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After spending the last couple of years hopefully learning important Saturn in Virgo lessons like proper diet and exercise, maintaining a decent daily schedule and always remembering to back up your computer; we are now firmly in Saturn in Libra territory where the lessons are all about doing what it takes to have good, equitable one-on-one relationships.
While Saturn in Libra is pretty serious when it comes to relationships, it is equally important to keep in mind Libra also encourages us to find the moderate, middle ground . . . too much time “working” on our relationships is not the best either.
Knowing Saturn’s penchant for keeping the old nose to the grindstone, we may have to deliberately set aside time with our significant other for relaxation with clear agreements to steer clear of sensitive subjects. Right now with both Venus and Mars in Libra this may be fairly easy but once both of those planets move into Scorpio (who loves to stir the emotional pot) it will take more effort to maintain a balance. If your sweetie stops answering your calls and ignoring your texts, maybe it’s time to back off the heavy discussions for awhile.
As a general rule of thumb, those whose personal planets are in fire and air naturally stay on the lighter side of things; earth signs can take it or leave it and those with water LOVE swimming in the deep end emotionally.
Look to your Moon, its sign and aspects, for further insight into your personal style for handling your feelings as well as all those unconscious daily habit patterns. It can be very helpful to know about your SO’s Moon as well to avoid inadvertently stepping on toes. For example, someone with a Gemini Moon will seek to keep all discussions about feelings on an intellectual level making a Scorpio Moon person feel deprived whereas a Pisces or Cancer Moon will happily join Scorp Moon in the deep end.
Compromise (another Libra favorite) is the best route to finding a satisfactory balance for most partners. Most of us know we have to devote time to learning more about our own relationship issues and discussing those with our SO. However we may not realize the importance of choosing to take time to have fun and recall why it was we got together in the first place. Think about it . . . 
When I was out picking raspberries early this morning, I started thinking about Mars shifting into Libra, joining Saturn and soon opposing Uranus and Jupiter in Aries. It dawned on me why Mars in Libra seems like familiar territory for me. With both my Sun and Moon in Libra, Scorpio rising and Mars in Scorpio I live with the combined energy of Mars and Libra every single day.
My Libra-Scorpio-Mars energy is also why I attract/am attracted to those who have Mars in Libra natally, creating a parallel between the charts. Parallels are all about similar energy in one chart being drawn to the same in another and are amazingly common between friends, family and lovers. In my immediate family both my father and brother have Mars in Libra!
When I say “similar”, as in not precisely the same, I mean exactly that too. The desire for harmony and equity comes from my Libra Sun and as such is deeply encoded in the core of my being, while the manner in which I take action is channeled through the pragmatic, intensity of Scorpio who is inclined to play things very close to the chest.
All the women in my family have/had Mars in either water or earth and we could get oodles of work done far more efficiently than either my dad or brother, particularly if it was tasks like preparing food, cleaning house, doing yard and field work, etc. On one hand both my father and brother excel when it comes to facts and figures and both graduated top of their class in school but on the other, they both can take something very simple and complicate it beyond belief. Drove us women batty!
In the natal chart it is also important to take into account aspects from other planets to Mars in Libra. Mercury ups the mental component; Jupiter adds the urge to continually test one’s “luck” and Saturn can prove stabilizing. Uranus aspecting Mars in Libra really boosts the need to experiment and seek excitement. Neptune aspects can encourage procrastination. Pluto? Well, Pluto can make one obsess about making exactly the right choice to the point of being unable to choose at all!
The strong mental component with Mars in Libra does not always translate well into to physical action though it can give dexterity and good balance. Since Libra needs to know any action taken is based on fairness and equity, making quick decisions before acting is difficult to come by due to all the weighing and balancing going on.
A note on Mars in Libra transits: Mars opposed Uranus in Aries early July 30 and will conjoin Saturn on July 31 and that’s it for those two planets until Mars returns to Libra in early 2012. Mars will oppose Jupiter in Aries and square Pluto in Capricorn August 3-4. In other words, we are very, very close to being done with the most intense Mars transits! And that sounds pretty darn good to me . . .
Karen of Ravenesque Tarot has a great post on Mars entering Libra. Among other things, she notes the Tarot card symbolizing Mars is ‘The Tower’. Good read!
Image: This hummingbird is poised and ready to move in any direction . . . a good place to be right now with the cardinal dynamo in the sky.
 © Piccaya | Dreamstime.com
As an astrologer who has specialized in synastry for years, I have looked at many, many charts presented to me by someone who is sure this person is the “one”. As a result, I have had to come up with some basic rules to quickly sort the ones with some potential from those with little to none.
I think of conjunctions to personal planets and the Angles (Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven and Imun Coli) as the strongest ties between charts because those provide the most direct links. Usually we won’t even meet people except in the most peripheral way without those conjunctions. The reasoning is we need common degrees to end up in the same place at the same time to even meet. This seems to apply to those individuals we meet online too – which I find very cool.
