ASTROLOGY RELATIONSHIP COMPATABILITY
The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere, they’re in each other all along
Rumi
A relationship astrological reading is also known as astrological "Synastry".
Synastry is the art of comparing two birth charts - overlaying them to see how the planets and aspects interact with each other, comparing areas of harmony with areas of challenge.
Maybe you and your partner are very different but you complement each other beautifully, one of you is very practical and detail orientated and the other is more adventurous.
Perhaps you meet someone and the passion runs high and you can't get over the amazing spark of connection. Or, the relationship may have a dreamy, otherworldly quality - like you feel you've known this person across lifetimes. Perhaps, you and your partner are comfortable, yes, but where did the spark go?
Since we have unique birth charts, our relationships are every bit as unique.
When I do a relationship reading I start by looking out for some key planetary alignments involving Venus.
Venus -Mars contacts often create passionate mutual chemistry, with Mars representing the classically masculine energy and Venus, the feminine. When these planets come together in gentle, flowing aspect - Trine and Sextile - this suggests harmony, whereas Opposition and Square suggests opportunity for friction, but also, plenty of chemistry! In general Mars and Venus aspects will tell a story straight off the bat regarding attraction, chemistry and passion.
Harmonious aspects between Venus, the Moon, and Mercury point to emotional ease, shared values, and good communication. These quieter, stabilising influences often support the heart of a long-lasting relationship.
Enduring relationships often show strong Venus - Saturn ties, indicating long term potential, loyalty, and commitment. Saturn aspects in the birth charts and during transits are strong indicators of a wedding on the horizon, particularly when they are aligning with the 7th house of romantic relationships.
Uranus and Venus contacts rule unexpected encounters. Many people who report having met their great love on a plane, or on the top of a high rise building, or through a series of extraordinary synchronicities , often do so under strong Venus-Uranus aspects.
Uranus rules electrifying attractions that defy logic and bring rapid change. These can be exhilarating but also unstable if not balanced by grounding elements.
Neptune can also play a part in creating smoke and mirrors, illusion and trickery, so that all we see is not what it seems. However, well placed Neptune alignments can bring deep love that borders on spiritual reverence.
And then, strap yourself in tight, then there are pluto aspects to contend with...and it's not always pretty and straight forward, to say the least.
Pluto aspects are important indicators of relationships that are supposed to transform us. These relationships may appear fated or karmic.
With Pluto forming tight aspects to personal planets, there is often a strong sense of deep familiarity, as though this person sees into the very depths of our soul and then when all masks are off, there may be no place to hide.
"What in me is dark / Illumine"
Paradise Lost, Book 1, Milton
Pluto-Moon aspects can be particularly intense. For better or for worse, these Plutonic relationships dig into buried emotion, vulnerability, and even obsession. Any conjunction, square and opposition will be especially fateful, and can be the signature for power struggles involving exhausting push-pull dynamics. The Moon under Pluto's hypnotic gaze reveals hidden motivations and emotions - and Pluto will . whether you like it or not, draw out whatever it touches. The less conscious we are, therefore, the more vulnerable we are to being influenced by this aspect that illuminates the unconscious Shadow, still to be transformed.
Then there are Pluto-Venus influences, not much lighter then those involving the Moon.
Put it this way, anyone who has ever gone through a rare transit Pluto natal Venus conjunction will know what it's like to be reborn from the ashes!
Venus - Pluto dynamics are usually always passionate. The Pluto person will be as much drawn to Venus's light as Venus is affected by Pluto's depth. However, make no mistake, relationships involving Pluto are always first and foremost about Self transformation. Pluto demands that you strip away all artifice and face the truth of who you are before you can learn to know another person's soul.
The Hades and Persephone archetype in mythology is a strong example of Pluto aspects to Venus. After all, Pluto and Hades are forged from the same furnace of archetypal energy. But remember, the point of the Hades/Persephone archetype is that Persephone herself transforms into Queen of the Underworld, owning fully her Shadow, and Hades is made whole by remembering his capacity for tenderness.
Whether Pluto ties to Venus are positive in the long run, or far more toxic, depends largely on the aspects - are they soft or hard.
As well as aspects, it is important to consider planetary dignity when comparing two charts for compatibility - how compatible are the planets in the signs and the overall elements of both charts. Classically, fire and air go well together, as do earth and water.
Synastry readings don't only apply to romantic relationships.
You might wish to explore your dynamic with a child, newborn, parent, sibling, or a close friend, understanding how your energies interact, and where harmony or tension naturally arises. In particular, parent to child Synastry can shed light on attachment patterns and emotional expectations.
