Introduction
You are about to read an analysis, factor by factor, of the composite chart of yourself and
another person. The
Partner Horoscope
is constructed by first casting complete and accurate natal horoscopes for each of you
separately. These are then combined mathematically into a third horoscope, which describes your
relationship. Any kind of human relationship may be described by a composite chart.
The text used in this chart describes the basic potentials indicated by the positions and
combinations of every planet in the composite horoscope. It is aimed primarily at personal
friendships, but much of the text is also suitable for determining how you would get along with
another person in a business relationship. Obviously you can ignore or modify the comments that
do not pertain to your type of relationship. For example, in a business relationship you would
disregard any remarks on sexual compatibility.
You may come across apparent contradictions in the analysis, when one planetary combination
reveals a particular aspect of the relationship, while another shows something quite different.
These are examples, not of astrology going wrong, but of inherent contradictions in the
relationship, which are likely to produce tension. Sometimes your relationship will exhibit one
set of traits, sometimes the other. One situation that frequently arises in a love relationship
is that some aspects indicate great mutual attraction and compatibility while other aspects
suggest great difficulty. In this case, what usually happens is that although there is a great
attraction between two people, for some reason the relationship does not work out very smoothly.
It should be pointed out that there is almost never a perfect composite chart, no matter how good
the relationship. Even the best relationship has problems. Do not read the difficult aspects in
your
Partner Horoscope
report as signs that your relationship is doomed. These aspects simply indicate hurdles that
must and very often can be overcome to make the relationship happy and rewarding for both of you.
If you were to cast composite charts for all of your major relationships, you would probably find
certain characteristics running through all of them. These are the problems that you as an
individual have to work out personally through your relationships. They do not mean that you
cannot have relationships at all. The most successful relationships are not those in which there
are no problems, but those in which the problems are overcome.
Do not read each entry in the text as if it were the total truth for your situation. Each
paragraph is written to give general indications and suggestions about how you might deal with
each influence. Your
Partner Horoscope
cannot be a substitute for your own judgement.
Reading your
Partner Horoscope
report should help you to recognize and learn to deal with any problems that arise between you.
However, if you are having serious problems with a relationship, we do not recommend that you use
this text as a substitute for a personal consultation with an astrologer or other counselor. The
descriptions are not designed to deal with extreme cases.
This horoscope, entitled 'Partner Horoscope', is also available under the title of 'Astrotext
Partner'. Apart from the title, the two horoscopes are identical.
Enjoy your
Partner Horoscope.
Composite Sun
The house position of the Sun (along with that of the Moon) tells a great deal about the basic
thrust of the relationship, what it exists for, and the major issues it will revolve around. The
aspects to the Sun refer to the most important energy patterns in the horoscope, the kinds of
behavior that will be most important between you.
A badly placed Sun with difficult aspects can be an important factor in making a relationship
difficult or even unbearable. It indicates that the basic energies of the relationship are not
being handled well and that something is fundamentally wrong between you. On the other hand, a
well-placed and well-aspected Sun will help a relationship survive even in difficult times.
In any chart the Sun provides the energy for whatever entity the chart represents. In a
composite chart it shows what kinds of energies each of you contributes. If the proper
expression of this energy is blocked, the relationship will seem inhibiting and repressive to
each person's free self-expression. It will be an effort to maintain the relationship, and you
will not feel at ease with each other. If the Sun is well placed in the chart, the relationship
will be experienced as free and spontaneous self-expression, requiring little effort. Of course,
other factors can create difficulties, even when the Sun is well placed, but a good Sun in a
composite is very desirable.
Sun in the Sixth House
The sixth house is one of the more difficult positions for a composite Sun, because it is
inherently a house of inequality. In most relationships there must be some balance between
taking and giving. Even if each person does not contribute exactly the same thing, each one must
contribute in equal measure, if the association is to work. But in a relationship with a sixth-
house Sun, one partner gives and the other takes. It is the house of your service to others and
of others' service to you.
The great danger of this position is that one of you is likely to feel taken advantage of by the
other. In fact, it is quite likely that each one is somehow using the other and is in turn being
used, which both of you will ultimately resent. You will find yourself asking the question,
"What am I getting out of this relationship?". When a question like that comes up, there are
serious problems.
A sixth-house relationship is one in which normal ego drives seem to be particularly disruptive.
Perhaps the best way to deal with the problem may be by going into such a relationship in a
spirit of service and help for your partner, with as little thought for yourself as possible. But
recognize that to really do this is extremely difficult, and you will probably be deluding
yourself if you try. Maybe you're just looking for warm pats on the back for your "selfless"
endeavor, but even that much recognition may not be forthcoming. Remember that each of you may
be doing the same thing in this relationship.
Another way of dealing with this position would be to have a common task or goal that you can
work toward together. Even in this instance, accomplishing your objective should be the only
reward you seek. Other rewards may come, but you must not consciously seek them, or you will
endanger the relationship.