Our personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars) are where we live our day to day lives. If you don’t believe me, just take note of transits to those planets. For instance, if Mars is conjoining your Sun, you feel energized and more aggressive/assertive than usual. Not necessarily the case when Mars is conjoining your natal Saturn – unless, you happen to have Saturn in close aspect to your personal planets. Yeah . . . circular.
After conjunctions, come squares and oppositions because the tension creating aspects grab our attention much sooner than the flowing ones (trines and sextiles). How many squares and oppositions a person can live with in synastry depends on whether you are the kind of person who finds fighting with your loved one stimulating or shattering.
Oddly enough, too many trines and sextiles make it easy to slide right out of a relationship . . . you know, “easy come, easy go”. Obviously a balance between the flowing aspects and the tension creating ones is important. The former for respite and the latter to keep the blood flowing.
The calculated points (Vertex, Moon’s Nodes, Part of Fortune and other Arabic Points) are all fun to look at in synastry but without the nuts and bolts aspects, they don’t mean much. I’m inclined to include all the minor bodies (asteroids, planetoids, etc) in this group.
No discussion of the basics of synastry is complete without mentioning the natal chart. If the natal is all about needing to feel free of constraints of any kind (usually many Uranus aspects) then it will be darn hard for that individual to function within the give and take of a committed relationship . . . no matter how much the person wishes otherwise. It is always a smart idea to check whether that amazing potential in the natal chart is manifested too. You know, the kind, sweet person who is still living at home but only until their latest money making scheme bears fruit. Yeah RIGHT!
What it comes down to is what Saturn in Libra will be reminding all of us about over the next couple of years: All good relationships are based on what is grounded and real (Saturn). Trimming expectations back to the bone is also recommended as is paying attention and listening closely. Compromise, a good Libra term, is part of the package too.
None of this sounds like much fun, does it? Don’t worry, Romance will find a way once the practicalities are in place! 
 Finally have my new shorter synastry report, Compatibility Essentials, ready to go. This report is designed to provide enough essential information from an astrological perspective to help you decide the nature of the relationship, whether or not you wish to invest more time and energy into pursuing it and a glimpse into the relationship factors in the individual natal charts.
To keep the cost of Compatibility Essentials down, I regretfully will only respond briefly to one set of your questions. If you are interested in learning more, then I will be happy to apply the cost of this report ($35) to my longer synastry report, Heart of the Matter. As with any astrology consult, you will get better feedback if you can provide accurate birth data for all parties: birth date, birth time, birth place and for calculating a composite chart, the location of you and the other person met.
The couple whose birth data I used to create a sample of this report do not have what I consider the classic synastry aspects but they have been together, on and off, since their teens (over twenty years). They have three children together and have created a strong family unit. They also are both recovering alcoholics and are very active in their local AA chapters (her Pisces Sun and his twelfth house Moon).
For more information on working with me, please go to my Personal Reports page. I look forward to hearing from you!
Sample Compatibility Essentials report: Compatibility Essentials Sample Report
 This subject has been nagging at me seeking expression for several weeks now so I decided to write about it. As most of you know, I have Sun conjunct Chiron in Libra and have been puzzling out relationship issues most of my adult life, and in the process I have become rather good at spotting patterns in both my relationships and others.
Generally speaking, most people don’t start questioning what is going on with their relationships until around their first Saturn return in their late twenties-early thirties. Saturn is very good at reminding us time is passing and asking for performance reviews . . . bless his pointed little head.
Astrologically speaking, we can start sorting by outer planet influences (ruler of the seventh house, aspects to the Sun, Moon and Venus in particular). If Saturn dominates, then you were too busy getting your career off the ground or you are married with children and are not going to waste your time reading this. Uranus pushes for total autonomy and the need to feel unconfined by rules of any kind. Neptune? Neptune would have us all out “rescuing” sad sorts with just TONS of potential, manifested or not – either that or pulling the wool over our eyes for our own good, of course. And if it’s Pluto, it’s all about control and not losing it.
Next we need to sit down and honestly review our own patterns in relating to others. Are we faithful, willing to compromise and truly listen to our partners? How long do our relationships last? If there a consistent “type” we fall for? Do we even want to be part of a committed relationship at all, or are we happier living alone where no one else is messing about with our belongings?
Then we need to take a close look at what we know about our sweethearts, especially if you are looking for something more lasting. What is their dating history? Is there a pattern of cheating or being cheated on? How do they handle money? Rejection? Treat their family members or people who cannot directly benefit them?
Another red flag for me is glaring inconsistencies. For instance, what would you think if your beautiful partner who treats you so well tells you about a pattern of previous partners cheating on them? There has to be a reason for that. One of which would be choosing really self-centered, narcissistic types, or another possibility is this person was cheating too. Either way, it’s not a good sign.
While Saturn is in Libra, we have an excellent window of opportunity to learn more about our patterns of relating. If after giving these questions due consideration and you realize some adjustments are needed, I recommend seeking out good professional help. Though I am not one of them, there are astrologers out there with degrees in counseling who are dedicated to helping people understand why they do what they do.
Where are you on this journey? Making progress or stuck in neutral?
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