posted August 13, 2013 02:29 PM            

My question is – What technique do you use when you study a natal chart for relationship tendencies, desires etc.?

posted August 13, 2013 03:03 PM            

Try checking the archives for posts by "Lotis White". She's done research and has written some very insightful articles on this kind of thing. Try practicing on your own chart or that of someone you already know very well so you can get a feel for how it works.

posted August 15, 2013 06:05 PM            

Thoughts on Synastry

Relationship concerns are the most popular topic in astrology, an echo of how very important it is to give and receive love. There has been, and will continue to be many texts written on this very popular topic.

I have been studying astrology for all but thirteen years of my life and my consulting career started in the early eighties so I have seen hundreds of people whose sole concern was about a relationship. I can tell you for sure that what astrology cannot do is determine whether or not a relationship will last.

Astrology can suggest the potential climate of a relationship but the longevity of it depends on the people involved, not their horoscopes. That said, the most important factor of consideration in synastry is a full analysis and understanding of each person’s horoscope. It is not “Aries doesn’t go with Cancer!” Each person needs to fully understand their own horoscope and be brought to an understanding of the other person’s horoscope. The two portraits are compared and then decisions have to be made about whether or not each person in the potential or existing relationship wants to support the other person’s needs, visions, etc. This is how astrology is most helpful when it comes to synastry. There is no technique in astrology that can guarantee anyone the success of a relationship. Aspect comparisons from one chart to another show chemistry and potential but you cannot take a few aspect comparisons and get information that is valuable. That would be like looking at someone’s arm, face, and foot to make assessments about them.

In doing an analysis, there are certain key points to consider that I will address in the next couple of essays.

Key #1

Without looking at anything else, the Moon’s Sign and placement in a horoscope is extremely important and informative. By itself, the Moon suggests everything that is important regarding one’s emotional fulfillment and those basic psychological needs that must be fulfilled in order for one to even begin to be happy. If the need suggested by one’s Moon cannot be fulfilled in a relationship, the relationship will not be fulfilling and may eventually be so unfulfilling that it ends.

It is important to understand that the Moon uses the Sun’s energy so you need to have a basic understanding of what Sun-Moon blends are saying. Two people may have the Moon in, say, Pisces. One is an Aries and the other is a Cancer. Though both have the Moon in Cancer, the way that each person goes about fulfilling the needs of the Moon in Cancer will need to be a bit different.

Briefly, the Moon in Aries is a strong ego position that prefers to be a first consideration in life, at the top of the list. Ego needs need to be emphasized and are an important consideration for anyone whose mate has the Moon in Aries; the Moon in Taurus doesn’t need any surprises! Keep things structured, organized and status quo. Do not come home one day and say, “I just got a raise. We are moving to another country.” The need here is to keep things as much as possible within the present status quo; the Moon in Gemini needs to be mentally stimulated and have space to move around, to get things done quickly. Routine isn’t the best way to go. This person needs to move around or, if unable to, to be constantly stimulated so as to avoid boredom; the Moon in Cancer needs emotional security. The best scenario here is a committed, no doubt about it, secure uncertain, emotionally demonstrative relationship; the Moon in Leo needs appreciation, ego security, applause, acknowledgement, pats on the back, etc; The Moon in Leo needs to be your star. the Moon in Virgo usually has an opinion about things, a viewpoint and that opinion needs to be acknowledged and respected for its correctness. One of the best things that you can say to a person with the Moon in Virgo is, “You are right; the Moon in Libra is a charmed Moon in Aries. In both cases there is an ego need but in Libra, there is a need to fulfill the ego through social contact, being pleasing, charming, etc. Fairness is important; the Moon in Scorpio needs to feel in control, sometimes literally by being autocratic and other times through knowledge. There is a strong sense of privacy built into the needs here and oftentimes, there is an emotional intensity that will not be shown to just anyone but make no mistake about it, emotional intensity is needed. The problem can be that one needs to pull teeth to get a response because the sense of privacy is so strong the Moon in Sagittarius is a fiery version of the Moon in Virgo. There needs to be an opinion and that opinion needs to be expressed, listened to and respected; the Moon in Capricorn needs to be influential, needs some kind of authority. This is the person who can usually be depended on to carry things out and make things happen; this is a managerial position; the Moon in Aquarius typically has a strong humanitarian/social need and/or a need to express the personality in unique or individualistic ways. Emotional expression is not a strong need here; the Moon in Pisces needs its sensitivities recognized and respected.

These Moon positions need to be connected to the Sun position in a given horoscope to have a full perspective. For example, a horoscope with the Sun in Aries and Moon in Pisces suggests a sensitive expression of ego, me-first needs whereas the Sun in Libra and Moon in Pisces uses this sensitivity to fulfill the fundamental social energy that permeates the person. As an astrologer, if you understand nothing more than the Moon positions within the 144 Sun-Moon blends, and you are able to communicate this effectively, you will have been very helpful.

