posted August 24, 2009 07:32 PM
I have Skymates II - The Composite Chart, by Steven and Jodie Forrest. Here is what they say:Composite Sun in the Twelfth House
Loss, trouble, secret enemies - the traditional litany describing the twelfth house would be quite dispiriting for any couple who found there composite Sun placed there. If they read on, they might finally run into the notion that this house has something to do with monasteries and convents. Once through giggling about what that insight boded for their sexual life, they’d probably be eager to forget about astrology entirely and head for the bedroom.
They’d have our blessing too! Only we would encourage them to make sure to turn off the lights and light a candle or two before they lie down together. And when they were making love, we would encourage them to keep their eyes open at least part of the time. We would, in other words, encourage them to use their sexuality as a doorway into another world. With their composite Sun in the mystical twelfth house, conscious sexuality is their monastery!
What about those grim predictions in the traditional books? They are not without function. We just need to keep perspective, and allow a little wiggle room for human freedom and human consciousness. Together, they have signed up for a high stakes path; in a nutshell, they grow spiritually, or they lose everything, including each other.
All through history, mystics have practices intentionally giving up their attachments in order to get closer to the Divine. Whether we like it or not, many of us will have things we love ripped from us in the course of life - professional reversals, bereavements, the weakening of the physical body with time or disease. In response to these losses, some of us become bitter or depressed. Others turn to spirituality for solace. Many of us have witnessed the miracle of a person dying of cancer or AIDS who glows with the aura of a saint. Loss can be a doorway into spirituality.
Does this mean that our couple with the composite Sun in the twelfth house is destined to experience such losses? Not necessarily. If their relationship is truly used as an evolutionary vehicle - the actual agreement their souls made - then these losses are not necessary. It’s only if they become forgetful that these “reminders” of the transitoriness of early life are triggered.
So how do they get it right? Much of it comes down to quiet time together. Candlelight helps. Keeping spirit in their bodily relationship is critical. They may be drawn to some shared spiritual practice. That would be of great benefit to them, even if they differ in terms of theology or religion. They must of course live in “reality”, as we all do. But they can also create little pockets of peace together away from the noise and the shallowness, places where they can experience each other as consciousnesses passing briefly through this ghostly world of forms.
Composite Moon in the Twelfth House
If you’re in a relationship, here’s a feeling you know well: the sheer relief that can arise when, after a day spent with acquaintances or distant cousins, you two finally retire to your bedroom. Hooray! Tension leaves your bodies. At last you can rest and relax. Comments you’ve been dying to make can finally be said. There’s something wonderful about being alone with your partner. It meets a primal need in our psyches.
Multiply that need by a hundred, and you’ve gone a long way toward understanding a couple with the composite Moon in the twelfth house. Their happiness and well-being depend on having lots of time alone. They renew themselves through isolation.
As individuals, they may not be so reclusive. Possibly they’re both extraverts. That’s a question we can only answer with a look at their individual birth charts, not at the composite. As always, the composite is about the needs of the relationship, not necessarily those of the individuals in the relationship. Whatever this pair’s individual natures may be, we know for sure that because of their twelfth house composite Moon, too much social interaction, even happy interaction, drains their batteries.
Underlying the twelfth house composite Moon is the archetype of the mystic. This house refers to the actions motivated by spirituality. Throughout history, mystics have backed away from the world and gone apart to meditate. Something akin to that happens automatically when these two withdraw. Even if they’re not thinking in spiritual terms, the veil of the social ego naturally parts when they’re alone. That may be mystical kindergarten, but it’s a healthy first step.
Taking it further, it is profoundly healing for this couple to engage in more conscious, intentional mysticism - meditation, religious practice, yoga. Between the lofty stage and “kindergarten” are some other, less recognized steps; experiencing aesthetic rapture together, gazing silently at a perfect sunset, or riding the crest of the energy wave coming off the stage at a concert. Or just sitting quietly in a dimly lit room with no agenda other than being close and silently sensing each other.
Traditional astrologers take a far bleaker view of the twelfth house, calling it the house of troubles. They might predict misfortune, and imply that these two should part before the ax falls. As tempting as it is to dismiss such fear-mongering, there may be a little bit of truth in it. Underlying all the points we’ve made about mystical withdrawal is an evolutionary intention these two share; to grow spiritually together. They can do it the easy, natural way, which is what we’ve described so far. Or they can wait until loss or catastrophe bends their knees and compels them to turn to the world beyond this one for help and solace. The stakes are obviously high, but the darker potentialities of this configuration are optional.