Semi-square

A semi-square (45°) is a minor friction aspect — a persistent, low-grade irritation between two planets that never quite rises to the urgency of a full square.

Two planets 45° apart are in semi-square. It's a half-square: the tension is real but half as intense. In practice, semi-squares describe areas of mild but chronic friction — things that annoy rather than block. The irritation is specific enough to notice but not strong enough to force change. Classical astrologers treated the semi-square as a "disturbing" aspect: it doesn't create clear pressure the way a square does, but it creates restlessness. A semi-square between Mars and Saturn, for instance, might describe a person who is perpetually frustrated with delays but never quite angry enough to confront them directly. In transit, semi-squares correlate with minor obstacles, delays, or friction that resolves on its own without requiring a decision. They are worth noting in a daily reading context but rarely significant in long-horizon work.

Not: A semi-square is not a crisis. It's a minor irritant. It doesn't demand action the way a square does. Most people live with semi-square aspects without ever consciously feeling them.

The 45° aspect is considered minor in Western astrology. Many house-system or calculation variations will change whether a semi-square is present in a given chart.