Suppose person A has Sun in Virgo – Moon in Taurus. Practicality reigns supreme with the basic need being to maintain structure; to maintain the status quo and at any cost, avoid change or doing things differently. Person B has Sun in Aquarius – Moon in Gemini. In the former blend, the sense of needing to be careful and grounded is felt. In the latter, the sense of needing to move around, be diverse, and be comfortable with change is easily felt. What happens when these two get together? As a consulting astrologer, you really don’t know so it’s not your job to make the prediction that it isn’t a good match.

One of two things is likely to happen. There can be the obvious where the couple gets tired of one wanting to stay at home while the other wants to fly to Egypt for a vacation. Or there can be a tremendous sense of excitement because person A is challenged by person B and person B is brought down to earth by person A. It is really up to the people involved to make that decision, not you and not astrology. Your job is to spell out what you see and make sure it is understood, not to make positive or negative judgments.

The Importance of Mercury in Synastry

Communication is clearly an extremely important component in all relationships. When communication breaks down or when it was never there to begin with, it makes things challenging at the very least. Yet astrologers do not typically think of Mercury as being that important in synastric analysis. Venus gets all of the headlines because of its link to relationships, romance, etc. However, once you get past the initial attraction and a relationship develops, much of what happens (or doesn’t happen) is based on how the thinking of two people supports or antagonizes each other because everyone has a characteristic way of expressing themselves and thinking.

By Sign, Mercury suggests the fundamental way that you need to think and communicate to be fulfilled. This need MUST be supported in a relationship if the relationship is going to be fulfilling. If you are with someone often and you find that you cannot communicate and that the way you see things as a couple are vastly different, communication breaks down and so does the relationship.

For starters, it is important to understand what the most basic, characteristic need is as far as thinking and communicating for each person. This is achieved as simply as taking a look at the Sign that Mercury was in at birth.

Mercury in the Signs

Mercury in Aries needs to think and communicate rapidly, throwing ideas out without forethought, perhaps thinking in terms of the ego. The idea is not to be slow and deliberate but to shoot thoughts and words out without the barrier of forethought. Mercury in Taurus needs to think in terms of form, organization, and stability, needing time to ponder things over first. When frustrated, stubbornness is likely. Mercury in Gemini needs to think in terms of diversity and is most fulfilled when there is not a tremendously long focus on one particular thing. Excitement works well. Boredom and routine are to be avoided. In many ways this position is the opposite of Mercury in Taurus. The mind needs stimulation. Mercury in Cancer needs to think in terms of emotional security, The mind needs to be affected by emotions. Mercury in Leo needs to think and communicate in terms of ego security, pride, and dignity. Mercury in Virgo needs to think analytically, in terms of what is ideal and perfect. Mercury in Libra needs to think and communicate in terms of what’s fair, balanced, aesthetically pleasing, and socially pleasing. Mercury in Scorpio needs to think in the manner of a detective, digging and digging for the answers. The need is to be suspicious, to always look for or wonder what’s beneath the surface of what’s done or what’s said. When frustrated, the style of communication easily turns to stinging sarcasm and nastiness. Mercury in Sagittarius needs to think and communicate opinions, especially regarding what is just, right, and correct. Thinking in large, idealistic, broad terms brings fulfillment. Leave the small details to someone else. Mercury in Capricorn is an extremely analytical position. Grant Lewi said it best when he wrote, “Mercury in Capricorn needs to hear the grass grow.” In other words, “Prove it to me. Let me see how this works so I can understand it my own way.” If you can picture someone laying on the ground with an ear to the ground trying to hear the grass grow, you will understand the perception needs of this position. Mercury in Aquarius is most fulfilled thinking in social, innovative, religious, or humanitarian ways. When frustrated or on defense, this position is as capable of sticking to a position as Mercury in Taurus is. Mercury in Pisces needs to think and communicate idealistically and sensitively. Sense impressions and intuition are emphasized. A martyr complex easily forms when sensitivities are ignored.

Mercury Retrograde

When Mercury is retrograde in a natal horoscope, there is a suggestion of subjectivity, of thinking that goes inside for personal censorship and interpretation before it comes out and is communicated to others. This can obviously be a problematic concern when subjectivity becomes unreasonable.

