Synastry - An Astrological Analysis of Relationships

by Jacquie Smith

The word synastry comes from the Greek prefix "syn" - bringing together and "astron" - a star. It is the comparison of two or more horoscopes to determine compatibility. Any relationship can be analyzed synastrically (business partners, parent-child, teacher-student, etc.), but here remarks will be specific to love/marriage relationships. (Not surprising, since at this moment, Mercury and Venus are conjunct in Libra in my 5th house, trine my ascendant and natal Mercury in the 8th.)

The prime significators of the wife in a man's chart are Venus and the Moon. In a woman's chart, the prime significators of the husband are the Sun and Mars. The sign and house placement of these planets in the nativity, as well as placements of and aspects to the rulers of the 5th and 7th houses, indicate the type of mate the native is likely to attract or be attracted to. Consequently, cross aspects (aspects between charts) to these planets are frequently seen in love relationships. Psychologists and psychiatrists since Freud have observed that people often choose mates who are very similar to their parent of the opposite sex. This is easily understood considering that the Sun and Moon are also prime significators of the father and mother. The parent/child relationship may be played out repeatedly in later adult relationships until the individual eventually resolves his/her family-of-origin issues. Astrological counseling can be valuable in this regard. With the help of the parents' and siblings' natal charts, client and astrologer can examine the early family dynamics and possibly discover outmoded behavior patterns that have hindered the individual's evolution.

The human need for relationship on an emotional and spiritual level is in part a search for wholeness. We seek from others that which we feel we lack. The 7th house shows areas where we may deny our own personal characteristics and project them onto others, particularly our mates. The danger in this is that we may eventually resent the person for the very same reasons we chose him/her in the first place! Obviously, until we acknowledge and "own" all that we are, it is difficult to establish harmony in relationships with others. Sometimes this feeling of "lack" has a genuine astrological basis. People with no planets in water signs, for instance, may be attracted to people with many water planets. (Of course, no chart is ever truly devoid of any element. A chart with no planets in water signs will undoubtedly have planets in "water houses".) I have been fortunate in my practice to have had the opportunity to work with "astrological twins". Their charts have no planets in earth signs and a cardinal t-square involving 6 planets. One of them is married to a woman with Moon/Jupiter/Ascendant in Capricorn; the other was involved with a woman with Sun/Jupiter/Venus in Capricorn. Their strong t-squares attracted the missing element of a grand cross. Talk about wholeness!

I've also seen instances where a person with a very strong opposition (two or more planets conjunct, in opposition to another conjunction) falls in love with a person who has a major planet or planets t-squaring that opposition. Or a person with a strong square attracts someone with planets in opposition and square that configuration, again creating a t-square by cross-aspect. A multiple planet trine may attract the third element to complete a grand trine; however, despite popular "sun sign" books which advise, "If you are a Leo, your most compatible signs are Aries and Sagittarius", I've noticed sun trines occurring more often in platonic friendships than in love/marriage relationships. A certain amount of friction is desirable (indeed, necessary on the physical level!) in sexual relationships. In my observation, the most powerful cross-aspects in love relationships are the man's Moon or Venus conjunct or oppose the woman's Sun, Mars, ascendant or ruler of the ascendant; and correspondingly, the woman's Sun or Mars oppose or conjunct the man's Moon, Venus, ascendant or ruler of the ascendant.

To Get Your Own Personal  Astrology Reports, See:
Horocope Compatibility - Discover How Compatible You and Your Partner Are
Astrology Birth Chart Reports - Custom Birth Charts and Readings
Astrology for Children - Great Child/Teen Astrology Reading Guide for Parents
Daily Horoscopes
Tarot Reading - Free or In-Depth Tarot Reading

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