Published Article in Voice of Choices August 2008
Astrological Compatibility and Why It's Wrong!
"Why is it that the books say that I am not compatible with my husband? It doesn't make any sense, we have everything in common and have been happily married for years, but it says that we should avoid each other! I don't believe in astrology because it is wrong!"
All too often people are exposed to the basics of astrology and are turned off by it. I am here to set the record straight by saying yes, I agree, it is wrong! Because the books that tell you which signs are compatible are only the basics! Professional astrologers take into consideration many factors to determine whether two people are compatible or not and by no means do they simply consider sun signs as the ultimate deciding factor of a relationship.
For those of you who don't know much about astrology, prepare to expand your horizons! The zodiacal belt is divided into 12 sections known as the signs. The circle of the zodiac starts on the first day of Spring with the sign Aries. When you were born, all of the planets were in a different place. From our perspective here on earth we look out at them and consider the sign behind the planet. We draw up a chart for the moment of your birth and place all of the planets including the Sun and Moon into the chart. Now we can see that you have your own unique design, your special pattern of planets dancing in the universe that no one will ever have again. What most people do know is their "Sun Sign", which means the zodiacal position of the Sun on the day that you were born. For instance, I am a Virgo! Virgo is the Sign that the Sun was transiting, moving through, on the day that I was born, August 26th. The Sun's movements are easy to measure since we know that the Sun moves through the entire zodiac each year.
The articles and books that tell you which Sun signs you are compatible with do not take into consideration where the other planets were when you were born. Each planet rules different areas of life. The Moon is associated with your feminine, receptive self and emotional needs. Venus rules over your desires and your abilities to relate and enjoy friends and lovers. Mars gets your passions raging and gets your animalistic desires fulfilled.
The Sun dominates your core personality, ego, will, vitality, life force, and masculine nature. It is the center of our universe and it is the center of who you are, but by no means does it describe all of you! Oh no, there is more to you than being 1/12 of the population and astrologers know that better than you can imagine! It is impossible for two people to be the same, even twins. So you can relax yourselves Aries and Aquarius, we know that you are still original in your own unique ways. Knowing this supports the fact that relationships are even more complex, astrologically speaking!
What we do know is that the signs carry certain qualities. They are divided by Duality, positive and negative, also known as masculine and feminine, Triplicity, Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and again by Modalities, Cardinal, Fixed, Mutable, which represent seasonal differences. So you can see that signs have commonalities and differences.
Masculine Feminine
Aries Taurus
Gemini Cancer
Leo Virgo
Libra Scorpio
Sagittarius Capricorn
Aquarius Pisces
Cardinal Fixed Mutable
Aries Taurus Gemini
Cancer Leo Virgo
Libra Scorpio Sagittarius
Capricorn Aquarius Pisces
Fire Earth Air Water
Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer
Leo Virgo Libra Scorpio
Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces
These are the basics that astrologers use to gage whether or not your sign is compatible with another sign, however in real life we are many signs and it is nearly impossible to give you an accurate reading on your sun sign alone. We can however say that signs of the same element have a level of harmony as they view the world with similar tastes, while the signs of the same modality struggle with each other and have challenges. If the two are in the same Duality then they are of the same element or a compatible element and have a better understanding of one another. Fire gets along well with Air as Earth is friendly with Water.
Another fundamental factor in compatibility is what we astrologers call aspects which are the spacial relationships between the planets as seen from Earth. To give aspects a well deserved explanation is well beyond the scope of our article, but it is important to mention their existence. This is where we bring in the theories of opposites attract and two planets in the same signs having much in common. Aspects between planets describe whether the two play well with one another or have difficulties and challenges with them, including the type of energetic interplay they will be working with.
As you can see I have proven my point! Astrological compatibility, as the uninformed had previously believed was wrong, but true astrological compatibility and all of its components, elements and awe is complex, meaningful, and extremely insightful. My Mercury in Virgo enjoyed every minute of sharing this truth with you and my hope is that you will continue seeking answers in the mysterious universe we all play in.