Sun Opposition Pluto
In a relationship with composite Sun opposition Pluto, the most difficult problem will be power
struggles. At times such a relationship will seem more like a competition than a love affair,
marriage, or friendship. And there is a real danger that if this relationship breaks up it will
degenerate into open warfare.
One or both of you must learn to curb your desire to dominate the other. Even if you justify
your need to dominate as being for a good cause, still it must be curbed. When the power of Pluto
is misused, the response tends to be violent, and no matter what you think, with this aspect the
power is likely to be misused.
It is also possible that together you may stir up opposition from other people. The energy that
this aspect brings out often makes others afraid of what is going on between you. This
possibility, however, is not so great as the chances of conflict within the relationship.
There is a danger that through struggles for domination one of you may emerge so much the loser
that you will not easily be able to recover a sense of pride and self-confidence. You must be
quite careful about any relation that has this aspect in the chart. Although it may not be
impossible by any means, the dangers described above must be watched for.
Composite Moon
The Moon, the natural complement to the Sun, represents the medium through which the Sun's energy
expresses itself. Whenever there is a manifestation of the Sun's energies, the Moon's influence
is also operative.
The Moon is the "planet" that most relates to emotions and feelings. Of course, it is not really
a planet but a satellite of the Earth. Nevertheless, it operates as a planet in the horoscope.
In a composite chart, the Moon indicates how well the relationship acts as a medium of emotional
expression for the two of you. Can you be honest and open with each other about your feelings?
Can one of you reveal his or her feelings without being rejected by the other? It is often
difficult for others to deal with the lunar aspects of one's being, because the level of
intensity of feeling is so basic that they do not fit into the formalized way that people usually
relate to each other. Yet in a close relationship it is very important to be able to deal with
each other on this level. For this reason alone the position of the Moon is very important for
describing compatibility.
The Moon also represents basic structures within one's personality: habits, unconsciously
motivated behavior, and their sources - one's past, origins, family, and home life. If the moon
is well placed in the composite chart, the two of you will feel that you have something in
common. Even if your origins are quite different, you will feel that because of your experiences
you can understand each other better than most couples. A badly placed Moon, however, can create
a sense of alienation, of being different from each other, that will make it difficult for you to
get along.
The house position of the Moon in the composite chart shows the area in which you feel, or ought
to feel, that you have the most in common. If the Moon is badly placed in the chart, its house
position will show the area of greatest emotional stress.
The aspects to the Moon show the quality of the emotions that are experienced in the
relationship.
In contrast to the Sun, which shows what the relationship does, the Moon indicates the subjective
feelings of harmony and empathy that you have for each other, even in difficult times.
Moon in the Fifth House
The composite Moon in the fifth house suggests that your relationship exists because it makes you
both feel good, especially emotionally. Traditionally, the fifth is the house of amusement,
love, and children. One could also call this the position of recreational relationships, in
which self-expression is a principal aim. Obviously this is a good house position for any kind
of personal relationship, especially a love affair. You will enjoy each other's company
immensely, and together you will seek out parties, the theater, nightclubs, and all kinds of good
times. These experiences will be important in your feeling of what you share with each other.
The major deficiency of this position is that you may find it difficult to settle down to
anything serious. This can be especially difficult in a marriage or long-term love relationship,
for you can't always have fun and games; at some point you have to work at the serious business
of building a relationship together.
If this is a marriage, children are likely to assume an important role in your life together.
With this position of the Moon, you will probably want to have children, and you will have them.
For pleasantness in a relationship, this is one of the better Moon placements. It ensures that
you will be able to express yourselves emotionally with each other easily and fully.
Moon Trine Venus
The trine of composite Moon and composite Venus is an excellent indication of a relationship
based on love and affection. By itself, this aspect suggests that you are very compatible
emotionally and that your relationship will have a positive effect on both of you. Not only will
it be pleasant but it will also help each of you in your personal growth.
This is an excellent aspect for any relationship based on feeling, and for a love affair it is
superb. But that does not necessarily imply a short-term affair, for it can also mean a long-
lasting relationship. This aspect simply creates a strong and intense feeling of love between
the two of you. Needless to say, it is also an excellent aspect in the composite chart of married
people, indicating that the marriage will start out and continue as a love relationship.
In a marriage, this aspect may create a strong desire for children, because the love generated
here includes a strong need to protect and nurture. Children satisfy a need created by a strong
Venus-Moon combination, which represents biological fertility.
On a very different level, this aspect can indicate that the relationship will be materially
prosperous, particularly if it involves investments and speculation.
This aspect is most desirable in the composite chart of any kind of relationship, but
particularly in a love partnership.
Moon Conjunct Mars
The conjunction of composite Moon and composite Mars has a double-edged effect. On the one hand,
it indicates that you arouse very strong feelings in each other, but by itself it does not
indicate whether they are good or bad feelings.
In a love relationship, for example, this aspect indicates that you will have a very strong
emotional involvement. The relationship will probably stir up both positive and negative
emotions in both of you. You will have vigorous disagreements and even fights, but your
reconciliations will be equally intense.
