I. Introduction
"... Yet everything that touches us, you and me,
takes us together as a bow's stroke does,
that out of two strings draws a single voice.
Upon what instrument are we two spanned?
And what player has us in his hand? ... "
Rainer Maria Rilke, Love-Song
The wisdom of the soul reveals itself most explicitly when we
enter into a union of souls with another person. This person is
waiting with a message, a lesson for us, which we urgently
need for our further development. It is solely for this purpose
that we fall in love, it is only for this reason that we bind our
being to this individual and allow ourselves to become
emotionally or existentially dependent on this person. The
encounter with a person who exerts a great influence on the
rest of our lives, however, only comes about when we are
ready for it in our deepest being. In respect to experience, our
conscious will and our most pressing desires have little effect
on what "happens to us" in a general sense. Whether it is a
matter of encountering our own child for the first time, or
whether it concerns our partner for life or a business partner,
this is of lesser significance at the level of the soul.
Experiences with our siblings, with long-standing friendships,
with our roommates or with business rivals offer us
opportunities - pleasant or unpleasant - to grow spiritually and
to mature internally. Each of these persons brings us in touch
with a different aspect of our own nature. In the one case, it
can be our independent and freedom-loving side which gains
expression, in the other case, our steady and conscientious
side. With the one individual we become involved in a
turbulent power struggle, with the other we learn to cope with
the demands of daily life. Many themes in our soul's
curriculum are easier to deal with in the form of intensive
teamwork among colleagues as opposed to an intimate
relationship. Other persons, on the contrary, require the deep
union of souls typical between parents and their children.
II. Role Casting
Like any two-person piece performed on stage, it is not only
the roles of the two actors which are set beforehand. The
theme preoccupying the two protagonists, as well, is at least
sketched out in advance, allowing them to bestow a conscious
orientation, a character to their figures. When the soul proves
to be the director of our private two-person dramas in
interpersonal relationships, it utilizes the symbolic power of
archetypal images and themes. The dramas within ourselves
revolving around passion, self-assertion, responsibility or the
ability to gain insight are as ancient as humanity itself. Every
new partnership awakens such an ancient myth within us and
thus gives us the strength and wisdom of its heroes and
heroines for our further journey.
Your need to belong somewhere, for protection and
emotional security demand special attention in this
relationship. On a subconscious level, both of you are
searching for a family, a home, carried by the hope of finally
arriving one day. Nothing is more essential than time so that
the two of you can grow and ripen internally. Time will allow
the past, the present and the future to meld into a whole, and
then it will be insignificant whether you adopt the role of the
child both eager to learn and to be protected, or the role of
the steady and supportive adult. Each of you possesses the
potential to nourish your partner emotionally and to
guarantee her a hold and long-term support. It will be
primarily Hillary's task, however, to create structures in your
relationship which serve your common orientation. Without
her ability to draw limits, establish order, set schedules and
demonstrate both steadfastness and perseverance, your
relationship would hardly be a stabile one in the long run.
This is so because Bill often moves in an unpredictable world
of emotions and instincts where moods, emotional
atmospheres and fears of being hurt are at home.
In the course of her relationship with Bill, Hillary will come
into contact with her active and sometimes aggressive sides. It
is important for her to show initiative and to put her plans
into effect as well. In this partnership, Hillary would like to
learn self-assertiveness and achievement in life. This will
function best if Bill allows himself to be enthused by and
involved in Hillary's constantly new plans, instead of feeling
left out and ignored.
When Hillary is brought down to earth again and again by
Bill, and he helps her to concentrate on the essential things in
life, a certain strict sobriety and seriousness cannot be
avoided. In the role of the advisor and reliable companion,
Bill will often seem to be the veritable cliff against the waves,
but there will also be times when he feels blocked, inhibited
and hindered in his activities.
In this partnership, however, he can become conscious of his
deep-seated anxieties about not receiving true recognition and
attention from other people, and thus, not being truly
respected by them. For this reason, Bill probably takes on
more duties and responsibilities than he can actually handle,
in the secret hope of being loved and admired for doing so. By
learning first and foremost to value himself and to pay
attention to his own needs, Bill can develop true sovereignty
and a mature sense of self.
III. Main Theme
The deep desire for mutual complementation unites both of
you - including the hope it brings of harmonious togetherness.
Each partner represents personality aspects which the other is
lacking. The tension generated by your contrasts aims to be
and must be discharged - it produces the amount of energy
both of you need to deal with essentials within your
relationship, with all its pitfalls and challenges.
