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.
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.
Harmonious aspects between the Moon, Venus, and Mercury point to emotional ease, shared values, and good communication. These quieter, stabilising influences often support the heart of a long-lasting relationship.
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 sexual chemistry.
Uranus and Venus contacts rule unexpected encounters. Many people who report having met their partners on a plane, or through a series of synchronicities that appear extraordinary, 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 there are pluto aspects...
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, there is often a strong sense of deep familiarity, as though this person sees into the very depths of our soul.
Pluto-Moon aspects can be particularly critical to consider. For better or for worse, these 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 push-pull dynamics. The Moon is a desires planet, given its root is the emotional mind, revealing hidden motivations and emotions - and Pluto will draw out whatever it touches - illuminating the unconscious Shadow, still to be transformed. The less conscious we are, therefore, the more vulnerable we are to being influenced by this aspect.
"What in me is dark / Illumine"
Paradise Lost, Book 1, Milton
Venus - Pluto dynamics are also formidable. The Pluto person will be as much drawn to Venus's light as Venus is affected by Pluto's depth. Relationship with Pluto is always first and foremost about Self transformation.
(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!)
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.
Whether Pluto ties are positive in the long run, or far more toxic, depends largely on the aspects. Remember the point of the Hades/Persephone archetype is that Persephone becomes Queen of the Underworld, owning fully her Shadow, and Hades is made whole by remembering his capacity for tenderness.
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.