Aspects

The aspects made to Mercury colors the thought fulfillment quotient even further, especially when the aspect is hard. When Mercury is conjoined by the Sun, there needs to be a focus on mental idealism. The relationship between Mercury and the Moon suggests whether or not the mind and emotions are on the same page or not. Any contact between Mercury and Venus idealizes the thought processes. The Mars-Mercury relationship energizes the need to think and communicate, productively with assertion or destructively with displays of anger. The Jupiter-Mercury relationship expands and broadens the need to think and communicate a certain way. The glass is half full (Obama). When Saturn makes hard aspect contact with Mercury, there is the introduction of structure, realism, and there is really an innate ability to understand things. This is the position of the academician. The negative side of of this contact is that there is such a need to think structurally that habit patterns are overdone. One gets in a rut. Moodiness and depression can take over. The Uranus-Mercury contact needs innovation, individuation, and out-of-the-box thinking. New is better than old. Tomorrow is better than yesterday. Neptune idealizes Mercury. When it is productive, it is creative or spiritual. Form is unimportant. Pluto tries to get as much as possible out of Mercury. This can be the person whose intelligence quotient and ability to speak are at the top of the list (Oprah; Bill Clinton). There can be a real prowess here in terms of speaking and the mind. The negative manifestation is a very slanted, biased, limited way of thinking. In either case, perspective is going to be important. Perspective will really be balanced or imbalanced.

Example 1

Using myself as an example, as a musician and an astrologer, I need to have an artistic, idealistic mindset. The only area of my thought processes even remotely linked to anything conservative is in the way I orient myself to astrology in a systematic, organized way. I tend to be pretty conservative in astrology because, to be honest, there is so very much loose, space cadet, inaccurate, foolishly impractical thinking in astrology that experience forces you into a position of being conservative. Otherwise, my need to think is in broad, innovative, artistic terms. I am not the type who thinks in maintaining the status quo of today or yesterday. Lots of details get boring quickly. I love change and I love innovation. If I am paired with someone who cannot support this aspect of me, who doesn’t have a vision or a dream, I am not going to be fulfilled. In my horoscope, Mercury is aspected as follows: sextile Moon; sextile Venus; conjunct Jupiter; conjunct Uranus; square Neptune. My mindset needs to be “out there” as opposed to the mindset of a banker or auditor.

Barack Obama’s Mercury is opposed by Jupiter. The axis is widely squared by Neptune. This is a symbol of optimism and idealism, which he expresses strongly. Michelle Obama’s Mercury is trined by Uranus, a perfect compliment to his bright, optimistic, tomorrow-oriented thought process. They are both future-oriented minds.

Interestingly and as a side note, Obama’s #1 enemy, Rush Limbaugh, also has the Uranus-Mercury contact in his horoscope. For sure, he is an individualistic thinker. However, Saturn squares the axis so it’s all in terms of that which is controlled, cautious and conservative. Limbaugh would not pair very well with anyone whose need is to think differently.

Example 2

The late Paul Newman and his wife, Joanne Woodward, were known to have had one of the most fulfilling relationships known to Hollywood. In Newman’s horoscope, Mercury is in a dominant position atop the Ascendant. It is conjoined by Venus and Jupiter, adding broad, idealistic, aesthetics to his need to think deeply. This conjunction is opposed by Pluto and so is mightily emphasized. The broad, idealistic thinking was powerfully projected out into the world through his various philanthropic endeavors, supporting his Aquarian life-energy. With the Sun in Aquarius and Moon in Pisces, it would make sense for his Mercury to be configured as it is to support the idealistic personality form that uses social and humanitarian energies to project itself.

What would happen if Newman had been paired with someone who thought in “me” terms instead of having the broad social outreach that he had? How many arguments might there have been regarding, “You don’t pay enough attention to me”?

Joanne Woodward’s horoscope has Mercury in Aquarius and is conjoined by Mars. This is instantly reflective of what we see in Newman’s horoscope because the need to think is centered in that which is social, humanitarian, etc. What’s more, her Sun-Moon blend, the reverse of Newman’s, has very similar needs. The social, humanitarian personality is using the sensitive, idealistic life-energy. It is very easy to see how complimentary this is.

Caveat

It cannot be over-stated that you can never guarantee relationship success to anyone based on astrology. In the above example of Mr. and Mrs. Newman, the astrology supported the reality. Both people were philanthropically oriented and believed strongly in supporting the less fortunate in life. It did not have to work that way. Sometimes a person will prefer the tension of being in a relationship with someone who offers a counterpoint way of thinking. Perhaps a dreamer doesn’t want another dreamer but prefers someone who is a “meat and potatoes,” practical, here-and-now type. This is where the artistic part of being an astrologer comes into play. People have free will. They are not controlled or mandated by planets.

What you can and should offer is self and other-awareness. After you have explained what the astrology suggests to a person or to a couple, it is up to them to make the decision as to how they will utilize the information. If one person is a dreamer and the other is a pragmatist, it is up to that couple to decide what is going to happen. They might be comfortable with that arrangement. Whatever the case may be, the Mercury factor should never be overlooked in synastry because how you need to think and communicate are crucial to every relationship.

Astrology is not the final word on the prospects of a relationship but nothing we know of can bring more enlightenment. Please see the analysis of Mercury as an important part of the process in synastry.