During your first encounter both of you had the deep,
subconscious wish to take on responsibility for another person
or for an important task. Together, you will find it easier to
develop the discipline and necessary sense of duty for this
purpose. You have found each other in order to master
difficult times and not everyday challenges, however. "Bear
the burden of your fellow man" is not only a biblical phrase for
each of you, but an expression of loyalty and allegiance.
As difficult as it might be to accept, at a subconscious level
neither of you is actually concerned with experiencing the
light and joyful sides of life. For this reason, you will be
repeatedly confronted with difficult, perhaps even severe
states of affairs. However, your will to succeed, your
competence and your perseverance will allow you to master
these obstacles. Your ability to stick together through thick
and thin and not to overemphasize personal problems grants
you the necessary emotional detachment from those areas
which - seen superficially - present difficulties, but which also
await you with a treasure of experiences and opportunities.
As a pair you possess the ability to present yourselves in a
positive light with charm. You enjoy the respect of your
fellows and even under difficult circumstances you can count
on the sympathies of your social environment. The fact that
you value each other highly is hardly a secret to anybody.
Nonetheless, you repeatedly enter situations which ignite your
fighting spirit as well as the desire to conquer each other
anew.
The Most Important Sphere of Life
Even though the main theme of a relationship touches all
spheres of life for both partners, one very particular area
acquires special significance through this union. This area
determines the life stage upon which the partners act, it
determines the backdrop for the plot and, finally, it shows
where the most intensive and formative experiences are
possible for both individuals.
In your common activities contact with other individuals -
privately and professionally - has a special significance. As a
result, both of you have a strong orientation towards social
life, and it could be the case that you spend more time with
other people than alone with each other. In your thoughts and
conversations you will also be concerned with the behavior
and problems of other persons to a great extent, which can
have the effect of distracting from the actual situation which
exists between the two of you. As long as this creates no
problems for either of you and as long as you understand each
other well, you undoubtedly make a great team capable of
giving advice to others and supporting them. However, the
danger cannot be ignored that your colleagues might
repeatedly attempt to disrupt your relationship and to "disturb
the peace". In such cases, it is essential that you discuss
matters with one another and address the source of
disturbance directly and together. Otherwise, a wedge could
be placed between the two of you capable of seriously
damaging your sense of togetherness. In the end, the most
important thing is not what others think and say about you,
but rather that you deal with one another openly and honestly.
IV. The Fundamental Nature of Your Relationship
Just as in the case of any solitary natural being, the energy
generated by the union of two individuals possesses its own
unmistakable character. It determines whether the two
partners attempt to pursue their common interests
dynamically and single-mindedly, or rather, cautiously and
reservedly. Correspondingly, the fundamental nature of their
relationship will become especially evident in one sphere of
life, granting both individuals the opportunity to cope with the
demands - together with chances and challenges - awaiting
them there.
In only a very small number of partnerships does money play
no role whatsoever. If merely scant financial means exist, the
partners must learn to budget and gauge their resources to
survive on a monthly basis. Individuals with means and
possessions, on the other hand, usually expend much energy in
administering their ownings or investing their finances
profitably.
In your relationship, values and conceptions of value, income
as well as material or immaterial goods are of significance.
Your joint energies can best be cultivated in areas concerned
with establishing a mode of existence or means of livelihood,
or with utilizing your abilities in an advantageous manner.
Each of you is in possession of a potential which would make
it possible to lead an individual and independent life. Often,
however, a partnership, intensive interaction with another
person or even a shared struggle for existence can be
necessary conditions for uncovering latent talents which can
then be cultivated.
Whereas Bill will concentrate more on the practical and
concrete aspects of consolidating his means of subsistence, it
can be helpful for Hillary to turn to the inner treasures within
herself. A good many abilities may not be known to her, in
which case a prior phase of abandoning outdated conceptions
or circumstances may be required in order to develop these.
The character of your relationship is exceptionally dynamic,
and for this reason you will seldom avoid confrontations. In
striving to fill your lives with energy and vigor, it will be
especially helpful to direct your respective abilities towards a
common aim. This aim should not, however, lie in the too
distant future. Both of you are good sprinters, but over longer
distances you can easily lose your stamina. Since both of you
are constantly open to new challenges, it will often be the case
that each of you can be blamed for neglecting and occasionally
forgetting your partner. Each of you falls all to easily into the
role of the maverick who is intent on personal interests, to the
detriment of your shared solidarity. Marching into battle and
asserting yourselves "out there" in life are much more
promising than wasting your energies in fights and
disagreements.