By itself this aspect does not tell whether this is a good relationship in other ways. If your
relationship is basically good, you will simply experience a heightened emotional involvement,
although with a greater tendency to quarrel. But if your relationship is not otherwise very
sound, it will be destroyed by the fighting that this aspect produces. In any case the two of
you will have some heated moments, which simply have to be taken in stride along with all that is
good in the relationship.
One of the strong points of this aspect is that in a sexual relationship it creates a good deal
of sexual energy. This can make sexuality a strong bond between you. Although you will probably
have many fights, even these are a reflection of the underlying sexual energy.
Moon Sextile Saturn
The sextile of composite Moon and Saturn suggests that you both are very serious about your
relationship, which you have probably entered for practical as well as emotional reasons. As a
result, you handle the relationship very carefully and probably develop it rather slowly.
Because of your care and caution, the partnership you build will probably outlast many others.
You are very sober in the way you deal with each other, which may justifiably give others the
impression that you are too serious and do not look at life with enough humor. It isn't necessary
to be so careful; you can afford to take a lighter view of things. In fact, you can take
liberties that others cannot take because you have prepared yourselves so thoroughly and
carefully.
This aspect gives a relationship an emotional stability that is truly to be envied. It is not
likely to be an especially flamboyant or demonstrative affair, and other people may think you are
somewhat cool to each other. That does not mean there is no real affection between you, but that
as a couple you have a different way of showing it. Go on doing things your own way, and pay no
attention to what others think.
Moon Square Neptune
Be very careful if you have the square of Moon and Neptune in your composite horoscope. This
aspect creates a great danger that one or both of you will deceive yourselves or each other,
either about the nature of the relationship or about outside matters that affect it. It can
produce a situation in which one of you has come to "help" the other with a very difficult
psychological problem, such as alcohol or drugs. But with a Moon-Neptune square, the so-called
helper is often motivated by the desire to escape from some personal problem by relating to
someone whose problems appear to be worse. This situation creates a savior-victim relationship
that can be quite unhealthy, because the real issues are never faced.
The relationship may also take on a very unreal idealistic tone, with the two of you creating
beautiful illusions about yourselves and each other. But eventually you are likely to find that
you have not faced all the facts about each other, and you may become completely disillusioned
and embittered. Disappointment of one's ideals is perhaps the greatest danger presented by this
aspect. Its negative effects can be prevented only by the most hard-nosed, pragmatic, and
practical evaluation of the relationship. And unfortunately, that is the very thing that the
Moon-Neptune energy tends to block.
Composite Mercury
Mercury is the planet of mind and communication. In a relationship it signifies the quality and
manner of communication between the two of you. It also tells something about the way you affect
each other's thinking and how you think as a couple, collectively.
A well-placed Mercury in the chart indicates that you have some degree of intellectual
understanding and can communicate with each other. While it is desirable, especially in an
emotional relationship, that two people have an intuitive, unspoken understanding, it is also
highly desirable that you be able to talk easily with each other. Even in the most compatible
relationship, it is impossible for each partner to figure out what is on the other's mind without
some kind of verbal exchange.
Unfortunately, very often, especially in a love relationship, people think that if they truly
love each other, they should be able to feel what the other is thinking without having to say
anything. What happens if you do this, however, is that you act according to what you guess
about each other, and eventually you are dealing with your partner as if she were a creation of
your own mind. If there is no communication between you, all you have left is the image created
in your mind in the absence of real understanding. This is what a badly placed Mercury often
signifies.
Basically, Mercury signifies your ability to speak each other's language, to express your
thoughts in ways that the other can understand. This requires that your minds be attuned to each
other in some way, so that you can share ideas, concepts, and words. A well-placed Mercury is a
great benefit to any relationship.
Mercury in the Seventh House
Mercury in the seventh house of the composite chart indicates that your relationship will work
well as a partnership in mental and intellectual concerns. For example, if you came together to
write a book, (which this placement of Mercury does not indicate especially), you would be able
to work together as a team very well. Similarly you would work well together in any kind of
business or commercial activity, particularly those involving electronics, communication, data
processing, or transportation.
In a personal relationship this placement indicates the ability to think as a team and to provide
a united front, at least intellectually, to the rest of the world. The two of you are generally
able to share your ideas and opinions about everything.
Because the seventh is an angular house, the planet that occupies it is more important than it
would be otherwise. When Mercury is strengthened, as it is in the seventh house, communication
between you is easier and is a more prominent part of the relationship.
Note: Mercury is technically near the end of house 6 and is therefore interpreted in house 7.
Mercury Opposition Uranus
Mercury opposition Uranus in a composite chart creates an extremely restless mental environment
for the two of you. Do not expect this relationship to be a peaceful place where you can retire
from the challenges of the outside world. Your relationship will constantly challenge you and
prevent you from falling into set patterns of thought. And it will not do this in a very gentle
way.
