Introduction to
Synastry
By Margaret Penner Choinski
“…for I tell you
father,
I am as peremptory as she is
proud-minded;
and where two raging fires meet
together
They do consume the thing that
feeds their fury:
Though little fire grows great
with little wind,
Yet extreme gusts will blow out
fire and all:
So I to her and so she yields to
me;
For I am rough and woo not like a
babe.”
-William Shakespeare[1]
Understanding the synastry
existing between people calls on the astrologer to build the picture bit by bit,
starting at the beginning.
It is not only a matter of sign
compatibility.
One natal chart alone contains many threads of potential
personal and free expression. Brought together with another, the threads can
become a jumble of (sometimes contradictory) potentialities. Robert Hand wryly
observes that when doing synastry the astrologer is faced with the enormous task
of sorting out who is doing what to whom, and how.[2]
The best way to begin is to
consider each natal chart separately. It is best that this is done before making
any attempt to explain their inter-dynamics.
Each chart is assessed as
to the capability for relationships. Before we even begin to ask, “Where is the
love?” (or friendship/affection/disaffection etc.) we might instead pare it back
to “the skeleton of the character:”[3] the Sun, Moon, and Ascendant.
Where are the
needs, the potential insecurities? (Moon)
In what direction is the
client headed in order to fulfill their core individualism and free will?
(Sun)
How does the native view the world and
orientate himself toward it? (Ascendant)
The Sun is important to
note, as the urge to continue our personal journey (as our Sun describes it)
does not end with one’s pairing with another. A Sun will make its push forward
regardless of obstacles. The synastry between Sun signs really begins with the
person’s need to individuate and how easy-going or hard-nosed they will be in
this quest.
The Moon is the archetypal
inner child in the chart. Its sign and aspects reflect the emotional nature in
all its moods. The Moon also shows the urge to mother, in what realm and in what
way. Regardless of whether a person thinks they have shrugged off this “weak”
part of themselves at adulthood, the Moon is ever a player between
partners.
The Ascendant is our basic
filter through which we understand our world, and handily it is the most obvious
indication to others as to our primary motivation. But if our Ascendant
expresses energies that are not backed up by the rest of the chart---a watery
sign as the only water in the chart, for example---then we might find ourselves
constantly misunderstood. Perhaps we might even be accused of deliberately
misrepresenting ourselves.
Planets on or near an
angle will show themselves strongly as part of our personality, as will those
planets that are in their rulership or exaltation. Cadent planets, especially
those “lost” in the 12th House, unaspected, in partile
conjunction to other planets, intercepted, in detriment or fall, part of an
aspect pattern---these all colour the condition, and so the pure expression of
the planet’s archetypal energies. These are all influences that can lie behind
the “Primal Triad”[4] and are potential “shadows” for us to deal with as the
relationship unfolds. Time reveals truth; in time the “details” of oneself
emerge for the Other. This brings us to the 7th House of marriage, where the “sphere where we
learn greater co-operation with others,”
[5] is brought into the picture.
In synastry, the
7th House cusp represents the balance to our
Ascendant. As befits the mystic reasoning behind astrology, “the others” we are
drawn to and tend to attract, carry an intrinsic benefit to us: as yin is to
yang, male to female, yes to no---those who resonate with our Descendant offer
us the perfectly opposing complement to our basic view of all
life.[6] It is as if they draw from us the very things that we
cannot see within ourselves.
This is not like a
12th House blindness, where our parts residing there are like a
trickster’s post-it note stuck on our backs. What we find so hard to accept
about the 7th House (and what it says
about us) is in our sensation of being totally separate from everyone else.
When I look at you, I see
someone who is not me. Thus this has been called the House of the
“not-self”[7] and in living through the pleasure and pain others can bring, we
learn through understanding others how best to relate ourselves. Since
7th House
planets represent qualities we lack or don’t acknowledge in ourselves, the
partner compensates, and so we feel “completed” by their proximity in our lives.
It follows that the opposition aspect itself is a numerical manifestation of “me
here relating to you there.” Ronald Davison states, “A rising planet denotes a
quality that we wish to demonstrate to the world that we possess. A setting
planet represents a quality that we are asking the world to supply us
with.”
[8] Accordingly, the “open
enemies” of the 7th House damage us, when they are able to capitalize on our
obvious vulnerabilities.
[9]
Venus signifies romance,
with challenging aspects reflecting difficulty communicating love and one’s
sense of self-value. By extension this would affect one’s admiration for the
Other, as we can only love another as we love ourselves.
Mars in relationships shows how
one desires, how sexuality is expressed, and what one is looking for in a sexual
relationship. The Sun, Moon, Venus and Mars are the female/male archetypes
(or anima/animus if you wish) and as such how well they blend together
in the chart, says a lot about how comfortable the native will be once challenged
by a relationship of any significant length. The elements convey the style
with which a person freely relates him or herself.
Of note in the natal chart
is the lack of any particular element, or modality. What is lacking is
frequently sought in the Other.
In synastry it is not
unusual to have aspects flying all over the place and between the two charts. In
order to peer through this seeming chaos, it is advisable to isolate the main
aspects pertaining to the client’s needs.
But it is important to remember that compatibility is
decided by the two people involved, not by any horoscope.
Copyright: Margaret Penner
Choinski
Earth
Elephant Astrology
FOOTNOTES
[1] Shakespeare, William,
from The Taming of the Shrew
[2] Hand, Robert, in his
Foreward to John Townley’s Composite Charts, Llewellyn
Publications, 2000, p.xvi
[3] Forrest, Steven,
The Inner Sky, ACS Publications, 1988, p.217 Together the Sun,
Moon, and Ascendant form what Forrest calls the “Primal
Triad.”
[4] Forrest,
p.217
[5] Sasportas, Howard,
The Twelve Houses, Thorsons, 1985,
p.75
[6] Forrest, Steven and
Jodie, Skymates, ACS Publications, 1989.
p.46-47
[7] Sasportas,
p.71
[8] Davison, Ronald,
Synastry: Understanding Human Relations Through Astrology, Aurora
Press, 1983, p.12
[9] Davison,
p.31-32