There are apt to be many cross-aspects in the charts of lovers or marriage partners. Bear in mind that the "hard" aspects (squares and oppositions) do not always forebode great difficulties, nor are the "soft" aspects (sextiles and trines) always favorable. For instance, if a man's Saturn t-squares his partner's Moon/Uranus opposition, he may provide a grounding, stabilizing factor to her emotional fluctuations; whereas, a man's Jupiter trine his wife's Venus may cause him to be overindulgent with her, lavishing her with expensive gifts and spending far beyond his means. Of course, these examples will not necessarily manifest thusly - ALL factors between charts need to be taken into consideration.

Synastrically, planets in mutual reception (each planet in the sign of the other's ruler) have a certain sympatico. Therefore, one partner's Saturn in Aries and the other's Mars in Capricorn, even though they may be square by orb, could work well together - the mutual receptivity mitigates the tension of the square. An affinity also exists between planets in antiscion degree (i.e. at the solstice point - equidistant from the Capricorn/Cancer axis). While an Aries Sun and a Virgo Moon may not be thought of as particularly compatible, if the Sun is at 27 degrees Aries and the Moon at 3 degrees Virgo there is a definite link. Midpoints become important in cross-chart analysis; for if a planet in one chart conjuncts the midpoint of two planets in another chart, those two planets become "aspected" WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE RELATIONSHIP, even though no aspect exists between them in the individual chart.

When the planets of one nativity are placed in the appropriate houses of the partner's chart, and vice versa, we get a more detailed picture of the areas of life where these energies will have their greatest impact; once again the 5th and 7th houses are critical, as well as the 4th, if the partners live together. Be aware that a planet in any sign will have a strong character resemblance to a planet in that sign's natural house. Thus, Mars in Aquarius in one partner's chart will function similarly to an 11th house Mars in the mate's chart, regardless of its sign placement.

Perhaps the most important point to remember in synastric analysis is that personal growth and evolution are the reason we're all here in this schoolroom called planet Earth. Most of our lessons are learned in the context of our dealings with others. The strength and longevity of any given relationship depends to a large extent on the level of maturity and degree of personal commitment of the individuals involved.

Bio: Jacquie Smith is a writer and astrologer specializing in synastric relationship counseling. She is currently writing a book entitled "The Neptune Factor: The Astrology of Addiction and Recovery."

email Jacquie at sos@netonecom.net

Jacquie's Personal Web Server - Just Click Here

Article reprinted with permission from the author.

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