There is much potential for growth with this aspect, if you both are willing to expand your views
enough to encompass the new experiences this relationship will bring. Some people actually enjoy
the incessant mental stimulation, although most will not admit it. They may complain about the
lack of peace and quiet, but in fact very few people get into a Uranus relationship of this sort
unless they want it that way. You should acknowledge this fact about yourselves in order to get
the best out of the relationship.
In this combination with Mercury, the Uranus influence may make you enjoy goading each other into
responding to outrageous comments, just to see what will happen. This is the "joker" attribute,
which both Uranus and Mercury possess, and the opposition aspect brings it out most strikingly.
The point is not to take each other too seriously, for if you do, you may hurt each other
unnecessarily without intending to.
Mercury Trine Neptune
Mercury trine Neptune in a composite chart provides for a highly developed sensitivity toward
each other and the ability to communicate nonverbally and intuitively. The two of you will have
to say less to each other than most couples do, for your minds seem to operate in an instinctive
harmony. You know what the other feels even if you are apart.
In addition, you are idealistic about your relationship, so that it appears to you more beautiful
than others think it is. This is not a romantic idealism, but idealism based on intellectual and
mental harmony. You are quite realistic about each other's foibles, but you share an ideal of
how things ought to be, which is one of the factors that keeps you together. The experience of
this relationship may stimulate your poetic tendencies. Both of you may learn to look at the
world in a whole new way that brings out previously hidden aspects of reality. The result will
be increased sensitivity.
The only warning that is necessary with this configuration is to keep in mind the truth as it is
at the moment. Do not confuse your ideals with present reality, but keep them in mind as a goal
to work toward. If you do this, the effects of this aspect will be very beneficial in the long
run.
Mercury Opposition Ascendant
The opposition of composite Mercury and Ascendant should not be thought of as an opposition in
the usual sense. It is better to think of it as a conjunction of composite Mercury and
Descendant. This aspect has two very different manifestations, both of which are derived from
the same principle. In this relationship, your minds are engaged with each other in a very
strong and intimate way.
On the one hand, this aspect may take the form of a very deep and significant intellectual union
between you. You seem to think almost like one person, sharing the same ideas and thinking in a
complementary way. This means that the two of you can communicate with others as a team and be
more effective than you could as individuals.
On the other hand, the opposition of composite Mercury and Ascendant can take the form of
vigorous intellectual disagreement and conflict between you. It is not just that you disagree,
but that you actually derive something very vital from disagreeing. Others may think that you
are destroying each other, but really you are engaging in a contest. Each of you is dependent
upon the other for stimulation, even if you make a great pretense of being angry and fed up with
each other.
It is not often recognized that opponents make up the same kind of intimate one-to-one union as
partners in the ordinary sense. You may be opponents or you may be peaceful partners. In either
case you depend on each other to reinforce your ways of thinking and dealing with the world,
either by positively reinforcing them or by using each other's ideas as a negative reference
point to argue against. In either case you both would find it difficult to operate without the
other. If you have taken the "opponent" path, especially, you need to recognize this.
Composite Venus
Venus is obviously important in any kind of relationship, because it rules both love and the
ability to form relationships, particularly those based on emotion. If Venus is badly placed,
you may have a long-term relationship, but it will not have much love. On the other hand, if
Venus is strong and well placed, but other relationship indications are not good, the two of you
may be drawn to each other very strongly even though you are not really compatible. This creates
a very stormy, short-lived relationship.
In its deepest meaning, Venus represents the principle in the universe that draws two entities
together by natural and spontaneous inner forces, much the way positive and negative charges
attract each other. No external compulsion is needed. But the power of Venus attracts only if
the two entities have fully defined themselves as individuals within the universe. In human
terms, this means that you have to be yourself in order to love someone else. If you live
according to other people's ideas of what you ought to be, without regard for your own inner
impulses, you will not really be a whole person enough to love another.
The position of Venus in the composite chart indicates how far this relationship will allow both
of you to express yourselves through love. It also describes what part of your environment you
most desire to bring into this experience. It is not necessary to have a good Venus in order to
make a relationship survive, but a good Venus will make the relationship worth having.
Venus in the First House
Composite Venus in the first house signifies a relationship that is based on love and affection.
It is not necessarily based on sex, although this position is certainly good for any sexual
relationship. The ultimate meaning of Venus is attraction based on the ways in which you are
different rather than the ways in which you are similar. This makes for a relationship of
complements, which form a whole that is stronger and more lasting than either of the parts.
Composite Venus in the first house means that the two of you form such a partnership. You were
strongly attracted to each other when you first met, even if you did not immediately know the
reason why, and as you learn more and more about each other, you remain strongly attracted.
The emotions aroused by Venus are quiet in their expression, friendly rather than wildly
passionate. But they are intense in their own way and much longer lasting than some more intense
emotions. This kind of affection will sustain a relationship for a long time. This placement
enables you to forgive each other for the occasional hurts that arise in every relationship.
In some cases a first-house Venus may indicate that the two of you have come together for a
creative purpose. This could be anything from working at an artistic craft together to farming
or simply raising children. Somehow this relationship will manifest the creative drives of Venus
more than most.