Both of you possess the ability to master the highs and lows of
a partnership without letting its stability suffer as a result. The
bonds between the two of you are extremely resistant and
have no danger of breaking should one of you go your own
way. It is possible that you are bound together by other
persons or by a common project, so that more than your own
personal interest are involved in the relationship. A clear
distribution of tasks and responsibilities will not be difficult
for you, especially since each of you values order and
manageable circumstances in your common activities.
V. The Emotional Sphere
Every relationship needs an atmosphere suitable to its own
unique character in order to allow feelings to express
themselves. The ability to communicate with the other partner
on an emotional level, to surrender oneself to the other
partner with trust, to accept intimacy and to enter into a
caring relationship with one other is influenced by the
respective childhood experiences. Nevertheless, the
interaction between the two partners creates new possibilities
which allow them to begin a dialogue between their deepest
levels of being.
Spontaneous activities which awaken your initiative and
assertiveness give both of you an enormous emotional charge.
Now and then you might lack real enthusiasm and consistency
when routine and monotony creep in, but you will always be in
a position to find new challenges which manage to satisfy your
instinctive compulsion to act and to conquer new territories.
The emotional needs in your environment are a deeply felt
concern for both of you. For this reason, you probably attract
people who desire your care and attention in some manner or
other. Here, it is much less a question of providing material
help than of granting others emotional fulfillment through
your knowledge and experiences. A deep sense of friendship
develops between the two of you - and gives you emotional
satisfaction - when you are able to spend even a brief time
alone in complete relaxation. You are capable of coping with
hectic circumstances, domestic unrest, constantly ringing
telephones and surprise visitors better than most couples.
What you may consider disturbing also keeps you mentally
and emotionally alert, and grants you the opportunity to
derive knowledge and new perspectives from the interactive
dynamics involving other people.
In this relationship, Bill can develop the sensory capabilities
of perceiving and observing things in his environment in a
highly subtle manner. Even if he does not articulate these
impressions immediately, they will express themselves in his
behavior or mode of action. Hillary is able to place Bill's
perceptions in a greater context and to find a deeper meaning
in even everyday occurrences. Emotional depth is the gate to
new insights for Hillary and will help her develop an
instinctive confidence in the meaningfulness of existence.
You most definitely felt very much attracted to one another
during your first encounter. The affection you feel for one
another helps you remain fair and maintain mutual respect in
even difficult times. You have no difficulties empathizing with
your partner, and thus being able to recognize his true needs
and motivations, and learning to accept them. In this way, you
are able to establish a harmonious balance between care and
attention for your partner on the one hand, and representing
your own interests on the other. This keeps your partnership
in a state of equilibrium which helps each of you feel well and
emotionally nourished on a long-term basis.
VI. The Mental Sphere
For mutual understanding, it is necessary that the two
partners can make themselves understood to each other. The
ability to communicate, to maintain contact and an intensive,
thinking interaction with the other partner determines the
extent to which the one partner can respond to the needs of
the other. Even when two individuals do not speak the same
language in an intellectual sense, common interests, flexibility
and openness can always build a bridge between them.
Each of you possesses the ability to intuitively sense what your
partner thinks or wants to say in advance. In conversations,
you are able to empathize with your partner to such an extent
that it sometimes becomes difficult to distinguish your
opinions from one another. This can cause one partner to
absorb the fears and insecurities of the other, which can
obscure your perception of concrete events from time to time.
Your talent to capture the hidden essence of a situation and
to read between the lines also gives you the capability of
recognizing wide-reaching, meaningful connections between
things. Your mode of communication includes fantasies,
images and sensations, and for this very reason you have the
skill of interpreting each other's dreams and, in this way,
drawing conclusions about still latent subconscious
potentialities. Interaction with the realm of the psyche can
give you the ability to become your partner's helper, and both
of you can help each other bring deep-seated existential
anxieties fully into consciousness.
Your thoughts and conversations probably center on financial
matters quite often. Establishing and maintaining a material
foundation for your lives demands a great amount of
ingenuity and flexibility. A common source of subsistence will
offer the best chances for success when it involves writing,
language, media and information, or instructive skills. You
sense of self-worth can also be strengthened in this way.
