal chart example for cradle aspect pattern natal chart.
This cradle aspect pattern natal chart is drawn on the wheel below. A cradle is four planets linked by three sextiles and two trines, nesting soft aspects along one side of the natal chart. Sun at 19.9° Aquarius in the 5th house, Mercury at 19.8° Aquarius in the 5th house, Neptune at 20.0° Sagittarius in the 3rd house, and Pluto at 19.1° Libra in the 1st house form this pattern. Aspects: Sun sextile Neptune (orb 0.2°); Sun trine Pluto (orb 0.7°); Mercury sextile Neptune (orb 0.2°); Mercury trine Pluto (orb 0.7°); Neptune sextile Pluto (orb 0.9°).
Example chart · Los Angeles, USA · 9 February 1979 at 05:13 UTC
In this chart
| Planet | Sign | Degree | House |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | Aquarius | 19.9° | 5 |
| Mercury | Aquarius | 19.8° | 5 |
| Neptune | Sagittarius | 20.0° | 3 |
| Pluto | Libra | 19.1° | 1 |
| From | Aspect | To | Orb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | sextile | Neptune | 0.2° |
| Sun | trine | Pluto | 0.7° |
| Mercury | sextile | Neptune | 0.2° |
| Mercury | trine | Pluto | 0.7° |
| Neptune | sextile | Pluto | 0.9° |
How to spot it
- Trace a chain of soft aspects among four planets. Here: Sun, Mercury, Neptune, and Pluto.
- Expect three sextiles and two trines nesting along one side of the wheel.
- It should look like a hammock of blue aspects, not a closed grand trine alone.
- In this example the points sit in houses 1, 3, 5 — map yours with Placidus cusps, not whole-sign counts.
What it means
A cradle is traditionally read as a nest of soft aspects along one side of the chart, offering support among four points without requiring a full hexagon. It can describe a zone of relative cooperation in the houses involved (Placidus). It does not erase squares elsewhere. Measure orbs carefully; a loose cradle is just a few unrelated sextiles.
Variations
Common misreadings
- A cradle is not a grand sextile. Count the planets and the aspect types before renaming it.
- Soft-aspect chains elsewhere in the chart are not automatically cradles.
See if your chart has this
Cast a free tropical natal chart with Placidus houses and compare it to the figure above.
The chart above is a synthetic example, not a real person.
FAQ
- What is a cradle in a natal chart?
- A cradle is traditionally read as a nest of soft aspects along one side of the chart, offering support among four points without requiring a full hexagon. It can describe a zone of relative cooperation in the houses involved (Placidus).
- How do I see a cradle in my own birth chart?
- Cast a tropical natal chart with Placidus houses, turn on the aspects the pattern needs (including minors for yods and Thor's hammer), and compare against the checks on this page. In the example chart the tightest listed orb is 0.2° on the sextile between Sun and Neptune.
- Is the Cradle Pattern in a Natal Chart example a real person's chart?
- No. Example chart W-011 is a synthetic example built so the configuration is visible. In the example chart the tightest listed orb is 0.2° on the sextile between Sun and Neptune. Use the free natal chart tool to check your own placements.