Venus Trine Mars
Venus trine Mars is one of the better aspects to have in a composite chart. Much like the
sextile, it means that there is a balance between your individual ego drives and your need for
the relationship; that is, you can get along together without feeling that either of you is
losing your individuality. In fact, you will find that this relationship helps both of you to
express yourselves more fully - unlike many relationships, which act as barriers to self-
expression.
This aspect fulfills itself most clearly in relationships between the sexes, for the sexuality of
the two planets is then expressed easily. The trine of Venus and Mars strengthens the need for
physical sexual expression and makes it satisfying. You both will be greatly fulfilled by sex,
and you will work together to make it even better. There won't be the differences of timing and
style that make many sexual relationships difficult. You truly complement each other.
Complementarity is one of the benefits of this aspect for any kind of relationship. Each of you
is strong where the other is weak, so together you will be stronger than you are alone.
Composite Mars
The basic principle of Mars is the ego-drive, the energy by which you sustain your sense of being
an individual, both toward the world and toward other people. You inevitably build up your
notions of yourself through the ways in which you interact with others. Without some kind of
active inner energy, you would not be able to withstand encounters with others at all and would
be forced to drop out of life altogether. And indeed this does happen to some people.
In a relationship, people try to establish some kind of positive connection with each other, but
ego-drives often get in the way. If you have a sound sense of yourself, as signified by a well-
placed Mars, you will have little difficulty getting along with others. But if Mars is badly
placed, your sense of your own being is deficient, and you will get into conflicts that make it
impossible to relate to others. A conflict between two people arises whenever one challenges a
weakness in the other's sense of individuality - in other words, the ego.
In a composite chart, Mars signifies your ability to create an environment within the
relationship for both of you to express yourselves fully without threatening each other and
provoking destructive conflicts. Some - perhaps quite a lot of - conflict in a relationship is
inevitable, and conflict per se should not be suppressed. But your ego-drives must be basically
compatible within the relationship, or nothing can be accomplished.
In a sexual relationship, Mars also rules the sex drive. A successful sexual relationship
requires that both Venus, the ability to relate, and Mars, the ego-drive, be in good condition.
There is a large ego component in a successful sexual relationship. If the relationship does not
express each of you, it will not work. A poorly aspected Mars in a composite signifies deficient
ego-drives, which will affect your ability to get along with each other, and in a sexual
relationship, it will affect the quality of physical sex.
Mars in the Fifth House
The fifth house is a very compatible position for Mars in a composite chart, but the needs it
generates must be met. It is a position of great self-expression, so there must be ample
opportunity for self-expression in this relationship. You must give each other plenty of room to
be yourselves with a minimum of interference. If you impose all manner of limitations on each
other, there will be considerable conflict. Mars is related to ego energies, which create no
problem if expressed. If they are not expressed, however, they can create many difficulties.
It would be excellent for the two of you to be as active as possible together, with a common set
of goals toward which you bend your energies. In that way the energy that might become a source
of conflict can bind the two of you together.
In a sexual relationship this position can be extremely beneficial, provided that you follow the
advice given above. The fifth is the house of love affairs, while Mars, along with Venus, rules
sexual energy. In a sexual relationship with this position, if you don't work well together on a
sexual level, there is not likely to be harmony on any other level. The energy that should be
used in sex instead becomes the source of very divisive ego conflict.
Mars Square Neptune
Mars square Neptune in the composite chart can be quite difficult. It indicates that your
intentions and the way you interact weaken each other's effectiveness. Usually one of you acts
in such a way as to confuse or delude the other, but also you may have a negative reinforcing
effect on each other. It is quite likely that you will act upon each other in turn.
The problem is that you each view the other's successful self-expression as a threat. One of you
may fear that the other will dominate and extinguish your individuality. But this is fear more
than actual fact. Also, the relationship may present both of you with issues that you do not
know how to face at this time.
The only way to deal with this aspect is to stop playing ego games, which is easier said than
done, because such games are usually played out unconsciously. Neither parnter is aware of what
is going on.
In an extreme case you may be consciously deceitful toward each other. In a marriage, this might
be done through infidelity; in a friendship, it might be actions that intentionally go against
your friend's interests.
If this is the only area of difficulty between you, the relationship can still be quite
rewarding. But if this is one of many problems, it might be best to break the relationship off.
If it has already begun and you wish to continue it, the only defense is to be completely honest
with each other and at the same time reasonably gentle in your honesty.
Composite Jupiter
Jupiter in the composite chart signifies the areas that will provide a solid basis for growth
through the relationship. A strong Jupiter helps to ensure that whatever the course of the
relationship and whatever may happen to it, you both will be aware of how much you have been
helped by being together.
The house position of Jupiter designates what aspect of your relationship will be emphasized as a
growth area. The two of you will be able to depend on that area for sustenance together, and
unlike other aspects of your relationship, it will not be the cause of conflict and difficulty.
Nevertheless, what Jupiter brings to a relationship should not be taken totally for granted.