You probably find it difficult to integrate your thoughts and
conceptions into concrete action all too often. As a result, you
might make agreements or plans which you are not in a
position to follow up or actually carry out. This is certainly not
intentional, however. On the contrary, each of you has the
definite intention of not only formulating ideas and
conceptions within this relationship, but acting on them as
well. If this is entirely impossible or only in another form, it
could be the case that you were not concerned enough with
the concrete circumstances beforehand.
VII. Hillary's Role in the Relationship
In a close and binding relationship where the partners either
live together or spend a great deal of time together on a daily
basis, the concerns which they contribute to the partnership
will certainly become very evident. The less binding a
relationship is, on the other hand, the less evident these
themes will be in daily life. The following description will
more precisely characterize the role which Hillary plays in this
relationship, and above all, center on those themes which she
will be concerned with in a deeper sense.
In the relationship with Bill, Hillary would like to express her
caring nature, protective instinct and personal commitment.
Therefore, she will especially concerned with her empathetic,
sensitive and cautious sides. The "family" receiving Hillary's
attentions could be rather large, then it is not limited to actual
relatives in the traditional sense. People with similar ways of
thinking, close colleagues at work or others who mean a great
deal to Hillary emotionally can also be counted among her
family members. Hillary would like to be there for all of these
individuals, offering them support and giving them the feeling
that she can be relied upon. It is also important for Hillary to
know where she belongs. For this reason, she has a significant
need for a safe and secure place as a base of operations where
her position is not in question.
In the relationship with Bill, Hillary's knowledge and the
steadily growing insightfulness connected with it have
significance. Freedom of thought - but also personal freedom
and independence - are very important to Hillary in this
relationship. She will reject any and all curtailments in her
freedom of movement as well as her desire for growth and
expansion. Involvement with philosophical, religious or
cultural themes could widen her world view tremendously,
and also serve her search for meaning in general. Bill can
learn a great deal from Hillary, and Hillary will feel highly
inspired by his inquisitiveness, hunger for knowledge and
readiness to approach new areas of knowledge without
prejudices. In the end, both will motivate each other to
continually learn new things and to pass this knowledge on to
other people.
In the relationship with Bill, Hillary's charming and lovable
sides will be expressed to a significant degree. She desires
harmony and emotional security, especially in the intimate
and domestic spheres. If arbitration and negotiation become
necessary in this connection, her reliable intuitions of other
people's needs and her sense of fairness will acquire special
significance. With her caring nature, Hillary is able to accord
every side involved the appropriate attention and estimation.
In this way, Hillary can learn a great deal about herself, and in
the end this partnership will also serve the function of
increasing Hillary's awareness of what she needs herself in
order to feel loved and accepted in relationships with other
people.
Hillary does not take this partnership at all lightly. Her
readiness to assume responsibility is tremendous, but she
must be careful that she does not overextend herself.
Otherwise, she could be surrounded by obstacles and
antagonists one day, and forget to enjoy the pleasant and
cheerful things in life.
If Hillary parts with old dependencies and sometimes
withstands violent crises as a result, this will not leave Bill
unaffected. In the end, Hillary will have showed him how
satisfying letting go can be, and how little spontaneity and
liveliness remain when one is trapped in life circumstances no
longer corresponding to one's own inner truth.
VIII. Bill's Role in the Relationship
A description now follows of the role which Bill plays in your
relationship. Here, too, those themes will be emphasized
which he will be concerned with during the course of the
relationship.
In the relationship with Hillary, Bill would like to demonstrate
his sense of responsibility, conscientiousness and
steadfastness. It is obvious that Bill will not choose easy tasks
and will only be satisfied when he does justice to them despite
sundry hindrances and obstacles. The reasons for the
difficulties often confronting Bill do not necessarily lie in his
external environment - he probably feels physically and
internally inhibited and burnt out from time to time, and as a
result his vitality and joy in living can only be expressed to a
greatly reduced degree. Bill places great demands on himself.
If he is not yet certain his achievements will be above average,
he will most probably prefer to do nothing at all in certain
situations. His apparent inactivity is usually a sign that
important learning and developmental processes are taking
place internally, however. What he sets out to do might well
take longer than planned to be completed. But "good things
take time", and as long as Bill possesses the necessary
perseverance, he has good chances of achieving his goals.
The relationship with Hillary will prove to be an
extraordinarily important experience for Bill. Bill's team spirit
and the readiness to cooperate are important qualities in a
partnership with Hillary, which inevitably leads to his taking a
closer look at his own desires and conceptions regarding
relationships at a deeper level. Hillary is a fitting companion
in this connection, then she most probably corresponds to
Bill's conception of an equal-ranking ally through the ups and
downs of life. However, it is Bill who openly or secretly claims
the role of the actual authority in this partnership. this may
well be true one day, but Bill should recognize the fact that
Hillary - in some capacity or other - has accompanied him
along his way. Without Hillary's belief in Bill, his abilities and
orientational help, the danger would exist that Bill would only
see hindrances and obstacles before himself, and lack the
initiative to overcome them.
