As mentioned earlier, the old-style method of symbolizing the aspect angles of dual-planet longitudinal aspects is grossly inadequate for handling the full set of such angles as used in The New Standard Aspectarian, and so fractional notation has been adopted for this purpose.  If you are not already familiar with the use of fractional notation for expressing dual-planet longitudinal aspect angles, please refer to the Format chapter for a brief explanation.  The Symbols & Abbreviations  chapter contains a complete list of them, and also explains the other symbols and abbreviations that are used in The New Standard Aspectarian.

With the inclusion of more aspect categories and an expanded set of dual-planet longitudinal aspect angles, The New Standard Aspectarian lists a greater number of aspects than you may have been accustomed to using on a daily basis.  In fact there can be so many aspects listed sometimes that you may have to learn how to gloss over some of them and pick out the ones which will be the major contributors to the overall composite influence at any given time.

This does not mean that some of the lesser aspects will not manifest.  All aspects manifest to a greater or lesser extent.  But when there are a large number of aspects listed for a particular day, you may not be able to form and hold a clear concept of what the astrological profile for that day will be like.  And of course, the influences that are in force on any given day are not confined to just the aspects that reach a peak on that day.  Some aspects have orbs that span several days, or even weeks, or longer.  The task of forming a concept of the astrological influences that are in force at any given time is not always an easy one.

When you consult a particular portion of The New Standard Aspectarian (such as the listings for one day, or several days, or a week, etc.) for the first time, it is generally best to start by selecting just the nonlunar aspects first.  (A nonlunar aspect is any aspect that involves only the planets and/or the Sun – i.e., does not involve the Moon.)  However, since the apparent motion of the Moon is so much faster than that of the Sun and planets, there are considerably more lunar aspects than nonlunar aspects.  In order to facilitate a rapid scan of nonlunar aspects, The New Standard Aspectarian offsets them a bit to the left to make them easier to spot.

Using just the nonlunar aspects, form a concept of each aspect (to whatever degree you want to or can), and then form a concept of the composite profile of the chosen time period by integrating the concepts, peak times, and roughly estimated orbs of the individual nonlunar aspects.  This, all by itself, is no easy feat, and that is why the lunar aspects are ignored during this initial phase.

And then, once that has been done, scan the lunar aspects – but do not treat them equally during this scan.  First look for CON, 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 aspects (i.e., conjunctions, oppositions, trines, and squares).  They are the most influential of the lunar aspects.  Also notice the zodiac sign that the Moon is in.  Then take note of the other lunar aspects, in all aspect categories.  They constitute the "filler" that provides background detail to the foreground influences that you have noted initially.  Use as much of this "filler" as you wish, or ignore it if you wish.

Then look for patterns among the aspects, using both the nonlunar and lunar aspects for this, in all aspect categories.  For example, you might spot the formation of a T-Square (where two terminals oppose each other, and both of them square a third terminal) – or a Grand Cross (where two terminals oppose each other, and two other terminals oppose each other, and the first pair of terminals squares the second pair of terminals) – or a Grand Trine (where three terminals all trine each other).  Or, you might notice that a planet becomes stationary in longitude and also becomes stationary in declination or distance, thereby putting a great deal of emphasis on the influence of that planet.  Or, you might notice that two planets are forming a relatively long-term aspect with each other (in either longitude or declination), and that the Moon is aspecting both of them, thereby giving an additional short-term emphasis to the influences of those planets.  Or, you might notice the ingredients of a Roller Coaster effect, wherein one strong influence will be followed by another one of sharply contrasting character, thereby causing a rapid and easily observable shift of a dramatic nature from one kind of astrological environment to another (for instance, Sun 1/4 Saturn followed one day later by Sun 1/3 Uranus). And so on.

When you have finished doing all of this, you will have a useful "feel" for the astrological profile for the chosen period of time.

Please remember that all aspects manifest, even though some are considerably more influential than others.  The degree of influence of an aspect can be reflected in how strong it is or in how long its effects last.  The most influential aspects are those which are both strong and of long duration.  The least influential aspects are those which are both weak and of short duration.

One of the things that a person discovers fairly quickly when he endeavors to use an aspectarian is that an aspectarian is power-packed with an enormous amount of information – considerably more information than a cursory glance would seem to reveal.  The reason for this is that the information (or at least the understanding of it) is in the form of pure concepts (which could be called "wordless pictureless thoughts").  Many people have difficulty handling this kind of information, and for them the use of an aspectarian will be slow and incomplete.  However, with practice and perseverance, the verbal information that the person has acquired concerning the nature of the planets, signs, and aspects will gradually be replaced with a semblance of nonverbal concepts – "gut feelings" and intuition – which enable the interpretation of an aspectarian to be much more rapid and complete.

There is something that can be utilized in the learning of astrological concepts and symbols that can greatly facilitate the use of an aspectarian – namely, a person should try to associate the concept of the various characteristics of a planet with the symbol and concept of the planet, not the name of the planet.  (This applies equally, of course, to the signs of the zodiac.)  This will significantly speed up the reading and interpretation of an aspectarian, as well as make the process much easier, because an entire set of memory associations are excluded from the process completely – i.e., the printed name of the planet and the spoken name of the planet.  For example, when a person sees the symbol for the planet Jupiter, that symbol should connote the planet and its characteristics directly.  Ideally, there should be no necessity for the mind to remember that the symbol can connect to the spelling and  pronunciation of the word "Jupiter".  That word should not be injected into the thought process at all, either visually or audibly, since it contributes nothing to the understanding and only slows down the process of interpretation.

There is no doubt that if a person wants to be able to use an aspectarian, he must learn to recognize the symbols that are used in it.  But, more than that, if he wants to be able to use an aspectarian quickly and easily, he must learn to selectively abandon the use of the word associations that will only impede the interpretation process.  The symbols should elicit the concepts directly, with no delays and interference from nonessential intermediary translation linkages.

If something is worth using, it is also worth learning how to use.  That certainly applies to The New Standard Aspectarian.  Once you have become acquainted with its special features, it could be said that, basically, the way to use The New Standard Aspectarian is: with confidence!