There is always a danger that you may overextend yourselves in the area in which Jupiter is
significant, which can convert it into a source of difficulty. If the energy of Jupiter is
flowing easily, it is unlikely to cause trouble. But if the energy is flowing with difficulty,
there may be problems, usually brought on by doing something to excess. In any case, Jupiter is
not usually a major source of trouble in a chart and can usually be counted on to bring
benevolent results.
Jupiter in the Seventh House
Jupiter in the seventh house of a composite chart is very favorable for most relationships. It
means that the two of you are likely to feel that being together is your most important means of
growth. You feel that you both can grow faster through the relationship than without it. In
fact you probably idealize your relationship, but not to the extent that it becomes impossible to
live up to the ideal.
Even though you idealize being together, you are not totally possessive; you know enough to give
each other room to breathe. In fact, the only possible problem with this placement is that under
certain conditions one of you may demand more freedom than the other is willing to give. However,
in such a situation, if the restrictive partner can give the other that freedom in some
particular instance, it will work out all right.
Normally this placement of Jupiter will be very favorable. You may demand high standards of
behavior from each other, but you are also likely to get what you demand in that regard.
Composite Saturn
Saturn is always a very complicated symbol. It has many meanings, some of which are difficult to
deal with. To begin with, it often represents those areas of the relationship that are likely to
be a source of insecurity. It is this attribute that can make Saturn very hard to handle, because
it signifies fears, which can generate a negative energy that makes the worst come true. You
must learn to relax about those areas of the relationship that are most influenced by Saturn.
Saturn also refers to limitations on the relationship, which are often more apparent than real.
Saturn is an inhibitor, representing the aspects of reality that limit our efforts to expand and
grow. As a consequence, through the resistance of Saturn, everything in both the material and
psychological world is forced to assume a definite form. The position of Saturn in the composite
chart will tell a great deal about what areas of the relationship are most likely to be
structured and even rigidified, if the influence is unchecked.
Saturn is not always difficult, however. Very often it indicates a lasting relationship that
will endure. Much of the time you will respond to Saturn simply by accepting the reality it
imposes and not expecting that which is impossible. This prevents the frustrated idealism that
makes so many love relationships difficult. In such instances Saturn replaces flamboyance with
reliability.
At other times, however, Saturn's influence will make a relationship nearly impossible. When
this happens, it is a reality that must be accepted. Properly handled, the experience of Saturn
can be one of the most significant ways in which you learn how you will act in certain situations
together. But it must be acknowledged that this process is not always particularly pleasant.
Saturn in the Eighth House
Saturn in the eighth house of the composite chart pertains both to joint property and resources
and to major personal transformations and regenerations.
To deal with the first area, the effects of Saturn in the eighth house can be similar to its
effects in the second, in that you may feel very insecure about the physical resources you share.
You may have fears of not having enough money, for example. And as in the second house, this
insecurity may actually cause the two of you to concentrate on money to such an extent that you
become wealthy. Insecurity is the real problem here, rather than any lack of money. However,
you might conceivably have trouble with other people's money - banks, finance companies, and
such. It would probably be well to avoid these if you can.
Turning to the area of regeneration symbolized by the eighth house, Saturn here can indicate that
the two of you will resist the deep transformations that must take place in any relationship.
The eighth house is the house of death, both real and metaphorical; in other words, it signifies
very important and fundamental changes, such that your lives will not be the same as they were
before.
But the two of you are likely to be afraid of such changes and will try to build up structures in
your lives that will prevent change of any sort. It is not good to do this, however, because the
transformations of the eighth house are very difficult to resist, and resisting them only makes
them more catastrophic when they do occur. You should not face life from a rigid position.
Relax and let yourselves be open to any changes that may occur. They will probably be for the
better.
Composite Uranus
Uranus is the planet of the unconventional and the unusual, at least in its ordinary
manifestations. It can also reveal alternate views of reality that will help you to learn and
grow. Unfortunately, this usually happens by means of a surprising upset that seems to
completely invalidate your previous beliefs about life. Uranus is often regarded as the planet
of unpleasant surprises. The only way to deal with it positively is to maintain a very open
attitude and to structure your life as little as possible. Some structure is necessary, of
course. But Uranus demands that you maintain a very flexible attitude toward the world.
In a relationship it is important to let the areas most affected by Uranus be much freer than you
might otherwise allow. The aspects to Uranus in the composite chart usually indicate the area of
the relationship that you must release. Not that you will lose it, but you must let it take its
own course, with a minimum of expectations. Venus-Uranus aspects, in particular, represent
relationships that must not be restrained from following their own course.
The house position indicates where Uranus is most effective, and that area must be treated most
gently. Any attempt to make a basically Uranian characteristic conform to rules or expectations
will only cause disturbances; the energy of Uranus under pressure becomes rebellious, insisting
on doing everything in exactly the opposite way from what people want.
Uranus is simply an energy that insists on being given free rein. Your ability to handle it
depends upon how free you are.
Uranus in the First House
With Uranus in the first house of the composite chart, your relationship will have a strong drive
for freedom of expression. At the very least it will be a highly individualistic one.