In this relationship Bill will not find it difficult to confront the
realities of life openly and with acceptance, while nevertheless
pursuing the realization of his goals in a lively and sovereign
manner. He will also be able to count on the competent
support of other people. The good will and the ability they
place at his disposal without competitive behavior will serve to
promote Bill's interests in a significant way.
Provided Bill retains a sense of his own attractivity and
provided his sense of self-value does not stand or fall with
Hillary's acceptance or rejectance, Bill's winning charisma will
always triumph. The sympathies and good will of other people
are very important to him - they prompt him to show himself
from his best side.
– – –
Appendix
Astrological Techniques
There are a number of astrological methods which enable us to view a
partnership more effectively. The oldest method is that of horoscope
comparison, called synastry. Here, two birth horoscopes are
investigated and interpreted on the basis of shared aspects. Composite
and Combined Horoscopes, on the other hand, are relatively new.
Robert Hand is considered to be one of the pioneers of composite
horoscope research. His comprehensive interpretative work, Planets
in Composite, appeared in 1975. We owe the Combined Horoscope to
the work of the Viennese astrologer Philip Schiffmann, and
independently of him, the Englishman Ronald Davison - the
"Horoscope for Two" is based on their research. In the English
speaking world the Combined Horoscope is often called the 'Davison
Relationship Chart'. Whereas the composite horoscope does not
reflect an actual astronomical constellation, the Combined Horoscope
unites the birth horoscopes of the partners in space and time, in a new
and real constellation. That point in time is determined which lies
exactly between the birth dates of the persons involved, while the
geographical longitude and latitude are established in the same way.
Mona Riegger has been investigating both interpretative possibilities
since 1980 and published her findings for the first time in her book,
Handbook of Combined and Composite Horoscope Interpretation.
With the help of the Combined Horoscope, she is able to identify
which role each partner occupies within the relationship and which
opportunities for development present themselves during its further
course.
For the interpretation of the "Horoscope for Two", however, Mona
Riegger presupposes a high degree of commitment between the
partners in question. The more casual the character of the partnership
is, the more the interactive aspects and personality features described
here recede in the background - the more intensive the relationship is,
the more the partners will have to come to terms with the themes
reflected in their common horoscope. The type of relationship is not
the decisive factor. Even when a "Horoscope for Two" involving close
friends, co-workers or even business rivals reveals a strong emphasis
on emotional or domestic themes, or when professional themes are
especially emphasized in an intimate relationship, it is worthwhile to
come to an understanding of the matter at this deeper level. A
professional rival can confront us with feelings of being threatened
quite effectively, causing us to react emotionally in an extremely
injured manner. Excessive rivalry and faulty decision-making are all
too often a result of this process. In the interpretative passages,
however, the author assumes a relationship which is positively
affirmed ; for this reason, competitive relationships often "get away
with too much".
Recurring Themes in Different Horoscopes
It becomes obvious when reading various "Horoscopes for Two" that
certain themes recur and are interpreted in text blocks with a similar
content. This is a necessary consequence of the computer text method
utilized for casting the horoscope. The same factors (ascendant, house
positions for planets ruling a sign, etc.) occur repeatedly in different
horoscopes. First the synthesis of these various factors - in respect to
the entire horoscope - allows every relationship to reveal its
individuality and uniqueness.
Related Literature
The "Horoscope for Two" is an independent partnership horoscope
which is cast on the basis of each partner's date of birth, but which
makes no reference to individual themes in their respective birth
horoscopes. Perhaps after reading this horoscope analysis you will be
interested in a more comprehensive analysis of your own personality,
not only from the perspective of "relationships". In such a case, we
recommend the Psychological Horoscope Analysis by Liz Greens
(available from the same place where this report was ordered).
Literature recommended for partnership themes :
Mona Riegger, Handbook of Combined and Composite Horoscope
Interpretation. A comprehensive guide for casting and interpreting
partnership horoscopes with clear and accessible interpretative
statements, plus a multitude of fascinating case studies (currently
available only in German).
Liz Greene, Astrology for Lovers. An amusing but insightful look at
zodiac signs and their role in personal relationships.
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