It may be that this relationship will begin very suddenly. Or perhaps the two of you would not
ordinarily be expected to come together. In either case, being together will have a
revolutionary effect on both of you. It will reveal aspects of yourselves that you never even
knew existed. By the same token, the lives of those around you will also be affected.
The danger of this placement is that you, or those around you, will try to make this relationship
conform to established patterns of behavior. This usually triggers the negative side of Uranus,
which results in instability and unconventionality for its own sake. Uranus means restlessness
and not wanting to be trapped into predictable patterns. You both tend to be easily bored by
predictable situations and then want to get out.
Only if the two of you are willing to approach this experience with a totally open mind, free of
expectations, will you get the maximum benefit from it. That benefit will be a challenging
experience that will enable you to grow and expand your consciousness for as long as the
relationship lasts.
Note: Uranus is technically near the end of house 12 and is therefore interpreted in house 1.
Uranus Conjunct Ascendant
The conjunction of composite Uranus and Ascendant signifies a relationship that will probably
have a strong impact on your lives. The nature of that impact can vary tremendously, depending
on your own attitudes.
First of all, this relationship will certainly expose you to a radically new kind of experience.
It will not be the gentle consciousness-raising of Jupiter, but the jarring action of Uranus, the
planet that challenges all your basic precepts about what life is and how it should be lived.
Your reaction to Uranian energies is determined by how rigid you both are. The more flexible you
are toward change and new experiences, the more constructive Uranus is likely to be. If the two
of you are rather rigid, its effects can be devastating.
A relationship with this aspect will cause great changes in your lives. It may be that the two
of you would not ordinarily be expected to get together, perhaps because of some difference in
your backgrounds. Or it may be that one of you is always challenging the other. Sometimes this
aspect means that you have come together precisely because the relationship does challenge your
usual modes of thinking. It becomes a kind of rebellion against the world, which raises a
problem.
This aspect often signifies instability in a relationship, simply because consciously or
unconsciously you have come together to challenge or upset your usual patterns of life. This is
fine until you try to settle down into some regular pattern together. Then the same restlessness
that brought about your relationship may serve to break it up.
Composite Neptune
Neptune in the composite chart is an energy that most people find quite difficult to handle. It
has two quite separate areas of meaning that are ultimately connected, although they do not seem
related on the surface.
First of all, Neptune is related to disappointment, delusion, deceit, falsehood, and the gradual
disappearance of things. Yet it also represents whatever you idealize, legitimately and
otherwise - that which is spiritual and mystical, which is actually at the root of love in its
most spiritual sense, even more than Venus. It is the two-sidedness of Neptune that is so
difficult to deal with.
To a considerable extent, all true love is based on your idealization of some aspect of the other
person. That is one side of Neptune. But you must also keep in mind the reality of the
situation and not make that person into something she is not. The nature of Neptune is such that
you often go too far and turn the other person into a myth; when you discover the truth, bitter
disappointment sets in. Yet if the Neptune energy were not working to some extent, you would not
have been attracted to that person in the first place.
In a relationship, some things cannot be spelled out in words. It is necessary for two people to
have some inner understanding of each other, or you will never be able to communicate very well.
Neptune rules this kind of sensitivity within a relationship also. But again, its twofold nature
can cause you to overdo your sensitivity, to the point where you make up things that aren't there
or exaggerate the significance of what is.
How can you keep a balance? The answer lies in an aspect of Neptune that provides the key to
really understanding it. Neptune is a totally selfless energy, not readily harnessed to the
demands of the human ego. If you have a strong ego-wish that something be a certain way,
Neptune's involvement becomes dangerous. The more your ego needs to enforce a situation, the
more Neptune will delude you about it. Your own wishes seem to create a barrier to your seeing
clearly, because you are too involved in the situation. Neptune often makes the two of you think
that what you want is already so, even when it isn't.
However, if you can learn to accept the situation as it is, Neptune will help you to learn even
more. If you can hold your ideals and still be able to deal with reality, Neptune may even help
you realize your ideals.
Neptune in the chart tells about those areas of the relationship that are idealized, maybe
dangerously so. It tells about the depth of spiritual communication and about the extent to
which all communication is disrupted by your illusions about each other.
Neptune in the Second House
With Neptune in the second house of the composite chart, there is likely to be some confusion
between you about what you hold to be important, for the second is the house of whatever one
values, most commonly but not exclusively your material resources. With Neptune here, it may
simply be unclear to either of you just what you do value. You may not even know, in which case
you must find out, because if you don't know what you consider important, you will find out only
when someone takes it away.
But Neptune in the second house may also signify a great confusion about managing your money and
possessions. The two of you may have serious misconceptions or be totally ignorant of how to
deal with what you own. Yet because of Neptune's double nature, you may also share an uncanny
sense of where to find money and have the ability to sniff it out in very unlikely places. With
this placement, it is very important for the two of you to examine all matters ruled by the
second house to determine whether you are experiencing the first or the second effect.
One of two situations will apply to you. In the first, material possessions are not very
important to the two of you, in which case you should have no problems with them. On the other
hand, if they are important, they should not be to such an extent, and then you probably will
have trouble with them. Neptune does not deny things in general so much as it denies things to
which you are too attached.
Composite Pluto
Pluto is the planet of death and regeneration. In a composite chart it represents those energies
that cause a relationship to go through periods of heavy change. When Pluto is operative,
something goes out of existence and a new order comes into being. Its action is absolutely
essential to prevent the stagnation that occurs when an old way of life has outlived its purpose.
The old must be cleared away to make room for the new state of being that will follow. When
dealing with Pluto, you must let go of whatever is going through the Plutonian crisis. If you
try to hold on to something that is properly dead, you will not succeed in saving it. You will
only make the situation worse.
Pluto operates with such tremendous power that it may be divorced from its "death and
regeneration" aspect and be experienced purely as power. The power results from the
inevitability of Pluto's transforming quality. The transformations ruled by Pluto are those that
arise from the very nature of what is transformed. Its effect is as much an integral part of an
entity as an object's weight, size, and color. Every living thing contains the set of
circumstances that will eventually bring about all its fundamental changes, including its death.
The power of Pluto comes from within.
In a relationship, Pluto is very often experienced as power conflicts between the two of you. In
a sexual relationship it also gives special power and impact to your emotions and makes every
happening very dramatic and important. This heaviness is one of the more difficult attributes of
the planet, because it can warp your perspective completely.
The house position of Pluto indicates the area of the relationship in which there is most likely
to be a conflict of power, either between the two of you or with the outside world. It also
indicates which area of the relationship is most likely to be transformed through your being
together and as a result which area is most likely to produce crises.
The aspects to Pluto indicate whether this energy will be experienced as difficult or easy and
what other energy patterns it will be linked with.
Pluto in the Twelfth House
Composite Pluto in the twelfth house signifies that this relationship will expose all kinds of
previously hidden psychological characteristics, which will necessitate a strong inner
psychological transformation in both of you. Fortunately, this position also signifies that you
will be very interested in working with each other on this level. While you may have great
resistance to some things in this relationship, you won't resist the idea of exposing these
characteristics in the first place. Inward transformation is one of the objectives of this
relationship, and you both know it.
Whatever comes up between you should be dealt with immediately, because Pluto's energies can
smolder for a long time if not dealt with right away. And when they do smolder, they break out
at last with such a bitter fury and fiery intensity that it is difficult for a relationship to
survive.
Another effect of this position is a kind of "leaking out" of energy, so that the two of you
unknowingly radiate an intense and powerful energy. But others react to this and often become
afraid, because they do not know what the energy signifies. This situation often causes people
to work against you behind your back.
The twelfth is traditionally the house of secret enemies, usually generated in the way described
above. Your actions and manner of acting somehow trigger a response in others that makes them
work against you. To deal with this it is necessary to be straightforward in your dealings with
others and make clear to them exactly what you intend to do in any situation.
Technical details
The Composite horoscope is a symbolic chart, derived mathematically and never represented by a
real planetary configuration on the sky. For all planetary pairs, for example both Suns in the
natal charts of the partners, the Composite Sun is determined as the mid-point in between. Also
the MC (Medium Coeli or cusp of the 10th house) is determined by this mid-point technique. So far
all astrologers proceed the same way to get a Composite.
For finding the Ascendant and the other house cusps in a chart two different techniques are used.
One school of thought, also adhered to by Liz Greene and other staff members at Astrodienst,
computes the Ascendant and the other house cusps with the same mid-point technique. In the very
rare case of an Ascendant falling into the west half of the chart, which is the wrong side, the
Ascendant is corrected by 180 degrees, so that it comes to lie in the east half where is must
naturally be.
The other wide spread school of thought uses a table of houses for the Ascendant. First a
fictious birth time is derived from the mid-point MC, then for this time the Ascendant and other
house cusps are read from the table. Because house table entries vary by geographical latitude,
the latitude of a reference place is used here. The geographical longitude (east/west location)
of the reference place is not taken into account, so that Naples, Italy and New York, NY result
in the same Composite chart, because both cities are near 40 degrees northern latitude. The
technique is called reference-place technique.
In his book 'Planets in Composite' Robert Hand describes both methods; we have decided to use the
mid-point method with the Partner Horoscope, because the Relationship Horoscope by Liz Greene
also uses this technique and many readers might be unnecessarily confused if we offered two kinds
of partner horoscopes containing different Composite ascendants.
Mercury and Venus can sometimes have an unnatural position in the Composite Chart. In nature,
Mercury is never more than 30 degrees from the Sun, Venus never more than 45 degrees. In the
Composite, however, each of the two planets can also be in opposition to the Sun. In such cases,
some Astrologers mirror the planet into the opposite sign. Robert Hand takes into consideration
both possible positions. Our Astrodienst reports follow the method of Liz Greene, who does not do
such a mirroring.
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